"I had to rub my eyes" - Claim made as Swansea City seal bold transfer agreement | OneFootball

The Real Madrid midfielder is already having an impact in his new Swansea role

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...

Swansea City have confirmed their signing of Hacken winger Zeidane Inoussa.

The package is thought to be worth the equivalent of £5.1m, a significant fee compared to the Swans’ transfer business in recent years.

Inoussa himself has since revealed that club co-owner and current Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric played a role in the deal.

We asked our Swansea Fan Pundit, Will Hughes, what he thought of the deal and the roles played by various members of the club’s heirarchy.

Swansea supporter shocked by Inoussa capture

Speaking to Football League World, Will said: “Well, I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting this sort of signing. I do think it's a real coup of a signing and a real statement, if I'm honest.

“Inoussa is a player that I have been aware of. I recall seeing highlights of him on social media from an account that I follow just looking at players from various countries across Europe and he came up. So, I recall just watching his highlights for a quick 10-15 minutes, thinking, ‘oh, he's a good player. He's got a bit about him.’

“Had a quick look on some websites, which gave me an idea of the valuation of him, and I thought he would be a great addition to the Swans, but I thought he was a little bit out of our price range, I felt, just looking at him.

“So, the fact that I could initially see that we were linked with him and then the reports coming out that we bid an amount of money for him, and it looks to be accepted, and we're finalising a deal. I've got to be honest, I had to rub my eyes and double-check that it was actually real, so I’m very happy with this signing."

Questions over Andy Coleman’s contribution Inoussa signing

Andy Coleman has been the chairman at Swansea since May 2023, but it was reported earlier this year that he’s set to leave that post at the conclusion of this season, withdrawing to a less prominent role as board member and co-investor.

It therefore raises the question of how important he was to the Inoussa deal.

Will continued: “I will say, with regards to the Andy Coleman part of the question, Andy Coleman actually isn't making any footballing decisions at the club anymore.

“I don't really think anyone knows what his role is anymore, but whereas he was the initial chairman of the club, he's now faded into the background.

“It seems that Brett Cravat and the other owners of the club who are pumping money in have actually almost voted him out of the role as chairman due to the terrible job that he was doing initially.

“So now Richard Montague, the director of football, and Tom Gorringe, the CEO, they're the ones making football decisions. And in terms of a first official signing, it's some statement.

“As far as I'm aware, there are reports coming out that it's an initial fee of £500k and that's going to eventually rise up to £5.1 million.

“But I understand that there are certain clauses in the transfer as well. I understand there's a promotional clause as part of the transfer as well, which, if true, again, to me shows ambition.

“If there's a promotion clause in there, surely we’re looking to be challenging in the next maybe two to three years because we’ve signed him on a five-year deal. That's what that tells me, anyway.

“But, as I say, this is nothing to do with Andy Coleman, this is the new people in charge making footballing decisions, and that is some statement.

“Of course, questions are going to be asked as to how much more money is available to be spent, but we'll wait and see."

Luka Modric’s role in new Swansea acquisition

Real Madrid icon Luka Modric joined Swansea as a co-owner last month, and already his impact has been felt in the signing of Inoussa.

The 22-year-old revealed to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen that he spoke to Modric on the phone before agreeing to sign.

Will continued: “Very exciting signing, I have to say. I can't remember us being linked or actually spending this sort of money, where it's over a period of time, or an initial fee, it doesn't matter. Honestly, it's probably Premier League days since we've been even reported to be spending this sort of money.

“So hopefully, it is a sign of things to come, and the thing I really enjoyed about hearing with this signing is the fact that Luke Modric was involved.

“I'm not sure if you're aware, but he actually got in contact with Inoussa over the phone. And I'm not sure if that it was a big draw for him, but for me, that is a real ace up our sleeve.

“If there's any player that we're looking at, and they're not 100 per cent, just get Luka Modric on the phone and let him work his magic.

“He could potentially sway a lot of players to come to us, and that's very exciting.

“So, you know, for a first signing, it's really good, and I'm hoping for more.

“It's really exciting being a Swansea fan at the minute. I just hope this continues and we can build a squad that can challenge for hopefully play-offs. I don't want to get too optimistic, but that will be fantastic, just to be in the conversation of play-offs next season. We shall see.”

After returning to his native Sweden from a youth career spent in France and Spain, Inoussa has been tearing it up for Hacken.

In just 13 outings since the start of this year, the winger has nine goal involvements, including six in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

Given his age, Swansea will hope there is another gear for the starlet to find when he arrives in Wales.