The rave reviews which explain why Swans fans should be excited by Yalcouye

FOR all the noise, it's easy to forget that Malick Yalcouye's career is still largely in its infancy.

- TOM COLEMAN Football Writer

Indeed, it feels like wherever the 19-year-old has been, he's left a trail of rave reviews and awe-inspired gawping in his wake, a trail that has now led to Swansea City.

Given the midfielder was posing with a Player of the Match accolade in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund last season, this unquestionably feels like a coup for the Swans, and perhaps makes a big statement about the pull of the club.

It also feels like a ringing endorsement from Brighton, who would surely have a strong claim to the title of the best run club in the country.

Albion's recruitment has been at the foundation of their recent success, with the club creating what feels like a perpetual conveyor belt of hidden gems.

These players are polished, sold on for enormous sums, and swiftly replaced by another leftfield talent - often just as good, or even better.

It's a system Swans director of football Richard Montague would probably like to replicate, and that synergy in outlooks might well go some way to explaining why City were seen as the best fit for Yalcouye's next step.

Following in the footsteps of Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho and the Toure brothers, the midfielder came through the ranks of Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas, before making the move to Sweden in January 2024.