Why Jordan Morris would be an excellent signing for Swansea City
According to BBC, Swansea City are in talks to secure the services of United States international striker Jordan Morris on loan until the end of the season.
Morris, who plies his trade with Seattle Sounders FC in the Major League Soccer, is currently in camp with the US national team. It has been claimed that a deal for the 26-year-old would have to wait until the striker returns to Seattle, where he has been shortlisted among the nominees for US Soccer’s Player of the Year award for 2020. (h/t BBC)
Profile
The Washington-born forward made his breakthrough in the MLS during the 2016 season after impressing at Stanford Cardinal at the college level. Morris was an instant hit with a 14-goal haul in all competitions in his debut campaign, guiding Seattle Sounders to the MLS Cup.
He struggled for form in 2017 and spent the entirety of the 2018 season on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament injury before returning to action in 2019.
Morris bagged an impressive 13 goals and 6 assists in 30 appearances as Seattle won the MLS Cup once again, with the striker earning the 2019 Comeback Player of the Year award. He followed it up with 12 goals last season and that has been enough to attract interest from across the Atlantic in the form of EFL Championship promotion-hopefuls Swansea City.
Swansea currently find themselves in the mix for automatic promotion after a sparkling first half of the season in the Championship. The Welsh outfit are placed 2nd in the standings with 46 points accumulated from 24 games so far, just four points adrift of pace-setters Norwich City.
Things are certainly looking bright for the Swans but Steve Cooper needs to weigh up some fresh additions this month to bolster his side’s surge for promotion.
Cooper has seen loan attacking midfielders Morgan Gibbs-White and Kasey Palmer recalled by their parent clubs since the start of the January window. Viktor Gyokeres, who joined the ranks on loan from Brighton as a back-up striker in the summer, has also returned to the Amex Stadium after struggling for playtime.
Those departures have certainly robbed Swansea City of some much-needed cover in the final third heading into a hectic second half of the season. Jamal Lowe and Andre Ayew have been the key players up top, contributing to 17 out of the club’s overall tally of 29 goals scored in the Championship so far. But with youngster Liam Cullen offering very little, Cooper certainly needs a quality alternative up top to replace Gyokeres.
Putting things into context, Swansea City taking a punt on MLS star Jordan Morris can pay off handsomely in their quest for automatic promotion. The 26-year-old has been among the best-performing strikers in his homeland over the past few years, registering 42 goals and 21 assists in 129 appearances for Seattle Sounders.
Morris has also backed up his strong performances in the MLS with some quality displays for the United States at the senior international level. The Seattle star has scored 10 times in 39 outings for the national side, having played a key role in their 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup triumph.
His ability to operate as a wide forward on either flank besides his natural centre-forward role should also hand a boost to Swansea’s dynamics up top.
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Verdict
Goals in the United States are not always exchangeable for those in English football. Jordan Morris is among the best strikers around in the MLS, though, and has the numbers to back his reputation. With the US international still only 26, Swansea have every reason to hope that he would be able to make the step up to the EFL Championship.
