It never ceases to amaze me how a player can go from hero to zero in the blink of an eye.
Last week Jamie Paterson was a firm fans' favourite, a player in the form of his career who supporters couldn't wait to see back in action.
With eight goals, four assists and a string of stunning performances under his belt, the former Nottingham Forest and Bristol City midfielder looked like a strong candidate for the club's Player of the Season award.
But that was a whole seven days ago, and in football that's a very long time.
Since then Paterson has missed the Swans' return to league action due to the fact he was supposedly not in the right frame of mind to play.
This was down to a disagreement between the player, his representatives and the club over the terms of a contract extension announced last month. He now finds himself training away from the first team while the situation waits to get resolved one way or another.
Contract disputes are part and parcel of modern sport but it's highly unusual for a player to react this way when a deal has already been announced.
Reports suggest the club activated a clause in his contract early, extending his current deal without any wage increase. This apparently hasn’t gone down well.
We don't know what went on behind closed doors and it can often be difficult to assert the rights and wrongs of a situation like this without knowing the full picture. But it's easy to see why Paterson would believe himself to be deserving of a pay increase, having been one of Swansea's best players in the first half of the season.
If Swansea have tried to get this extension across the line to avoid such a pay increase, then in my opinion that would be poor form on the club’s part.
However Paterson and his representatives are in no way blameless here.
Russell Martin was quick to defend his player in his midweek press conference, saying he did not see Paterson as the bad guy and stressed that his mental health was paramount. He was less sympathetic to others who he felt were trying to influence Paterson and engineer a move elsewhere.
When questioned about the role of Paterson's agent, Martin said he presumed they were working hard to generate bids for the midfielder from elsewhere.
It's very easy to blame the agents. They are always cast as the villains in any transfer dramas but let's face it, most of the time they fit the role perfectly.
We may not know the full story for some time but the whole saga's left a bitter taste.
Fans are now facing up the the possibility of losing one of the club's top players, just a few months after joining in the summer. And while Martin has made it clear the door remains open, the arrival of Hannes Wolf on loan suggests the club is preparing for time after Paterson.
Wolf is a high-profile signing, a talented youngster who showed enormous promise as a teenager but has struggled since moving to the Bundesliga. The Austrian plays in Paterson's position and brings many of the same attributes, so he certainly looks like a direct replacement.
If Paterson is to leave then there will certainly be plenty of resentment and regret in his wake. No fan wants to see a top performer depart but the circumstances surrounding this story have made it particularly unsavoury. If a fan favourite really must leave for a different club, this certainly isn't the way to do it.
Hopefully it's not too late for all parties to come together and resolve this mess. Nobody truly wins if Paterson departs. Swansea would lose one of their best players and Paterson would leave a club which rejuvenated his career and got him playing his best football in years.
There are some fans who will say that Paterson has already burned his bridges and cannot return at this point. But we know that it wouldn't take much for fans to embrace Paterson once again. He's an excellent player and a few goals would wash away any lingering bad feeling after everything that's gone on.
His manager has made it crystal clear that he would love to have Paterson back in the fold.
However it seems from the outside like the damage has already been done and there's no turning back. We have seen U-turns from footballers in similar situations in the past but they are relatively rare.
It feels like a huge waste on so many levels but until another club makes an offer worthy of Swansea's consideration, the olive branch should remain extended at all times in the vain hope that this situation can be rectified and Paterson can get back to doing what he does best.
Wearing the white of Swansea.
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