The news of a signing coming in before Friday we covered on X from Sunday, and as expected we saw nineteen year old, Malick Yalcouyé confirmed by Swansea City last evening.

Described as an ‘animal’ by a journalist contact in Austria, and indeed his agent in conversation - he was loved by SK Surm Graz fans last season. We have been told ‘He is an absolute terrier when retrieving the ball, very accurate and tenacious, the animal term came about after just a few Sturm Graz games’ His representatives doing solid work to get his name into the minds of the passionate ‘Die Schwoazn’ army, we will let you translate that moniker.

Although Sturm Graz won only two of their eight Champions League games they had an incredible journey under then manager, Beating RB Leipzieg and Girona. Bar a 5-0 thrashing against Atalanta most of their games were lost by the odd goal.

Malick Yalcouyé (below) played in thirty six games for Sturm Graz, scoring four goals from twenty six appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga, the other games were Champions League and cup matches. In the Champions League he featured in all eight games. The positives far outweigh what would be called negatives. He does tire in games and due to his aggression on and off the ball he will pick up a few cards now again.

However, see below. It’s very impressive.

Malick is preferred in a defensive midfield role but don’t think that is his total game. His goals scored and contributions to goals in play and two assists tell you so much more. He will wear the number eight shirt for Swansea City, as did Lewis O’Brien for the Swans last season. You can expect a more ruthless player than O’Brien we are told, a baby faced assassin was another term used. Someone who delights in the tough side of the game with a skill base that will frighten many an opposition player. He breaks up play quickly and his distribution thereafter - as you can see from his near 87% pass rate is clinical.

The Swans have got a real pocket rocket of a player standing just 5’6” and 128Lb (58 kilo or so) he is diminutive and the Swans recruitment team fended off clubs in the German Bundesliga and across Europe. They had Malick on their radar since last year, the region a well trodden ground for bargains and players for the future. Sporting Director, Richard Montague then did the ultimate in negotiations and the Swans had their man. Yes, the package is huge plus he may well be in one of the Ivory Coast sides for the African Nations Cup, which could see him out for a month. We can only hope he excels between now and mid December. In fact it was only a year ago that Yalcouyé stated he wanted to play for Mali, and that is still a possibility as he hasn’t played a full international yet for the Ivory Coast.

Something else we should be hoping for is that Brighton have a good season now Carlos Baleba has joined Manchester United. There were concerns that his transfer could upset any loan deal. Malick was seen by many as a player who could step into his boots. We have no information on a recall, but will look into that this weekend. The actual deal is now registered until the end of May 2026.

Yes we have built him up but we can only repeat what we have been told by one person very close to him, other journalists and of course information we often source. He looks a fans favourite and barring any scares will be in the Swans squad tomorrow v Sheffield United, Swansea.com, 3pm. Will we get to see him ? For us it’s almost certain. Maybe a few more tickets will have gone by then ?

Photographs : Reuters already registered, Swansea City AFC & UEFA media