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21st Dec 2015

Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis explains how Football Manager helped him settle in Wales…

JOE

We’ve often wondered whether footballers check out their stats on Football Manager and now it seems we have our answer.

Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis has revealed he’s a huge fan of the management simulation game – to the extent that it even helped him settle into life in Wales after moving from Lyon in 2014.

“I played at Lyon for five years and there we played (Football Manager) a lot. And then I came to Swansea,” said Gomis.

“After signing the contract, I went on holiday and took the game with me. If you have the latest game each player comes with a picture. So I started studying all my new teammates.

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“Their names, where the played before, their position on the pitch. I studied their stats, if they were goal-scorers or more assist men. It helped me a lot.

Unlike many players who come to the Premier League from warmer climes, Gomis admits he hasn’t been fazed by the bad weather as it’s allowed him to spend even more time playing Football Manager.

“People are very welcoming, very warm. But then it’s true that it rains a lot here and you end up staying in doors more often.

“So I have got more time to spend playing Football Manager. Sometimes my wife gets a bit annoyed!”