Ayew has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year contract at the Liberty Stadium after the Swans agreed an undisclosed fee with the Hammers.

The 28-year-old forward returns to Wales having left the Swans to join West Ham for £20.5 million almost 18 months ago.

His arrival is a major boost for boss Carlos Carvalhal, who has been looking to strengthen his forward line throughout the January transfer window.

Ayew is a proven Premier League player who finished as the Swans’ 12-goal leading scorer in his one previous season at the club.

The Ghana international, the older brother of Swans frontman Jordan, first moved to SA1 from Marseille in the summer of 2015 on a free transfer.

He immediately settled into the English game, scoring in his first two Swans appearances, and was an influential part of the team which overcame a difficult first half of the season to finish in mid-table.

Ayew’s contribution – his 12 goals came in 35 appearances – persuaded West Ham to spend big to take him to East London in August 2016.

He heads back to the Liberty having scored 12 goals in 50 West Ham appearances, 31 of which were starts.

The versatile forward will wear the No. 19 shirt in his second stint as a Swan.
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Source: Swansea City FC

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Swansea had a £14m bid for the Ghana international rejected by the Hammers on Sunday and are reportedly planning an improved offer.

West Ham boss David Moyes is open to let Ayew leave if his £20m valuation is met.

However, according to Sky Sports, Ayew is not keen on a move back to the Swans as he feels he can secure a move to a bigger club.

Turkish club, Galatasaray, has also recently expressed interest in the 28 year old.

The West Ham man has scored six goals and made another two from 24 appearances this season across all competitions.

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By: Daniel Koranteng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to Sky Sports, the Hammers value Ayew at £20m and will not budge into selling him below their asking price.

Ayew joined West Ham from Swansea back in 2016 for £20m but has struggled to hit the ground running at the London club.

The 28-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements at West Ham and manager David Moyes is reportedly open to offloading the Ghanaian international.

Swansea are expected to make an improved bid in the coming days.

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By: Daniel Koranteng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Ayew scored for the fourth time in his last seven games to set the Swans on the path to the fourth round.

The Ghanaian’s 11th-minute strike was a memorable one, as he danced past a number of Wolves defenders before beating keeper Will Norris.

The visitors levelled through Diogo Jota midway through the second half, but Wilfried Bony quickly responded to seal a 2-1 win.

And Carvalhal was full of praise for Ayew after his memorable contribution.

“I am very happy because Jordan deserves it,” said the Swans boss.

“He scored against Newcastle and again tonight. I am happy because he is a fighter – he works very hard for the team.

“He ran a lot tonight, even at the end when he was tired I think.

“I like players like that – who have quality but first of all they think of the team. I am very happy to see him score a goal like that.”

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Source: Swansea City

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Player-coach Leon Britton had been in temporary charge of Swansea since the Premier League’s bottom side sacked Paul Clement on 20 December.

Carvalhal, 52, was dismissed by Wednesday on Christmas Eve, with the Owls 15th in the Championship table.

The Portuguese joins Swansea initially until the end of the season with the option of an extension.

Carvalhal, the Swans’ fifth permanent manager in two years, led Wednesday to the Championship play-offs in the past two seasons.

The former Besiktas, Sporting Lisbon and Maritimo boss, who succeeded Stuart Gray at Hillsborough in June 2015, had a win ratio of 42.7% from his 131 games in charge.

“We are very pleased with the appointment,” said Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins.

“We felt we needed to get the managerial situation resolved as soon as possible and while the timing is not always perfect, we can look forward to the second half of the campaign with renewed optimism.”

Carvalhal’s first game in charge of Swansea will be away against Watford on Saturday.

He faces a daunting task in trying to steer the club to safety.

The Swans have spent the past three Christmases in the Premier League relegation zone and they only narrowly avoided the drop under Clement last season.

But the former Bayern Munich assistant manager was sacked after winning only three of his 18 Premier League games in this campaign.

That was the fourth managerial change in two years at Swansea, with Garry Monk, Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley also departing before Clement’s arrival in January.

The Swans are hopeful Carvalhal will be able to inspire a transformation in their fortunes similar to the end of last season.

“Carlos’ time at Sheffield Wednesday, which included securing two consecutive play-off places, highlighted that he has great character and personality to lead the squad and the football club, which is vital at such a crucial time,” Jenkins added.

“He has built up a lot of experience over the years which will ensure the team is structured and organised.

“He is driven and ambitious and while he has a big challenge ahead of him, I know he will tackle it without fear.”

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Source: BBC

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Both teams hit the bar in a frantic start to the match – Jordan Ayew’s scooped cross for the hosts and Phil Jones’ header for United – and it was the visitors made their dominance pay on the cusp of half-time as Eric Bailly tapped in.

Having initially struggled to unlock their opponents’ well-drilled defence, United then opened the floodgates after 80 minutes as Romelu Lukaku confidently struck his third goal in two games for the club.

