Yannick Bolasie displayed a side to his game that we all want to see yesterday. He came on the field, took the game by the scruff of the neck and went with it. He tormented the Saints defence and set up numerous chances.
That performance has led Swans head coach, Luke Williams to mention him in despatches after yesterdays game. He admits he would love to keep him at the Swans, however as we know that decision isn’t his to make. The first thing that needs to be sorted out is his salary from the end of January to the end of this season. There needs to be a high degree of flexibility there.
The Yannick Bolasie we saw yesterday and the first few games of his time with us is most certainly the player that can turn games. He is just the sort of player who would throw Cardiff in to chaos in the next derby game, a must win for the Swans despite Cardiff only winning twice out of the last ten matches and losing seven. Yannick knows how important these games are for the fans. Many mention his age (34) but he displayed yesterday that isn’t a factor over a short period of a ninety minute game.
He keeps himself fit, his contribution to training at Swansea is more than just personal goals, he encourages others and is generally a down to earth player with a desire to pass on knowledge. His experiences at Sporting Lisbon a few years ago defined his ‘family first’ pledge. He moved his family to Portugal, this disrupted his children’s schooling, but still saw positives from the experience where most would find little to see. Bolasie : "As a family we had our ups and downs adjusting to life there but we tried our best to connect with the people as much as possible as we felt that would be the only way to be able to tap into the culture. Also there was a lot of things going on behind the scenes regarding finances etc which can have its toll mentally when you keep being told things but they don't get done. But these are life lessons for me”
His wife Kelsey is the biggest part of his life now, including of course his children. She has a real estate company, and we know enjoys the Swansea area immensely. Her status as a director, makes the future good for her enterprise in the coming years. These things deserve consistency to flourish, the same for Yannick on the pitch, the family has to be safe and happy off it. That is the main ingredient to a successful life and end of career for Yannick. He is learning all the time, life lessons he calls them, and to even have the humility to publicly state that and learn from them means he is more than a footballer.
Yannick and Kelsey married in Southern Spain (Picture Yannick Bolasie)
Whether the Swans go ahead with a new contract is we are told very much in the balance, finances have to be right. We also know Yannick would most certainly sign a new deal, that’s not in question. That means there could be some degree of flexibility to make it happen. The Swans we are told will make a decision on that dependent on their success in bringing players in this transfer window. On that we know things are not going exactly to plan, but they are working solidly on a number of deals. There is of course some reassessment to be done on inquiries knocked back. And not just the Standard Liege player Romaine Mundle. Read in to the more recent comments far closer to home.
Yannick’s future at Swansea it seems is dependent on the success of this transfer window. The head coach can ask for priorities though, and it seems Yannick is one of those for Luke Williams at least.
Ten days to go then, and all will become a lot clearer.
Read our Yannick Bolasie exclusive here —> ⚽️ Yannick talks to the Indy