Holloway to fight for Barker

Tangerines plan to keep defender

By Chris Galea   Last updated: 18th June 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Holloway to fight for Barker

Holloway: Determined

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Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has reassured fans that in-demand defender Shaun Barker will not be leaving the club this summer.

The former Rotherham United man has attracted interest from a number of Championship clubs this summer, including Derby County, who had a bid rejected last month for the 26-year-old.

Fellow defender Alex Baptiste has also been linked with a move away from Bloomfield Park, but Holloway told skysports.com that there has been no interest shown on that front.

"I've had no one showing any interest in Baptiste as of yet, but I have had two clubs very interested in Shaun Barker," he said.

"He knows who those clubs are and is aware of their interest, but he has got a three-year contract here and he won't be going anywhere unless we want him to.

"He shouldn't have signed that contract if he wanted to move on and it is as simple as that really. I've been out of work for a year and I am going to be so blunt about things that it's untrue."

Holloway is keen to bring back two players that impressed last season whilst on loan with the Seasiders, in Leicester striker DJ Campbell and Glasgow Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam, but the former Plymouth boss has admitted defeat on bringing the former player back.

He added: "I think there is very little chance of bringing DJ Campbell back to the club because his agent has made it very clear that he doesn't want to take a wage cut and I know how much he will be on now that they are back in the Championship.

"We just can't afford to match those sort of wages, so I think that one is dead in the water."

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