'I'd love to go back to Swansea City. I had a great time living in the city and it's a team that I love'
There had been links to other clubs in the past. Not surprising considering a profile which had made him a favourite on Sky Sports' Soccer AM show. Lee's "showboating" antics meant he was a natural for that Saturday morning slot.
The only trouble was that he was plying his trade in the third tier of League football. Both player and club wanted to go to the next level.
And the former got there first, with Bristol City. Swans fans were forced to watch as the city's most famous striker signed a £1 million transfer deal for the Championship side.
But one year on, and the 31-year-old has not forgotten the time he spent playing here. In fact, it seems he might one day return.
"I'd definitely like to go back to Swansea at some point in my career," he admits. "I'd love to go back. I wouldn't put any secret around that.
"It's a club where I had great years playing football so there's no reason why I wouldn't want to go back. It's a team that I love."
But for now at least Lee's staying put at Bristol City, who Swansea will face away in December, with the return fixture at the Liberty Stadium towards the end of the season. "When Bristol play against Swansea City it's going to be massive," he says.
"I never got a chance to say goodbye to the Swansea fans because when I moved it was before the season started.
"It will be nice to be back at the Liberty and to play in front of those fans again. Hopefully I'll get a good reception. I'll be looking forward to going back and playing again in front of them."
A season after Lee left for Bristol City, the Swans rose to the top of the League One table and were promoted to the Championship as champions.
And now, every fan across the city is hoping the team will be prove they belong there. And so is Lee.
He says: "I'll be hoping the Swans do well now they're in the Championship — not even secretly. I want them to do really well.
"It's a team that I hold close to my heart. The years I spent there playing football were brilliant for me. It's the first team that I look out for after my own."
His affection for the Swans was forged over four-and-a-half years he spent playing here. A time which he says was a happy one. It was also a busy one. When charities and other organisations asked for a Swans player to put in a personal appearance, there were no prizes for guessing who topped their wish list.
Lee was happy to say "yes" on a regular basis.
He adds: "Not only was it a great place for my football, but for my life as well.
"It was brilliant — Swansea is a great place to live. I still have a lot of friends that I keep in touch with.
"I loved everything about living in Swansea. When a bunch of people visited me from Liverpool, each and every one of them said they never expected Swansea to be like it is.
"They thought it was going to be this little town on the edge of somewhere, but it's a lovely place. It's a lively city as well. The coastlines and the beaches are just beautiful and it's really nice down in Mumbles as well.
"The most important thing for me was how passionate the people are. And that goes for the football club as well."
And although he's no longer playing alongside the likes of Garry Monk and Leon Britton, that doesn't mean he doesn't pop back to catch up with his old teammates.
"I keep in touch with a few of the players," he said. "When I was in Swansea recently, I went down to see most of the lads. And I met up with a couple of them the next day.
"I spent a good few years in Swansea, so the friendships I've made will stay for a long time."
Lee's move to Bristol was one that came as a shock to some fans. But it wasn't an easy change for Lee either, West Wales to West Country.
He says: "Moving to Bristol has been the same as whenever you move to somewhere that's new. It takes a lot of getting used to. I do miss Swansea a lot — I loved living down there. I miss the football and the fans, and I miss the people of Swansea."
During his time at Swansea City, Lee certainly made an impact. He topped the 20-goal mark in all four seasons at the club. And he remains the only player to sign an image rights deal outside the Premier League, an indication as to his status beyond the pitch.
He was arguably Swansea's answer to David Beckham, having a hero status among many fans.
And although Lee could hardly be described as arrogant, it's something he welcomed.
He admits: "Having people like me was great. It's nice to know you're doing your job properly and that people appreciate you."
But the city isn't without a hero now Lee's moved on. Manager Roberto Martinez is the man many deem responsible for Swansea City's recent success.
Something Lee can't agree with more.
"I think Roberto Martinez is brilliant," he said. "I played with him for a few years as a fellow player. And as a manager he's great — he knows his football inside out. That's shown in his first full season as manager — he's got the team promoted. He's got them playing nice football.
"I think everyone involved in football at the moment wants to play the kind of football that Swansea City are playing. As a man and as a manager, Roberto's brilliant."
When Lee joined Swansea from Wrexham in 2003, he moved to the city from his hometown of Liverpool, a move which he says was made easier by the people of Swansea.
"When I moved to Swansea, it was the first time I had lived away from home," he said. "But I loved every minute of it. Everyone I met was so nice that I felt I fitted in from day one.
"Some places you go that just doesn't happen. But in Swansea, it was great. And once the football started I really began to enjoy it."
Last July, he made the move to Bristol after Swansea City received their record transfer fee. They hadn't let Lee go easily though, having knocked back a £750,000 bid from Sheffield Wednesday in 2005. He had arrived in the bigger time.
But, although that was an ambition — and one he had hoped to reach with the Swans — Lee admits he misses playing in Swansea.
He adds: "I miss the Liberty. But what I miss more is what happens in there. It was just as good even when were still playing at the Vetch, which was an old ground that's not as good as the stadiums that are around now. The Vetch was only a small stadium.
"But it's the fans that I miss. The Swans fans are brilliant. The way they get behind the team. They hardly ever get on the team's back — they're there behind them all the way.
"I do miss playing at the stadium a bit — but what I really miss is playing in front of the fans."
But Swansea will have to wait and see if Lee misses it enough to make a return to the Liberty.
For now Lee can't be sure, but it seems he wouldn't mind too much.
"In football it's hard to talk in terms of when things will happen, so I don't know if I would move back in the short term," he said.
"But obviously, it's a place where I enjoyed my life and I enjoyed my football and I definitely would go back."
In the crazy world of football it is probably best to expect the unexpected.
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