EFL Transfer Bulletin #5 – Burgess is a Swan, Darling is a Canary, and Wrexham swoop for their first Championship signing

The latest done deals in the EFL, and in focus: is Cameron Burgess a sign of a new Swansea way?

The EFL Transfer Bulletin is written by Ali Maxwell, George Elek, Huw Davies, Sam Parry, Matt Watts, Craig Bradley and Riley Roberts, with the help of the NTT20 Squad.

Centre-back in fashion…

One quirk of the window thus far is the noticeable trend of teams bringing in BIG centre-backs. I’m not talking size nor stature, but those big buys that immediately grab the eye. Will Still’s first Saints signing was the highly rated Joshua Quarshie. Blackpool then flexed their financial muscles by bringing in both Michael Ihiekwe and Fraser Horsfall. Last week, Kal Naismith returned to Luton.

EFL sides are fixed on straightening that all-important spine, and today is no different, as Bolton, Huddersfield, Wycombe and Swansea all make moves for CBs.

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Statement of intent?

Cameron Burgess (CB) - [Ipswich - Swansea] - Free

This is one of those summer signings that reveals more than just x player moving to y club.

Statement of intent? Yes, for sure. Burgess has been a standout player for a very successful Ipswich side in both the Championship and Premier League over the last two seasons. It’s somewhat surprising to see him sign for a club stuck in a mid-table spin cycle. Ipswich fans are at a loss to understand why they have let him go, and why he’d go there, both of which must be good signs.

But this is also a statement of where Swansea are going: maybe deviating from the Swansea Way in search of a more direct path to success.