Swansea City struck gold with £8m transfer agreement - It was a masterstoke | OneFootball

Swansea City's decision to prise Argentina international Federico Fernandez from Napoli in 2014 proved a masterstroke

Swansea City's decision to prise Argentina international Federico Fernandez from Napoli in 2014 proved a masterstroke that underpinned the club's finest Premier League era.

The summer of 2014 found Garry Monk rebuilding a squad that had flirted with relegation the previous spring.

With World Cup finalist Federico Fernandez available, chairman Huw Jenkins sanctioned an £8m move that eclipsed the club's previous record spending on a defender.

Napoli, newly stocked with Kalidou Koulibaly, agreed to the sale, and within days the 25-year-old signed a four-year contract at the Liberty Stadium.

A decade on, the deal still glitters as perhaps one of the shrewdest pieces of business in the Swans' modern history.

Federico Fernandez became integral to Garry Monk's record-breaking side

Monk's Swans stunned pundits in 14/15 by finishing 8th with a Premier League club-record 56 points - maybe bettering the story of the historic 1981/82 squad that had reached 6th.

Fernandez contributed to 28 league appearances during this season, helping Swansea register 13 clean sheets and the joint-sixth-best defensive record outside the top four.

His partnership with Williams nullified the league's best attacks - as Swansea defeated Arsenal home and away and completed their first-ever double over Manchester United.

Swansea became only the third team in Premier League history to complete league doubles over these two clubs in the same season - and won a record 16 games, the most top-flight wins since their 21 in 81/82.

While Swansea's trajectory dipped after the departures of key players like Wilfried Bony - Fernandez's performances remained consistent throughout his tenure.

During 15/16, the Swans slid to 12th, yet Fernandez missed only six league minutes all season, scoring his maiden Premier League goal in a huge 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

The following campaign saw Swansea hover on the brink of relegation under three different managers before Paul Clement steered them to 15th place, with the Argentine defender battling injury to appear 27 times and earning three man-of-the-match displays.

His commitment shone through during the fraught 17/18 relegation fight, as, despite the Welsh outfit's eventual drop to 18th, Fernandez played 30 league matches, adding another goal and captaining the side on four occasions.

What made him admired by the Jack Army was his dedication when on the pitch - an example was when he played on with a broken nose against Liverpool in 2018, which happened when congratulating Alfie Mawson on scoring.

Fernandez was part of an exciting 14/15 Swansea City transfer window

Fernandez embodied Swansea's 14/15 transfers, which seemed to pair affordability with continental pedigree.

His arrival, alongside Łukas Fabianski, Jefferson Montero, and Gylfi Sigurðsson - somewhat headlined a transfer window that helped the club to its highest modern finish.

Following Swansea's relegation in 2018, Fernandez reunited with his former Napoli boss, Rafael Benítez, at Newcastle United - for a reported £6m. This effectively recouped 75% of what they had initally spent on the Argentine.

At St James Park, he added 82 further top-flight appearances, with Benítez praising Fernandez as "experienced, a very good professional" who would provide competition at the club.

£8m spent seems looks like pocket change in today's market

Fernandez may never have garnered headlines like Bony's goals or Sigurðsson's free-kicks, but his excellence for the Jacks cannot be understated.

In modern market terms - where £30m can procure promise rather than proven quality, the deal feels increasingly timeless. Take right-back Aaron Wan-Bisakka for example, who transferred from Crystal Palace to Manchester United for £50m - they had to cut their losses and give him to West Ham for £15m.

For a mid-table budget, Swansea City acquired an international defender at his peak who delivered four seasons of high-level consistency - averaging 30 league starts per campaign, making the £8m feel like a raid.