Will old boy McEachran come back to haunt his old Swansea supporters?
SWANSEA City head to West London at the weekend desperate to put a disappointing week behind them, writes Mat Davies.
Three defeats – against albeit tricky opposition – will have given boss Graham Potter plenty to ponder.
The trip to Brentford on Saturday will give Swansea an opportunity to get back on track, and in the Bees’ ranks will be a familiar face.
Josh McEachran was signed on loan by Brendan Rodgers in January 2012 amid much fanfare. He was the next big thing at Chelsea – Barcelona and Real Madrid were said to have wanted him – but the 18-year-old struggled at Swansea.
“The loan move was more than just games for Josh,” Rodgers said at the time. “It was also about experiencing a new team, city and lifestyle.
“He was 18 when he came and it’s been great for his development. He admitted he was behind with his conditioning.
“He has fitted in quite easily and he respects how well the other players have been doing, so it’s been very difficult.
“Every player wants game-time, but that can’t happen for everyone. But when he returns to Chelsea he will be better for his experience here.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is games or lifestyle, he will be a better player and person for that.”
His five games for Swansea were ineffectual, though. He was on the losing side each time he played and he did very little of note in a white shirt.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2013 while on another loan stint, this time at Middlesbrough, McEachran said of his time with Swansea and working with Rodgers: “It was one of those things in life which just didn’t work out.”
Asked what he learned during his time in south Wales, the reply was: “Nothing.” Asked of his opinion on the Ulsterman, he replied: “I’ll pass on that.”
He was rumoured to be on £40,000 per week at Stamford Bridge, but he never made the grade for the Blues. Further temporary moves to Watford, Wigan and Vitesse Arnhem eventually saw him sign on at Griffin Park for a fee of £750,000.
He was to be the next John Terry, the player to make the leap from Chelsea academy to first team. He told BBC 5 Live: “I think me going out on loan and not playing... that first loan spell did kill me. My confidence just went.
“Because I was the big thing – I went to Swansea with Brendan – I was on the back of the paper, most days really, saying that I was the next big thing: ‘Josh McEachran coming through the Chelsea ranks.’ Carlo (Ancelotti) gave me, I think, 20-odd appearances, and I was making an impact.
“And then I went to Swansea on loan and for whatever reason... It’s not that I wasn’t playing; sometimes I wasn’t even on the bench. So I was just like, ‘what’s going on here?’ It was strange. And to this day I don’t know what happened there.
“From there, I went to Middlesbrough, Watford, Wigan, just bouncing around the Championship kind of thing.
“So, yeah, it was hard to take. My confidence, from there, was gone, and I only feel it recently starting to build up again.”
How is he doing now?
“Josh McEachran’s time at Brentford perfectly sums up his career so far; flashes of brilliance among a sea of mediocrity,” says Phil Spencer of football.london.
“The midfielder is undoubtedly one of the most naturally-gifted players in the Championship, but his inability to consistently make a real impact is a source of real frustration.
“The permanent move to Brentford was made with the hope that he’d be able to settle down and put in some consistent performances.
“But his form at Griffin Park has never really suggested that he could be anything more than another player who fell foul of Chelsea’s questionable academy set-up.”
Still only 25, McEachran – now more in the spotlight after Ryan Woods’ move to Stoke City – will have a point to prove on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Swansea are being strongly linked again with a move for Ayr United marksman Lawrence Shankland.
Shankland, who scored four times in Ayr’s 5-0 win at Dundee United at the weekend, is out of contract at the end of the campaign and Swansea are said to be keen to tie up a deal for the 23-year-old amid interest from Sunderland and Rangers.
Swansea want to do a deal next month, but according to reports however, Glasgow-born Shankland would stay in Scotland until the end of the season as leaders Ayr launch a bid for promotion from the Scottish Championship.