Swansea City hit the transfer jackpot for just £500k - Chelsea deal created history | OneFootball

Swansea City will always look back on this transfer fondly

Swansea City were riding high at the start of the 2010s, as the club prepared to embark on what was an incredibly successful transformational period in their history.

It was a time period where the Swans managed to bridge the gap between Championship and Premier League football, before establishing themselves in the top-flight.

In the years following their promotion, the Welsh outfit would reach even further heights by clinching the 2013 EFL Cup, a momentous achievement for the club. However, that was still a million miles away in the summer of 2010.

After missing out on the play-offs by a single point in the 2009/10 campaign, the Swans attacked the summer transfer market in pursuit of some talent that would get them over the line for promotion.

The likes of Leon Britton, Tamás Priskin and Neil Taylor all joined Brendan Rodgers’ side that summer, all improving the overall quality at the Liberty Stadium. However, the most important recruit ended up being Scott Sinclair, who signed from Premier League outfit Chelsea for an initial fee of £500k, later rising to £1 million with add-ons.

Swansea City struck gold with Scott Sinclair, Chelsea deal

Having spent a great deal of their budget on the forward, Sinclair became Swansea’s premier signing for that season. This naturally meant that a lot of expectation fell on top of him and there was pressure to perform immediately.

Thriving in this role, the former Chelsea attacker got to work immediately, scoring four Championship goals between the 28th of August and the 28th of September, alongside a scintillating League Cup hat-trick versus Peterborough United.

Such form continued throughout the season, with Sinclair taking up a talismanic role in Swansea’s time, often guiding them through tricky periods and netting at decisive moments.

Braces against Leeds United and Crystal Palace were high points throughout the campaign, as the winger finished that term with 24 goals in all competitions. More importantly, after two years of narrowly missing out, Swansea had finished in the play-offs.

This is when Sinclair wrote his name into the Swans’ folklore, forever to be adored for his contribution to the club.

After not providing a goal contribution in both legs of the semi-final, he was Swansea’s hero in the final, netting a hat-trick as the Welsh outfit beat Reading 4-2 to seal their place in the Premier League.

Now eternally adored by the Welsh outfit, Sinclair remained in South Wales for their first-ever term in the Premier League and proved he had the capability to perform at that level too.

Eight goals and five assists in 38 Premier League games helped Swansea to an impressive 11th-place finish, just five points behind Liverpool in eighth.

With such strong, consistent performances being shown by Sinclair, interest from English football’s elite sides wasn’t too far away.

In fact, Premier League champions Manchester City decided that he would add to their competitiveness and decided to splash £8m on the forward in 2012.

Whilst this left Swansea without one of their best players, it represented a massive profit on the initial £500k they paid for his services and allowed them to reinvest in the squad, building up to the EFL Cup success that season and subsequent European football, too.

Whilst this was a strong move for Sinclair, he never managed to enjoy the same performances that were once displayed in South Wales and would only make 19 appearances for City in his time in Manchester.

Spells with Aston Villa, Celtic, Preston North End and Bristol Rovers would follow afterwards and whilst Sinclair managed to score goals, he couldn’t reproduce his Swansea form and, it must be said, perhaps fell short of realising his true potential.

However, that won’t be what he is remembered for at the Swansea.com Stadium. No, it will be the crucial strikes he converted and talismanic performances he produced that allowed them to compete at the highest level, that supporters in South Wales will instantly recall when they hear his name.