Roque Mesa has opened up on his spell at Swansea City, admitting that his time in South Wales was a “very good experience” despite turbulence on the pitch.

The 30-year-old signed for Swansea from Las Palmas in 2017, arriving for a fee of £11m on a four-year deal having previously impressed in La Liga.

The Spaniard was to make only 11 Premier League appearances for the Swans under Paul Clement, though, and he was soon on his way out in January as he returned to Spain to join Sevilla on loan with an option to buy.

After languishing towards the bottom of the table throughout his time at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea were eventually relegated to the Championship, and Mesa completed a permanent move to Sevilla the following summer.

Now plying his trade on loan at Leganes, Mesa has reflected on his time in South Wales, explaining why it was still a good experience for him.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said: “It was something I’d dreamed of since I was a kid because it’s a league that I was very attracted to. The opportunity was given to play there, and I wanted to live that experience.

Although it may have been difficult for me to adapt to this type of football on a sporting level, on a personal level it was a very good experience in which I learned the language and got to know another type of culture.

“I was there for six months until between December and January the opportunity to play in Sevilla came up.

“At that moment I considered it was an opportunity I could not let go and I took advantage of it.”

Swansea sit only three points off the Championship play-off places, as they look to return to the top-flight as quickly as possible.

The Verdict

Swansea made a host of high-profile signings during that time, including the likes of Mesa and Renato Sanches, but they just failed to work out.

It showed that the club needed to rethink their recruitment strategy as it paid costly in the end and they eventually learned the hard way.

They are now in a much better position off the pitch, and have recruited wisely under Steve Cooper.