Swansea City would've netted "£70-75m" cash windfall for star in today's market - "Take Harry Kane for example" | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea fan pundit has assessed how much Michu would be worth in his prime in the current market

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…

Michu is one of the prime examples of 'the streets won't forget' footballers, having lit up the Premier League and established a lasting legacy during his debut season with Swansea City.

The Spaniard only spent a couple of seasons at Swansea City in the Premier League, and his second campaign was marred by injury, but the 2012/13 campaign, where he netted 22 in all competitions and helped the side to a League Cup win, is still fondly remembered not only in South Wales but across fans of English football, too.

To say the Swans secured his services from Rayo Vallecano for just £2 million off the back of a 15-goal La Liga campaign, he'll go down as one of the biggest bargains in modern football, and the fact they were unable to secure any money for him at the end of his tenure remains a bit of a frustration across Swansea fans.

Conversations will have been had regarding how much money they could have gotten for the striker in his prime, but even more has been said relating to how much that translates to today's market.

FLW's Swansea fan pundit, Will Hughes, has debated this topic and feels that a prime Michu would be worth a hefty fee today.

Swansea fan pundit reflects on Michu's time at the club and discusses how much he could have been worth in today's market

When asked to comment on how much Michu could have been worth in today's market off the back of his first season in English football, Hughes responded, "This is a question I absolutely love.

"The football we're watching at Swansea at the moment is, in my opinion, terrible, but that's a story for another day, so I'm happy to be talking about a footballer that brought so much joy to the club.

"I have to say he's probably one of the top three players I've ever watched at the club, and he's certainly the best finisher I've ever seen play for Swansea, an absolutely wonderful footballer."

Before putting a price tag on his head immediately, Hughes discussed a few factors that need to be considered when valuing someone whose prime was over a decade ago.

Off the back of his first season at the club, Arsenal were linked with a £25 million move for the Spaniard, who earned his sole cap for his country due to his red-hot form in front of goal at the Liberty Stadium.

"Going back to when Michu was at the club, there were rumours that he'd be going to Arsenal for a fee of around £30 million, and that was back in 2013, so putting that into consideration, how much would a £30 million player be worth now?" Hughes questioned.

"I think you have to inflate the fee. Young players with potential get bought for obscene amounts of money, but so do proven players now, which I feel is also fair because you know what you're going to get with them — take Harry Kane at Bayern Munich, for example.

"The year before, in La Liga, he was one of the highest scoring attacking midfielders for Rayo Vallecano, then he came to us, and he was our top scorer and one of the Premier League's top scorers whilst playing in the 10 at times.

"He scored 23 goals that first full season, and then the season after, he played behind Wilfried Bony at times, but he was still scoring goals before his injuries, and would probably have managed 15 in all competitions and in Europe if he stayed fit."

Swansea City icon Michu would've been worth "£70-75m" in today's market

Michu was a goal machine during his fleeting rise at Swansea, and was still potent in front of goal in his second season, which was ruined due to recurring ankle injuries, which persisted to the point where he had to retire aged just 31.

Off the back of a campaign where he was the fifth top scorer in the Premier League, Hughes has stated that, if a deal happened in today's market, Michu would be worth a whopping £70 million at a bare minimum.

"If someone was looking to buy prime Michu in the Premier League today, knowing he can score goals there and in La Liga, knowing that he'd be brilliant with the ball at his feet and in his pressing, I personally think the bare minimum would be £70 million," he said.

"People may laugh at that, but you look at the fees nowadays for players who aren't proven in the top leagues, I think £70 million is a fair price, because you're getting someone who has scored goals in lesser teams in two of the toughest leagues in the world — so imagine what he could do with better players around him?

"We'll never know, but I honestly think £70 million bare minimum, maybe £70-75 million, just because you're getting a proven goalscorer."

Agree with the price tag or not, there's no disputing Michu's impact in front of goal during his prime, and if he were starring for a mid-table Premier League side in today's landscape, you'd expect a top-six team to be splashing the cash on the Spaniard.

In the end, Michu was released from his Swansea contract in 2015, having last played for the club in April 2014, so they didn't recoup anything for him.

But if his injury problems weren't a factor, the Swans could have banked a decent fee for the Spaniard, and one which may have landed him amongst the most expensive players in the world, if the deal were to happen today.