Swansea City transfer claim made involving Norwich City man after summer exit - 'I hope he's regretting it' | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea City fan pundit has given his verdict on Darling's move to Norwich amid their poor form

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…

Harry Darling made the switch from Swansea City to Norwich City in the summer following the expiration of his contract, having opted against extending his stay in South Wales.

The defender made 108 appearances across three seasons with the Welsh outfit, helping them come 10th, 14th and 11th in the Championship in that time and established himself as one of the stronger ball-playing central defenders at Championship level.

However, he made the move to Carrow Road in the transfer market, where he has cemented himself as a key part of Liam Manning’s plans.

But the Canaries’ form has nosedived, with the team now sitting in the relegation zone and struggling for any kind of positive result.

This has led to pressure on Manning’s position as manager and deeper-rooted issues with the club's hierarchy — namely Ben Knapper — while Swansea are mid-table and well clear of the Canaries at this moment in time.

Claim made on Harry Darling's Norwich City transfer regret after Swansea City exit

When asked if Darling should regret his move to Norwich, Football League World's Swansea fan pundit Will Hughes claimed that he should as it’s not a significant step up from the Welsh outfit.

He would’ve been more understanding of the switch if it had been for a recently relegated side like Ipswich instead, and that the Swans are now pulling in the right direction under this new ownership structure.

“To be honest, I do hope he’s regretting it because we brought him in from MK Dons, gave him a chance at Championship football,” Hughes told Football League World.

“And yes, okay, the board could’ve been a lot quicker in offering him a new deal, so I get his side that he wanted to go somewhere where there’s more money, might be a better opportunity for him.

“At the time, going to Norwich, I was thinking it was an alright move for him, I wouldn’t go and say it’s a massive step up.

“If he had gone somewhere like an Ipswich, who had just come down, or even lower Premier League.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think he is a Premier League quality defender, so I’d just say fair enough.

“But going to Norwich, I don’t see it as a massive step up, especially where the Swans are at the minute, commercially, with the investment of Luka Modric, Snoop Dogg, and the things that are going on within the city as well.

“It’s a real feelgood factor at the minute.

“Of course, there is one slight issue, I believe, being the manager [Alan Sheehan. But overall, I think the club is pulling in one direction and that’s forwards.”

Hughes is confident that Norwich and Swansea’s fortunes will both change for the better, but that the latter has just as strong a prospect as the former when it comes to a possible promotion push in the future:“So I look at where we are, okay it’s not great at the minute, but I like to think that’s going to change at some point.

“But to compare how we’re doing to Norwich, then yeah I think he’s definitely going to regret it.

“And truth being told, I don’t really think we miss him.

“I was really happy when we acted quickly and brought in Cameron Burgess before Harry Darling officially left the club, so it just shows we’re acting quickly and not just going to offer a deal right at the end where he’s going to snub us and go elsewhere.

“It was a sign of ‘well, if you want to go, then crack on, we’ve got our replacement in, you can go wherever you want’.

“We had this offer on the table for ages for Harry Darling, granted yes it was a bit late and he could look elsewhere.

“What annoyed me towards the end was he was kissing the badge, getting the fans going, acting like he was going to stay, he loves the place and then he goes at the first opportunity he has.

“So, truth being told, no I don’t think the grass is greener at Norwich.

“They’re in a poor situation at the minute, granted I do think they’re in a false league position. But do I see them as a promotion contender should their fortunes change? I don’t think so, I think they’ll probably be in a similar situation as us.

“Ultimately I do think he’s regretting it, and I don’t have any regrets about him going.”

Swansea manager Alan Sheehan is under pressure for results after an underwhelming start to the season for the team.

The Swans are in the bottom half of the Championship, and have struggled to put together a consistent run of results, leaving them adrift in the play-off race so far.

Harry Darling has time to prove Norwich City transfer was the right call

Darling is playing every minute under Manning at Norwich, so his prominence in the side will ease any regrets he may be feeling about the move.

Swansea aren’t setting the world on fire either under Sheehan, and it’s likely the move was lucrative enough to justify the switch.

It’s also still only the first few months of a contract that runs until the summer of 2028, so it’s early yet to suggest he should be regretting the move.

Given the Canaries’ ambitions, it was a decision that made sense even if it didn’t sit well with Swansea supporters. Of course, Darling would have envisaged being part of a more competitive team, but it's a long old season and Norwich's squad retains the quality to push higher up the division in the coming months if they can turn their fortunes around.