Swansea City fans have suggested that Joe Allen would be welcomed back from Liverpool. Would a deal make sense for all concerned?
A poll by Wales Online suggests that Joe Allen is a player Swansea City supporters would welcome back to the Liberty Stadium.
The Wales international is not their top choice in the midfield department, but it could be that entering into negotiations with Liverpool makes sense for all concerned.
Swansea, who saw Allen follow Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool in 2012, already have a number of ball-players on their books.
Garry Monk has, however, expressed concerns about Jonjo Shelvey this season, as reported in The Guardian, and may be tempted to explore other options.
He also has Tom Carroll at his disposal at present and while Swansea fans would like to see his loan deal made permanent, any decision on his future rests in hands of parent club Tottenham Hotspur.
A move for Allen, a man who could slot seamlessly back into the fold in South Wales, may be worth considering.
The Opta statistics below help to highlight how difficult he has found it to get regular minutes this season, with Rodgers having strengthened again in the middle of the park.
| Team | Total Att Assist | Total Tackle | Total Pass | Accurate Pass | Touches | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Henderson | Liverpool | 42 | 51 | 1,193 | 982 | 1,562 | 21 | 1,815 |
| Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 41 | 37 | 1,086 | 935 | 1,395 | 20 | 1,613 |
| Joe Allen | Liverpool | 7 | 22 | 305 | 270 | 422 | 11 | 608 |
| Lucas Leiva | Liverpool | 7 | 48 | 679 | 586 | 849 | 12 | 900 |
| Emre Can | Liverpool | 6 | 19 | 392 | 331 | 518 | 11 | 676 |
| Team | Total Att Assist GAME | Total Tackle GAME | Total Pass GAME | Accurate Pass GAME | Touches GAME | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ki Sung-yueng | Swansea | 0.8 | 1.65 | 56.8 | 51.05 | 71.2 | 20 | 1,728 |
| Joe Allen | Liverpool | 0.64 | 2 | 27.73 | 24.55 | 38.36 | 11 | 608 |
| Jonjo Shelvey | Swansea | 0.56 | 1.44 | 49.56 | 40.5 | 60.75 | 16 | 1,185 |
| Tom Carroll | Swansea | 0.36 | 1.45 | 38.91 | 34.45 | 45.64 | 11 | 541 |
| Leon Britton | Swansea | 0.14 | 1.71 | 44.86 | 40.29 | 53 | 7 | 455 |
Comparing Allen to the creative influences at Swansea suggests that he would need to raise his game to get into Monk’s side on a regular basis, but he has shown in the past how comfortable he can be on the ball when given the chance to play his way into form.
He impressed alongside Leon Britton during a productive period in the Swans’ history and could help to bring even more out of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Monk’s attacking unit as he sits deep and allows forward-thinking talent to express itself.
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