Bony exit could see Swansea drop like a stone

Can Garry Monk source a Bony replacement in January?

The loss of Wilfried Bony leaves a huge void that could see Swansea plummeting down the Premier League table in the coming months.

Almost every season there is one team that has a nightmare period in the second half of the campaign and ends up involved in the almighty tussle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

One of the main contenders for that unwanted role this year is Swansea. The Swans currently sit ninth in the Premier League table and a comfortable 11 points clear of the bottom three. Their season under Garry Monk so far has included highlights such as a win at Old Trafford and victory over Arsenal.

The loss of Bony to Manchester City, however, is going to leave a huge void in their side that will be really difficult to fill. The Ivory Coast striker was the Premier League's top scorer in 2014 with 20 goals. He bagged 25 goals in all competitions in his first season at Swansea and has scored nine goals so far this term.

Swansea did get 28million from City for a man they paid 12million for in 2013, so the deal looks good financially for them. However, on the pitch, Bony will prove a very tricky player to replace.

His pace and power has troubled Premier League defences since day one and, this season, his partnership with Gylfi Sigurdsson has been instrumental to Swansea sitting in the top 10 of the Premier League.

Monk faces huge pressure to spend the money wisely, as the striking options currently at the Liberty Stadium look worryingly thin on paper. Bafetimbi Gomis arrived from France in the summer with a good reputation and has bagged four goals, but the transfer rumours suggest he could also be leaving the Welsh club during January.

That would then leave unproven Benfica loanee Nelson Oliveria, Marvin Emnes - a cast-off from Championship side Middlesbrough - and Mo Barrow, a Gambian striker who arrived at Swansea last summer after years playing in Sweden.

If the goals dry up for Swansea then they would be in real trouble as they are already going through a sticky patch - they are without a win in four league games - and looked appalling in defence as Chelsea ripped them apart 5-0 at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea have performed fantastically well in the Premier League since their promotion in 2011. They have recorded respectable mid-table finishes in their three years in the top flight, coming in 11th, 9th and 12th respectively. They have done so with three different managers, in the shape of Brendan Rodgers, Michael Laudrup and Monk.

Monk has done a great job so far this season with Swansea, but he remains a novice manager and replacing Bony with a top goalscorer is arguably the biggest test of his managerial career to date. January is always a difficult time to find world-class players and, now it is common knowledge that he has 28million burning a hole in his back pocket, prices are likely to be even more inflated than ever.

If he doesn't manage to source a quality replacement for Bony who can score them goals over the second half of the season, Swansea could be in real trouble. They may sit in the top 10, but the Swans cannot be regarded as safe. All it needs is a lack of goals and a bad run of losses and they will sink down the table into a tough relegation battle.