The Canaries today found themselves heavily linked to out-of-contract Swans midfielder Owain Tudur Jones – with the BBC this morning claiming that he was set to undergo a medical at Carrow Road before putting pen to paper.
The 24-year-old would become Bryan Gunn's second signing of the summer following the return of anchor-man midfielder Matt Gill to the land of his birth – again, snapped up on a free transfer.
And if Gill is pencilled in to be the new Sammy Clingan, then Jones is clearly ear-marked for the role alongside him.
That, at least, was the position that Wales Under-21 boss Bryan Flynn mapped out for him as a blossoming 20-year-old – only for serious injury to cruelly intervene.
But roll the clock back four years and Flynn was insistent that the one-time Bangor City starlet had a huge future ahead of him; the kid had the works; he was the complete, modern day midfielder. And a big, confident character, to boot.
“Owain is a player capable of going right to the very top, one who could dominate the Welsh midfield for the next decade,” Flynn told the Western Mail, claiming that Jones and the then 19-year-old Joe Ledley would form the cornerstone of John Toshack's 2010 World Cup midfield.
Ledley's promise continues; Tudur Jones' career has, however, been hit hard by serious injury; it has taken the world-renowned skills of US surgeon Dr Richard Steadman to put the towering Welsh startlet back on the road to recovery.
But at 20 he stood out – in more ways than one.
“For a start, he stands out on a football pitch because of his size. Like I used to do, I suppose, only because of my lack of size, rather than the physique I possessed!” laughed Flynn.
“Like me, Owain is different in that respect to most midfielders and you notice him more. But when you analyse what he does with the ball, you can't help but be impressed.
“He has the attributes you need for a modern-day midfield player, he can play a holding role, or can get forward and score goals. Supplement his talent with the self-belief he has, and Owain has got to have a huge future.
“Already, he's a 20-year-old with the maturity of a 25-year-old. Just imagine how good he could be five years down the line?”
Glimpses of what-could-still-be came at the County Ground, Swindon, towards the end of last season when Tudur Jones got back to playing regular first team football with a loan spell at the Robins.
And having worked his way back into Toshack's international thinking in March with a call up to the Welsh squad, Tudur Jones scored his first goal in over three years for the Robins – a crucial, late leveller against Carlisle that helped save the Wiltshire side from the drop.
“After such a long lay-off and not having a run of games or being used to playing, it takes time to get back into that groove,” Tudur Jones told the local newspaper, as he began to recapture the form and fitness of old.
“Certainly, I'm starting to feel my way back into it now,” he added. “It's all about doing whatever I can while I'm here ? whether that's just playing well, getting the best out of other people, scoring goals, whatever.
“When you come somewhere on loan you've got to have some sort of effect, and I would like to think I've had a good effect.”
It certainly caught the eye of one or two Championship scouts as Tudur Jones played his 'free agent' card and followed the likes of Lee Croft out into the market-place. Robins boss Danny Wilson was, it seems, keen for an extended stay.
“There's lots of expressions of interest at the moment and I know Danny's a fan,” the player's Dean Sheehan told the Swindon Evening Advertiser last month – citing both Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday as potential destinations.
“If Danny's interested then let's hear what you've got to say because he had a great time there. Danny has said, 'Bear us in mind…'. It's not an option he would turn down immediately, but we need to have a firm offer.”
Jones played 11 games and scored one goal in his spell at the County Ground; whetting his appetite for regular first-team football.
“I think the most important thing for Owain is that he's got to play,” said Sheehan. “He really found his feet towards the end (of the season) which was exactly what we were looking for.”
As for the 'leaders of men' attribute that Gunn has made such a priority this summer, Swans boss Roberto Martinez – now, of course, at Premiership Wigan – likewise predicted big things for the rangy midfielder.
“OTJ will be captain of the Wales senior side in due course,” he said.
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