"Would get a frosty reception" - Cardiff City, Mark Harris warning issued amid Swansea transfer links | OneFootball

FLW's Cardiff City fan pundit believes that ex-player Mark Harris' potential move to Swansea would not go down well in the Welsh capital

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Swansea City were last week linked with a move for Oxford United striker Mark Harris - despite his near career-long affiliation with bitter rivals Cardiff City.

It is rare for a footballer to play for both the Bluebirds and the Swans in their career, let alone have just a one-year gap between turning out for each team.

Recent individuals to have played for both teams include Declan John, Steven Caulker, Wayne Routledge and Jazz Richards, and there may be another name to add to that list this summer in the form of Harris, who is being linked - as per Alan Nixon's report via Patreon - with a move to the Swansea.com Stadium.

Harris only left Cardiff upon the expiration of his contract last May, but may be set for a return to the white side of South Wales this summer in a move that would be bound to leave a sour taste in the mouths of Bluebirds supporters, despite the fact that the forward was actually born in Swansea.

Mark Harris' potential Swansea City transfer move would be controversial.

Harris was born in Swansea, but joined Cardiff at the age of eight and worked his way up their youth ranks before making his senior bow in January 2017 against Fulham in the FA Cup.

He featured nearly 100 times for his boyhood club in seven seasons, amid respective loan spells at Newport County, Port Vale and Wrexham, but turned down a new contract in the Welsh capital last year to join Oxford in the third tier.

Harris' time at the Kassam Stadium could not have gone much better so far, with his 19 goals and five assists in 55 games in all competitions helping them win promotion to the second tier through the play-offs last season.

Alan Nixon's recent Patreon report has linked the 25-year-old with a move to the Swans in the coming months, as Luke Williams seeks to bring in new forward options to try and push his side up the table in 2024/25.

FLW’sCardiff fan pundit Ben Johnsey believes that it would frustrate Bluebirds fans if Harris did join Swansea this summer, but only because of his previous history with the club, and not due to what he can offer on the pitch.

“I think it is granted that Mark Harris would get a frosty reception from the Cardiff faithful if he was to sign for Swansea," Ben told Football League World.

“You can tell from a lot of his socials with Oxford that he’s still a Cardiff boy at heart, but (Swansea) might seem a better opportunity for him than Oxford at the moment, though in terms of the player himself, I wouldn’t be too worried if he went there.

“He is a good player, I think maybe League One is more his standard of football at the moment, (but) maybe he has improved drastically in that season - he does look to have done a lot better.

“I think a lot of Cardiff fans would be frustrated if he was to go there, not from a point of view of Swansea signing one of our best players in recent times, but more because a Cardiff boy has gone to Swansea having only left just over a year ago."

Swansea's record in front of goal in the Championship last season was respectable, with 59 league strikes placing them 12th for goals scored - a slight improvement on their 14th-placed finish in the final standings.

They have since lost last season's nine-goal top scorer Jamal Lowe, after he returned to parent club Bournemouth following his loan spell, while second-top marksman Jerry Yates has been loaned out to Derby County, despite his respectable record of eight goals in 43 games last campaign.

That leaves Liam Cullen, who netted seven in 45 league games, and Mykola Kukharevych, who scored just one goal last term, as Liam Williams' current main striking options heading into pre-season.

It is clear that the ex-Notts County boss needs additions up front, but despite his good form, Harris does not seem like the answer to their issues.

The 25-year-old's nine goals in 87 second tier games for Cardiff is not the goal record of a prolific, Championship-proven striker, which is what the Swans need to replicate the goals of Lowe and Yates.

He is hardly an upgrade on Cullen at Championship level, and it would take a sizeable transfer fee to bring him to the Swansea.com Stadium given he still has two years left on his Oxford contract.

With that said, it seems unlikely from both an on and off the pitch standpoint that Harris will sign for Swansea, but if he does, it is certain to ruffle a few feathers in the Welsh capital and add even more spice to an already feisty South Wales Derby fixture.