Bargain of the season

There have many great bargains in Premier League over the years. The likes of Eric Cantona, Robin Van Persie, Demba Ba, Joe Hart, Tim Cahill and Shay Given were all come to mind and were bought for under £2 million in their early careers and went on to achieve great things with various clubs. Another that you may be able to put in that list is Swansea's Spanish Superstar Michu.

A lot of people at the start of the season would have put Swansea as one of the first teams to be on the cusp of relegation with the void left from the departing Brendan Rodgers and the loss of key players such as Gylfi Sigurðsson and Joe Allen. However under the new management of Michael Laudrup, Swansea are thriving. A large part of this success has been through a astonishing signing, ex Rayo Vallecano striker Michu.

Michu has notched up a stunning 13 goals in just 20 games and is currently joint third highest goalscorer in the Premier League with only Luis Suarez and Robin Van Persie ahead of him. Not bad for your first season in the Premier League eh? The Swansea talisman has not only shown that he can finish a chance or two this season but also fits in well with Swansea's passing style and currently has a 80% pass success rate however he only has one assist to his name this season. A part of his game I'm sure he will want to improve.


Miguel Pérez Cuesta (which is his real name) has always scored goals wherever he has been. Whether it be at Oviedo, Celta Vigo, Rayo Vellecano or Swansea City.

During his early career at Oviedo (whom was his childhood club) Michu notched up 13 goals in 4 seasons whilst playing in the lower leagues of Spanish football. He was then scouted by Segunda División outfit Celta Vigo where made 131 starts and scored 25 goals. After 3 frustrating seasons at Celta Vigo Michu then moved to Rayo Vallecano who had been newly promoted to La Liga and was beginning to show some form. He managed to conjure up 15 goals in 37 appearances. His link up play and finishing ability was putting many teams on alert. One of these teams happened to be Welsh Giants Swansea City, who managed to swoop Michu for £2 million. Swansea fans will tell you that it was money well spent.

So what's so good about the 6ft 1 Spaniard I hear you ask? Well his ability to finish with impeccable ease has caught the eye of many football fans and his aerial threat to the opposition, especially from in-direct free kicks. He is a player who has seems like the missing piece of the Swansea jigsaw with the ability to also keep the ball and has composure to pick that key pass on the edge of the opposition penalty area. This is probably what he has learnt growing up in Spain with their whole philosophy of passing football and playing regular Futsal which helps many Spanish players in the Premier League such as Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, David Silva and Santi Cazorla. What strikes many Swansea fans who have regularly watched Michu during his time at Swansea is his ability to link up play with his fellow team-mates such as Nathan Dyer, Pablo Hernandez, Danny Graham and Johnathon De Guzman. This along with his finishing is what makes him one of the bargains of the season.

Is he Michael Laudrup's hidden gem from La Liga? It certainly seems so!


Due to his recently astonishing form other clubs have been sniffing around the 26 year old. These include Arsenal, Zenit, Tottenham, and Anzhi Makhachkala (yes I did have to look up how to spell that one). Would he fit in at any other club? He may at somewhere like Arsenal but a move doesn't look likely any time soon so for now it looks like Michu is staying put.


More blogs on the way!

Chipp