By Graham Lister
Swansea City forward Michu, lauded by many as the buy of the season in the Premier League, feels that his team-mates must take the praise.
Having already scored 19 goals in 35 appearances for the Swans, who bought him for £2 million from Rayo Vallecano last summer, the Spaniard insists that the other players in Michael Laudrup’s side have contributed hugely to his success.
The 25-year-old, who has operated in midfield and as a lone striker, told Swansea’s official website: “To play with Leon [Britton], [Jonathan] de Guzman, Wayne [Routledge], Pablo [Hernandez], Nathan [Dyer] and everyone else is great for me.
“For me, they are the best. We can link up with each other very well. There are great players in the league but I wouldn’t change my team-mates for anybody.
“In the Premier League, Swansea are the best team for me. It’s like a family in the changing room. It was easy to settle here. Sometimes, if you go from Spain to another country it can take two or three months to settle but not here.
“The manager is also very important for me. Michael Laudrup has done a great job here and the players really enjoy working for him. He is a great gaffer.
“I have more space here than in Spain,” he added. “I scored 15 goals in La Liga last season but I already have that total in the Premier League.
“Swansea are not a normal team in the Premier League – we try to play all of the time. We will go to places like Old Trafford and play from the keeper, to the full-backs, and then patiently move forward. There’s no fear in playing our style and I like that.
“We are in a strong position in the league and we have won the first title for the club. It is also the first cup I have won. Next season we will have the league, two domestic cups and Europe so it will be an interesting summer of preparations.
“I am very happy here. The supporters are very good to me. It’s great knowing that I will be staying here. They are very pleased with how things are going this season.
“It’s very difficult to win a title. I won a title at Wembley – that is incredible – but we also won at Liverpool and beat Chelsea over two legs just to get that far. So it has been an amazing season for us.”
