Will Swansea's 'panther' Bafetimbi Gomis help them qualify for European competition?

Bafetimbi Gomis has scored four goals in four games for Swansea in the EPL this season

If any club deserved bragging rights to show off the impact of a free signing, look no further than Swansea’s 30-year old striker Bafetimbi Gomis. The big Frenchman, appropriately nicknamed the ‘Panther’, has now scored four goals in the opening four games for Swansea this season – a first in almost a hundred years. It took his tally to 9 goals in his last 10 league appearances, currently making him the most prolific striker in the league in terms of recent form.

Gomis was signed by the Welsh Club last year on a 4-year contract after being released by Lyon, for whom he scored 64 goals in 178 league appearances. That is an impressive stat considering how compact and organised Ligue 1 defences are.

Understandably, in his first season at the club, he was forced to play second-fiddle to Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony who was in sublime form in front of goal. During these periods, Gomis was mainly coming on as a substitute for Bony, and had to be content with a place in the starting line-up only in the League Cup.

Even though his appearances lasted only 15-odd minutes every game, he showed glimpses of what he was capable of, using his body-strength to hold off defenders and getting himself into good positions to meet crosses flying in from the wing. But Bony’s equally positive impact did put up a question – would fans at the Liberty Stadium be able to witness Gomis’ influence over 90 minutes?

Filling the void left by Bony – would Gomis’ health be his Achilles heel?

Gomis has a condition that causes him to lose consciousness – it happened in France and against Tottenham last season

After Manchester City sealed a £28m deal for Bony in January 2015, manager Garry Monk had no hesitation in promoting Gomis to the starting XI for subsequent league games. His impact was mild at best, which had to be expected after spending such a long period warming the bench. As February progressed, he slowly made progress towards being the quality striker he was at Lyon.

It was worth noting in this spell that Gomis has a health condition known as ‘vasovagal response’, meaning that he tends to faint during times of stress. He was reportedly known to have collapsed three times on the pitch in a single calendar year in 2009 during his days in France.

Many fans were apprehensive that his health issues would impede him from living up to the physical challenges and demands of the Premier League. And their worries were further aggravated when he collapsed with no-one around him during an away league game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, the same venue where Fabrice Muamba fell unconscious in 2012 and later had to be resuscitated for 78 minutes.

Thankfully, Gomis’ incident wasn’t that serious, and he recovered in time for Swansea’s next game 12 days later against Liverpool at the Liberty Stadium. Five days later against Aston Villa, he scored a late winner in a 1-0 win at Villa Park – restoring the fans’ belief in him.

Gomis was always second choice until Wilfried Bony moved to Manchester City

Can Gomis be Swansea’s impact player this season?

Gomis’ minor setback did not obstruct him from maintaining his goalscoring ability until the end of the season, scoring 5 goals in his final six league games for Swansea, setting himself up for a fruitful 2015/16 season, where he has netted four times in as many appearances. Statistics show that Gomis contributes much more to the team when he starts than when he comes off the bench, convincing manager Monk that he was the ideal replacement for Wilfried Bony.

Bafetimbi Gomis: Comparison of 2014/15 and 2015/16

Season	2014/15	2015/16
Appearances	31 (18 starts)	4 (4 starts)
Pass Accuracy	79%	82%
Goals/games ratio	0.23	1
Aerial duels won	35.9%	45.5%
Key Passes/game	0.42	0.75

More than his goal-scoring ability, it is his physical presence that makes him one of the feared strikers across the Premier League. And it will take some resolute defending by the opposition to neutralise the threat he poses in the penalty area. This physical attribute also means that he can help his defence in dealing with set-pieces.

Can he carry his early goal-scoring form through the course of the season? With stiff competition from Portuguese striker Eder, how long can the Frenchman retain his place in the starting XI? Could his goals be the catalyst for a European finish for Swansea? The next 9 months should provide us with decisive answers.

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