Swansea City may have the last laugh over Celtic after summer transfer call | OneFootball

Swansea City secured Stephen Welsh on a free transfer this summer and it is turning out to be a shrewd deal for the Championship side.

Swansea City have had a positive start to the season under Vitor Matos, and a lot of that has been down to their summer recruitment.

It was revealed that the club had entered into a partnership with Jamestown Analytics, who have an excellent reputation in the game for identifying players, and the Swans are already benefiting from that.

Joseph Opoku and Moussa Yeo have added pace and unpredictability to the Swansea attack, and Stephen Eustáquio looks a shrewd addition in the middle of the park.

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As well as that, Swansea utilised the free agent market, and whilst the signing of Ross Stewart could pay off in the long run, they are already reaping the benefits of Stephen Welsh’s addition.

Swansea City signed Stephen Welsh on a free transfer

The 26-year-old came through the ranks at Celtic, and he made 70 appearances for the Glasgow giants.

However, Welsh didn’t truly establish himself as a regular at Parkhead, whether that was under Brendan Rodgers, Ange Postecoglou, or, most recently, Martin O’Neill.

So, he spent last season on loan at Motherwell, where he impressed, but that wasn’t enough to convince Celtic to keep the defender on.

Due to his loyalty over the years, and as a ‘gesture of goodwill’, the Scottish champions allowed Welsh to leave the club on a free, which enabled him to join the Swans without much hassle.

Welsh agreed an initial two-year deal with the Championship side, and he has quickly settled to become an important figure under Matos.

Stephen Welsh is ideally suited to Swansea City’s style of play

The ex-Scotland U21 international has played every game for his new club since arriving, and Swansea’s defensive record shows he is doing very well.

They have kept four clean sheets in six games, and whilst it has been a team effort, Welsh has been key to that with the way he plays.

As well as doing the basics right, Welsh is ideally suited to Matos’ style of play, as it’s very similar to the way he played at Motherwell under Jens Berthel Askou.

Welsh is always willing to step out, and he is aggressive in how he looks to defend on the front foot. Crucially, he is very composed and intelligent on the ball, which is imperative to the way the Swans want to build from the back.

Stephen Welsh could turn out to be a bargain for Swansea City

Of course, it’s very early days, but all connected to Swansea will be delighted at how Welsh has adapted to life in the Championship.

Given his lack of game time with Celtic over the years, it was difficult to judge just how well Welsh would do in such a competitive league.

Again, we must stress that it’s early days, but, right now, Welsh is handling it with ease, and he is proving to be a real bargain for the club.

At 26, Swansea know they have a player who is still approaching his peak years, and it’s natural to think that Welsh will only get better as he builds more of an understanding with his new teammates.

So, to get a player with such talent on a free transfer could be a great bit of business for Swansea.

Celtic may regret Stephen Welsh transfer decision

Given how Welsh has started at Swansea, Celtic may rue not giving the academy graduate more of a chance.

He didn’t always impress during his time with the club, but Welsh proved last season with Motherwell that he has a lot of ability, and he has carried that on with Swansea.

We know that ball-playing centre-backs are difficult to find, and Celtic appear to have let one who could be worth millions leave on a free.

Welsh will certainly appreciate how the club facilitated his exit, but, from a sporting and financial perspective, it could be one that Celtic regret in the years to come.