Club connections | West Ham United
As Swansea City gear up to face West Ham United, we take a look back at some notable figures to have worn the colours of both clubs.
Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard’s connection with Swansea City came early in his career, when a loan spell in south Wales offered a first taste of senior football before he returned to West Ham United.
Lampard joined West Ham’s youth system in 1994 and made his professional debut the following year. He moved to Swansea on loan in October 1995, making nine appearances and scoring his first senior goal against Brighton and Hove Albion.
After returning to the Hammers in January 1996, Lampard established himself in their first team before joining Chelsea in 2001.
He went on to become Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer with 211 strikes, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge and subsequently played for New York City FC and Manchester City.
He moved into management with an impressive spell at Derby, before having two stints with Chelsea and one with Everton before joining Coventry, who he guided to promotion to the Premier League last term.
André Ayew
André Ayew enjoyed two spells with Swansea City, separated by a stint at West Ham United, and became the club’s record signing upon his return to SA1 from east London.
The Ghana international initially joined the Swans on a free transfer from Marseille in 2015, scoring on his debut against Chelsea and finishing the season as the club’s top league goalscorer with 12 goals.
West Ham signed Ayew for £20.5 million in August 2016 before he returned to Swansea in January 2018 and later became an important figure in the club’s Championship campaigns as they reached the play-offs in consecutive seasons.
Łukasz Fabiański
Łukasz Fabiański proved a reliable presence between the posts for Swansea City before carrying that form into a successful spell with West Ham United.
The Polish goalkeeper joined the Swans from Arsenal on a free transfer in 2014 and made an immediate impression, helping them beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford on the opening weekend at the start of a campaign that ended with an eighth-place finish in the top-flight.
Fabiański played every Premier League game in 2017-18 and earning the club’s Player of the Season award despite their relegation.
He joined West Ham in June 2018 and enjoyed an outstanding debut season, playing every Premier League game and earning the club’s Hammer of the Year award. He went on to make 216 appearances for the Hammers before leaving in 2025.
Leon Britton
Leon Britton’s journey to becoming one of Swansea City’s most influential modern-day players began in east London, where he developed as a youngster at West Ham United before making his name in south Wales.
Britton joined West Ham from Arsenal in 1998, becoming the most expensive 16-year-olds in English football at the time. However, he was unable to break into the Hammers’ first team and moved to Swansea on loan in December 2002.
The midfielder made an immediate impact, helping the Swans preserve their Football League status before earning a permanent move in 2003.
He went on to make 520 appearances for the club, becoming a central figure in Swansea’s rise from the fourth tier to the Premier League. He later captained the club, won the League Cup in 2013 and became player-coach before retiring from professional football in 2018.
Joël Piroe
Joël Piroe made his name as one of the Championship’s most prolific forwards at Swansea City before earning a move to Leeds United and later joining West Ham United.
The striker arrived from PSV Eindhoven in 2021 and scored 22 league goals in his first season, followed by another 19 in 2022-23. His 44 goals in all competition across two campaigns were complemented by him winning Swansea’s Player of the Year award for 2021-22.
Piroe joined Leeds in 2023 and scored 19 times as they won the Championship title in 2024-25, earning the division’s Golden Boot.
He moved to West Ham on a season-long loan in August, with an obligation to make the deal permanent the following summer.