Trusted Luke Williams lieutenant has forgotten Swansea City history | OneFootball

Luke Williams' assistant Ryan Harley was once on the books as a Swansea City player

Luke Williams and his coaching team will be looking to ensure that Swansea City finish the January transfer window with a stronger squad than they started with, and recruitment will be crucial in doing so.

Swansea have had their fair share of January transfer misses in years gone by so Williams will be keen to avoid a repeat of that this year and one man on his coaching team will know all about a failed winter move.

Assistant coach Ryan Harley was once a Swansea player himself, although some supporters may not remember his spell – and with good reason.

Harley's time at the club was short and anything but sweet and while he's a valued member of the coaching staff now, his time as a player proved a bizarre one.

Ryan Harley had a strange spell as a Swansea City player

Swansea were flying high under Brendan Rodgers during the 2010/11 season and the Northern Irishman was keen to bolster his ranks in January.

Harley had impressed at League One level with Exeter City during the first half of the campaign, and with his contract at St James Park set to expire in the summer of 2011, the Swans swooped to sign the midfielder.

Rodgers wanted to add more goals from midfield, and with Harley bagging eight times during the opening months of the 2010/11 campaign, he looked the perfect fit.

However, with Leon Britton also completing a January 2011 return to Swansea from Sheffield United, Harley was allowed to spend the second half of the season on loan at Exeter.

The Bristol-born midfielder enjoyed a successful 2010/11 campaign, scoring 15 goals and registering 11 assists for the Grecians, but Swansea would win promotion to the Premier League while he was on loan at Exeter, putting a spanner in the works for his future at the club.

Harley had been signed for the Championship, and while he'd enjoyed an impressive campaign in League One, the gulf in quality between the third tier and the top flight put both the Swans and the player in an awkward position.

He joined up with the Swans in pre-season ahead of their first campaign in the promised land, playing in a number of friendlies, but when it came to selection for their opening Premier League fixtures, he was nowhere to be seen.

Despite only being signed in January, Swansea allowed Harley to complete a permanent exit in August 2011, and the midfielder penned a deal with Championship newcomers Brighton, leaving the Swans without playing a competitive game.

It was a bizarre move, and you couldn't help but feel sorry for Harley as he could well have become an important player in the Championship, but he was a victim of the club's success.

However, as fate would have it, Harley returned to the Swansea.com Stadium in January 2024 as Williams' assistant and while he may not have made an impact as a player, he's an important figure at the club now.

Ryan Harley made an immediate impact at Championship level, but it didn't last

Harley's time in the Championship couldn't have got off to a better start, and he scored a free-kick on his debut against Peterborough United as the Seagulls won 2-0, but that was as good as it got for the Exeter City legend.

He'd make just 20 further appearances for the club before moves to Swindon Town and MK Dons, and he'd return to Exeter City for the 2014/15 season.

St James Park is where Harley played his best football, and he'd remain with the Grecians until 2018 before a second spell at MK Dons, leaving Stadium MK in 2020 and playing for local West Country sides Bath City and Frome Town.

After his playing career came to an end in 2022, Harley was appointed Williams' assistant at Notts County, helping the Magpies win promotion to League Two in 2023, before following him to Swansea after his appointment last year.

It's a strange twist of fate that Harley returned to Swansea as a coach after failing to make an impact as a player, and no doubt he'll be hoping that any January incomings have a bigger impact than he did when he joined 14 years ago this month.