Swansea City fans could be forgiven for forgetting that Andre Ayew was still on their books, with the Ghanaian midfielder having spent the duration of the 2018/2019 season out on loan at Turkish giants Fenerbahce, but he returned this summer for a 'third spell' with the Swans. 

Ayew first arrived at the club back in the 2015/2016 season, arriving on a free transfer from French club Marseille, in what was seen as a coup by many for the Welsh side, before he then departed the Liberty Stadium for West Ham in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £21.69 million pounds.

The former FC Lorient man then made his return to the club in the January 2018 transfer window, with the Swans parting with £20.52 million to bring the 84-cap Ghanaian international back to South Wales in a bid to stave off the threat of relegation to the Championship, which as we know was not successful.

Which now leads us nicely back to present day, with Ayew now back at the club after his loan spell away with Turkey and a summer in which he looked to be heading for the exit door, with the club openly trying to sell him for much of the transfer window just gone.

Ayew is now just glad to be able to focus on playing his football again for the Swans, with the 29-year-old forward expressing his content in a recent interview with BBC Sports Wales, stating: "There were a lot of possibilities for me to move, as soon as I got back I felt the desire from the manager, the players - they wanted me to stay - and for sure the fans. That was special for me. When I felt that I started to think maybe we have to go for it again."

The 29-year-old has started the current campaign well with the former Marseille man racking up two goals and two assists in his first seven games of the season, whilst also contributing a pass success rate of 79.6% from the attacking right midfield position he has operated in so far this term, which further underlines his importance to the way Swans boss Steve Cooper wants his side to play this season.

It is clear that Cooper played a big role in convincing Ayew to stay at the club rather than departing for pastures new, with the Ghanaian also adding: "He has had a big impact at the club and also on me staying," before continuing: "(Cooper) Knows what he wants and he is tough. He is pushing us towards a goal and everyone is following."

The Verdict

Swansea fans will take great solace from the fact that Ayew has agreed to do an interview which gives them an insight into what happened in the summer, whilst it also gives them a sense of hope that they can achieve something big this season.

With the Swans having recorded five wins in their first seven games this season, there is no reason why Ayew and co can't continue their stunning form this season, particularly with the experienced Ghanaian displaying some brilliant form since returning to the club this summer, with Ayew's WhoScored.com average rating reflecting this.

As long as Ayew continues to perform to Cooper's expectations, there doesn't seem to be any reason why he can't have a successful season with the club who fought so hard to keep him this summer.