Why Harry Wilson should be a massive coup for Swansea City
According to The Telegraph (h/t Wales Online), Swansea City are among a host of Championship clubs interested in securing a loan deal for Liverpool winger Harry Wilson ahead of Friday’s domestic deadline.
The 23-year-old has also attracted interest from his former club Derby County while Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest have been mentioned among the other potential suitors for the Welsh international. (Telegraph h/t Wales Online)
Wilson looked set for a permanent move to Burnley after impressing on loan at Bournemouth in the Premier League last season but a move fell through, with Liverpool holding firm on their £20m valuation of the left-footed ace.
However, with Jurgen Klopp showing no intentions of accommodating the academy graduate in his plans, Wilson’s only realistic chance of playing regular first-team football at a decent level is a loan move to the Championship.
Profile
Born in Wrexham, Harry Wilson rose through the youth ranks of Liverpool but has made just two first-team appearances for the Reds, despite being in the mix for a long time. Wilson had a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra in League One during the 2015-16 season before completing a loan move to Hull City in the Championship for the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.
An impressive tally of 7 goals in just 14 appearances for Hull paved the way for a temporary switch to Derby County in the summer of 2018. Wilson’s loan spell at Pride Park proved to be a raging success as the Welshman bagged an astonishing 16 goals and 4 assists in 43 league appearances, with the Rams reaching the playoff final under Frank Lampard.
The 23-year-old joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan last summer and proved his credentials in the Premier League with 7 goals in 31 appearances. However, it wasn’t enough to save the Cherries from relegation.
Wilson would be a quality addition to Swansea’s attack
Swansea certainly have plenty of room to accommodate a top-quality wide attacker like Harry Wilson in their ranks, with Andre Ayew, Jamal Lowe, and the 35-year-old Wayne Routledge currently the only specialist wingers available at Steve Cooper’s disposal.
The lack of a specialist centre-forward has prompted the manager to utilise Ayew and Lowe as his striking options so far, with new loan signing from Brighton Viktor Gyokeres expected to be phased into the mix after the international break. Regardless of that, however, Wilson has enough quality to walk straight into the Swans’ starting XI in the Championship.
The 23-year-old plundered goals and assists for fun and was a menace for even the toughest defences in the second-tier during his loan spell at Derby County a couple of seasons back. Hence, a potential deal for Wilson would not only reduce the workload on Ayew but is also likely to hand a massive boost to the club’s promotion hopes.
Read More
- Why Swansea City should complete a loan move for Curtis Jones in January
- Why Lyndon Dykes would be a smart signing for Swansea City
Verdict
Realistically, a loan move to the Championship would represent a significant downgrade for Harry Wilson, who did reasonably well at Bournemouth in the top-flight last season. However, that seems to be his best option for the time being, and Swansea City should use the chance to land the quality player.
