He may not be able to rattle through the English dictionary just yet, but new Spanish signing Chico Flores has learnt one word that he uses on a regular basis to describe life at Swansea City – “phenomenal”.
Having arrived last month from Genoa for £2m, the central defender is loving life as a Swan and can’t wait to make his home debut against Blackpool at the Liberty on Tuesday night (7pm).
“It’s been very easy to join Swansea City,’’ explained the amiable 25-year-old, with the help of amigo Angel Rangel as translator. “It’s a very humble club; everyone from the players to the fans has been great to me from the very first day I arrived.
“I’m very comfortable with the city and been impressed with the fans. They have all been very friendly and always wish me good luck.
“After playing in the USA, I am really looking forward to playing at the Liberty Stadium for the first time. I know Blackpool is only a friendly, but it will be good to sample the atmosphere and show what I am capable of.’’
And according to fellow defender and Spaniard, Angel Rangel, Chico is destined to become a fans favourite with the Jack Army.
“They will love him. He’s a character,’’ he declared. “He’s very committed and has already proved himself in the top leagues in Spain and Italy. The Premier League will suit him.
“He has leadership and quality on the pitch; he has aggressiveness in his defending and I’m sure he will help us achieve our aims.’’
At 6ft 2in, Chico will also prove an attacking force from set-pieces, as he demonstrated against San Jose Earthquakes recently when he headed home an Ashley Williams cross.
“I was very happy to get my first goal,’’ added Chico. “My first job is to defend and get clean sheets, but I always hope to get a goal.
“I received a lot of messages on Twitter from people in Spain and Swansea, which was nice. I hope to learn English as soon as possible so I can reply to them and communicate better with the squad and the fans.
“I’ve learned the main footballing terms for the pitch and I felt very comfortable playing alongside both Ash (Ashley Williams) and Tatey (Alan Tate) in America. Our communication has been good, but I hope to improve that by starting individual English classes soon.
“The important thing was that we got better and better as a team during the pre-season games in America. I was happy with the progress and we must continue that against Blackpool and Stuttgart this week.
“I have no regrets about coming to Swansea. It’s phenomenal.’’
Tweet “Fenomenal” to @ChicoFlores12 now.
Tickets for the Blackpool game are still available from the Liberty Stadium ticket office at just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.