Swansea City hit the jackpot with Bradford City raid - it pocketed them millions | OneFootball

Swansea found a steal with the signing of Oli McBurnie from Bradford City in 2015

Oli McBurnie has gone on to forge a successful career in the Championship and beyond, but it was Swansea City's savvy transfer business which uncovered the Scotsman's potential.

Scottish striker McBurnie has forged a successful career for himself, becoming a prolific goalscorer in the Championship before playing in the top flight of both England and Spain.

A product of the Bradford City academy, McBurnie has gone on to play 96 times in the Premier League for both Swansea City and Sheffield United.

He has also earned himself 17 caps for the Scottish national team, but never found the back of the net on the international stage.

However, despite coming through the ranks at Bradford, it was Swansea who reaped the financial rewards of McBurnie.

Swansea's steal of a deal for McBurnie

In July 2015, Swansea signed little-known Bradford City striker McBurnie for just £250k.

The Scotsman had struggled to nail down a place in Bradford's squad and spent the second half of the 2014/15 season on loan in the National League with Chester FC, scoring five goals and grabbing one assist in 14 games.

That was as much as Swansea needed to see as he signed for the Welsh club the following summer, heading straight into their youth setup.

The now 29-year-old was prolific in Premier League 2, earning loan moves to Newport County and Bristol Rovers in the 2015/16 season.

However, it wouldn't be until the 2017/18 season that McBurnie came to the fore, playing eleven times in the Premier League for Swansea before spending the second half of the season on loan with Barnsley in the Championship, scoring nine times in 17 appearances.

As Swansea suffered relegation to the Championship, McBurnie was earmarked to be the Swans' starting striker for the Championship season, which paid dividends.

He scored 22 times and assisted four in 42 Championship games in the 2018/19 season as Swansea missed out on promotion. McBurnie was heading to the Premier League regardless.

Lucrative Sheffield United switch

Upon earning promotion to the Premier League, Sheffield United were on the lookout for another striker and signed McBurnie for £20m from Swansea, as the Welsh side reaped the rewards of their purchase from Bradford four years earlier.

Having initially signed for Swansea for 250k, the £20m sale of McBurnie saw a 7900% profit on him alone. Not shabby business at all.

Following his lucrative Premier League switch, McBurnie struggled to hit the back of the net consistently in the top flight, scoring just 13 goals and assisting a further six in 80 games for the Blades as he and the club suffered relegation on two separate occasions.

He left Bramall Lane following the expiration of his contract, with Sheffield United never truly getting value for money from the Scotsman when it came to the fee that they paid. Yes, he was popular and part of a semi-successful period in South Yorkshire, but at £20m there was a thirst for more and a signing of that calibre walking away for nothing is hard to stomach.

Switch to Spain and present

Upon the expiry of his Sheffield United contract, McBurnie was available to sign on a free transfer, with numerous clubs around the EFL registering an interest in the forward.

It then came as a surprise to many to see the Scotsman switch from Sheffield to Spain, signing a one-year deal with La Liga outfit Las Palmas, linking up with fellow Scotsman Scott McKenna in the process.

McBurnie's solitary year in Spain culminated with another relegation, though he would register a respectable three goals and six assists in 34 La Liga matches before departing the club this summer.

Heading into this summer, McBurnie was available again on a free transfer and, at 29, has pulled in plenty of Championship interest despite not being the £20m transfer target of ambitious Premier League clubs anymore.

Bradford, meanwhile, will be the ones who will be kicking themselves after seeing McBurnie's career pan out. Their loss all those years ago was very much Swansea's gain, with the Welsh club the only ones to truly profit on the Scotsman in terms of goals and transfer fees.