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Swansea City have always had problems at left-back.

It probably isn't a scientific fact but they seem to have an issue around that position.

Even now, they have just one recognised left-sided defender in Declan John following Martin Olsson's departure.

Four years ago this week , Swansea signed Franck Tabanou.

Remember him? Of course you do. But for all the wrong reasons.

He was brought in for £3.5million to provide competition for Neil Taylor. It did not work out well. At all...

The background

To be fair to Swansea, Tabanou looked a good prospect and his profile fitted what they were after. At the time he was 26, had been capped at France Under-21 level and had experience in the Europa League with St Etienne. He had featured regularly over five years prior to that with Toulouse, too.

And at the price quoted - and the fact he could play further up the flank as well - he seemed a good buy.

On the day he signed, he said: "Swansea is a very good Premier League club and I believe it's the right move forward for me at this stage of my career. I wanted to come to Swansea because I believe we are the perfect match.

"I was aware of Swansea's interest in me for a while, but unfortunately it didn't happen back in January. But I've been watching them closely ever since and I like the way they play the game; their whole philosophy on football.

"Once I spoke to the manager and the chairman my mind was made up because I realised they really wanted me. Again, it all matched.

"I was particularly impressed with the manager because he knew everything about me. I was also touched by the fact that he said I was a top signing for Swansea."

The reality

(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

He was the second signing of the summer for Garry Monk after Andre Ayew's free-transfer move from Marseille.

Whereas the Ghanaian made an immediate impact, Tabanou, did not. He looked spectacularly short on fitness and he frequently gave frustrated interviews in the French press.

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He made his debut in Swansea's 3-0 Capital One Cup win over York in August, playing the full 90 minutes at the Liberty. It would be his only appearance at the stadium.

A month passed and he next featured in the following round of the competition, a 1-0 defeat at Hull. He got 72 minutes under his belt there.

It was clear, though, that he wasn't happy. In an interview with L’Equipe, he said: “It was not at all what I was expecting.

“Me, when I chose the club, it was with the idea to reach the next level in my career.

“When Swansea came for me, I had the impression that they wanted to value me.

“I even told my agent to shut down all the other options, whether it was Dynamo Kiev, Sevilla or other clubs.

“Swansea is a very good club to progress in. I had a good pre-season, things went well. I was playing half of the matches, the other left-back the other half. Since then, nothing.

“I am disappointed. I know that even in periods like this, you learn. But I have never been used to this.

“The hardest thing is to see that there is not even competition. I am not even in the squad! The only times that I was in it were because of injuries or a birth concerning a team-mate.

“I do not understand. I am not 17, I am not a youngster starting out. And I am not 30 with my career already done. I am here, I repeat, to reach the next level.

“I do not have any time to lose. I am not saying that I have done everything in the world of football but I have played 250 professional matches. I ask myself: but why have they bought me?”

Monk wasn't impressed. “I’m just disappointed to hear those things, a player talking about those type of things,” Monk said.

“It doesn’t benefit the player in any shape or form. Franck knows very well what I expect from him.

“I have sat down with him and gone through with him what he needs to improve on. When he came to the club in certain elements I was surprised to see he wasn’t at the level of others.

“The most important element was on the physical condition to play in the Premier League and to play how I want my team to play. I was surprised to see the condition he came in.

“I sat him down, a lot of the staff and myself have worked with him to get him up that level of what is needed and required to play in this team.

“Unfortunately for him in that period it’s taken him to get to those levels, there are players already there and playing games so they’re ahead of him, especially in his positions.

“Look at Neil Taylor - as a left-back he came in flying straight away in pre-season, he is now ahead of Franck.

“Your job as a professional footballer is to get your head down and do everything you can to make sure that the manager does not have an excuse not to pick you.

“That means working harder than any other player in your position. There has to be a squad mentality.

“Franck is working hard, he is a fantastic lad and is a good talent. That’s why I brought him to the club, but he has to reach certain requirements before he can play.”

Things did not improve. He wouldn't play again for Swansea until the infamous FA Cup disaster at Oxford United in January. He was - among others - extremely poor against the League Two side and it proved to be the final straw for him. It was the last time he played for the club. A total of 252 minutes.

The parting shot

Five days after the embarrassment at the Kassam Stadium, he re-joined St Etienne on loan until the end of the season. He left with a parting shot at the club.

"I left for Swansea to move up a level, test out the Premier League, and why not go higher after that? Unfortunately it didn't go like I wanted it to," he said. "They never gave me my chance.

"I don't understand. And I think that, if I stayed, my situation would not have developed. The club is not in a great position and despite that they never played me.

"Initially, they said it was it was down to the way they defended. Me, I play more with my head in terms of positioning and all that.

"With them it's attack, even if it means plenty of space. Tactically, they're not the best. You have your player, it's going to be your fight until the last minute. It's not my way of playing."

Club legend Alan Curtis hit back at the Frenchman, and when you rile a hero like Curt, you know you are on the wrong side of the argument. Curtis was filling in after Monk's departure and delivered the perfect response to Tabanou's scathing attack.

“He was disappointed that he hasn’t played. You can point to the performances of Neil Taylor, but Franck had the opportunity to play at Oxford and didn’t exactly grab it with both hands,” said Curtis .

“I don’t think we need to say anything about his performances. I think for anyone who looks at them, they speak for themselves. He has a few years left here, he has to come back.

“Any time there is a new manager there is a new start, any new manager would not have worked with him so it would be a fresh start. But some of his comments are a bit strong and sometimes players needs to look at themselves as well.”

A new start?

Of sorts, you could say. He went back to his old club and made 13 appearances - with a couple in the Europa League - but on his final game he saw red and didn't play for them again.

There was no permanent move back to France (although talks did take place), and La Liga side Granada was his next stop. But that wasn't before he declared he wanted to fight at Swansea. "I’ve decided to stay. I know that this year I will get my chance to pick a place in the starting XI and to keep it."

The next day he was heading to Spain. Over the course of the season he made just eight appearances. Locally, his performances were described as "pedestrian".

At the end of that campaign - the 2016-17 season - Swansea and Tabanou agreed to a mutual termination of his contract in SA1, a full year early.

What's the situation now?

After leaving South Wales for good, having failed to make a single Premier League appearance, he joined Guingamp in France on a two-year deal. He is still there.

In his first season he made 15 appearances, and last term he played just four times. He didn't feature after December 19 for the Ligue 1 side, who were relegated, finishing dead last in the division.

Still only 30, Tabanou could yet find the form he displayed at Toulouse and St Etienne the first time around. He is out of contract this summer, though, meaning he could be on the move yet again.

Swansea's worst-ever signing?

It's a tricky one; Borja Baston at £15.5million, making just 15 appearances, scoring once, comes close purely on financial terms. The second coming of Ayew at around £18million also has to be considered.

Renato Sanches has to be one of the most under-whelming signings, with Sam Clucas also not delivering on his price tag.

Supporters will also have their own viewpoints on this.

Tabanou's transfer fee worked out at just shy of £16,000-a-minute. That, coupled with his fitness implied attitude problems, means that he has to be in worst signings in recent history conversation.