Swansea City may regret January 2018 transfer call on Newport County, Bolton Wanderers evidence | OneFootball

Josh Sheehan left Swansea City for Newport County just months before they were relegated from the Premier League

The 2017/18 campaign was a miserable one for Swansea City as they were relegated from the Premier League, and when youngster Josh Sheehan left the club in January 2018 for Newport County, it's fair to say it went under the radar.

However, in the seven years that followed, Sheehan, who came through the academy ranks with the Swans, has forged a successful career of his own at both club level and international level.

Despite spending his senior career in League Two and League One, Sheehan has won ten caps for Wales, even wearing the captain's armband in a friendly against Gibraltar, and he's started the last three games for his country under Craig Bellamy over players from higher divisions.

It's clear that the midfielder is a class act, and you can't help but wonder how different his career could have been had he remained with the club instead of sealing a move to Newport in 2018.

Josh Sheehan has impressed since leaving Swansea City in January 2018

Swansea can't be blamed for allowing Sheehan to depart the club for League Two side Newport County in January 2018, as he'd made just one senior appearance for the club, but he's certainly impressed since leaving SA1.

The Llanelli-born midfielder had always been seen as a standout player in Swansea's academy ranks, and he made his debut as a youngster in a League Cup tie against Rotherham United in August 2014, but that was to be his one and only senior appearance for the club.

A number of EFL loan spells with Yeovil Town and Newport followed, before he made the move to Rodney Parade a permanent one in January 2018 on a free transfer, bringing his 13-year association with the Swans to an end.

Over the next couple of seasons, Sheehan would show his class with the Exiles, helping them to two play-off finals, and winning his Wales first cap in November 2020 while playing in League Two.

That was enough to seal a move to League One side Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2021, and the Welshman has proved to be an excellent player for the Trotters since making the move to Greater Manchester.

Despite an ACL injury in his first season at Bolton, the Welshman has become a regular feature for Ian Evatt's side, starting the 2023 EFL Trophy final as they beat Plymouth Argyle 4-0.

Sheehan made a whopping 53 appearances during the 2023/24 appearances, registering 18 goals involvements as Bolton reached the play-off final, and he's certainly developed a reputation as a key player.

The former Swans midfielder was set for another big season until he suffered a hamstring injury at the beginning of December, and both Bolton and Wales will be hoping he makes a speedy recovery ahead of an important few months for club and country.

Sheehan's career could have gone one of two ways after leaving Swansea as a youngster, but he's impressed in the seven years that have followed, and he could well go onto play in the Championship yet.

Swansea City could regret Josh Sheehan decision now

The ironic thing is that if Sheehan had stayed with Swansea until the end of the 2017/18 season, he could well have had a future at the club after their relegation to the Championship.

Swansea were down to the bare bones and in a bad way financially after relegation, meaning they had to rely on youngsters who otherwise would have had no first-team opportunities had it not been for relegation.

The likes of Connor Roberts, Joe Rodon, Daniel James and Oli McBurnie became regular starters at senior level for the first time, and returning loan players also featured.

Matt Grimes, who looked to have no future at the club, returned from his loan spell at Northampton Town, became a regular starter and was handed the captain's armband a year later, a role he still holds.

Grimes and Sheehan are a similar type of player, and it could so easily have been Sheehan who is in Grimes' position had he not left the club in January 2018.

Swansea certainly can't be blamed for allowing Sheehan to leave as they were a Premier League club at the time, and it looked there was no future for him, but in hindsight, he could well have made an impact had he remained at the club for a couple of months longer.

Now 29, Sheehan looks to be getting better with age, and his international manager is clearly a big fan, picking him over players at bigger clubs playing in higher divisions.

When you watch Sheehan play, he looks like a Swansea midfielder, and that's thanks to the 13 years or so he spent in the academy playing the possession-based style of play the club have developed a reputation for in years gone by.

It's a shame that the Welsh international played just one senior game for the club, as he could well have been a perfect fit in SA1 now.