Swansea City: Ethan Galbraith slammed for "sideways" £10m Stoke City transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea fan pundit shares their thoughts on Ethan Galbraith's move from Swansea to Stoke

Swansea City's summer transfer window is up and running, though the majority of Swans fans may well be largely discontent with the manner in which it has begun.

Under Vitor Matos, Swansea became a highly competitive side in the Championship last season, and comfortably secured a mid-table finish, with prospects of a potential play-off push emerging throughout the course of the campaign.

Looking ahead to next campaign, Swansea will be hoping to improve yet again under their Portuguese head coach, but first, they must contest the summer transfer window, in what has been a shock start for the Welsh outfit.

Former RB Salzburg winger Moussa Yeo, who worked with Matos during their time together in Austria, has become their first signing of the summer, and is expected to provide some much-needed competition for Ronald on the right flank.

However, arguably the biggest talking point of the summer for the Swans will be the recent sale of one of their star assets to a division rival, in a deal that has certainly caused a stir among the club's fanbase.

Ethan Galbraith has joined Stoke City for a reported lucrative fee

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Northern Irish midfielder Ethan Galbraith raised questions of an exit this summer back when he rejected a fresh deal with Swansea back in April, and now that has since come to fruition.

The 25-year-old midfielder has completed a move to division rivals Stoke City, with WalesOnline reporting the deal to be worth north of £10 million, whilst other publications claim the deal is significantly lower than that.

Galbraith only joined Swansea last summer from Leyton Orient for around £1.5 million, and quickly became an important member of the squad, balancing his time between midfield and right-back.

The former Manchester United youth prospect, whatever the case, bags Swansea a significant profit either way, as Football League World's Swansea fan pundit, Will Hughes, has shared their thoughts on the fee, and whether the move to Stoke makes sense.

Will told FLW: "The last time I had a question from you regarding Galbraith, it was about potentially the move to Stoke, and I said, ‘Oh, I don't know about that, maybe it's his agent talking. I don't think he will go there; he'll probably end up going somewhere else,’ and I've ended up with egg on my face.

"I'll concede, I really didn't expect him to go to Stoke. And also, I really didn't expect Stoke to be spending that sort of money.

"I don't know where that's come from. I know since they got relegated, obviously they got relegated in the same season as us, they've not been scared of offering big money in terms of contracts to players, and they have signed a couple of players for fairly sizable fees, but nothing like that I can remember. Certainly not from another Championship club.

"I am shocked because I definitely thought Galbraith would end up going somewhere that you would have said, ‘Yeah, they're nailed on to at least be in with the shout of getting promotion, or at least in the play-offs'. I think that would have been a fair assumption for most supporters, really.

"To go to Stoke, and I don't mean any disrespect by saying this, I just think it's a sideways move for him. In the eight years or whatever it's been since we got relegated, I think Stoke have finished above us once, and in that time, they certainly haven't got to the play-offs.

"I can't help but think Galbraith's gone chasing the money, to be honest. I mean, he turned down the contract last season, and the rumour being that, well, one rumour that we didn't offer him what he wanted, the other rumour that his agent wasn't happy with the reported release clause that was going to be on the new contract. So it would lead you to believe he always had his mind on going anyway, because obviously, if you're not happy with your release clause, you obviously see yourself somewhere else.

"So yeah, it is a bit of a shock that he's gone there. It could very well be the case that he could be using Stoke as a stepping stone, and he could end up in the next year or two being in the Premier League. Whether it's with Stoke or not, who knows?

"But am I disappointed to lose him? Yeah, because he's a really good player. He's a fantastic player. I really do like him. He's got a very high ceiling.

"I'm not too disheartened. I'm gutted to have been losing him because he is a good player, but also I'm not that gutted because of the fee we're getting, and ultimately, we weren't playing him in his best position for one reason or another, whether it was right or wrong. It is what it is.

"So we will see. We will see how we get on. But we can shake his hand and move on, I think.

Swansea City and Vitor Matos will hope to have the last laugh following Ethan Galbraith's Stoke City switch

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With Galbraith gone, Swansea still have an exceptionally talented midfield roster containing the likes of Goncalo Franco, Leo Walta, and Marko Stamenic, and head coach Matos will hope his loss won't be greatly felt.

Indeed, Stoke have only finished above Swansea in the last eight years, so there is reason to believe that this move is in fact a sideways, or even backwards step.

Time will tell whether that is the case, as Swansea will hope to have the last laugh when it comes to this deal.