Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is confident that record signing Asamoah Gyan will more than justify his transfer fee.
The 24-year-old Ghana international had to be patient in waiting for his chance following his £13m summer arrival from French side Rennes.
However, having been given the nod in the wake of leading scorer Darren Bent's hamstring injury, he has repaid Bruce's faith in style.
His strike in the remarkable 3-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Chelsea on Sunday was his fifth since joining the club and his fourth in three league starts.
Bruce has had to justify every penny he has asked owner Ellis Short to invest since he took over the reins at the Stadium of Light, and he admits the club possibly paid slightly more than he would have wanted for Gyan.
However, in the wake of Kenwyne Jones' departure for Stoke and Fraizer Campbell's serious knee injury, he knew they had to act and is delighted they are now reaping the rewards of their bold swoop for the African.
Bruce said: "The one thing I try to do is think of it as if it's my money - not that I would ever pay £13m for a footballer.
"You try to get good value and you try to be a bit prudent as best you can.
"Arguably, we paid maybe a bit too much, but after what happened to Fraizer and then selling Kenwyne, it was imperative that we got somebody in.
"At the time, my thought was if something happened to Darren, how could we cope? Thankfully with this boy, who is different, very different, he has come to the party at the right time."
Bruce hopes to have Bent back in harness for Monday night's home meeting with Everton, and that would give him the opportunity to pair the duo in attack from the start in a league match for the first time.
However, loan signing Danny Welbeck was hugely impressive in tandem with the Ghanaian at Chelsea, where he also scored.
That could persuade the manager that there is no need to take any risks with the England international who damaged his hamstring in training the day before the 2-0 victory over Stoke City on 6th November, the match in which Bruce had intended to play Bent and Gyan together.
The newcomer's response was devastating as he scored both goals to announce himself in earnest.
Source: Premierleague.com
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
Latest Stories
-
ASFC 2025: My parents will be happy to see me score for Ghana – Jennifer Awuku
40 minutes -
Ghanaian teacher wins prestigious 2025 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award
43 minutes -
Ghana advances National AI Strategy with second consultation at KNUST
50 minutes -
Ghana: World Bank-backed projects drive crippling debt and fossil fuel dependency
1 hour -
ASFC 2025: Jennifer Awuku grabs late winner for Ghana girls against Morocco
1 hour -
Economic growth speeds up in Africa, but uncertainty clouds outlook – World Bank
1 hour -
Apple and Meta attack ‘unfair’ €700m EU fines
2 hours -
Offinso North MP commissions astro turf, hosts successful 2025 Anidaso Easter gala
2 hours -
Mahama names new DCEs for approval across 3 regions
2 hours -
Parliamentary Select Committee on Health to support retooling of hospitals
2 hours -
CJ suspension: Executive trying to control Judiciary – Haruna Mohammed
2 hours -
Adansi Dompoase accident: Death toll reaches 8
2 hours -
Trump accuses Zelensky of harming Ukraine peace negotiations
2 hours -
Raymond Archer now Ag. EOCO boss after Abdulai Dapilah’s reassignment
2 hours -
Ghana to roll out chip-embedded passports from April 28 – Foreign Affairs Minister
2 hours