Why Swansea City should go all out for free agent Fabio Borini
According to BBC, Swansea City are currently in talks to bring former Liverpool and Sunderland forward Fabio Borini back to English football. The 29-year-old is currently a free agent following his release from Hellas Verona earlier in the year, meaning the Swans would be well within their rights to sign the Italian outside of the transfer window.
Profile
Fabio Borini rose through the youth ranks of Bologna in Italy before completing his development at Chelsea. He made his first-team debut for the Blues during the 2009-10 campaign. However, he was loaned out to Swansea City in the Championship after making just 8 appearances in his debut season. The Italian forward scored 6 goals in 12 appearances to fire the Welsh outfit to promotion.
The 29-year-old had a successful loan stint at AS Roma, scoring 10 goals in 26 outings. This paved the way for a permanent move to Liverpool in 2012. Borini struggled to make a big impression at Anfield and was loaned out to Sunderland. He then completed a permanent move to the Stadium of Light.
Borini bagged 14 goals in 82 PL outings for the Black Cats before joining AC Milan, initially on loan, in 2017. His stay at the San Siro was made permanent in the following summer. The one-cap Italy international went on to score 8 goals in 75 appearances for the Rossoneri.
The versatile forward joined domestic rivals, Hellas Verona, in January 2020 but was released at the end of the season after scoring 3 times in 14 appearances.
Borini would be a useful signing for Swansea
Swansea capped off a productive transfer window with some fruitful business on the domestic deadline day. Four new players came through the door at the Liberty Stadium. The departure of Joe Rodon to Tottenham was a big blow but the Swans replaced him with deals for Joel Latibeaudiere and Ryan Bennett. Kasey Palmer and Ryan Manning also joined the ranks.
The arrival of Palmer on loan from Bristol City is expected to add a bit more depth and cutting-edge to Swansea’s attack. Wolves loanee Morgan Gibbs-White has established himself in the No.10 role behind Andre Ayew and Jamal Lowe. But Palmer is more than capable of competing for a role in Steve Cooper’s side.
Swansea, though, are still somewhat light in their striking options. Lowe and Ayew have made a positive start to the campaign. But lack of quality alternatives could well come back to haunt them when fixtures start to come thick and fast.
More experience?
The Swans have promising youngsters like Jordan Garrick and Liam Cullen. Viktor Gyokeres is also likely to be phased into the first-team mix. But they don’t have an awful lot of experience under their belt to pass a definitive judgement on whether they are ready to make a big impact at this level.
Now that the summer window is closed and with more than two months remaining before the market reopens in January, Swansea need to get a bit creative to sort out their issues. To that end, a potential deal for free agent Fabio Borni would definitely be a shrewd move.
The Italian forward guided Swansea to promotion in the Championship about a decade ago and he could make a big impact in the second-tier once again if the Swans end up offering him a return.
Verdict
Borini has loads of English top-flight experience under his belt. While he hasn’t always been the most prolific striker, his versatility would certainly hand a boost to Cooper. Add to that his ability to create goals and he could be a handful for the opposition at this level.
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Fabio Borini still has a lot to offer at 29. It goes without saying that his potential arrival would add experience to a Swansea attack that largely relies on the exuberance of youth. All in all, Borini could be a big coup on a free transfer.
