Saturday, April 20, 2024

The Latest Football News and Opinions From 90 Minutes Online

Why Ki Sung-Yueng would be a snip at less than £20m

Ki Sung-Yueng (courtesy of Wikipedia)Uncharacteristic. That was what the man called it. And it was exactly that. Ki Sung-Yueng had just played a sloppy, dangerous pass into the path of opposition striker Odion Ighalo, metres from the Swansea box.

 

 

It was a rare error from the reliable South Korea man. A man who Neil Lennon, Ki’s manager during his 3-year spell at Celtic, described as ‘class’.

 

Ki is 6’ 2” and, despite having more than 100 Premier League appearances under his belt, turns just 27 next week. His confidence in possession makes him a calm operator in the tightest of spots, under the heaviest of pressure.

 

Laugh if you want but, in the easy way he navigates out of these situations, he looks every bit the La Masia product.

 

Ki Sung-Yueng versus Chelsea

 

He switches the play with accurate cross-field balls, clips perfectly-weighted passes to overlapping full backs, and lays simple balls back to the defence when needed. He moves the ball quickly, rarely surrendering possession.

 

His intelligence, vision, range of passing, and technique are up there with the league’s best. He doesn’t belong anywhere near the relegation zone.

 

Ki Sung-Yueng versus Manchester United

 

Swansea paid £6m to prize him away from Celtic Park in 2009. That was 3 times as much as Celtic had paid FC Seoul for the teenager.

 

If Jonjo Shelvey is worth £12m - and I happen to think he is - Ki is worth more. With 173 British top flight games and 80 international caps to his name, I would happily treble his previous transfer fee again.

 

He’s the calm, creative, technically-gifted player with whom you’d replace a Michael Carrick, a Gareth Barry, or - dare I say it? - a Jack Wilshere.


Despite their Ki-assisted win against Watford last night, Swansea look doomed. If they are, here’s hoping Ki’s part of a more talented squad before the 2016/17 campaign gets under way.

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