Swansea legend Trundle reveals biggest regret

No showboating highlight reel is complete without a barrel-chested Lee Trundle pulling off one of his tricks, but the former forward admits his greatest regret is never strutting his stuff in the Premier League with Swansea.

Trundle turned professional at the age of 26 and swiftly became a cult hero with the Swans after capturing the imagination with his fancy flicks.

But his style of play was certainly no gimmick as the Liverpool-born striker scored more than 20 goals in each of his four seasons with Swansea – helping them into League One in the process.

Then, in 2007, Bristol City snapped him up in a £1m deal and while it did not work out for him in the West Country, the club he left behind were promoted to the Premier League two years later.

And Trundle, who turned 40 on Monday, remains adamant he could have followed in the footsteps of some of Swansea’s greatest servants by playing for them at the very top.

“You look at Leon Britton, Alan Tate  and Garry Monk, who played for the club in all four divisions,” said Trundle, who returned on loan to Swansea but the club decided not to offer him a contract.

“I wonder what it would have been like if I had progressed through the divisions with the club as they did.

 (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

“I would have loved to play for Swansea in the Premier League. If I could change one thing in my career, that would be it.

“Some people said I couldn’t score goals at that level, but I believe it was the way Bristol played which was the problem for me.

“Swansea suited me. I look at Fernando Torres, who scored loads of goals at Liverpool but went to Chelsea – who were in the same league – and couldn’t get a goal.

“If Swansea had got promoted to the Championship while I was at the club, I would have stayed, no doubt about it.”