Michu: Spanish stars can’t wait to play in the Prem

LEADING THE TREND ... Swansea hotshot Michu predicts an influx of stars from his homeland

ENGLISH football is under invasion from an army of Spanish conquistadors on a quest for a new El Dorado.

That is the verdict of Swansea striker Michu, who insists there is an armada of his countrymen ready to swap La Liga for Premier League gold.

In the week Manchester City spent £15million on Seville winger Jesus Navas and Liverpool agreed a deal in principle to sign Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas for £7.7m, Michu claims the pain of Spain will be mainly England’s gain.

And he warned that only Barcelona and Real Madrid are now safe from the incredible spending power of England’s top-flight clubs.

Michu said: “The Premier League is superior in all aspects.

“The structure, the fans, the competitiveness and, most of all, the economic power.

“Any English club can now buy a Spanish player of any team except Madrid or Barca.

“The Spanish market is very good value for money.

“And the success of the talented little players like Juan Mata, David Silva and Santi Cazorla has proved a phenomenon in England.”

Yet no one has proved a bigger bargain than Michu himself.

The striker, 27, was a virtual unknown when he signed for Swansea from Rayo Vallecano last summer for just £2m.

Yet 22 goals in his first season in the Prem gave Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins an immediate return on his investment.

Michael Laudrup’s team won the Capital One Cup and secured European football for the first time in the club’s history.

Michu was one of 32 Spaniards to ply his trade at a Premier League club last season and he is convinced that more will soon be heading across the Bay of Biscay to join him.

He added: “The English league is much more competitive than it is in Spain.

“Here you can win at any ground. In Spain it is impossible to go to the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu and expect to succeed.

“The passion of fans in England is fantastic. Your supporters follow you to all your away games.

“And because of the way it is organised, they can also plan their trips for the whole season.”

Now Michu predicts an equally successful stay for City’s latest Iberian import, Navas.

Michu insisted: “He is going to have a big impact here because he is ideal for the Premier League.

“English football requires a lot of speed and stamina and he is very good physically.”

Navas’ £15m move to the Etihad means that clubs in the Premier League have now spent £240m on Spanish players.

And English clubs continue to plunder Barcelona’s world-famous youth academy at La Masia, where future stars such as Sergio Canos and Julio Pleguezuelo are being brought on.

So while Spain still hold the World Cup and European Championship, the country’s grip on its most exciting stars is clearly slipping.