Swansea sign midfielder from 1920s for £11million

Matt Stead

Swansea have completed the £11million signing of Spanish midfielder Roque Mesa on a four-year deal, the Premier League club have announced.

Mesa joins from Las Palmas, where he spent seven seasons and helped the Canary Islands club win promotion to LaLiga in 2015.

The 28-year-old becomes Swansea boss Paul Clement’s third summer signing following Dutch goalkeeper Erwin Mulder and England Under-21 striker Tammy Abraham, signed on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

That is the single strongest look anyone has ever seen.

Mesa becomes the third most expensive signing in Swansea’s history after Borja Baston (£15.5m) and Wilfried Bony (£12m).

His pass-completion rate of 91.4 per cent was ranked as the fourth highest in LaLiga last season and Clement knew of Mesa’s ability from his time working as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Real Madrid between 2013 and 2015.

“I’m very happy to be here. It’s a new challenge and a new adventure,” Mesa told the official Swansea website.

“The manager knows me, he knows how I play and what I can contribute to the team. I’ll try to make the team play.

“I know he’s like Ancelotti – he likes to play and wants to create a different Premier League team which likes to play.

“The manager is a person who knows how to play and that’s something I really like.”

Las Palmas, who signed Mesa from Segunda Division B club Tenerife B in 2010, paid tribute to the player’s “great professionalism and commitment” on their official website.

The Spanish club said under the terms of the deal they are entitled to 15 per cent of the surplus value of any future transfer, as well as receiving a further payment from Swansea should Mesa be capped.

Las Palmas said Swansea had also agreed to play a friendly in Gran Canaria in the next two seasons.

Mesa’s arrival follows the departure of his fellow Spaniard Borja on a season-long loan to Malaga.

Borja joined Swansea for a club record £15.5m from Atletico Madrid last August after successful loan spells at Real Zaragoza and Eibar.

But Borja, now 24, started only four Premier League games and scored just once in 20 appearances in all competitions.

Another Spaniard, central defender Jordi Amat, is also expected to depart on a season-long loan to Real Betis after arriving in Spain to undergo a medical.