Former USA and Everton striker Landon Donovan believes Swansea City can crack America – if they can stay in the Premier League.
The ex-international – who scored 57 goals in 157 appearances for his country – is currently working in an advisory role for the club, who are owned by Americans Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien.
The Swans are set to continue their recent habit of a pre-season tour to the States this summer – regardless of whether or not they stay up – and Donovan insists the Trans-Atlantic link is about to strengthen.
“I think a lot of clubs are trying to reach out into the American market, or the Chinese market, the Indian market or the South American market,” said Donovan in an interview with the club’s website.
“And I think Swansea City are certainly becoming more known in America. We have an advantage if we do things right because we have people involved who are American and people who genuinely care about the club.
“I think the Swansea name will get bigger and bigger in America and elsewhere.
“I think most likely every pre-season should be in America. That makes sense for a lot of reasons. You have to keep building the profile and promoting it. Eventually, the hope is that this becomes America’s club one day.”
Donovan played in England and Germany as well as in the MLS, but his wealth of experience does not mean he is directly involved in player recruitment.
Instead, his role is more of offering strategic advice to bridge the divide between the two sporting cultures.
“Once in a while I might be asked about certain players they are trying to bring in or certain circumstances, and I do have some experience I think will be valuable.
“A lot of times when you bring a player in, you can see what they do on the pitch but you want to know what that player is like. If you are in a situation, for example, like we are currently, fighting against relegation, you want to know you have men who can handle that. You often hear stories about players or you know players who have played with other players and through that you can get to understand what the man is like behind the player.”
“If you don’t know a player directly, for me it’s pretty easy to get to know that player through one or two connections. I think that can be valuable because you want to know who’s coming to your club, especially at a club like this. This is not Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal, who can spend hundreds of millions of pounds on players, so you have to get the right ones.”
For now, though, Donovan insists the focus isn’t on the big picture, but rather the one Swansea is facing currently. The club remains in a relegation fight, two points from safety with just four games remaining.
“The way the Premier League is going, I think the haves are moving further ahead and have-nots are fighting to keep pace. Maybe at some point the club can push a little higher because if you get a great manager like Paul Clement and get the right players, you can make some strides. You can perhaps push for eighth or seventh or sixth.
“But it’s difficult, so my personal ambition would be first and foremost to stay in the Premier League, then see how far up the table we can push.”
