Rumours are circulating that Swansea City have made a bid to bring Jack Cork back to The Liberty Stadium. However, the rumours have an air of uncertainty due to Swansea being close to completing a loan move for Morgan Gibbs-White.

  • Burnley's loss

Cork has made 175 appearances for Burnley, scoring 10 and assisting nine with a 1.33 points-per-game ratio. Cork has spent most of his time at Burnley partnered with Ashley Westwood and has played as part of a pair in 4-4-2 system under Sean Dyche.

This system relies on both the central-midfielders being defensively sound, as this allows Dwight McNeil to produce more in the attacking phase of play. 

The 'route one' style Burnley plays which feeds the 'target man' style strikers is not one every midfielder can suit. The ability to only attack when necessary and instead transition the ball from defence to the wide areas is crucial to the game of Burnley midfielders.

His defensive work shouldn't go unnoticed either, his 466 tackles and 1,565 recoveries in his Premier League career shows exactly what you get with Cork. He also played a huge part in Burnley's best ever league finish and even featured in Europe, so its safe to say his departure, if true, would leave Burnley needing to recruit. 

  • Swansea's gain

Swansea know exactly what they will get from Cork, in fact Burnley signed Cork from Swansea so this deal will be familiar to both clubs. The player was schooled in Chelsea's academy and has already featured 83 times in his first South Wales stint. 

The Swans finished sixth in the Championship table last season and went out in the play-offs semi-final. They will be looking to bolster their squad to make sure they get the job done this season. Cork could be one of those players as Steve Cooper looks to strengthen his midfield. A before mentioned loan offer for Gibbs-White would certainly help, but the club would struggle to prize the young talent away from Wolves for good, leaving a loan the only option.

His loan, should it be successful, would be both a blessing and a curse for Swansea. On the one hand his talent will significantly improve Swansea's midfield, but on the other he would become even harder for Swansea to sign permanently with Wolves having a few ageing midfielders of their own that will need replacing in a season or two.

Cork, at 31, would offer an experienced head and stability for Cooper with another move probably being the last of his career. Despite his age Cork hasn't shown a significant drop in talent and his quality would definitely be enough for Swansea's midfield, over the likes of Jay Futlon and George Byers. He would provide cover for the back four and allow Bersant Celina to play in a more attacking role as Swansea look for another play-off finish. 

Cork has earned promotion to the Premier League before with Southampton in the 2011/12 season and would be a good choice for Swansea, who want to do the same. 

  • Final verdict

However, with that all being said it is unlikely Cork would return to Wales. He is currently not fully fit, which would put off Swansea. He is also still vital to Burnley and it would be a surprise if he left his important role for the Championship.