Well the speculation still refuses to go away linking Big John with a return to the City he grew up to play, his beloved Swansea City.
Following an article saying he was on the verge of signing, Huw Jenkins moved to slam the Western Mail stating that the statements made are “untrue” and “an irresponsible piece of journalism”.
Despite this he did confirm that the Swans have held talks with Hartson but they were at his request rather than the club’s. Roberto Martinez has tried to play it down when asked about the topic but has refused to rule out the possibility of Hartson signing at the Liberty Stadium, saying that while he has had an excellent career he would not necessarily fit into our game plan, as well as being on high wages that we probably could not afford.
Fans’ opinions are also quite split on whether a life-long Swans fan would be a good addition to the squad. But what are the pros and cons of Hartson becoming a Swan?
Let’s have a look at the pros first:
- His ability to hold the ball up could help create chances for the other members of the team as well as relieving pressure on the defence;
- His experience could prove vital to the side;
- He has won medals for Celtic which shows he knows what it takes to win the majority of his sides games;
- Scored over 200 goals in his career which he should continue at our level;
- Sounds as if he wants to play for us and play a part in our success on the pitch;
- The gates and merchandise sales would increase;
- His aerial threat would make us a much better threat from corners and the amount of headers won in general would rise considerably;
- Different type of player to other players at the club and gives the manager a Plan B option;
- We have money in the bank so we could probably pay him accordingly
Now for the cons:
- His wages would probably be a lot more than other players and would be a waste if he could not do the business;
- He has barely kicked a ball since February which means his fitness will be low;
- He does not necessarily fit in with the manager’s game plan;
- He has achieved a lot but will his hunger to succeed still be there
So there are all my positives and negatives about John Hartson becoming the Swans latest signing, and in my view there are much more positives than negatives.
The option of signing Big John on loan with a view to permanent deal in January is simply too good a chance to ignore, providing his wage demands are reasonable. Up front Jason Scotland has started well but our other strikers have not hit form yet.
But the main problem is their all quite similar in that they are all pretty good on the floor but bring no aerial threat whatsoever. This is one of Hartson’s main strengths and he should be able to cause havoc in the penalty area. Whereas his fitness may not be great at the moment he could possibly be used as a sub for the last 20 minutes to come on to win the ball in the air when things are not going well.
The money from the sale of Trundle is in the bank and it is surely worth taking a gamble for four months and then decide whether to make the deal permanent, all depending on how much of a success he has been.
So come on Martinez, hand over the number 10 shirt to the life-long Swans fan.