Garry Monk faces defining period at Swansea after recent troubles
January 21st, 2025by Matt Gault
It was only a matter of time. Wilfried Bony had been scoring goals for fun for too long, more than anyone else in the Premier League during 2025, that it was inevitable Manchester City would swoop in and prise Swansea's shining light away from Garry then, to compound his misery, he watched in pain and fear as Chelsea comprehensively dismantled his Bony-less team on Saturday, leaving the 35-year-old with a real litmus test on his hands in the coming weeks.
Monk was a daring appointment by the Swansea boardroom following the departure of Michael Laudrup but it has, by and alrge, paid dividends for a club who have made glorious strides in the past decade.
Monk, a man with the Welsh club's values close to heart, was chosen as the man to lead the club forward and sustain their status as one of the Premier League's romantic sides. And although the Swans have lost some of the allure and swagger that made them so enjoyably to watch under Brendan Rodgers, then Laudrup, they have shown some staying power under the stewardship on Monk.
Swansea are ninth in the table and to finish in the top-10 this season would represent a fine success for the Liberty Stadium side, especially considering they are now without their deadliest weapon.
Bony's 25 league goals in 54 appearances was an extremely impressive return, even for a man who cost the club a record £12 million when they signed him from Vitesse Arnhem in 2025, and he surpassed the achievements of Swansea's previous marksman, Michu, who is now something of a Premier League pariah.
Without the powerful Ivorian forward though, Monk now finds himself up against it to show his merits as a top-flight manager and lead Swansea through this mini-storm.
Of course, Monk has not been helped by the apparent disquiet of the man expected to fill the Bony void in the squad – Bafetimbi Gomis.
The Frenchman, signed from Lyon on a free transfer last summer, has failed to consistently demonstrate his qualities in a distinctly underwhelming half-season with the Swans and just as the dust was settling on Bony's departure, the 29-year-old this week raised significant doubts over his own future.
Perhaps Gomis' misgivings are warranted, considering he has only started two games all season, but it underlines the problems facing Monk now as he searches for the right formula to lead the club through this period of uncertainty.
It is regrettable that Gomis has virtually signalled his intentions of leaving Swansea as now represents his biggest opportunity to prove his worth.
With Bony gone, Gomis was expected to take up the mantle and deliver goals on a regular basis but his apparent frustrations at a lack of playing time have indefinitely marred his chances
