Michael Reeves
Michael Obafemi’s turbulent eighteen months at Swansea City looks like it may well come to an end this week with numerous reports suggesting that Burnley are closing in on the capture of the striker.
It still seems a somewhat odd move for a side that is five points clear at the top of the Championship and sixteen points clear of the automatic promotion places. You would argue that seven or eight more wins will see them back in the Premier League and I am far from convinced that Obafemi is a Premier League player. But it is not for me to question Vincent Kompany and why he wants the player, the main thing is he appears to be getting his wish of leaving Swansea City.
Obafemi was first the subject of interest from Burnley back in the summer but the two sides could not reach agreement over a fee, something that seemed to be continuing this month when the Swans turned down two initial bids from Burnley with the last rumoured to be around the £2.5m mark.
Today’s reports though suggest that Burnley have reached closer to the alleged £3m that the Swans wanted for a player who reportedly earns in the region of £1m per year.
Obafemi’s time at Swansea has been disrupted heavily by largely his own actions with several rumoured fallings out with Martin together with an overwhelming desire to engineer a move away and disruption like that in a dressing room is something that every manager could do without.
There is little doubt however that Obafemi has talent but, as referenced earlier, whether that talent will shine through in a Premier League team next season has to be under some doubt. When we signed him there were rumblings of discontent and disruption at Southampton which have just continued in his time in SA1. Whether Vincent Kompany can stop history repeating itself at Turf Moor is, frankly, his problem not ours.
On the face of it this is essential and feels good business for the Swans and we can only hope now that it intensifies our efforts to get Chiedozie Ogbene from Rotherham.
Come on – at 3m this is not good business! How much did Swansea buy him for from Southampton? I seem to recall 1.75-2.5m being mentioned. He was an expensive signing under these normally parsimonious owners.
Obafemi also came to us with a bad-boy reputation from the Saints. So selling him during the summer when Burnley made their much higher offers would indeed have been ‘good business’. But the owners turned them down at the time, looking for a reported 12m. He was never that good!
Now just 6months later 3m is seen as ‘good business’. What this greatly reduced price reflects is not just Obafemi’s behaviour (which all pundits seem to blame) but also Russell Martin’s obvious lack of experience and success in managing ‘challenging’ players, plus the grasping approach of the owners who realise that his Obafemi’s value could drop even further. 3m is certainly not ‘good business’ but reflects an abject failure of leadership and management with the club. And that’s if they actually get 3m!
Whatever his value get shot of him he doesn’t want to play for us so tara mush
spot on
Get rid
Martin seems to struggle with man management. Obafemi showed a lot of potential but wasted by Martin. Jay rose above the “abuse” but other can’t.
Get rid of Martin instead!
He’s done nothing for us, too busy looking in the mirror!
Get rid of obafemi and pato
Good riddance to both of them ,whether with good or bad man management disruption in the dressing room is unacceptable and both have similar behaviour in previous clubs.We have good players coming through in the u21s and the spine of the Swans side should be local lads who will sweat blood for the Swans and not overpaid divas who show little passion for the shirt
And get rid of Martin as well!
Oh, and by the way, get rid of those bloodsucking YANKS!
Martin couldn’t manage a meal for a woodpecker in Epping forest!
I see the plastic fans at it again, if we had the best manager in the world they would stil be little bitches. Plastics have no real idea of what it’s like in a disturbed changing room, this has happened a few times and the owners listened to the players instead of backing the manager they have sacked good men for a few DIVAS not getting their own way.