Coventry City deal may cause Swansea City regret - it’s not Matt Grimes | OneFootball

Jamie Paterson became the most recent ex-Swansea City player to join Coventry City and the Jack Army may be interested to see how he fares

Swansea City have seen a fair few former players make the move to Coventry City in recent seasons, and two more have made the move to the Midlands in the past couple of weeks.

Of course, it was Matt Grimes' move to the Sky Blues in January which stole the headlines, with Swansea's former skipper making a shock decision to leave south Wales to link up with Frank Lampard's side.

That took the number of ex-Swansea players at the CBS Arena to three, with Jake Bidwell and Joel Latibeaudiere also on the Sky Blues' books, but Jamie Paterson completed a move to his hometown club last week, meaning Lampard now has four ex-Swansea players at his disposal.

While Paterson joining Coventry would have gone under the radar of most Swansea supporters compared to Grimes' high-profile exit, it could just be a move that the Jack Army keep a close eye on given the 33-year-old's exploits during his three-year stay in South Wales.

Swansea City may have regrets over Jamie Paterson's move to Coventry City

Despite registering eight goals and six assists last season at Swansea, Paterson departed the club on a free transfer when his contract came to an end last summer, making the move to the MLS with Charlotte FC.

However, it was clear that Swansea were keen to keep him on board, and talks were ongoing throughout the summer with the club offering the player a new deal, one that was ultimately never signed.

Whether it was down to money or down to contract length, Paterson was reluctant to pen fresh terms, and his move Stateside brought down the curtain on what had been a long-running saga.

Swansea did the right thing by offering the 33-year-old a new deal but not breaking the bank to keep him, as ultimately, he is a player approaching his mid-30s who had blown hot and cold during his time in South Wales.

The move to Charlotte looked to have brought down the curtain on his time in the Championship, and given his ability to make an impact in the MLS, it looked as if Swansea had dodged a bullet with Paterson's exit.

However, after training with his hometown club, Coventry, as a free agent, he did enough to earn a deal with Lampard's side until the end of the season, and Swansea supporters may be watching with interest.

The Swans are currently in a bad place with a lack of creativity just being one of their many problems, and if Paterson makes an impact for Coventry between now and the end of the season, they may regret not doing more to keep him.

It'll be interesting to see whether the 33-year-old can still cut it at Championship level after a spell away from the English game and it's a situation that could leave both the Swansea chiefs and the Jack Army frustrated.

Swansea City may be looking on at Coventry City with envy

With four ex-players in the squad and Lampard, once a Swansea loanee himself as manager, it would be understandable if the Swans were looking on enviously at the Sky Blues.

It wasn't too long ago that Swansea were above Coventry in the Championship table, but they're two clubs heading in completely opposite directions at the moment.

The Sky Blues are now in the mix for the play-offs after an excellent run of form, while Swansea have been drawn into a relegation battle, and it shows how far a bit of ambition and investment can go in football.

Coventry have the feel of a Swansea old boys club at the moment, and Paterson's arrival will give Lampard another boost as he looks to lead the club to the Championship play-offs.

It would hurt Swansea supporters if they saw Coventry reaching the play-offs or even winning promotion with so many of their ex-players, and they could well come to regret Paterson's exit last summer.