Wilfried Bony believes a little insider dealing on his time trading on behalf of Manchester City can improve the share price on Swansea remaining in the Premier League.
Bony spent two-and-a-half years at City and although he only managed 15 starts and a further 21 appearances from off the bench, the striker believes he soaked up sufficient knowledge to be usefully distributed before the teams meet at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s side have now won 14 successive matches after Sunday’s success against Manchester United at Old Trafford – a Premier League record in a single season – but Bony insists there is a value in what his knows from his time there.
“Maybe I can share some experiences from my time there,” says the Ivorian who scored the crucial only goal of the game to beat West Brom on Saturday.
“But we all know it is going to be a difficult game, because they are very good at the moment.”
Having repaired his body and restored his scoring ability, Bony is convinced he can now keep the Swans in the Premier League.
Back-to-back goals in successive matches used to be a regular feat for Bony in his first spell in South Wales, but that was before his infrequent appearances at City and virtual hibernation during a wasted year on loan at Stoke.
When he returned to Swansea, manager Paul Clement admitted Bony was out of condition. But tough love on the training field and perseverance through selection when he still short of real fitness has been rewarded.
The striker’s winning goal against a punchless West Brom – following his first of the season at Stoke a week before – was the first time Bony had scored in successive Premier League matches for three years.
It was enough to give the Swans their first win in eight games, lifting them off the bottom of the table, and easing some of the pressure that had been building on Clement.
“I’ve now played four games in a row, which is very good,” said Bony.
“There are five games left this year, so I think after that I’ll be there (fully fit). The most important thing is to be fit and ready and when the chances come I will score.
“I’m working very hard. But only one thing can make you really fit and that’s to play matches.”
Bony’s goal in the 81st minute was a rare moment when quality and conviction were combined in an otherwise forgettable match, despite the points at stake for two clubs desperate to reverse decline.
After Tammy Abraham had injected some energy and urgency into the home side, it was the substitute’s challenge at a corner that led to the ball dropping invitingly for Bony.
“When the ball came to me, I didn’t see either side of me. I just said to myself I need to bang this ball. I knew I had the power and I knew that this was maybe my one chance of the game.
“We are all confident. If you look at the league table, then if we can win two games we can be up to 15th or 14th place. Then, everything can change.
“It was very important to win because it will give us confidence for the next game (against Manchester City). We will be ready for that one.
Just as Swansea have found a bit of dead cat bounce after hitting the bottom last week, shares in West Brom’s survival chances seem to be still falling.
This was their 14th match without a win and although manager Alan Pardew has only been in charge for the most recent two, he is already contemplating strengthening his squad by adding more firepower in next month’s January transfer window.
“January is not far away and we’re going to have to look at that if we can’t increase our goalscoring ratio,” said Pardew. “It’s not great and we need to improve it.
“We have a difficult Christmas programme but a programme where we could get a couple of wins, wins that will make it look a lot different.”