PAUL Tisdale has turned down the chance to manage Swansea City in order to stay at Exeter.

The Swans approached the 37-year-old yesterday in a bid to persuade him to take charge at the Liberty Stadium following the departure of Paulo Sousa, who was yesterday unveiled as Leicester City's new manager.

But, for the second successive season, Tisdale has rejected the Championship club.

Sources close to the City manager say that he was on the verge of joining Swansea this time last year, only to pull out at the last minute.

The snub did not deter Swans chairman Huw Jenkins who was ready to double Tisdale's salary and give him a sizeable transfer kitty to spend on new players.

He fiited the Swansea board's profile of their ideal candidate — being young, ambitious and having not failed elsewhere.

The proposition of managing in the Championship must have been sorely tempting for Tisdale, especially as his playing budget at Exeter is not being increased as much as had been forecast.

But once again he has showed loyalty to a club he has taken from non-league to League One in his four years at the helm.

The former Team Bath boss dismissed speculation linking him with the job earlier this week and his stance has not changed.

"I am very happy where I am. I was happy last year and I am happy this year," he said.

"It is going to happen. I am not scared of people being interested in me and not scared of doing what is right as well.

"One day I will move on when it is right to do so — but I am not looking to move."

City's vice-chairman Julian Tagg said the club would not stop Tisdale leaving if he wanted to move on.

"We wouldn't stand in his way — he is his own man — but we would do everything we could to keep him," he said.

Swansea are likely to turn their attentions to former Welsh international midfielder Gary Speed.

Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins and former Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate have also been linked with the post.