Dropping a fee on any 16-year-old is a huge risk in football, but Swansea City saw something in livewire Daniel James incredibly early on in his career – and he’s lived up to the bill ever since.
The now established Wales international arrived at the Swansea.com Stadium in 2014 from Hull City to initially join Swansea’s under-18’s set-up in a deal worth £72,000.
It would take the rapid winger nearly four years following the move to make his senior debut, and his time spent at Swansea after that lasted about as quickly as James himself.
James only played one full season at the Swansea City Stadium before he made a move to Premier League giants Manchester United in a £15 million switch.
And after four years of being a serviceable top-flight wide player, but nothing truly special, a drop back to the Championship saw Leeds United truly find that potential Swansea saw in him over a decade ago.
Daniel James‘ breakout Swansea City season saw him secure big Man United move
Daniel James’ potential was always there to be seen in the background of his first few seasons at Swansea City.
The youngster would tear up the Premier League’s developmental league, and first made the Swans bench as an 18-year-old in an FA Cup third-round match against Oxford United.
More unused substitute appearances came James’ way in the Premier League, but it wasn’t until the Swans dropped into the Championship in the 2018/19 season that the winger began to flourish.
Graham Potter’s sole season in charge of the South Wales side would see him give a seemingly unknown winger his first real breakthrough in the senior game, and it was then that Swansea knew they had a real talent on their hands.
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