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Originally a product of Bristol Rovers, Sinclair made the move to Chelsea in July 2005 for an initial £200k with increments rising to a possible £750k based on certain circumstances. Not a bad fee for a recently turned 16-year-old, and just two years later Sinclair was making his mark on the Chelsea senior side, appearing in a League Cup Semi-Final match against Wycombe.
With huge investment from owner Roman Abramovich taking shape, Sinclair saw his opportunities at SW9 thwarted by the likes of Joe Cole, Damien Duff and Arjen Robben. Numerous loan spells at six different clubs between the period of 2007 and 2010 surely highlighted the end of his Chelsea career, despite making five appearances (one against Arsenal and the other a starting place in the XI v Manchester United). For a young man destined to reach the top by a host of professionals and even members of the Chelsea board and coaching staff, frustration had set in and it was time for Sinclair to seek regular first team football.
So, along came Swansea, signing Sinclair for a measley £500k fee on a three-year-deal. It was a change in the wind for the man rated so highly at Chelsea but never fully utilised. Sinclair became the inspiration for Swansea City's jump to the big-time. His performances inspired a side, once plying their trade in the depths of Division 4, to the very top of English football - the Premier League. 27 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions during Swansea's promotion-gaining 2010-11 season was the pinnacle of Sinclair's career as the Swans became the first Welsh side to stamp its authority in the coveted 'Best League in the World'.
Sinclair's form continued after the summer break, scoring his side's first ever goal in the Premier League against former champions Arsenal. A more conservative eight goals in the league was an unjustified return to a man so inspirational to Swansea's 11th place finish in their debut campaign. Sinclair played all 38 league games for Swansea, cementing his place as Swansea's most potent attacking threat, and perhaps just as crucially, the club's talisman.
At the start of this campaign, however, Sinclair's love for Swansea had dimished. He was set for pastures new in Manchester, ironically the hometown of his new girlfriend, actress Helen Flanagan. Unbeknown to many of us, Sinclair's move to City, hyped with so much anticipation after the departure of Adam Johnson from the Etihad, would create the biggest setback of Sinclair's career. Sinclair played his final game for Swansea at the start of the season and scored, before completing his journey across the Welsh and English border on 31 August 2012. Now, how does a starter for Swansea, become an outcast at Manchester City? I don't even think Sinclair himself knows.
Since his move from the Liberty Stadium, Sinclair has made just EIGHT appearances for Roberto Mancini's "champions", starting just TWICE and playing a total of 169 competitive minutes in no less than SEVEN months. The problem Sinclair has is that with a lack of first-team football and a contract running until the summer of 2016, he has to stick with it. A move away would mean more relocating for a man who seems relatively settled - location wise, and a loan move would bring back memories of slumming it in the reserves at his earliest Premier League club, Chelsea.
The benefit Sinclair has is time. He is only 24, and has time to redevelop his ability in England, but his decision to move to City was far from ambitious, and more toward the deluded spectrum. He made a career mistake and it's a mistake he must solve quickly. His flourishing ability at Swansea earned him admirers across the land and calls for him to be including with England. But now, we have the shadow of a talented youngster, another missing piece of English talent, talent gone through one stupid, ignorant and naive move to Manchester City.
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