Blackburn boss Steve Kean says he is under no pressure to sell in-demand defender Christopher Samba.
Blackburn boss insists he is under no pressure to sell defender
Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean has insisted he is under no pressure to sell in-demand defender Christopher Samba.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with an interest in the towering centre-back, while their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have also recently been mentioned.
Rovers recently parted company with promising stopper Phil Jones to Manchester United, but Keane has stressed that switch does not mean further high-profile exits from Ewood Park are in the offing.
"We don't have to sell him," he said. "He signed a five-year contract in the last window. He's one of the players we would like keep.
"I said earlier this year you are always going to have interest in your good players. It means they're playing well and you're playing well as a team."
Champions League
Kean continued: "We're going to try and hold on to all our good players.
"It was difficult with Phil because he got the opportunity to go to Manchester United and he wanted to play Champions League football now and we're not there yet. I'm sure we will be in the next three or four seasons."
The 27-year-old Samba joined Blackburn from Hertha Berlin in 2007 and has since made 145 Premier League appearances for the club.
Samba is said to be open to a move to Arsenal, who are in the market to bolster their defensive line.
