The Modric Effect: new Swansea signing Inoussa reveals phone call with legend

Rhodri Evans
Swansea City are already reaping the rewards of their new minority owner Luka Modric as new signing Zeidane Inoussa reveals phone call with the Real Madrid and Croatia legend.
The Welsh club announced the signing of Inoussa from Swedish side BK Hacken for an undisclosed fee on Monday, with the 22-year-old winger signing a five-year deal.
Inoussa is the first signing since Swansea City confirmed that Alan Sheehan would continue as their permanent manager next season, after a successful interim spell that saw the club finish in the top half of the Championship.
It was revealed by the Sweden Under-21 international in an interview with Fotbollskanalen that he had spoken to Modric upon signing for Swansea.
Modric, a Ballon d’Or winner and Real Madrid legend, joined the Swans in April as a minority investor into the club and is clearly already having an impact on potential incomings.
“It’s funny,” Inoussa told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen.
“I’m not just saying that because he’s a part-owner of Swansea, I’ve said it before too, but I think he’s the best midfielder ever. At least the ones I’ve seen.”
“I actually did [speak to Modric]. It was really fun. It was awesome, actually.
“To hear his view on the project and why I should sign for them, it meant quite a lot. It was very cool.
“It was really big. He mostly talked about the project, his view of the club and the team’s future. Then I doubt he’s seen me play, but he said he’d heard positive things about me. It was a lot of fun.”
Stockholm-born Inoussa, a Sweden Under-21 international, has impressed for Häcken since joining the Allsvenskan club in February 2024.
The pacy forward has 12 goals and nine assists to his name for his current club and featured in all six of their games in this season’s European Conference League play-off rounds.
Inoussa has also previously played for Brommapojkarna, Caen, Real Murcia, and Valencia B.
Sheehan says that the signing of Inoussa will allow Swansea to continue to play an ‘aggressive’ brand of football.
“It’s important that we carry this season’s momentum into next, and getting our first signing done this early is great,” Sheehan said.
“I’m looking forward to working with Zeidane. We want to be an aggressive team with and without the ball, and we believe he has all the attributes to do that and to make us better.”
Swansea Global Head of Analytics and Recruitment, Adam Worth, added: “Zeidane is a really exciting attacking threat and a player we have been keen to bring to the club for a long time.
“The recruitment team have worked tirelessly on this over the past year, and he has consistently excelled on data, video, and live viewings.
“He will add an extra dimension to our attack, and, with the support of our ownership group, we are delighted to have been able to complete this deal so early.”
Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.
If you want to read more pieces from Sportin Wales, why not read to our monthly magazine here or subscribe to the magazine and newsletter at https://sportin.wales/subscribe/.
Our podcast is back for the new season and our co-founder Alex Cuthbert is in charge! You can find all the episodes here or the video versions on our YouTube channel.
You can also keep track of our pieces and videos on our socials at @Sportin_Wales on X or Sportin Wales on Instagram and Facebook.