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Swansea City are set to begin their first season in the Championship since the 2010/11 campaign. Their frustrating summer means that they aren’t considered one of the favourites to win promotion, despite being one of the relegated clubs. They are to win the league at the time of writing.
They have shown ambition to appoint Graham Potter as manager after he performed excellently in the Europa League with Ostersunds, but supporters expect this to be a long-term project.
There has been little to get excited about this summer, but a beacon of hope has been provided by Oliver McBurnie. The striker signed a new deal during the close-season and is ready to play a prominent role for Swansea in the Championship.
The 22-year-old has been tipped for big things since arriving at the Liberty Stadium, but he hasn’t been afforded as many chances as he would have liked. That will now change and he is ready to make his mark.
Who is he?
McBurnie has had an interesting career to date as he attempts to breakthrough in senior football. He started his professional career with Bradford City and played 15 times without scoring a goal.
Although he didn’t do anything to catch the eye, his raw talent was obvious, and Swansea City made a move to bring him to the Premier League. He played 16 times in the top-flight, but the money being spent on the squad resulted in him being farmed out on loan.
He tested himself in League Two with both Newport County and Bristol Rovers, but his most important loan spell with Barnsley, as he nearly fired the Tykes to an improbable survival.
How impressive was he at Barnsley?
It was a great fit for both club and player, as McBurnie was given a prominent role in the first-team. The Yorkshire club wanted to sign him last summer, but they were forced to wait until January.
McBurnie was worth the wait as he fired in nine goals in 17 matches, but the team were ultimately relegated. The Tykes were left wishing they could have used the striker for the entire campaign.
During his time at the club, McBurnie scored a goal every 157.8 minutes and offered a threat throughout matches. He averaged 2.1 shots, 2 dribbles, 1.5 key passes and 2.5 successful aerial duels per game.
Will he get good service?
Although Barnsley were relegated, they managed to provide McBurnie with good service throughout his loan spell. Swansea will need to do the same if they are to get the best out of the Scottish international.
Supporters will be hoping that Potter can find a set-up that will provide McBurnie with chances. Jefferson Montero, Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer and Luciano Narsingh remain at the club. All of whom are capable of performing well in the second tier.
Meanwhile, the signing of Bersant Celina will provide more dynamism to the attack, as he can break down defences in the number ten role. Last season, he was misused by Mick McCarthy at Ipswich Town. Potter will be hoping to deploy the Kosovo international more effectively.
Why is McBurnie key to Swansea City’s revival under Graham Potter?
This is a new era for Swansea City and McBurnie would be a good poster boy for that. He wasn’t given a chance under previous managers and couldn’t break into the Premier League team.
There are some positives that come with relegation and the emergence of McBurnie is likely to be one of them. He has the potential to grow with the club and ultimately fire Swansea back into the top-flight within the next few seasons.
The focus this season will be bringing the supporters and the club back together while establishing a clear plan for future success. McBurnie should be at the centre of that. He showed that he can score consistently in this division with a worse team. There is no reason why he can’t improve on his strike rate with better service at Swansea City.