Kyle Naughton says he will leave Swansea City with a deep sense of belonging as the long-serving defender prepares to draw a line under 10 years with the club this weekend.
The 36-year-old, who joined Swansea from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2015, will make his final appearance in Saturday’s Championship finale against Oxford United, potentially bringing up his 300th league game in Swans colours.
"It's a very emotional week, all the family are coming down for the game. They say time flies when you are having fun, and it has gone so quick," said Naughton.
"It has been very difficult in some ways, but in other ways not so difficult because I think in football you have a way of knowing your time is up somewhere. That's how it goes.
"But I have been here 10 years and I feel like I have been part of the family and part of the community. That's a feeling I will keep forever, from playing for this club."
Swansea confirmed Naughton’s departure on Friday, acknowledging the versatile defender’s significant contribution since his £5 million switch from north London.
“Kyle will bring down the curtain on over a decade with the club when we face Oxford United this weekend,” the club said in a statement.
“He will make a 300th league appearance in Swansea colours if called upon.
“The calibre of clubs he has represented, and the longevity of a career spent at such high levels of the game, is a testimony to his enduring quality on and off the pitch.”
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Naughton has made 331 appearances in all competitions for the Swans and was a key figure through several eras – from Premier League battles to Championship rebuilding. Though Swansea were open to extending his stay, the Sheffield-born full-back has chosen to move on.
"I have met so many people who I know if I came back here in 10 years' time, there would always be someone here I could call upon and that's a special thing you don't get at every club," Naughton added.
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A product of the Sheffield United youth system, Naughton broke into senior football with the Blades before earning a Premier League move to Tottenham in 2009.
Loan spells at Middlesbrough, Leicester and Norwich preceded his eventual home in South Wales, where he has played at right-back, left-back, centre-half and even in midfield.
His impending departure follows the announcement that fellow club stalwart Joe Allen will retire after the same match, marking the end of an era for Swansea.
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