Born on this day in 1999 is former Sunderland starlet and Swansea City flop, Joel Asoro. The Swedish forward joined the Lads in 2016 despite interest from some of Europe’s footballing giants...
Asoro made his name as a youngster in Sweden, and quickly became regarded as one of the country’s most exciting talents. He came through the same academy which developed players such as John Guidetti and Dejan Kulusevski. He’d caught the eye of both Manchesters City and United, as well as Chelsea and Juventus. However, Asoro made the somewhat surprising move to Sunderland in a bid to find first-team minutes.
David Moyes introduced the youngster just two games into the 2016/17 season, as a late substitute for Duncan Watmore against Middlesbrough (where after the match, Moyes claimed we were already in a relegation battle). At just 17 years old, he became Sunderland’s youngest Premier League player of all time.
After his debut, Asoro remained grounded: “I was very pleased and I didn’t expect to come on but when the manager gave me the call I just tried to do my best. He looked over and waved me back and I was thinking ‘what, me?’, so I ran as quickly as I could back to the bench and got my shirt on. It meant so much to make my debut in front of the home crowd because everyone was screaming and the atmosphere was amazing, so I was very grateful.”
“The last month has gone so quickly and I thought that if I kept training with the first team I might get a chance at the end of the season, so I was very surprised to play and I’ve just tried to listen to all the advice the manager’s given me. He’s talked to me a lot and I’ve learnt a lot since he’s come in, and it’s also been a great experience training with Jermain [Defoe] who keeps telling me to work hard. The day I played was yesterday and yesterday is not today, so I need to work harder because I’m far from done and I want this to be the start of something rather than the end.”
That would be his only league appearance of the season though, with David Moyes opting for the experience over youth in the form of Victor Anichebe and Steven Pienaar. Asoro fared slightly better in the Championship, often making an impact from the bench. His first assist for the club came in a resounding 2-0 win over Burton Albion, which we all thought would be the turning point of our Championship campaign.
James Vaughan and Lewis Grabban both left Wearside in January, leaving Coleman with just 18-year-old Asoro and 19-year-old Josh Maja up top (as well as the deadline day addition of Ashley Fletcher). Coleman entrusted Asoro to start at home to Hull, and the gaffer’s faith was repaid with a cool finish- the only goal of the game. After a handful of goals in 29 appearances, he was named our Young Player of the Season.
Despite Sunderland being relegated, it was a breakthrough campaign for both of our young strikers. Unlike Maja, who stuck with the club (for a bit) as they continued their free fall, Asoro forced through a move. He joined Swansea City at 19 years old for around £2 million under new manager Graham Potter.
It’s fair to say the move didn’t go as Asoro expected. He impressed in pre-season, and had a fairly solid start to the season. However, he seemed to be quickly frozen out of the squad, and in January it became clear he would have to be patient for a place in the starting 11- he hadn’t started for the Swans since August. In fact, a defeat to Bristol City just five games into the season would be the last time Asoro started a game for the Welsh club.
At the start of the 2019/20 season, Asoro joined Dutch club FC Groningen on loan in a bid to gain more minutes. In 15 Eredivisie appearances, he scored three goals- including a brace against Vitesse. He was a regular started until the pandemic put a stop to the Dutch league.
Still only 21, Asoro joined Italian side Genoa, initially on loan with conditional obligations to make the deal permanent. However, he never played a competitive minute for the club. New Swansea boss Steve Cooper said: "I know he hasn't featured at all, so it's obviously not ideal for him. Whether he comes back here or not, he won't be part of our first-team set-up."
Something had clearly gone on behind the scenes, and in February 2021 Asoro returned to his home nation of Sweden to sign permanently for Djurgardens IF.
Their Sporting Director said: “It is based on the fact that Joel was crystal clear that he did not want to be loaned. He’s been there before. He wanted security and a base. That there should be a long-term perspective. Coincidence and timing also come into play. Swansea have probably discussed larger sums before. Had the “Covid” not come, he would probably have remained in Europe. Investing in players is harder now. But we can offer security.”
In August 2023 he made a permanent switch to Metz of Ligue 1. He has so far played 21 times, scoring twice as his side look to avoid relegation.
He turns 25 today, although it feels like he's been around forever.
