Wilfried Bony joins Saudi Arabian side on a free transfer
CGTN
Wilfried Bony has been in search for a new club after leaving Swansea City at the end of last season. /Photo Courtesy: Wilfried Bony – Twitter

Wilfried Bony has been in search for a new club after leaving Swansea City at the end of last season. /Photo Courtesy: Wilfried Bony – Twitter

Former Swansea and Manchester striker Wilfried Bony has joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad on a free transfer.

The 31-year-old has been in search for a new club after leaving Swansea City at the end of last season. His last competitive involvement came in July 2019 when he featured for Cote d’Ivoire at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Al-Ittihad has won the Saudi Premier League eight times and are nine-time winners of the King's Cup of Champions.

"This is a good chance to compete for something with a traditional club like this and I feel excited about this," he said.

Bony had been training with Welsh club Newport County, who play in English football's fourth tier and French club Le Havre as he searched for a new club.

Bony's best moments in English football came during his stint with Swansea City FC, where he scored 25 goals in 54 appearances. He joined Manchester City in January 2015 but did not have a similar impact. He returned to Swansea in 2016 but managed only four goals in 25 appearances. His second stint in Wales was marred with injury problems.

Bony has played 56 times for Cote d'Ivoire, scoring 16 goals.

Source(s): BBC