Swansea City played a blinder with Burnley transfer agreement – Vincent Kompany was left with regret | OneFootball

Michael Obafemi’s fall from form turned a smart Swansea sale into a Burnley regret.

In January 2023, when Burnley prised Michael Obafemi away from Swansea City in a deal worth £3.5 million, it looked - on paper - like a smart bit of business for Vincent Kompany’s side.

At the time, it looked like smart business: a striker with proven Championship pedigree, still just 22, joining a team marching towards promotion under Vincent Kompany.

Yet, over two years on, the deal looks like a misstep Burnley are unlikely to recoup - and Swansea can reflect on a rare moment of transfer market mastery.

Michael Obafemi’s Burnley career stalled after promising Swansea spell

Obafemi’s numbers at Swansea were respectable - 15 goals in 52 appearances - and at his best, he was dynamic, aggressive and could stretch defences in a way that made him stand out in the second tier.

In the North West, however, that sharpness faded - and the Clarets have seen little return. Obafemi has spent much of his Burnley contract out on loan.

His stint at Millwall ended with manager Neil Harris citing “disciplinary reasons” for leaving him out of the squad entirely, before ending his spell at The Den having made just 14 Championship appearances and scoring two goals during the second half of the 23/24 campaign.

At Plymouth Argyle this past 2024/25 season, he managed just two goals in 31 appearances as the Pilgrims slid back into League One. It wasn’t just that he was part of a relegated side - it’s that he failed to stand out among them, with just 14 of his 29 second tier outings coming as part of the Argyle starting XI.

That return in claret and blue - six goals in two and a half seasons - is a far cry from the player Burnley thought they were buying, and it throws Swansea’s role in the deal into sharp focus.

Getting £3.5 million for a player whose form had already started to tail off by early 2023, now looks like one of the more savvy bits of business the South Wales side has done in recent years.

Swansea’s handling of the situation is cast in a favourable light. They sold high - at precisely the right moment - and moved on.

For a Championship club not in receipt of parachute payments, getting £3.5m for a declining asset was astute. More importantly, it shows an understanding of when to cash in - and the courage to act on it.

In the increasingly scrutinised world of recruitment, success is often judged not just by who you sign, but who you let go - and when.

When clubs talk about smart recruitment and player trading models, this is the kind of decision they mean: pragmatic, well-timed, and financially astute.

With Obafemi, Swansea got that judgement exactly right. Burnley, for all their recent success, did not.

Vincent Kompany, now departed for Bayern Munich, may not have regretted much from his Clarets reign - but the Obafemi deal has to rank among the misfires.

The Belgian’s Burnley tenure was defined by shrewd decisions and bold football, but even the best regimes make the occasional mistake. In hindsight, this was one - and Swansea were the quiet winners.