Swansea City head coach Paul Clement explained why new £11m Summer signing Roque Mesa was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw at Southampton on Saturday.
Many fans were confused and frustrated to see the new arrival not used at St Mary`s, with youngster Jay Fulton used instead to replace Leon Britton during the second half.
Clement said that the Spaniard needs time to adjust to the Premier League, mainly to get used to the “tempo” of the Premier League having played in La Liga.
“Roque Mesa is a really good player and he is going to be a good player for this team,”
“But it`s going to take him a little bit of time to adapt to the tempo of this league because he has been playing in La Liga.
Clement knows all about La Liga, having worked as a first team coach at Real Madrid, before working at Bayern Munich – his most recent role before his switch to the Liberty Stadium.
He added that it`ll take Mesa some time to get used to the tempo of the game as you get “less time on the ball” in the Premier League:
“I have worked in La Liga and I know the difference. In La Liga you get time on the ball to play, especially in midfield.
“But over here it`s very different. You don`t get that time and space to play because of the tempo.
“Roque will get used to that, but it`s going to take him a bit of time.”
“If we get players in, it will be good if they have a bit of Premier League experience,”
Mesa impressed during the pre-season friendly matches, showing excellent awareness and calmness on the ball, but Clement may have been wary that he conceded possession in his own half on at least three separate occasions – two of which led to the opposition creating chances.
The Spaniard was probably used to having more time on the ball – like Clement sai, and was sometimes caught out in his deep-lying midfield role and the Swans boss will know that Premier League teams will punish you for losing possession in your own defensive third.
You could argue that the only way he will adjust to the tempo of the Premier League is to experience it for himself, and I`m sure Clement will pick the right moment to give him his debut.
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