Swansea City may look at Burnley FC with surprise and envy | OneFootball

Bashir Humphreys never really did the business on loan at Swansea so fans may be surprised and envious to see success he is now enjoying at Burnley

After what most Swansea City fans would describe as an unsuccessful loan spell last season, eyebrows were raised when Burnley committed to spending a reported £12 million on Bashir Humphreys in the summer when his initial loan expires.

His loan spell in South Wales was so disastrous that a section of Swans fans voiced their delight when he was forced off through injury in a 4-0 defeat against Leeds in February.

Even so, Swansea boss Luke Williams claimed last season that Humphreys would go on to have a "great career" and his claim looks likelier to come to fruition now than it did in May when he returned to Chelsea.

That's because Humphreys has established himself as a regular in Scott Parker's side now, playing at right back and more recently left back, which admittedly, isn't his natural position.

Pushing Maxime Estève out of the left-sided centre-back slot was always likely to be a tall order, but he seems like he's now found a home at left back, turning in what was his best performance in Claret and Blue so far against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Humphreys has proved his adaptability this season

A centre-back by trade, Humphreys played most of his Swansea games in his preferred position, but since making the switch to Turf Moor, he's had to prove his adaptability by playing at full-back.

It's not something he's particularly struggled with either, looking fairly comfortable even when playing at right back, which is something often alien to the prominent left-footer.

Humphreys certainly looked more at home when replacing Lucas Pires at left back on Saturday, and he turned in a solid display that set tongues wagging about whether he could become a regular in the Clarets defensive unit.

The stats would certainly suggest he should be, as in his five league appearances to date, Burnley haven't as much as conceded a goal, which with the evident quality they have in their attacking ranks, will more often than not leave them well-placed to win more games than they'll lose.

Although he doesn't quite have the high-octane energy that Pires has at full-back, Burnley look more assured with him in the side, even if they have lost an attacking outlet down the left.

Swansea will look on with envy as Humphreys succeeds

There'll undoubtedly be an element of 'what couldve been' Swansea's thought process, as they watch him excel at Burnley and must be left wondering why they move didn't quite work out for them last season.

Even so, their defence is amongst the meanest in the division, conceding a mere seven goals this season, but they'll surely see his success in the infancy of his Burnley career and wonder whether him in their back line could've been the difference in some of their tight games this term.

Swansea's loss is Burnley's gain though, and with the season nearly 25% of the way through now, Humphreys looks set to establish himself as a regular for the coming weeks.

After his performance on Saturday, the left back shirt will more than likely now be his to lose, and if his upward trajectory continues, then it only seems a matter of time before he plays himself back into international contention, particularly as he has experience in the England youth ranks.

The Clarets will certainly hope that's the case, not only to aid their promotion hopes, but also as they seek to make a tidy profit on a player they've taken a huge financial gamble on.