Bafetimbi Gomis: Swansea striker passed fit to return but 'may collapse again,' says Garry Monk
Striker suffers from a vasovagal condition which prompts low blood pressure and fainting episodes
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Your support makes all the difference.Swansea manager Garry Monk insists Bafetimbi Gomis is “ready to go” after collapsing on the White Hart Lane pitch earlier this month and could feature against Liverpool on Monday night.
The striker suffers from a vasovagal condition which prompts low blood pressure and fainting episodes but has been given the all-clear after visiting a specialist he sees regularly in his native France and returned to training on Wednesday.
While admitting that Gomis could collapse again, Monk says both the club and the player are doing everything possible to prevent it happening and that the issue is not as serious as it might appear from the outside.
“Bafe knows better than anyone what measures to take,” Monk said. “I understand there are questions people want answered but the issue is not as big for Bafe and the people at the club.
“He has lived with it his whole life, it happens occasionally and when it does so in a public place that scrutiny comes with it.
“But he has trained as normal this week and does the same as every player, and if you look at his life there are more days when he has been fine rather than when something has happened.”
Monk revealed Gomis, who joined from Lyons last summer, had an episode earlier this season – “he did not pass out but he had a dizzy spell, we sat him down for five minutes and then he resumed training” – but he said Swansea had conducted all the necessary medical checks before signing the 12-cap France international.
“A lot of players have different issues and you do all the checks – if there is a particular issue that can flare up you investigate it,” Monk said. “Then you make your decision and that is what happened. Everyone was open about it and nothing was hidden.
“We made all the possible checks and he has been passed fit by numerous specialists who are top of their field.
“That is reassuring for Bafe and for us and he went back to France after the Spurs game to see a specialist he has used his whole life to reaffirm everything.”
There was real concern when the striker slumped to the ground during the early stages of Swansea’s 3-2 defeat at Tottenham on 4 March.
The 29-year-old left the pitch on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask following several minutes of treatment and spent the night under observation in a London hospital before being released.
But Monk added: “These instances do happen from time to time as his history shows but Bafe is fine and ready to go.”
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