Paul Pogba added a third two minutes later with a delicately lifted finish and, shortly afterwards, substitute Anthony Martial fired in low to give United a second 4-0 win from their first two matches of the campaign.

After thrashing West Ham on the opening weekend, it had appeared this would be a sterner examination for United against an organised and defensively diligent Swansea side.

Jose Mourinho’s men seemed frustrated at times – Pogba had to be warned by referee Jon Moss after a quick succession of fouls – but after taking the lead, they seldom looked like squandering it against their spirited but limited opponents.

Impressive United bide their time

Mourinho has never failed to win the league title in his second season at a club – including both his spells at Chelsea. A summer of heavy spending had fuelled the belief he could do so again despite finishing last term 24 points adrift of the champions.

With their team unchanged from last Sunday’s drubbing of West Ham, United were quick to take control of this encounter, with Nemanja Matic and Pogba dictating the tempo from the base of midfield.

The visitors enjoyed as much as 66% of possession but initially lacked incision in the final third, which seemed to frustrate their players.

Pogba had to be warned by referee Moss after hauling Martin Olsson to the ground just a few minutes after he was booked for fouling Tom Carroll.

The France midfielder then went on to provide a powerful header which was brilliantly palmed on to the bar by Lukasz Fabianski, only for the ball to drop invitingly for Bailly to convert from close range.

United were happy to sit on that lead until the 81st minute when Henrikh Mkhitaryan found Lukaku unmarked in the box, and the Belgian swept in with his first real opportunity of the game.

Mourinho’s side cut loose from that point, Pogba clipping the ball smartly over Fabianski and Martial finishing off a swift counter-attack to produce a scoreline which arguably flattered the visitors, as impressive as they were.

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Source: BBC

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Naughton’s piledriver in first-half injury time coupled with Fernando Llorente’s early header eased the Welsh club to a 2-0 victory, and four points clear of Hull with a better goal difference.

And Paul Clement’s men will stay up if the Tigers lose at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

They have taken 10 points from the last 12 available just when they needed it most, in stark contrast to the Black Cats, whose win at the KCOM Stadium last weekend proved to be yet another false dawn.

Manager David Moyes, unsurprisingly, was subjected to sustained calls for his head with owner Ellis Short watching from the stands.

On a day when five-year-old Bradley Lowery and his fight against rare cancer neuroblastoma took centre-stage at the Stadium of Light, a banner reading ‘There’s only one Bradley Lowery’ was unfurled in the South Stand, as the clock ticked past the five-minute mark and a plane carrying the message ‘United by cancer, divided by leagues’, which had been arranged by some Newcastle fans – much to the distaste of many others – flew overhead.

On the pitch, it was Swansea, backed by a travelling support of around 3,000 whose tickets had been paid for by the players, who arrived with everything to play for – and they had the game won by half-time.

The Black Cats could not even raise a whimper, as they fell behind with just nine minute gone when goalkeeper Jordan Pickford uncharacteristically misjudged Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick and Llorente squeezed between John O’Shea and Jason Denayer to head home.

Moyes has predicted a summer of upheaval on Wearside, with leading scorer Jermain Defoe almost certain to go courtesy of a release clause in his contract, Pickford attracting interest from elsewhere and a series of out-of-contract players and loanees preparing to pack their bags. Some of them appeared to have done so already.

Their response was tepid to say the least, and 35 minutes had lapsed by the time Defoe ran on to Billy Jones’ knock-down and stabbed a shot towards goal, which Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski managed to block and then smuggle away.

But they succumbed once again deep into first-half stoppage time when, after Jordan Ayew had tormented the home defence on the left, Leon Britton and Ki Sung-yueng switched possession to the right for full-back Naughton to smash a rising right-foot shot across the helpless Pickford.

Having left the field to boos at the interval, the Sunderland players returned to resigned indifference.

Sebastian Larsson was furious not to be awarded a penalty when his free-kick appeared to strike Sigurdsson’s arm and was booked for his prolonged protests, and Fabio Borini saw a 64th-minute strike deflected into the side-netting by Alfie Mawson.

Billy Jones fired wide from close range after Fabianski had parried substitute Wahbi Khazri’s 69th-minute free-kick and the keeper made a fine double-save to deny Khazri and Defoe as time ran down, but that was as good as it got.

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Source: Talksports

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The Ghanaian, who can play either on the wing or as a striker, takes part in his first training session with his new team-mates today, having arrived at the club after helping Ghana reach the African Cup of Nations semi-final.

Ayew was a transfer deadline day signing from Championship club Aston Villa, and may make a first appearance for his new club in Sunday’s Premier League fixture with defending champions Leicester City at the Liberty.

The 25-year-old spoke to his brother Andre, who finished top scorer at the Swans during his one season at the club, before completing his move to SA1.

“For the past three or four years I have been all over the place,” said Ayew, who has had five clubs since 2014.
“I need stability and I think this is the perfect place for me to grow and improve in a lot of aspects. I think I made a wonderful choice.

