Andre Ayew on the fight against relegation, leaving West Ham and his legendary father

Andre Ayew knows what you are going to ask him, but the answer is not what you might expect.

“A lot of people see me and ask me if he played a key role in getting me come back to Swansea,” Andre Ayew says of his younger brother Jordan... “and I say no.”

It has been a reunion on top of a reunion for Andre since returning to Wales. Once again paired with his brother, as they were at Olympique Marseille, the 28-year-old has become a key part of the revival at Swansea under new coach Carlos Carvalhal.

And while you might expect his sibling to have been the most influential party in engineering this return to the Liberty Stadium from the unhappy confines of West Ham’s London Stadium, the older Ayew is keen to highlight Carvalhal’s role as he speaks to The Independent.

The charismatic Portuguese has become as famous for his wild analogies and off-the-wall post-match interviews as his revival efforts, but it is his hard edge that nobody sees which helps keep the players on their toes.

“The coach is very different from the ones I have worked with in the past,” says Andre. “I held a meeting with him before signing and from the first minute he told me what he wanted from me in a different way that challenged me.”

“He is clever and witty but can be tough when he wants and that is something the media does not know.

“We go out there and fight so hard for the colours, but we have a good relationship with him and he certainly knows how to hit us in the right spot when things are not going as he has planned.”

Carvalhal and the Ayew brothers are very much part of Swansea’s present, battling against relegation and newly-emboldened after victories over Arsenal and Liverpool. But things have not always been this easy for Andre, who struggled with the pressures of growing up as the son of one of African football’s greatest-ever players, Champions League winner Abedi Pele.

“Through football my dad escaped crushing poverty,” he says of his famous father.

“We are from the northern part of Ghana where I must say things are not all rosy and, for him, it was the only way for him to make a difference.

“Some people say he was like Brazilian Pele but if there was anything they had in common they both wanted the ball at their feet and were unstoppable in big games. He tells me that the only thing that puts a smile on his face is when he sees my brother and I playing well in the best league.”

That bit hasn’t always been so easy.

Marseille loaned Andre out twice, partly to try and make space for his brother, and even after finding success in the Premier League with Swansea, he found himself the subject of a big-money bid from West Ham that turned into yet another bungled transfer by the east London club.

“I have to say it wasn’t the best, and did not go as we all wished for but that is football,” he says, reflecting on a move that turned sour as soon as Slaven Bilic, the coach who signed him, was dismissed by the Hammers. Nonetheless, he is more than happy to defend his record for the club.

“I am disappointed and I felt it so hard that Slaven had to pay the price for disappointment.

“The consistency wasn’t there because of a lot of factors but check the numbers I scored more than any other West Ham player in the entire 2017 in all competitions and even as of now I have six goals for them in all competitions this season. Only Marko [Arnautovic] has more and even now that is only seven.

“I feel I could have given more if I was fit throughout that is the game now and things move at a fast pace.”

Andre would swiftly have his revenge on West Ham, an early indicator that his decision to return to Swansea was the right one. They dismantled the Hammers 4-0 in the first game of his second spell with the club.

“To be honest all I was looking out for was the three points because it was very awkward playing against a team of players I was training with a couple of weeks ago.

“West Ham United have got great players and I am certain that they will find a way out of the situation they are in but we have a job and that is to keep Swansea City up.

“The club has put a lot of trust in me and it’s time for me to repay the trust and that was just the start, we are not safe yet but with performances like that we very confident of positive results at the end of the season. I love Swansea and the fans have shown me countless times that this will always be my home so to come in and help the team achieve survival will be as good as winning a trophy.”