Swansea City thought they had struck gold when they beat Liverpool and Everton to signing - 2 apps said different | OneFootball

It looked like a coup when Swansea City signed Rory Donnelly in 2012 but it didn't work out for the Northern Irish striker

When you think of some of the strikers Swansea City signed during their years as a Premier League club, the likes of Danny Graham, Michu, Wilfried Bony and Fernando Llorente will likely be the names that immediately spring to mind.

However, the Swans also signed their fair share of strikers that failed to make an impact, perhaps none more so than Northern Irishman Rory Donnelly.

The Cliftonville forward came with a big reputation after taking the NIFL Premiership by storm at such a young age, and despite being a 19-year-old playing in one of the weakest top-flight divisions in Europe, the Swans forked out a reported £250,000 to bring him to South Wales in January 2012.

Swansea, who were just a couple of months into their time as a Premier League club in January 2012, beat fellow top-flight sides Everton and Liverpool to sign Donnelly, and while that led to big things being expected of the youngster, he wasn't able to deliver.

Swansea City thought they'd struck gold with Rory Donnelly but were left disappointed

Donnelly had made a seamless transition to being a first-team starter at Cliftonville and had bagged 13 goals in 19 2011/12 NIFL Premiership appearances prior to the January transfer window opening, which included a hat-trick against Dungannon and four goals in one game against Ballymena United.

It was little surprise that clubs from across the Irish Sea were interested in acquiring his services, and then League One side Brentford joined Premier League trio Everton, Liverpool and Swansea in the race to sign the 19-year-old.

However, it was Brendan Rodgers who managed to convince his compatriot that SA1 was the best place to further his career, and he was clearly delighted to have secured the striker's services. He said: "We are delighted to be able to attract one of Northern Ireland's biggest talents.

"I am really looking forward to helping Rory fulfil his potential and, hopefully, over the next few years ensure that Swansea City have another exciting young player blossoming at the club."

Given the step-up in quality between the NIFL Premiership and the Premier League, it was obvious that Donnelly wasn't going to go straight into the first-team fold at Swansea, and he began life in South Wales playing for the Swans' reserve team.

Just one goal in nine Premier League reserve appearances during the 2011/12 campaign suggested that Donnelly was still some way off first-team football, but high hopes remained for the Northern Irishman.

However, Rodgers departed in the summer of 2012 and was replaced by Laudrup, who brought in Michu, Itay Shechter and youngster Jamie Proctor, pushing Donnelly further down the pecking order.

The youngster would make just one appearance during the 2012/13 campaign, a substitute appearance against Crawley Town in the EFL Cup, and made just two Premier League matchday squads as an unused substitute.

After some promising displays in pre-season friendlies in the summer of 2013, Donnelly was given his one and only Swansea start when he played the full 90 minutes in a Europa League qualifier against Petrolul Ploiesti with the tie already sealed after a 5-1 win the previous week.

That proved his last senior appearance for the Swans, and after a number of appearances as an unused substitute in the Premier League he was loaned to League One side Coventry City in January 2014, but bizarrely returned just five days later without making an appearance.

Donnelly's luck at Swansea didn't improve the following season, and he failed to make a matchday squad in any competion before being loaned to League Two side Tranmere Rovers in January 2015, where he managed to find some form, scoring five goals and registering four assists in 20 appearances.

With his contract up that summer, Donnelly was released by Swansea after just two appearances, and it's fair to say that the move to SA1 didn't go to plan.

Rory Donnelly headed back to Northern Ireland after one last EFL spell

Donnelly joined Gillingham on a free transfer after leaving the Swans, scoring 12 goals and registering nine assists in 75 appearances, before leaving after being suspended for non-footballing reasons in 2017.

From there, he headed back to Cliftonville until January 2020, sealing a move across Belfast to fellow NIFL Premiership side Glentoran.

Four years with Glentoran followed, with a brief loan spell at second tier side Newington thrown in, before Donnelly returned to Cliftonville for a third spell in the summer of 2024, signing a one-year deal with the Reds.

Now 33, Donnelly has scored just one goal in 17 appearances for Cliftonville this season, and while his career has come full circle, he's nowhere near the form he displayed prior to his move to Swansea.

For a player who promised so much and showed glimpses of what he could do for Swansea's U21 side, it's fair to say Donnelly's career hasn't quite lived up to expectations and, in hindsight, Everton and Liverpool won't be too disappointed they missed out on his signing.