Ashley Williams has revealed he once turned down a move to Arsenal at the height of his career — and insists he has no regrets about it more than a decade on.

The former Swansea City and Wales captain was one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders when Arsène Wenger came calling in January 2013. The Frenchman wanted to take Williams to north London on loan as Arsenal battled through an injury crisis at the back.

But Williams, then leading Swansea through their best-ever season, said no — choosing instead to focus on making history in south Wales. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I had the option of joining Arsenal on loan. But I wanted to stay because we’d made the League Cup final at Swansea.

"I wanted to play that final with my teammates. It was a weird 12 hours where I didn’t know what to do.”

For most players, a move to Premier League giants Arsenal might have been hard to resist. But Williams’...