Blackburn manager Steve Kean has stressed that they haven’t received any offers for wantaway defender and club captain Christopher Samba from long-term suitors Arsenal. It was widely reported that Arsenal were close to a deal and Samba wanted to move to a top club to play Champions League football.
But Kean, who persuaded Samba to pen a new deal when he took over from Sam Allardyce, said that no Blackburn players had received an offer yet and he preferred if it stayed that way. Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said-
“We have had no bids for Chris and we have had no bids for any other player at this stage and we would like to keep it like that.
“Chris is only a couple of months into a five-year contract, so hopefully the bids don’t come in and we can keep Chris as part of a defence that proved very, very solid towards the end of the season.”
The manager also declared himself pleased with the training sessions and pre-season preparation that Blackburn had done so far. Blackburn had gone to Austria for a week or so, and Kean said that much progress had been made with negligible slackness or tired legs.
“There has been no hint of any kind of flatness coming back from the first day in Austria, the lads were absolutely flying.
“We did some great work out there, where we did three sessions a day and managed to get 16 sessions under our belt before we came home again, so it was an excellent trip and they have carried that on since they came back to the training ground.”
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal lodge a late bid for Samba. They seem to have their hands full with ongoing sagas concerning Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, and are also reported to be in for Bolton defender Gary Cahill. It looks likely that Samba will be playing in Blackburn colours next season. Stay tuned for more in this regard.