Arsenal never were in the hunt to sign Ashley Williams

Arsenal’s aspirations of signing Welsh defender Ashley Williams appear to not just have hit a dead end, but seemingly never got started this summer with Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins revealing that no club (including the Gunners) had lodged a bid for the Swans’ skipper, a scenario he hopes won’t change before the close of the summer window.

Jenkins shared in an interview carried on ESPN , “Ash has grown with us. His performances and personality have grown with the club and he is a vital part of our team. He is a big part of our defence and now he is captain as well. He is a good leader to have at the club. As always, we want to keep those players and we hope he is with us for many years to come.”

Jenkins’ hope of retaining the 29 year old defender has been buoyed by the fact that neither Arsenal nor Liverpool, the player’s two widely rumoured suitors, have troubled him with an enquiry as to Williams’ availability. Jenkins shared, “We have had no phone calls about any of our players. And we hope that continues.”

The news is certainly a bit surprising considering how desperately both Arsenal and Liverpool need reinforcements at the back, and Mr. Jenkins’ ill timed words might just cause a flurry of activity over the two and a half weeks left in the transfer window.