The Premier League may be the top flight of English football, but did you know that clubs from another country have featured in the English top flight since its inception in 1992?
That other country is, of course, England’s United Kingdom neighbours Wales. Two clubs from Cymru have graced the English top flight in the Premier League era. Here are their stories:
Swansea City (From season 2011/12 until season 2017/18)
The Swans made history by becoming the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League when promoted from the Championship in 2011 via a 4-2 play-off final over Reading. Winger Scott Sinclair was the hero of the final, as he bagged a hat-trick.
The Swans turned the Liberty Stadium into something of a fortress in their debut Premier League campaign, as City claimed home victories over Liverpool, Arsenal and even eventual champions Manchester City.
City soon captured the imagination of many football fans in the English top flight, as during their seven years in the competition, the Welsh team earned a reputation for their easy-on-the-eye style of play.
The passing style of football was cultivated by the likes of head coaches Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup in the English top flight.
Before their promotion to the Premier League, such bosses as Roberto Martinez and Paulo Sousa had instilled the passing philosophy into the team, which is something that became synonymous with the Welsh club.
Players like Michu, Jonathan De Guzman, Angel Rangel, Joe Allen and Lukasz Fabianski become heroes at the Southwest Wales club. Michu, in particular, is still regarded as a cult hero at the club.
Swansea enjoyed a string of midtable finishes in the Premier League, with their highest finish coming in the 2014/15 season, when they finished eighth place in the table.
The undoubted highlight of Swansea’s years in the Premier League actually came in another competition, as in season 2012/13, the Swans won the League Cup by hammering League Two outfit Bradford City 5-0 in the competition final.
The victory saw Swansea become the first non-English team to represent England in European action, as it qualified the Swans for the Europa League. City made it to through to the last 32 of the competition, only to be eliminated by Napoli.
Unfortunately for Swansea, the good times ended in 2018 after a few seasons of relegation battles, as the Swans finally fell into the second tier of the English game.
Some critics blamed the relegation on the fact that the club had moved away from their famed passing, expansive style of football to what was perceived as a more pragmatic style of football.
A change of ownership was also considered a significant factor in the team’s demise, as the club’s former stability seemed to disappear when Huw Jenkins sold the club to USA investors. Poor recruitment towards the end of their top-flight stay also played a part in the club’s downfall.
Since suffering the drop, Swansea has enjoyed mixed fortunes in the Championship, their most significant achievements were making it to the play-offs in seasons 2019/20 and 20/21, when they suffered semi-final defeats to Brentford.
The Swans will be hoping to return to the Premier League in the near future. However, the Championship is a massively competitive league, and it may well be difficult for City to make a return to the English top flight.
Cardiff City (Seasons 2013/2014 and 2018/19)
Swansea’s arch-rivals Cardiff City have enjoyed just two campaigns in the Premier League, in seasons 2013/14 and 2018/19. City won the Championship title in 2013, only to finish bottom of the table in the English top flight, having picked up just 30 points. The season was Cardiff’s first in the English top flight for 52 years.
They did pull off one highly creditable result in their debut season in the Premier League campaign, though, beating Manchester City 3-2 at the Cardiff City Stadium. The win came in their first home game of the league campaign.
The second time Cardiff won promotion in season 2018/19 by finishing second in the Championship. The Bluebirds broke a club record that season that had stood for 107 years by winning their opening three league games of the season.
However, Cardiff once again struggled in the Premier League and suffered relegation after just a season in the top flight, having finished 18th place in the table.
The Bluebirds then spent two seasons in and around the Championship play-off spots. However, in seasons 2021/22 and 22/23, City were closer to the second-tier relegation zone after much documented financial issues.
In fact, Cardiff finished just one position above the drop zone in season 2022/23. It may be some time before the club from the Welsh capital return for a third stint in the Premier League.