After 11 years of loyal service at Swansea City, midfielder Matt Grimes made one of the most significant decisions of his career when he left the Welsh club in January 2025 — and it has already paid off with promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry City paid £4 million to secure Grimes, who admits the move carried a degree of risk given how closely his identity had become tied to Swansea. But a conversation with Coventry manager Frank Lampard proved to be the turning point.

Lampard's influence

"I remember my agent saying, 'Just have a conversation with Frank Lampard,'" Grimes told FourFourTwo. "I was very settled at Swansea, very happy — we thought, let's just see how it goes."

For the 31-year-old, the prospect of working under Lampard was too compelling to pass up. "As a midfielder, I don't think there's anyone you'd rather play for than one of, if not the greatest English midfielder of all time," he said. "It was a massive compliment that he wanted to sign me."

Fear of missing out

Grimes also revealed that the fear of regret played a role in his thinking. "I thought to myself, 'If I don't go and Coventry get promoted, I'd be gutted,'" he explained. "But then I thought, on the flip side, 'If I go to Coventry and Swansea get promoted, I'd be just as devastated.'"

Ultimately, Grimes backed himself to make the move — and Coventry's title-winning promotion campaign vindicated that call entirely.

A long road to the top flight

The promotion ends what has been a lengthy pursuit of the Premier League for Grimes, who estimates he has played seven or eight seasons in the Championship, enduring three play-off campaigns before finally winning the division outright.

"I gave a lot of years to Swansea and I'm very thankful for what they gave me in return," he said. "But I felt like it was the right time to have a crack somewhere else."

Reflecting on the difficult moments that preceded his success, Grimes offered a straightforward assessment: "The painful moments make the good ones even sweeter."