David Villa: Why a January Move to Swansea Makes Sense

Quite unbelievably, David Villa is 1/1 with SkyBet to move to Swansea City in the January transfer window.

This makes the Liberty Stadium the outright favourite destination for the Spaniard, ahead of Anfield, the Etihad and the Emirates.

While this transfer is a bit of a reach by anyone's standards, let's put our fantasy caps on and have a look at why this would make perfect sense.

David Villa's time at Barcelona looks to be coming to a close.

At the start of the season, the World Cup winner stated that he wanted substantial and regular playing time (via Goal.com) but has so far failed to achieve that.

Tito Vilanova used him cautiously and often preferred the wide pairings consisting of Pedro, Cristian Tello and Alexis Sanchez. Villa has made just seven starts in all competitions this season.

It appears to be a straight shootout between Villa and Tello, who just signed a new contract for four more years (via Goal.com). He's also 10 years younger.

Villa's future at Camp Nou looks very, very bleak.

David Villa struggled a little when he first arrived at Barcelona, which at the time signified the differences between Pep Guardiola's tactics and Vicente del Bosque's.

Once he was up and running, however, he slotted into the intricate buildup play seamlessly. He played largely from the left for Spain during the World Cup, which helped his transition and moulded his game.

He has essentially been converted from a pure poacher to an all-round, multitalented forward. He can contribute in every phase of play and become a threat in the box or an asset during the buildup.

Oh, and despite his struggle to get into a top-tier side at Camp Nou, he's still a world-class finisher.

Why was Tito Vilanova so hesitant to use David Villa when he is such a potent force?

When he broke his leg at the Club World Championship against Santos, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2011-12 season. Since then, a 31-year-old with a horrific medical record just doesn't look like the kind of option you want to use week in, week out.

But Villa feels ready to play every five days, and only he knows how strong his leg is.

There's an argument to suggest that if Vilanova was worried about putting too much pressure on him, he unwittingly made him nothing more than a fringe player.

It's also noteworthy that Vilanova played a quicker, more direct game while at the helm compared to Pep Guardiola, and the wide forwards became more important than ever.

If Villa has lost his speed coming off the edge, what good is he?

Barcelona aren't afraid to get rid of players who no longer fit. Samuel Eto'o was the best finisher in the world when they dumped him in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

So it looks likely that he'll move. Bleacher Report's Michael Cerna believes his days are numbered, while Tre' Atkinson echoes that sentiment here.

David Villa has won the European Championships, the World Cup, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. In other words, he's won everything.

Literally everything.

So what does he do now? If he's not retiring, he should find a nice working atmosphere with familiar faces and good football.

They're all there at the Liberty Stadium. Barcelona legend Michael Laudrup leads a team playing superb football, while old teammate Pablo Hernández Domínguez is currently on the books and starring.

Wayne Routledge has been playing as an inverted left-winger, so there's an easy fit for Villa in a similar, less complex system.

We've got our fantasy hats on here, but there are many other significantly worse personal, footballing and financial decisions "El Guaje" could make than Swansea.

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