How Swansea City stole Barnsley FC's millions with £15m Premier League windfall | OneFootball

Swansea City stole Barnsley's potential cash windfall by poaching Alfie Mawson from them in 2016.

Swansea City pretty much stole Barnsley's millions when they bought Alfie Mawson from the Tykes in 2016, as they went on to receive a £15m cash windfall two years later.

Back in 2015, a young defender from Brentford was hot property in the EFL, having just come off the back of an eye-catching loan spell in League Two with Wycombe Wanderers.

His name was Alfie Mawson, and he would soon become one of the most exciting up-and-coming defenders in English football.

Barnsley won the race to sign the Brentford man on a permanent deal, and after an excellent season for the Yorkshire club which ended in promotion to the Championship, he was once again on the radar of other clubs.

This time, Swansea would win the race for Mawson, and inadvertently deny the Tykes a potentially huge cash windfall, as they went on to sell him just two years later to Fulham for £15m.

When Mawson arrived at Wycombe in 2015, nobody batted an eyelid. The then-20-year-old had never played a minute of EFL football, and was brought in as a short-term option to replace the injured Gary Doherty.

He became an instant hit for Gareth Ainsworth's men, and would have his loan extended to the end of the season, as the Chairboys reached the League Two play-off final. When all was said and done, the youngster had netted seven goals in 48 league outings for the Blues.

This saw interest rise from League One, with Barnsley being the lucky club to snap Mawson up on a free transfer from Brentford. He would once again play a key role in a play-off campaign, scoring six goals in 48 league appearances, as the Tykes won promotion to the Championship.

After just four games for the Yorkshire-based club in their Championship return with two goals to his name, Swansea moved quickly to bring Mawson to the Liberty Stadium for a reported fee of around £5m, completing his meteoric rise to the Premier League.

Despite his experience being mostly limited to League One and Two, his transition into the Swans' side was seamless. The defender played 27 matches in his debut season, scoring four goals, and was in the conversation for an England call-up.

The following season, Mawson didn't miss a Premier League match as the Welsh side were relegated to the Championship. However, his performances earned him another chance at the top flight, as he secured a £15m move to newly-promoted Fulham.

Swansea acted fast to steal Barnsley's millions for Alfie Mawson

Sadly, whilst the ex-Swans star would get that England call up, he wouldn't feature for the Three Lions. Even more agonisingly, a recurring injury hampered his time at Craven Cottage, which eventually forced him to retire in 2023 after returning to Wycombe.

Whilst the Tykes certainly didn't come away shortchanged by selling the former Brentford prodigy to Swansea, as they reportedly pocketed around £5m for a player they signed for free, they could've earned more had the Premier League side not come calling that summer.

Barnsley were likely looking at the fee that Swansea later received from Fulham for Mawson's signature with a slight bit of envy, as that could've been them had the Swans not poached the centre-back a couple of years prior.

This was an excellent move from the Welsh club's perspective, as they picked Mawson up on a relatively cheap deal, reaped the rewards of his excellent form, and sold him on for a tidy profit.