"A Leon Britton sort of player" - Claim made on Swansea City "legend" Matt Grimes | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea City fan pundit has drawn comparisons between Matt Grimes and Leon Britton

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Swansea City captain Matt Grimes has earned comparisons to long-serving legend Leon Britton, who was at the heart of the Jack Army's early success in the Premier League.

Britton is widely regarded as a legendary figure in recent Swansea City history, and for good reason. The diminutive midfielder began his legacy at Swansea all the way back in 2002 on loan from West Ham United, and he went on to make more than 500 appearances for the club across two separate spells.

Britton was a constant at Swansea, representing them in all four divisions and helping them to a historic first-ever Premier League promotion in 2011 before playing an instrumental role in the club's initial top-flight success and continental ventures.

A player who was integral to the cultivation of 'The Swansea Way', he embodied the side's overarching ethos of dominating possession and dictating the tempo with remarkable intelligence and composure on the ball, coupled with an expansive variation of passing which helped them to break teams down and blow the opposition away during their first few years in the Premier League.

It's some legacy to follow, then, and replicating the eternal influence of a player who starred for so many years while encapsulating Swansea's philosophy takes some doing.

Matt Grimes compared to Swansea City legend Leon Britton

We asked FLW's resident Jack Army fan pundit, James Fleming, to name one current player who reminds him of a legend from the past. According to James, Matt Grimes has steadily obtained legendary status himself and is reminiscent of Britton due to the mutual hallmarks of consistency, dependability and longevity.

Grimes stepped up to the first-team in the 2018/19 campaign following Swansea's relegation from the Premier League and hasn't looked back since, becoming an ever-present in every single season.

He's their very own midfield metronome, providing an ample replacement for Britton even when the team have fallen hugely short of replicating the success which the club enjoyed during his illustrious stay in SA1.

"I think Matt Grimes is the definition a legend of this club, reminding me of past legends," James told Football League World.

"He's just been unbelievably consistent for us over the past six or seven years, ever since he broke into the first-team after relegation he's never left and is an unbelievable captain.

"He reminds me of a Leon Britton sort of player, in that midfield consistently for years and years and performs every single week without fail. Even when he has a bad game, he still really helps.

"I think he shows the signs of a Swansea legend. If he isn't already then by the time he leaves or retires he will be because the loyalty he's shown to this football club is really rare at this level and it's the same as Britton, who stuck around despite getting offers from elsewhere.

"So 100 per cent, Matt Grimes would be the one player who reminds me of a legend."

Matt Grimes will be key for Swansea City all season

The evergreen Swansea skipper has been the heartbeat of the side for many years now, but that doesn't appear subject to change anytime soon.

There are myriad stylistic parallels between the 29-year-old and his predecessor Britton, and he's enabling his side to continue exerting their renowned possession-based philosophy under Luke Williams - even if it hasn't brought all that much success in recent years.

Grimes is a top operator at Championship level and it's easy to see why he's earned comparisons to Britton for his ability alone, but the real determinant of the legendary status in which he's arguably already amassed - or certainly will soon - is his evergreen longevity and consistency in the middle of the park, seldom missing a game in many seasons and invariably being right at the heart of everything positive done by Swansea.