"Fairly underwhelming" - Swansea City view given as Leeds United and Burnley eye Premier League man | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea City fan pundit gives his verdict on Leeds United and Burnley's pursuit of Bashir Humphreys

Chelsea defender Bashir Humphreys is attracting attention from Burnley and Chelsea after last season’s loan spell with Swansea City.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Championship duo are eyeing a potential move for the centre-back before the window shuts later this month.

They will face competition from the Bundesliga as well, with Humphreys having previously played in the German second tier for Paderborn in 2022/23.

Humphreys made 24 appearances in the Championship for Swansea last season as the team finished 14th in the table (all stats from Fbref).

It remains to be seen who will win the race to his signature ahead of the 30 August transfer deadline.

Swansea’s Bashir Humphreys assessment

FLW’s Swansea City fan pundit James Fleming believes that Humphreys is not ready to compete for a team of Leeds and Burnley’s stature just yet.

He has claimed that a deal to go to the Bundesliga would make a lot more sense at this stage of the player’s career.

“I think with Bashir Humphreys I’m not too sure he’d be good enough to start for teams like Burnley and Leeds,” Fleming told Football League World.

“He really struggled for us last season, especially just to get into the starting XI most weeks.

“And when he did, he was fairly underwhelming.

“He came to us labelled as one of Chelsea’s best youth prospects, and he didn’t really show us in his year on loan with us.

“I think with Burnley and Leeds, the quality that they’ve got in defence, Leeds signing Joe Rodon, already having players like Ethan Ampadu that can play at centre-back, Pascal Struijk.

“Same with Burnley, fantastic defenders there, so I doubt he’d get into either of their teams.

“Definitely a good player, he’ll be good at some point, but I think maybe the Championship isn’t the level he needs to be at.

“I think the Bundesliga would suit him a lot more, he did well with Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga, so I think that’d be a better fit for him, especially if he wants consistent game time across the season that he couldn’t get with us.”

Bashir Humphreys’ Swansea loan

Humphreys spent last season on loan at Swansea, joining the team during the summer transfer window.

He proved a versatile option during his time, playing across the backline under both Michael Duff and Luke Williams.

However, he was unable to cement himself as a regular presence in the starting lineup, featuring in less than half of their total league games.

The 21-year-old will be hoping for more consistent game time where he ends up this season, provided he gets his loan move away from Chelsea.

Humphreys will struggle for game time at Leeds or Burnley

While Humphreys might be a good option to add to the squad at Leeds or Burnley, it’s difficult to see him playing regularly.

His versatility will be a big asset to have in the squad over the course of a gruelling campaign, but he wouldn’t supplant anybody from their regular starting role.

A move to Germany might be his best bet after performing well for Paderborn in the past.

But if he wants to play regularly while staying in England, then perhaps he should look further down the Championship table.