“I am so grateful to be here. It’s the next step in my career.

“I have been here several times in the past with my brother and I saw a lot of positive things.
“He spoke to me about the club and he said only good things.

“It didn’t take too long for me to make a decision.”
Villa’s top scorer during his one and only Premier League campaign, Ayew is now ready to play his part in helping Paul Clement’s side rise up the table.

Wins since the turn of the year over Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Southampton have moved the Swans out of the relegation zone.

And they look to continue their improved form when the Foxes visit the Liberty this weekend – a game which could see Ayew make his debut.

“I always knew this team had quality players. The team had hard times last season, and this season didn’t start too well,” added Ayew, who scored his first Premier League goal against the Swans in Villa’s 2-1 home defeat in the 2015-16 campaign.

“But the players are the same, and they just need confidence, which they have had in the last month with some fantastic results.

“Now we have an important game coming up. I am fit and available, but it’s up to the coach whether I play a part or not. It’s his decision.

“It’s a new chapter for me and I’m focused on doing my best for the team by creating assists and scoring goals.
“My debut comes when it comes. What is important is that we get the three points on Sunday because it’s a massive game for us.”

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Source: Swansea Football Club

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Jurgen Klopp’s side were struggling to breakdown David Moyes’ ‘double-decker bus’ and looked set to fire blanks in front of goal for a second consecutive game.

But Divock Origi’s goal 15 minutes before full time broke the deadlock as his cross-cum-shot found the back of the net to give the Reds a deserved lead. And James Milner made sure of the result from the penalty spot, as he tucked his effort past Jordan Pickford.

However, Liverpool’s biggest cause for concern came when Philippe Coutinho was forced off with a foot injury on the half-hour mark. The Brazilian midfielder, who has been in stunning form this season, was stretchered off following a clash with Ibrahim N’Dong.

Leicester City 2 – 2 Middlesbrough
Leicester City rescued a dramatic point at the King Power Stadium to deny Middlesbrough an impressive win at the home of the champions.

Alvaro Negredo scored only his second goal of the season when he gave Boro the lead after fine work by Gaston Ramirez. The midfielder teed up Negredo, who expertly chipped the ball over a number of defenders, before the ball nestled in the top corner.

Leicester were given the opportunity to level when Callum Chambers handled in the area. Riyad Mahrez stepped up to take the spot-kick, and he made no mistake, as he found the bottom corner via the post.

Negredo looked to have given the away side all three points when he capitalised on some poor defending by the Foxes. Adam Forshaw’s lofted pass split the defence with ease, before Negredo volleyed past Ron-Robert Zieler.

But Islam Slimani scored a last minute penalty after Wes Morgan was fouled in the area to give his side a share of the spoils.

Swansea City 5 – 4 Crystal Palace
Bob Bradley secured his first league win since taking charge as his side beat Crystal Palace in a crazy game at the Liberty Stadium.

Wilfried Zaha opened the scoring for the Eagles midway through the first half after Christian Benteke’s knockdown allowed the winger to swivel and smash home.

But Swansea drew level thanks to a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick 10 minutes before the break, as the Icelandic midfielder left Wayne Hennessey with no chance.

Leroy Fer scored a quick-fire double to give the home side a comfortable 3-1 lead before Crystal Palace incredibly came back to lead 4-3, thanks to goals from James Tomkins, an own goal from Jack Cork and a strike from Benteke.

But the Swans astonishingly scored two goals in added on time through Fernando Llorente to secure the most dramatic of wins and pile the pressure on Eagles boss Alan Pardew.

Hull City 1 – 1 West Bromwich Albion
Hull and West Brom played out an entertaining draw at the KCOM Stadium as the home side came from behind to secure a point.

The Baggies took a deserved lead when Gareth McAuley headed past a line of defenders following good work by the in-form Matt Phillips.

But Michael Dawson levelled for the home side in the second half after Robert Snodgrass’ free-kick was bundled into the net.

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Source: talksport.com

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The Welsh club, who currently sit above the bottom-three only on goal difference, have claimed just one Premier League win from their opening seven games this season.

Since beating Burnley 1-0 on the opening day, they have suffered five defeats and one draw.

Their latest losses came against Manchester City and Liverpool, despite admirable performances, having earlier claimed a point against Chelsea in a gutsy 2-2 tie.

An American consortium, led by Stephen Kaplan and Jason Levien took over the Swans in July, inheriting Guidolin as manager, but after their woeful star have stepped in to install former USA boss Bradley in the hotseat.

Guidolin was given the boot on Monday – his 61st birthday.

The former Udinese boss joined Swansea in January as head coach and, after steadying the ship and steering them clear of relegation danger, was given a two-year contract in May.

Ryan Giggs and Gianfranco Zola were among those to have been linked with the job over the past few weeks, while there were reports club chairman Huw Jenkins had met with Bradley at Bristol Airport. Bradley, 58, had been working at French club Le Havre in Ligue 2.

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Credit:Talksport

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