28-year-old Swansea City player needs transfer exit ASAP to save his career | OneFootball

Josh Ginnelly has been left out of Swansea's pre-season squad, and a permanent departure has to be imminent

Josh Ginnelly has been left out of Swansea City’s pre-season tour squad this summer, which will surely signal the end of his time in South Wales.

The Swans travelled to Spain on July 14, and the versatile forward was left in Wales alongside Jerry Yates and Eom Ji-Sung - the latter who is suffering from an injury..

The last two years have been a real shame for Ginnelly, who arrived at the club with plenty of promise in 2023 following a season where he netted 12 and assisted a further five goals in 25 Scottish Premiership games for Hearts.

However, a near-16-month injury layoff following a ruptured achilles tear derailed his career at Swansea, and he has made just two substitute appearances under Alan Sheehan after he replaced Luke Williams in the dugout.

It seems that Sheehan doesn’t have room for Ginnelly in his plans, and the 28-year-old needs a fresh start elsewhere as he looks to rediscover his pre-Swansea form.

Josh Ginnelly’s unfortunate time at Swansea City may be coming to an end

Prior to his move to Hearts in 2020, Josh Ginnelly was a fringe player in a multitude of lower league squads ranging from League One to the National League as he navigated life on loan from Burnley.

A brief permanent stint at Walsall in 2018 though led to a move to Preston North End half a year later, and although his stay at Deepdale would not amount to anything, a move north of the border would see Ginnelly unlock his full potential.

He managed to find his form at Hearts, however, and spent tgree successful years at the club and played European football in the 2022/23 UEFA Conference League.

The aforementioned 17-goal involvements during that season’s league campaign saw Ginnelly decline a new contract offer in favour of a move back to the EFL with Swansea City, and his time at the Welsh side started promisingly.

The winger would come off the bench in four of the first six league games, and scored in the EFL Cup against Northampton Town in the midst of that with a goal of the season contender.

He would then score in his first league start against QPR, but would only make one more start after that, against Sheffield Wednesday, where he suffered an achilles injury which would keep him out of action from September 2023 to January 2025.

His injury almost elapsed the entirety of Luke Williams’ reign as Swansea boss, appearing just once under him in his return game from the bench against Norwich City.

Ginnelly couldn’t work his way back into the side towards the back end of last season, and failed to make the matchday squad in the final eight games of the season. Being left out of the squad’s pre-season tour almost emphasises the need for him to find a new club soon.

Josh Ginnelly could be worth taking a gamble on for a Championship or League One side this summer

Whilst it’s looking ever so likely that Josh Ginnelly will be departing Swansea this summer, a move to another Championship side may not be a bad decision on a club's part, as the 28-year-old looked dangerous prior to his lengthy injury.

Ginnelly played less than 200 minutes in the league before he suffered the achilles injury, but his per 90 minute stats in the 2023/24 season showed how dangerous and direct he was in the limited time he had.

He wasn’t afraid to get into the box, take shots and draw defenders in, and he even won a penalty in his final start against Sheffield Wednesday, too.

Ultimately, it would all depend on whether a club wants to take the risk of bringing in a player coming off the back of such a serious injury.

Some sides may be hesitant, but it could bring about a big reward if Ginnelly stays fit, and if it's not a Championship club that is willing to do it, then a League One side should definitely be picking the forward up to try and give him a new lease of life, and he may get more guaranteed game-time for a third tier club.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old needs a new change of scenery, and the sooner that happens, the better.