£15million does not buy you success, as Swansea City have learned the hard way. Tottenham Hotspur will be breathing a sigh of relief.
Back in the heady days of August, it made perfect sense for Tottenham Hotspur to target a 23-year-old striker who had hammered home 18 goals in La Liga the previous season. In fact, only two players outside of the Barcelona-Madrid triopoly netted more.
And, somewhat inevitably, Borja Baston’s goal-laden campaign on loan at Eibar had not gone unnoticed elsewhere.
According to the Daily Mirror, Tottenham, as well as Everton and Valencia, were interested in the Atletico-owned striker who, blessed with strength, aerial ability and a ruthless finish, appeared to have it all.
Therefore, Swansea City seemed to have pulled off quite the substantial coup when they snatched Baston from under their domestic rival’s noses for a club record £15million fee, as reported by the BBC. Yet, the fact that many expected the striker to return to Spain with his tail between his legs in January speaks volumes about his impact in South Wales.
A return of one goal in 14 appearances puts him on track to join the likes of Mario Jardel, Corrado Grabbi and Marco Boogers in the pantheon of Premier League striking flops. Baston could be an ever-present in tabloid slideshows very soon.
The Spaniard has not completed a Premier League game since a November defeat to Manchester United and, in his most recent appearance, produced one of the worst cameos of the season with a seven-minute horror show against City.
It takes time to adapt to a new league but Baston already appears a lost cause.
Maybe Vincent Janssen is not all bad, hey Tottenham fans?
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