Swansea City have won the battle to sign Conor Hourihane from Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season, per The Athletic.
Stuart James believes that the Swans have beat league rivals AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest to secure the signature of Hourihane, who has found himself out of favour at Villa Park this season due to the good form of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn.
The 29-year-old looks likely to slot straight into the Swans' line-up following the departure of youngster Morgan Gibbs-White back to his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Hourihane bringing the same attacking threat with more proven experience at the level.
Hourihane - who has 24 caps for the Republic of Ireland - excelled the last time he played in the Championship, scoring eight times and assisting 12 goals in 46 league appearances in the 2018/19 season (transfermarkt) as he helped Villa through the play offs and back into the Premier League.
Quiz: The top 16 Swansea City record player departures – Which club did they join though?
Even though Hourihane played 27 times in the Premier League for Villa last season, he's found it difficult to be involved in the current campaign, despite scoring and assisting in their September victory over Fulham.
And a move to South Wales will give him the chance to shine once again in a promotion-chasing outfit, and also the opportunity to secure himself a potential permanent move in the summer.
The Verdict
This is a sensational signing for Swansea and a real statement of intent from their owners who are backing Steve Cooper in a bid to get back to the top flight.
It must have stung Cooper to lose centre-back Joe Rodon so late in October before the first transfer window of the season closed, so to see the experience of Ryan Bennett come in, and now for both Hourihane and USA star Jordan Morris also arriving is really exciting for Swans fans.
With Hourihane joining the likes of Andre Ayew, Matt Grimes and Jamal Lowe at the Liberty Stadium, it's hard to see Swansea not being involved in the race for an automatic promotion spot at the end of the season.