Luke Williams: Swansea City links 'flatter' Notts County head coach

Luke Williams guided Notts County to promotion from the National League last season

Notts County boss Luke Williams says he is "flattered" to be linked with the vacant Swansea job, but insists no official approach has been made.

He has been elevated to favourite for the job with bookmakers after the Swans failed in their bid to appoint Tottenham assistant coach Chris Davies.

Williams, 42, has previously worked at Swansea as an assistant head coach and still lives in Wales.

"It's natural [to be linked] because I worked there," Williams said.

"Maybe somebody saw me in a coffee shop in Wales and put two and two together. But I actually live there and have lived there for nearly five years.

"It's very flattering, but I need to concentrate on doing my job here."

Williams worked at Swansea for eight months from the summer of 2021, before leaving for personal reasons.

The Championship club are looking to replace Michael Duff, who was sacked on 4 December.

'People talk'

When asked by BBC Radio Nottingham if Williams had been sounded out for a return to the south coast of Wales, he replied: "If you speak to the owners, they will tell you that Swansea didn't call them.

"If there is an official approach that is one thing, but people talk."

Williams, whose only previous role as a senior head coach was with Swindon Town, has repeatedly been linked with vacancies in the past year - with Portsmouth, Reading, Oxford and Bristol City among those to have been reportedly interested in the Londoner in the past.

He guided Notts back to the English Football League last season, overseeing a record-breaking campaign that ended with them beating Chesterfield on penalties in the promotion final at Wembley in May.

A solid start on their return to League Two saw them top the table early in the season, but a run of just one win in five games has seen them slip to sixth.

Williams, who spent time coaching young offenders when working at West Ham early in his career, has previously spoken about how his time at Notts has transformed him from "being a beggar to a chooser".

"I'm concentrated on Notts County, this is the club that embraced me, the club that gave me an incredible experience," Williams said.

"I just concentrate on repaying the show of confidence that people gave me here, form the owners to the spectators. The fans are incredible.

"I was linked with Bristol City and Oxford and different things and I have the players to thank for that. It's their fault I was linked because they played some spectacular football last season.

"They have shown they can be promoted and with almost entirely the same group are managing to be in the top six in the next division.

"That is the reason I'm linked, I blame them. It's really nice to think people maybe appreciate the work I'm doing, but I know I'm part of a team and that's what brings the attention."