Sil Swinkels

Sil Swinkels left the Netherlands for Aston Villa's academy in the summer of 2020. His senior football came through loans to three English clubs.

He grew up in Sint-Oedenrode and started out at RKSV Rhode. He then moved through Helmond Sport and Brabant United before joining Vitesse in Arnhem in 2017. He spent three years there before Villa signed him. His first professional contract followed on 10 August 2021, and he extended it twice in 2024, on 17 May and 28 November.

The loans began at Bristol Rovers in February 2025. Swinkels made 14 appearances there through to May and scored twice. Exeter City took him for the 2025–26 season's first half, from July to January, but he played only seven league games. He then joined Chesterfield, where he made 22 league appearances between January and June 2026. That was his longest run of first-team football so far.

On 2 July 2026 he left Villa permanently for Sheffield Wednesday on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

For the Netherlands he played at youth level: two caps for the under-15s in 2019 and 2020, then four for the under-18s between 2021 and 2022, with one goal. He has not been capped by the senior side.