Why Swansea City have signed Ricardo Santos after Bolton decision - there are 3 clear reasons | OneFootball

Swansea City signing Ricardo Santos may have raised eyebrows of some supporters, but the ex-Bolton Wanderers man has plenty to offer

Ricardo Santos' five-year stay at Bolton Wanderers came to an end in recent weeks when he was released after a difficult season which saw him struggle for playing time after Steven Schumacher's arrival as boss.

The Portuguese centre-back became a cult-hero at the Trotters, helping the club win promotion from League Two in 2021, before becoming the first name on the teamsheet for Ian Evatt, wearing the captain's armband as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship in 2024.

However, given his injury woes and drop off in form in the last 12 months, many people were surprised to see a Championship club sign him on a free transfer, with Swansea beating competition from fellow second tier rivals Sheffield Wednesday to his signature.

While this move has raised eyebrows amongst some of the Jack Army, there are a number of clear reasons why Swansea have swooped for Santos this summer.

EFL experience

29-year-old Santos is Swansea's fourth signing this summer, following in the footsteps of Melker Widell, Zeidane Inoussa and Bobby Wales in making the move to South Wales.

However, Santos is the only one of these players that has any EFL experience, and while Swansea's model of signing quality youngsters from abroad is an admirable approach, you need a sprinkling of players with EFL experience if you're to have any chance of enjoying a successful campaign.

It was clear at times last season that Swansea needed some older heads in the squad to calm things down when things weren't going to plan, and Santos' influence in the dressing room could just be as important as his influence on the pitch.

Manager Alan Sheehan and Director of Football Richard Montague both pointed to Santos' experience in the EFL as a reason for signing him, with Sheehan actually playing alongside him at Peterborough United, while the player himself spoke about how he's someone you'd want to have in your dressing room.

While Ben Cabango has done a great job as club captain since Matt Grimes' departure, it's easy to forget that he's still only 25 and learning on the job, so having someone like Santos in the building, who captained Bolton for a number of years, can only benefit him and the club.

Ricardo Santos was arguably the best defender in League One

This time last year, Santos was arguably the best defender in League One, and he shouldn't be written off after one season where he has struggled with injury.

After his move from Barnet in 2020, the Portuguese defender made the PFA Team of the Season four years in a row, once in League Two and three times in League One, an incredible feat which shows just how good he was at League One level.

He was also named in the League One Team of the Season for the 2022/23 campaign, and had Santos been a free agent this time last year, you'd have thought that he'd have Championship clubs queuing up to secure his signature.

Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday were willing to look past his disappointing 2024/25 campaign to try and sign him, and while he has never played at Championship level, if he can replicate his League One form from previous seasons, then he should have no problem playing second tier football.

Swansea City are in desperate need of centre-back reinforcements

Prior to Santos' arrival, Swansea had just one senior centre-back on their books in the form of Cabango, and it's clear that it was a position where they needed to add depth to their squad.

Harry Darling is out of contract and his future is far from clear, but regardless of whether Darling remains in SA1 or not, it was obvious that Swansea needed to sign at least one central defender.

Regardless of what Darling decides to do, it would be a surprise if Swansea didn't add another centre-back to their ranks in the coming weeks, and being able to sign someone like Santos on a free transfer made it a no-brainer for the club.

Swansea had loanees Nelson Abbey and then Hannes Delcroix as their third-choice centre-backs last season, and while Delcroix proved a decent addition, it makes far more sense to sign someone like Santos on a permanent basis as a third-choice bench option than loan someone from another club.