Gyan happy with Sunderland move
Asamoah Gyan says he is very happy to have joined Sunderland on the final day of the transfer window.
Sunderland paid a club record £13 million to make sure they got their man from Rennes on a four-year contract at the very final moment. Gyan says he is now looking forward to focusing on the Premier League.
This is a very positive piece of business by the club as the club's main striker Darren Bent has been looking for a partner in attack for a long time. Manager Steve Bruce has said that he won't have a problem throwing Gyan in at the deep end if necessary.
Gyan has a number of attributes that should ensure he hits the ground running at his new club. However, he'll have to cope with the physical nature and pace of the Premier League very quickly if he wants to make an impression straight away.
Player attributes
The Ghana striker has enough pace to trouble any defence in the Premier League. If Gyan and Bent play together than it's likely that Sunderland will keep the ball on the floor and try to play it in behind. This will allow Gyan to utilise his pace and burst away from the defenders.
Gyan played 47 times in two years for Rennes and he would have taken a great deal of experience from his time in France. This number of games will be lower than he would have been hoping for but this means he will be hungry and ready to play out of his skin for Sunderland.
Gyan is great at linking up the play and this will be vital if Bruce wants to use him in different roles. He can easily drop into the midfield and pass the ball around to try and make the team a little more creative.
Gyan said: "It's been a long day, but finally I'm happy to be here and my family and friends are also happy for me. My family is in England already and I am happy this is the right place for me. I am pleased I have the opportunity to come to England."
Work to be done
Sunderland already have work to do because they will need to prepare Gyan for the pace and physical nature of the Premier League. Defenders tend to get away with much more in England than in any other league across Europe.
This means the club will have to work quickly and get Gyan on an exercise program that will increase his fitness and his strength. If they can do this fast and the player responds productively then it could mean that he has a very productive first few months at his new club.
He added: "I follow English football and I know Sunderland have incredible fans. I especially know about the derby when they play against Newcastle. That is something incredible. I have witnessed that myself. The Sunderland fans never say die. They keep cheering their team on for 90 minutes. That gives me confidence to play maximum football."
Betting advice
Gyan and Bent have the ability to form one of the most dangerous attacking partnerships in the Premier League. However, this depends on both of them staying fit and whether Bruce wants to use both strikers as a partnership.
Gyan has everything needed to score a goal in any game. Back him to do so when Sunderland play teams they are fancied to beat. The better defenders in bigger teams will try harder to keep Gyan off of the ball so keep this in mind when you're betting.
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