Swansea City registered an unexpected yet emphatic win over Liverpool at the Anfield last weekend to leapfrog over Crystal Palace and get out of the relegation zone for the time being. With two points aloof of the drop out dogfight, Paul Clement’s side have earned themselves some respite, though there is a paramount need to maintain consistency.
The Welsh side have had a decent transfer window so far, having already acquired the services of Luciano Narsingh, Martin Olsson and Tom Carroll, but nonetheless, their defence still remains a major cause of concern.
Lately, the Swans have been linked with Inter Milan’s defender Andrea Ranocchia for a prospective move of the Italian to the Liberty Stadium. Clement is in hot pursuit to tighten the screws at the heart of his defensive line and being interested in this resilient centre-back is no brainer from the gaffer. Ranocchia has been reduced to the stature of an outcast at Inter, and despite captaining the Serie A outfit in the 2014-15 campaign, his importance has reduced drastically.
San Siro crowd and management might undervalue him, but the 28-year-old is still a very wanted commodity, particularly amongst the teams in the Premier League. He is a tall, well built and physically commanding centre-back, a bookish brand of defender who has modern characteristics running through his veins.
The former Genoa and Arezzo man has a brilliant technical sense, never refrains from making sharp tackles and possesses an excellent positional awareness. Moreover, his aerial strengths and ability to coordinate the backline as a unit are lauded by one and all and owing to these eye-catchy characteristics, he is lauded as one of the finest outputs of Serie A.
Ranocchia has been at Inter Milan for many years now but has fallen behind in the pecking order of Stefano Pioli’s tactical nous. Not to mention, he is still a very decent asset who can fit the bill for any good quality outfit. His defensive prowess is intriguing and more than anything else, he would be a much-needed upgrade and impetus for Clement as he takes his side to the second half of the campaign.
Signings are imperative for Swansea City to ensure that they have the necessary ingredients to keep themselves in the top flight as one might bet upon the relegation battle to get quite nervy in the coming months. Thus, it has to be underlined that the Swans should be pushing hard to get the deal to reach a conclusion in order to ensure that their defensive woes are solved.
