Swansea star ‘used Football Manager for research’

NEW Swansea City striker Bafetimbi Gomis has revealed that he used Football Manager to improve his knowledge of the Swans before signing.
Bafetimbi Gomis gets in a shot at goal during the Capital One Cup  match with Rotherham. Picture: GettyBafetimbi Gomis gets in a shot at goal during the Capital One Cup  match with Rotherham. Picture: Getty
Bafetimbi Gomis gets in a shot at goal during the Capital One Cup match with Rotherham. Picture: Getty

The 29-year-old, who arrived in Wales on a free transfer from Lyon, told swanseacity.net: “I play a lot of Football Manager.

“During my time with [Lyon], we travelled quite a bit for European matches. Therefore, I used my spare time on the plane to play.

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“I have found it very helpful in helping me find out more about Swansea.”

Gomis, who has made 12 appearances for the France national team, added: “I spent a month playing as Swansea to help me get to know my team-mates - to find out a bit more about them.”

The striker said that he had used the game to learn about his new team-mates’ characteristics and attributes.

The simulation game is even being used by some of Europe’s top clubs, as a scouting tool.

Sports data company Prozone is using statistics from the game to help clubs recruit players, and the firm’s CEO - Thomas Schmider - told The Guardianearlier this month: “Prozone Recruiter has been built to supplement the intuition of scouts and coaches by delivering detailed performance information on over 80,000 players worldwide.”

Cardiff City boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that the game had helped him to prepare for life as a manager, while Joey Barton is following a similar route alongside studying for his coaching badges.

The big question, of course, is how Gomis fared managing the Swans.

“I didn’t win many trophies, but I worried many top teams in the league and finished the season in eighth position,” Gomis said.

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“I won many matches against the ‘big clubs’ and, according to the game, I had some good players in the team.”

Gomis scored his first goal for Swansea City on Tuesday night, in their 1-0 win over Rotherham United in the Capital One Cup.