Bony's return was meant to be, says Rangel

Angel Rangel has hailed Wilfried Bony’s return to Swansea City, insisting: “It was meant to be.”

The Ivorian is back at the Liberty after clinching a permanent deal from Manchester City shortly before the transfer window closed.

Bony enjoyed a hugely successful two-year spell in south west Wales as he scored 34 goals in 70 appearances before leaving for the Etihad Stadium in January 2015.

Now he is looking to rediscover the form which saw him become one of the leading marksmen in the Premier League as he joins Paul Clement’s squad.

And Rangel has welcomed the signing of the 28-year-old, whose arrival came just minutes after Fernando Llorente’s move to Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed.

“When you lose important players you always want to replace them with the same quality, if not better,” said Rangel.

“With Wilfried, we know what we are getting – a player who will score goals, can hold up the ball and link up with players around him.

“He was the Premier League's top scorer in the calendar year during 2014 with 20 goals, so it shows you that he has goals in him.

“It is great to see him back because we obviously lost Gylfi (Sigurdsson) and Llorente in the transfer window. Wilfried will be a popular player here because he has got a great character.

“He has a great relationship with the fans too, and that’s important. It is an exciting signing for us.

“He knows his role in the final third, but he is also a huge help to the defence when we are facing set-pieces too. I have never seen someone jumping as much as him in the box!

“He ticks all the boxes. Wilfried has returned – it was meant to be.”