Reading star John Swift has been the subject of rumours linking the ex-Chelsea midfielder with a move to Villa Park for a reported fee of £6m. Would the ex-England U21 international be a good signing for the Villans? Let us start with his career so far…
Swift: Career To Date
Embed from Getty ImagesSwift began his professional career at Chelsea and made his Premier League debut coming on as a late substitute against Cardiff City in 2014, after he had been impressing with the Chelsea U21 team. This was going to end up being Swift’s only appearance for Chelsea, and went on loan to Championship side Rotherham the following season, where he made only four appearances.
Swift was then loaned out to Swindon Town in 2015, where he scored his first professional goal against Chesterfield. He scored twice in total, with injury ruling him out for most of their play-off campaign, which ended in a Wembley final defeat to Preston.
Swift’s final loan spell was with Dean Smith’s former side Brentford in October 2015, where he made his debut for the Bees as a substitute in a Championship defeat to Derby. He made 28 appearances in total, netting seven times in a campaign which saw The Bees finish ninth.
John Swift finally left Chelsea on a permanent basis in 2016 when he signed for his current club Reading for less than a million pounds. He went on to score on his Royals debut, in a one nil success against Preston North End.
Last season, the 25 year old maged 41 appearances, scoring six times and assisting ten. His total tally for the Royals is at 22 goals and 25 assists.
What kind of player is Swift?
Part of what type of player he is, is in his name. Swift. He is quick on his feet, with his pace also being helpful to penetrate opposition defences. He clearly has a natural technical ability, with which he is able to glide past opposition players with skill and his dribbling capabilities, which would make the English midfielder very useful in progressing play and on the counter-attack if necessary.
Swift looks adept at through balls and delivery, particularly from wide areas which may come from being deployed on the wing instead of in midfield early in his career. This could help to provide the likes of Samatta and Wesley with more goalscoring opportunities (See: Highlight reel below).
Embed from Getty ImagesSwift also has an eye for goal, with numerous successful long-range efforts. Swift is also seemingly able to do the less fashionable side of a midfielder’s job, with him being also able to intercept opposition passes. The midfielder appears a good all-rounder with a bit of flair.
Verdict
As mentioned above, the Reading man is an all-rounder and would be excellent coming off the bench or starting certain games where Villa might need to counter. T
he reported fee (£6m) makes this a low risk move (John McGinn territory?), and his technical ability and an eye for goal could potentially bring more assists to the squad. With all things being considered, Swift could represent a very astute signing.
NEWSLETTER
Don’t forget to SIGN UP to our 100% FREE Villa Newsletter.
A decade of Villa News to your inbox – JOIN TODAY!
Want to help even more? Please Donate