If their starts to life at the club were anything to go by, Swansea City had made two blunders in recruiting Joel Piroe and Michael Obafemi last summer.
Russell Martin recently opened up on his surprise at Piroe's remarkable exploits this term following his first conversations with the Dutchman. You can read more on that here. As for Obafemi, he desperately struggled to make an impact during the early months of his Swansea career after joining from Southampton.
So how exactly did the Swans get both strikers firing on all cylinders? Swansea City correspondent Ian Mitchelmore takes a closer look.
Read more: Swansea City's Joel Piroe addresses transfer future and the unwavering confidence he has right now
Jamie Paterson was making a mockery of Bristol City's decision to let him leave on a free following the conclusion of the 2020/21 campaign following his stunning start to life at Swansea. As a result, Piroe thrived, with the pair having a seemingly telepathic understanding.
Paterson was consistently delivering the goods in the final third until dropping out of the side in January owing to a contract dispute with the club's owners. Piroe suffered as a result, and with the Dutch forward demonstrating clear signs of fatigue midway through his debut campaign in south Wales, someone else needed to step-up.
Hannes Wolf was recruited to fill the attacking void vacated by Paterson, although he was swiftly shifted to left wing-back following the exit of Jake Bidwell and the hamstring injury sustained by deadline day recruit Nathanael Ogbeta.
Enter Obafemi. "Michael deserves loads of credit for us to be able to play Joel there [deeper]," said technical development coach Matt Gill. "Joel started the season fantastically but we were heavily reliant on him as a nine."
Obafemi has started 13 of Swansea's last 14 matches since playing from the outset in the 1-0 loss to Luton Town. It represents a significant turnaround given that 11 of his first 13 appearances for the club came as a substitute.
A sustained period away from the treatment tale has undoubtedly played a key part in the 21-year-old's ability to be a regular in the starting line-up. Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny recently admitted Obafemi was not called up for his side's friendly matches against Belgium and Lithuania due to his injury record. You can read the full story on the manager's comments here.
His recovery work combined with that in the gym has ensured Obafemi is in a better place to trust his body, which, in turn has allowed him to operate in a way Martin has wanted him to do so all along. With blistering pace, it has always been felt that the 21-year-old was most likely to cause maximum damage when running into space behind defences.
When asked if Obafemi is far more confident with his body and his physical capabilities, Gill responded: "Very much so. Michael's in a really good place, on the pitch as well as off it.
"Michael has taken time, but his approach to Monday to Friday has really improved, and he's now seeing the benefit of that."
This threw up an issue in itself, though. Piroe had led the line with distinction for several months, although, in order to accommodate both the Dutch forward and Obafemi, something had to change.
With Olivier Ntcham struggling for a combination of fitness and consistency and Korey Smith at times failing to provide the consistent level of attacking quality needed in an advanced role, Piroe became the man tasked with operating in a number eight slot alongside partner-in-crime Paterson.
"Playing Joel as one of our eights along with Pato, it's given us another attacking option along with Olivier," added Gill. "Korey's played it. I think we had some criticism around not looking attacking enough or threatening enough, but I think Joel has allowed us to do that."
As one of his side's most talented players, dropping deeper quite simply provides Piroe with more opportunities to get on the ball.
"We have certain criteria for our nines that they don't get too much involved in the build-up. They need to be in front of goal when the ball arrives," added Gill. "They need all of the energy for that. Allowing Joel to come in as one of our eights, he's having more actions in the game, and because he's such a lovely footballer, he's taken to it so well."
Piroe and Obafemi both netted in the same game for the first time in Swansea's 3-1 triumph over Bristol City in February. Since that comeback victory over the Robins, Piroe - operating in a deeper role - averages 29.1 passes per-game across his last 11 starts. In his first 11 starts of the campaign, the forward made an average of 14.5 passes per-game, exactly half of his current tally.
“Sometimes, especially at the start of the season, it was a bit frustrating because we had a lot of possession but I didn’t really get to touch the ball that often. I like to get more involved," admitted Piroe.
“But also it’s a little bit harder to get into the positions to score goals. As a striker you always want to score goals a many as possible. I think I have adapted well to it.”
Obafemi recently embarked on a run of eight goals in 11 games having previously netted just once in his first 14 outings for the Swans. Despite being replaced as the lead striker, Piroe has continued to deliver when it comes to end product.
His brace against Derby County meant he has seven goals in his last 11 appearances, a run that followed a seven-game barren streak. Now playing further back, Piroe is able to make late runs into the penalty area - as seen with his winner at Millwall - giving Swansea an additional threat.
"He's playing a in a different role, he has been for a while, since Michael's been in such good form," explained head coach Martin after the 2-1 win over Derby.
"The way he's adapted to it has been fantastic. He's scored as many goals there as he has playing in the other role. It's about building relationships and connections in the team, him and Michael have certainly done that. Joel has a brilliant way of making people around him even better than they are."
On Piroe, Gill said: "One of his many strengths is that he can take the ball anywhere. He's very unselfish and does a lot of work for the team."
Has Joel Piroe been Swansea's best player this season? Have your say in the comments section below.
Only six games of the campaign remain, and, mathematically at least, Swansea have clawed themselves into the play-off mix following a five-game unbeaten run which includes four victories. As was the case under Steve Cooper in his debut campaign at Swansea, you can never rule anything out when it comes to the race for the top six.
But with a real uphill task ahead of them, the focus is solely on producing more impressive performances to build for Russell Martin's second season at the club. Piroe is unquestionably enjoying his time in south Wales while his blossoming relationship with Obafemi offers significant hope.
“We have a very good bond together," said Piroe. "We like each other on and off the pitch and he brings a good dynamic to the team.”
