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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Mathew Davies

Swansea City's Russell Martin says he turned down approach from rival club two weeks ago and reveals why he said no

Swansea City head coach Russell Martin says he turned down an approach from a rival club two weeks ago.

Martin's debut campaign in south Wales saw Swansea finish in 15th place in the Championship, with the campaign punctuated by highs and lows along the way.

The derby double over Cardiff City was no doubt the highlight of the term for the manager and supporters, and encouragement has been gleaned from a number of positive displays across the season. But there are also a number of things to work on, hammering home "the project" that Martin so often speaks of.

READ MORE: Swansea City decide against replacing Mark Allen directly with appointment and structure shake-up due

Swansea's brand of football under Martin has attracted admirers from elsewhere, and at a fans' forum this week, the 36-year-old revealed he and his agent had received contact from an unnamed club. Watford are believed to have held an interest in the former MK Dons man before they appointed Forest Green Rovers boss Rob Edwards last week.

"The chat with my agent was do I want to be part of the process, is it something I would be interested in? The answer was no," Martin said.

"We are just really grateful to be here. Our families love being here and we love being here. We have been supported incredibly well since we have been here, which we will always be grateful for.

"My agent rang me two weeks ago and said there's a club that would like to speak to you. I said I had absolutely no interest because we are really happy here.

"I think we are early on in a project we feel really passionate about. We left our old club early to come here, but it is probably one of the only clubs we would have done that for because of the Swansea way, the environment and the playing style.

"We are really excited to get to work in pre-season and carry on."

Allen has frequently spoken of his happiness with life in south Wales and it appears the welcome he has received here has played a part in that.

The club's chief executive Julian Winter was also in attendance at the event at the Swansea.com Stadium, and he revealed that the club were closing in on an appointment following on from Mark Allen's exit last month.

"We will replace Mark - I am [working] on that one," said Winter. "Hopefully we will get some news on that fairly quickly."

Allen's successor will not be a direct replacement for Allen; it will primarily be a recruitment role as opposed to the sporting director position previously held by Allen. It is hoped the club can make an appointment later this month or in early June.

Swansea have already been linked with a move for Rotherham United's head of recruitment Rob Scott, brother of the Swans' former head of recruitment Andy Scott. However, sources at Swansea have stated he is not among the candidates to come in to the club.

On and off the pitch it is set to be a big summer for Swansea, with Martin and Co needing a number of signings to strengthen the squad options currently at his disposal. He is interested in bringing Joe Allen back to Landore, while Joel Piroe is expected to attract suitors after his superb season in SA1.

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