Ashley Williams rumours intensify - is selling him the sensible choice?

The increasing rumours around the future of Ashley Williams got me thinking about whether it's always worth cashing in, as seems the norm in modern football. Ash is 29 soon, and has had two solid seasons in the Premier League - more than holding his own and evidently attracting admirers along the way. There have been rumours for a while of interest from other clubs, but at the moment the strongest noises are that bids from Liverpool (predictably) and Arsenal are more than probable. This, to me, leaves the Swans with a choice of two gambles.

"I wish they did this in a vest"

One - you give him an improved contract. Ashley Williams could, if he took a move to a club of that ilk, expect to earn £40kpw. The Swans simply can't match that, but for a first choice, starting XI player at his peak I wouldn't mind seeing a contract of £30k offered. I know it's a lot, and I'm not advocating this to become a benchmark for Swans high earners, but Ash has been exceptional for us and his loss would be massive. Is he worth it? A friend said "I'm not in a position to make that call" and to be honest I'm glad I'm not either. Personally, I like Ashley Williams a lot and I don't see the point in selling. We've got European football next year, and I'd love to see Ash & Chico continue to forge a bond at centre-half.

Two - you cash in. Williams is, in terms of market value, about as valuable as he's ever likely to get. He's a good age for a centre-back, has proven himself in a competitive league and as yet hasn't moved to a big club (where the prospect of failure/being found out is ever-present), so if the Swans were to sell they would definitely be able to get a quite frankly ridiculous price. You have to consider that if a club like Liverpool or Arsenal are trying to buy one of our players, why shouldn't we be asking top dollar? For me rumours of an £8million bid are way below what I'd expect. Knowing Huw, he'd open negotiations very high, and I'd expect at least £12million if Ash was to move on this summer. The problem with this scenario is there is no guarantee we'll be able to find a suitable replacement in time. Bartley had looked tidy when he's played, but with Monk preferred during Chico's recent absence there must now be question marks over his future involvement.

Whether Ash does move on or not, he's been a fantastic servant to the club and no-one can begrudge him a move to a "big" club. He knows what it's like to play non-league football, and the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in world football may prove too hard to resist, and that's fair enough quite frankly. Will he go? I think only he knows that, and if he wants to stay I'm sure the Swans won't have a problem with that.