Morgan Whittaker and Ali Al Hamadi are two players who have lit up the EFL this season, with 40 goals between them, it’s out of the question that Swansea City have missed a trick letting them both leave for next to nothing in years gone by.
At 22 and 23, both have been huge success stories this season, with Whittaker continuing his impressive form at Plymouth Argyle following his loan spell at Home Park last season. Meanwhile, Al Hamadi emerged at Wimbledon, netting 27 times in 48 appearances for the Dons, which led to interest from a number of League One and Championship clubs. Eventually, the Iraqi forward signed for high-flying Ipswich Town in January on a four-year deal and is now on the verge of becoming a Premier League player.
Having come through the renowned Derby County academy, Whittaker’s ability was evident from an early stage in his career, making his debut for the Rams at age 18. But in 2021, he swapped the East Midlands for the Welsh countryside as he looked to kick on with his career and help push Swansea up the league.
A mediocre loan spell at Lincoln City followed and the odd appearance off the bench for his parent club stalled the youngster’s progress. For the 2022/23 season, he moved to Argyle looking to prove himself. That he did, and with nine goals and seven assists in just 25 League One games, it was no surprise that Swansea took the option to recall him in January. Despite his hot form in the opening months of the season, he still had limited game time back with the Swans and scored just once in his fifteen appearances, bringing a cruel end to his time in Wales.
Despite this undoubted potential, the Swans decided that the summer of 2023 would be the time to cash in on the winger. For Plymouth, this was an ideal opportunity and their offer of £1 million was accepted as they handed Whittaker a four-year deal. Since resigning, he has proved his worth with 26 goal contributions in 40 games, leading to a large amount of interest from Italian outfit Lazio in the January transfer window.
With the Pilgrims expecting multiple clubs to come in for the 23-year-old in the summer, one thing is for sure, Swansea’s sale of just £1 million looks like an extreme undervaluation.
For Ali Al Hamadi it was very much a different path. Having signed for the youth setup in 2018, the striker was always expectant of an opportunity at some point in the first team. Unfortunately, that chance was never provided and, despite being offered a new contract, the forward made the brave decision to leave Swansea.
Fruitless spells at Bromley and Wycombe followed, but it all changed when the international forward signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at AFC Wimbledon. All of a sudden, he was proving the promise he had shown in Swansea’s academy and, in just over a year at Plough Lane, earned himself a deserved move to one of the country’s most exciting clubs, Ipswich.
Since his move to East Anglia, he has managed to add another four goals to his tally in a flurry of substitute appearances that included an 18-minute brace against Sheffield Wednesday.
