• FA Cup

Kean cools Samba-to-Spurs talk after FA Cup absence

ESPN staff
January 7, 2012
David Goodwillie's goal wasn't enough for Blackburn as they lost 2-1 to Newcastle in the FA Cup © PA Photos
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Blackburn boss Steve Kean ruled out the January sale of Chris Samba to Tottenham or QPR on Saturday, despite the fact the player did not feature in Rovers' 2-1 FA Cup loss to Newcastle.

Kean rested a bunch of his key players at St James' Park, with Samba not even in the matchday squad. The towering defender's absence sparked speculation that he could be on his way to one of the London clubs, with QPR registering a £5 million bid on Friday.

However, Kean rubbished the idea, insisting the Congo man would stay with Rovers to help them out of relegation trouble.

"The situation is simple, before any bid came in, we said he is not for sale and he was having treatment on a hamstring so we decided not for him to travel and that had nothing to do with any bid coming in," Kean said.

"We want to add to the squad. He is not for sale, he is seven or eight months into a five-year contract and he is certainly a defender that we feel has a presence and he has held us together and is a big part of what we are trying to do."

Addressing the additional absence of Yakubu, Kean once again doused talk of a January move, insisting his top scorer was merely rested.

"The message is simple, the Yak is our player and is performing very well, we brought him in during the last transfer window and he has done fantastic for us, he is not for sale and is very happy, he is carrying a few knocks which is why we rested him today. "

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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