Swansea City's days of being a top half Premier League side feel a long time ago now, but supporters still have fond memories of their time in the sun.
The Jack Army couldn't quite believe it in the summer of 2012 when Michael Laudrup, a man who had played for the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid during his playing days, became the club's manager, really putting them on the map worldwide.
While Laudrup was a big name, he delivered Swansea success at a time when many people predicted second season syndrome, particularly with Brendan Rodgers' departure for Liverpool.
There was some notable recruitment too, with the likes of Michu, Jonathan De Guzman and Pablo Hernandez joining having impressed in La Liga, where Laudrup had previously managed, and at one point things looked like they could have been even better.
During the 2012/13 season, Swansea were linked with a remarkable move for Spanish international and FC Barcelona forward David Villa, an incredible link which showed just how far the club had come.
Swansea City's links with David Villa still defy belief
David Villa
It goes without saying that Villa was a household name in European football, having been a regular starter for one of the greatest club sides in European football, helping them to the Champions League in 2011, winning the World Cup in 2010 and winning the Euros with Spain in 2008.
However, the 2012/13 season was proving quite difficult for Villa at Barcelona, and after struggling for starts during the first part of the campaign, he was linked with a loan exit from the Camp Nou in January 2013.
Naturally, top European clubs would have been keeping tabs on his situation, so it was something of a surprise when Swansea were linked with a move for him.
Laudrup's Barcelona links were clearly a factor, but Swansea would have been able to offer him regular starts playing for a top half Premier League side who would go onto win the League Cup at Wembley, so you can certainly see the logic.
|David Villa's 2012/13 season - Transfermarkt|
|Competition|P|G|A|
|---|
|La Liga|28|10|6|
|Copa del Rey|5|5|2|
|Champions League|10|1|1|
One Spanish bookmaker even reportedly stopped taking bets on Villa joining Swansea, but unfortunately for the Jack Army, a move failed to materialise.
Laudrup put an end to the transfer speculation when he told The Daily Mail: "There have been a lot of rumours, but the only Villa coming to Swansea is Aston Villa.
"He is a fantastic player, but unfortunately, I don’t think he will be coming to Swansea. In fact, although I haven’t spoken to (Andoni) Zubizarreta or (Tito) Vilanova, I think he will stay at Barcelona."
Villa did indeed remain at Barcelona, and he played more often during the second half of the campaign as his side lifted the La Liga title.
Meanwhile, Swansea lifted the League Cup after beating Bradford City at Wembley, showing that they didn't miss the Spanish international too much, but they'd have undoubtedly loved to have him at the club for a short period.
Swansea City could have done with January 2013 reinforcements
Michael Laudrup
Swansea had been excellent during the first half of the 2012/13 season, but they made just one signing in January 2013, adding Roland Lamah to their squad on loan from Osasuna.
Laudrup's side were already more or less guaranteed safety come January unless disaster struck, and with their priority being the League Cup, results weren't great during the second half of the campaign.
Swansea actually only won three Premier League games after the January transfer window shut, and just two after winning the League Cup, and it was clear that fatigue had begun to set in.
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Remarkably, Swansea still finished 9th, showing just how strong they had started the season, and perhaps if they'd added reinforcements in January their drop-off in the latter months of the campaign wouldn't have happened.
Who knows, a signing of Villa's quality could have even put them in the mix for the European places, but that wasn't an issue anyway as they qualified thanks to their cup success.
The 2012/13 campaign was one of the most memorable in Swansea's history, and it perhaps could have been even better had they adequately strengthened in January 2013.