Did We Loan Out The Right Winger?

Following the news that Swansea City have recalled Modou Barrow`s loan move at Championship side Blackburn Rovers following Nathan Dyer`s temporary move to Leicester City, we have to ask whether or not the club have loaned out the right winger?

Pardon the pun. The two wingers are very different terms in terms of experience and quality. It`s still difficult to give a fair judgement on the 22 year-old. He`s yet to have a consistent run of first team performances, but has made his mark on a few occasions as an impact sub.

He`s wasn`t able to make as much of an impact when he got his one starting chance last term though, as he came off at half time during a 1-1 home draw against Sunderland.

Barrow is still very much a raw talent, and it`s been disappointing to see that he`s struggled to make more of an impact when going out on loan in the Championship this season and the last. He didn`t make Blackburn`s first team, making three substitute appearances and another in the Capital One Cup.

However, you can`t forget his famous substitute appearance at home against Arsenal last season, making an excellent sprinting run through the middle to earn his side a free kick that Sigurdsson converted to equalise against the Gunners, before Gomis headed in the winner.

His raw pace is frightening for defenders, we saw that against Arsenal and in a few cup games last season, and it`s always a useful quality to have in the final 15-20 minutes of games when the opposition defence is tiring. But other aspects of his game desperately need work – particularly when the team are defending. His defensive work and positioning will need improving and that will surely happen under Monk`s guidance.

Nathan Dyer on the other hand is a great player to have available when he`s on top of his game, but that`s the trouble with him at present, hes`s struggled to produce his best football for the best part of 18 months or so.

He hasn`t dealt with losing a regular first team place well which happened under Michael Laudrup. When he was starting games in 2013/14, he was often being substituted too. He didn’t always suit Laudrup’s preference of using a narrower 4-3-3 system, but we thought Monk’s appointment would play into his hands.

Maybe a fresh start at Leicester is what he needs, as even against League 2 side York City, Dyer struggled to impress and convince Garry Monk that he was good enough to start games this season.

But the question is, who is the better winger to have at the club, and who`s the better player to have out on loan?

I would say that Barrow desperately needs regular first team football at his age in particular. Whilst you could argue that Barrow`s raw pace would be more useful in the last 15-20 minutes as an impact substitute, Dyer may be the more desirable winger to have if we were to lose one of our regular starting wingers.

Who would you prefer at the club right now? is Barrow the better option to have? As an impact sub, or as a starter? Let us know in the comments…