Nigel Pearson believes Jamie Paterson had stayed at Bristol City too long and needed a change of scenery with the playmaker set to face the Robins on Sunday in the colours of Swansea City.
Paterson was part of a considerable summer clear-out which saw the exits of a number of first-team players following the expiry of their contracts, which served as both a cost-cutting exercise - with the Robins reducing their wage bill by an estimated £6m - but also a chance to refresh and reinvigorate the squad.
The 30-year-old signed for City in 2016 and had been a key player in the memorable 2017/18 squad, earning him particular gravitas amongst sections of the fanbase who appreciated his mercurial talents.
However, towards the end of Lee Johnson's reign he was loaned out to Derby County and although Dean Holden made him a key player again, in what proved to be his final season for the club, Paterson was injured from February onwards and never made an appearance under Pearson.
After initially struggling to find a new club, following a failed trial at Middlesbrough, he was picked up by Swansea and has been arguably their most important player, certainly in an attacking sense, scoring eight goals and adding five assists in 24 league games, leaving supporters slightly bemused as to why he was allowed to leave for nothing.
That situation was only exacerbated by City's goalscoring and creativity struggles earlier in the season; an issue which appears to have been remedied with the Robins the joint-fifth highest scoring team in the Championship.
"I told him early on that it was time for him to move on," Pearson said. "It was nothing personal, he was injured and he had come to the end of his contract and I think for him it was time for a different challenge.
"I know he is a really good player but sometimes players can be at a place for too long and need freshening up, I think he’s benefited from moving away. He was quite a popular player here and I know he’s quite popular with the fans.
"Every player has a shelf life and that doesn’t mean that in terms of their career, it means at football clubs players can be there too long.
"He’s a player we need to be aware of because he’s technically very gifted, physically he can get about the pitch too so he’s capable of effecting games in a positive way. We respect him as a player."
Paterson's exit was effectively a matter of timing as much as anything. With Kasey Palmer under contract for another two seasons and Alex Scott and Ayman Benarous emerging, it didn't make financial or selection sense to offer a new deal to a player in his late 20s with a logjam potentially emerging in his position.
Although Palmer has been on the periphery of the squad and Benarous carefully and sporadically introduced into the first-team environment, Scott's progress has been deeply impressive with the 18-year-old making a hugely influential impact in his first season in senior football.
Paterson has returned to the Swansea starting XI after taking time out of the team due to a contract dispute which appears to have been resolved after the south Wales club turned down a number of bids for him at the end of the transfer window.
When he signed for the Swans, his 12-month contract had the option of a further year on the same terms but due to his performances in the first half of the campaign, Paterson felt that automatic extension should also have included a suitable wage increase.
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