Bristol City and Swansea City supporters will have same regrets about summer free agent: View | OneFootball

Liam Walsh is a quality player but was unable to stay fit for consistent periods of time

Despite his obvious talent, Swansea City supporters wouldn't have been surprised to see midfielder Liam Walsh on their recent released list.

Walsh joined Swansea on a three-year contract in the summer of 2021 after leaving Bristol City, but his time in SA1 was overshadowed by a number of injuries, and despite being a talented player, Swansea had no option but to release him upon the expiration of his contract.

This won't come as a surprise to Bristol City fans, where Walsh played between 2018 and 2021, and there will be a huge sense of regret at both clubs that the midfielder was never able to put a consistent run of games together, with the player repeatedly struggling from injuries.

In total, Walsh spent six years at Bristol City and Swansea City combined, although he did spend a year on loan at Coventry City, but he played just 56 games for the two clubs combined - showing just how often he was unavailable.

Liam Walsh is talented but has been hampered by injuries at Bristol City and Swansea

Liverpool-born Walsh came through the ranks at Everton and was highly-rated at Goodison Park, playing 43 games for the Toffees U21 side, spending time on loan at EFL clubs Yeovil Town and Birmingham City, before earning a permanent move to Ashton Gate in January 2018 for a fee of £1million.

However, he made just eight appearances for the Robins during the second half of the 2017/18 season, and things didn't improve during his first full season, and he played just ten games thanks to a combination of injuries and not being picked.

As a result of this, he was loaned to Coventry City for the 2019/20 campaign and managed to stay injury free, impressing for the Sky Blues, playing 34 games, scoring four goals and registering six assists as Mark Robins' side won the league.

This showed how talented he was, and he was brought back into the fold at Bristol City for the 2020/21 campaign, but again he was hampered by injuries, playing just three times - subsequently being released.

Swansea had seen enough from Walsh's time at Coventry to sign him, but again, he was hampered by injuries and played just ten games in total during the 2021/22 campaign.

When he did play, Walsh showed what he was capable of, and despite not featuring for the Swans again until February 2023, the midfielder managed four starts in a row, which coincided with an upturn in form.

However, it wasn't long until he was back on the treatment table, and he was out injured until the start of October, before suffering another injury, although he did return for Swansea's last seven games.

If Walsh had better luck with injuries, he could be a top Championship midfielder, and he'll hope the start of the new season will be a new chapter in his career, bringing some better luck.

Liam Walsh could be a great signing for a club in League One

Walsh is a Championship-level player, but clubs in the second tier may not be willing to take a punt on him given his injury record, which is fair enough.

But given his quality, League One clubs should be trying to sign him, and he helped Coventry win League One during his last spell in the division.

Given his injury woes and subsequent status as a free agent, he may not be able to command a big wage, which means that he could be affordable for sides in League One, and he's got something to prove after so little football in recent seasons.

There's no doubt that Walsh would be one of the best midfielders in the league if he could stay fit, and he showed that during the 2019/20 season.

Walsh's spells with Bristol City and Swansea City didn't work out how he'd have wanted it to, but the 26-year-old still has plenty of time to make an impact elsewhere, and a fresh start this summer is exactly what's needed.