Props to Paul Clement.
The Swansea manager has arguably enjoyed the best transfer deadline day of all, having signed one of the top prospects in world football to fill the void left by Gylfi Sigurdsson two weeks ago.
Renato Sanches has moved to the Liberty Stadium on a season-long loan deal from Bayern Munich and Clement’s role in the deal cannot be understated.
See you soon, @renatosanches35… 😁👍 pic.twitter.com/H83HMjpf49
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) August 31, 2017
The fact that Clement is so hands-on in the coaching of his squad, his relationship with Bayern and the style of football he has cultivated with the Swans have presumably combined to convince Sanches to move to Swansea despite the interest of Liverpool and Manchester United.
Sanches has been lauded as one of the most exciting young players in Europe, with his performances for Portugal at Euro 2016 earning him plenty of fans.
The 20-year-old saw his playing time limited after moving to Bayern for €35 million last season but he will be expected to kick on at a club which is less high-profile than the Bundesliga powerhouse.
But the deal has not been all smooth sailing because Sanches’ requested squad number of 85, the same number that he wore when his career started at Benfica, has been rejected by Premier League chiefs.
Premier League rules dictate that “squad numbers must be consecutive and close to the current highest number,” so Sanches has been forced to settle for the No. 35 shirt.
Unsurprisingly, the Welsh side were not put off the deal despite the snag.
It was all going so well… 🙈
The #PL reject the number 85 for @renatosanches35. He will now wear 3️⃣5️⃣ for the #Swans this season. pic.twitter.com/Lx7qWmkHOF
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) August 31, 2017
The #PL rule that squad numbers must be consecutive and close to the current highest number. We're still going ahead with the transfer! 😁
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) August 31, 2017
