Swansea captain Ashley Williams denies links to other clubs

Swansea City captain Ashley Williams has affirmed his commitment to his club, shooting down reports that have linked him away from Liberty Stadium to teams like Everton and Crystal Palace.

Williams, 30, has been linked to a move that would reunite him with his former coach Roberto Martinez at Everton. But the Welsh central defender says he's not looking to leave his current club any time soon.

"I'll be staying," Williams confirmed to BBC Sport. "The gaffer has already said that. I'm used to dealing with the speculation and bids. It's part of the job and I just take it as a compliment and shows that you're doing your job properly. I'm committed to Swansea and just concentrating on Swansea this pre-season.

"It's no drama for me," Williams added. "I let other people deal with that."

The gaffer Williams is referring to is team manager Garry Monk, who says there are no new developments regarding Williams's future with the team.

"You can't stop speculation or anything like that, but it's exactly the same situation," Monk explained. "He's the captain of our club, he's captain of his country. It's a big year coming up for himself and he'll be doing very well in a white shirt."

Swansea is chasing a historic Europa League finish this season, after coming in eighth last year in the Premier League. And while Williams wants to lead his team to those new heights, he's not under any illusions that his situation with Swansea is permanent, either.

"There will come a time when Swansea will say 'we've had enough,'" Williams said. "But I just get on with the job and lead this group of players to something we've never been to before, which we did last season. It's something I'm really proud of with Wales and Swansea. If we can do something like that again, I'll be extremely proud of the guys."