"Not acceptable at this level" - Honest claim made on Swansea City's Ronald | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea City fan pundit believes that Ronald should be contributing far more regularly to goals and assists.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Brazilian winger Ronald was signed by Swansea City from Gremio Anapolis in his homeland in January 2024, but he has struggled for consistent output since joining the club.

He'd spent the past season-and-a-half with Portuguese side Estrela de Amadora, helping them win promotion to the Premeira Liga in 2023, and very little was known of him prior to his arrival in South Wales.

Given the fact that this was a young player with no experience of English football, and had just half a season of Portuguese top-flight football under his belt on loan from a side that plays in the Brazilian state championship, rather than the national league, many Swansea fans were sceptical about Ronald's signing.

However, whilst the 23-year-old is still very raw, there have been promising glimpses. His stint at Swansea has so far been a blend of promise and frustration. The winger has consistently demonstrated his impressive dribbling abilities, effortlessly going past full-backs with his speed and direct style.

His flair on the ball has made him an exciting player to watch, igniting hope among the fanbase when he takes on opponents down the flanks. However, the lack of regular goals and assists remains a problem for Luke Williams' team.

The verdict on Swansea City's Ronald

We asked FLW's Swansea fan pundit James Fleming for his verdict on who the player is that has surpised him most so far this season. Ronald is one of the most obvious answers, but not for particularly positive reasons, after a promising start to life with the club during the second half of 2023/24.

He said: "I think Ronald has been surprisingly poor, considering how good he was at the sort of mid point of last season.

"Towards the end, he started to struggle a bit, but nobody thought anything of it because he was so good to begin with.

"This year, he has been really, really poor. He's struggled with his end product more than anything.

"It's now one assist that he has got in 32 matches. As a winger, that is not acceptable at this level.

"You need someone out wide who can create you chances, get in behind and through to cross the ball in, and beat his man to shoot.

"He hasn't done any of it this season. Last season, when he came in, he showed those glimpses of being a quick winger who could beat his man and get it in the box.

"But this year, he hasn't done any of the sort. I think if his performances don't improve, then he is going to see himself dropped.

"Hopefully, if he is dropped, then it's for one of the academy players; one who will make that effort to go past their man and get the ball in the box."

For all his talent, Ronald often flatters to deceive. Despite his ability to create space and opportunities, he struggles with the end product and is missing that final decisive action. His crosses and shots frequently lack the precision and power needed to make a significant impact, resulting in frustration from large sections of the Swansea fanbase.

Those moments can define games and could have turned some of those in Swansea's favour. As the season progresses, there is a growing sense of urgency for Ronald to refine his output, with multiple forwards struggling for Luke Williams' side at present.

While his dribbling can spark moments of brilliance, converting those into meaningful goal contributions is crucial for both his development and the team’s success. If he can improve his end product, Ronald has the potential to become a key player for the Swans, transforming his exciting runs into match-winning moments.

For now, fans hope to see him develop in that respect more effectively as he continues his journey at the club. One goal and one assist is all he has to show from 14 appearances this season, with the goal coming against Gillingham in the EFL Cup. Ronald has started 12 of those fixtures as well.