Blackburn unwilling to let club stalwart leave
After handing in a transfer request to leave the club last week, Christopher Samba may be forced to stay at Ewood Park this month after having his request rejected.
Manager Steve Kean and club owners Venkys see the Congolese international as a key cog in Blackburn’s hopes for Premier League survival and are unwilling to let him go as a result.
Samba signed a contract extension with Rovers just last February that will see him stay at the club until 2015 but has continued to attract a host of Premier League attention from the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle and Arsenal.
Speculation mounted around the 27 year-old after he was left out of Rovers’ line-up against Everton, however Kean insists that selection has nothing to do with his supposed departure.
The Scot stated after the 1-1 draw that the only reason Samba was left out of the side was due to the risk of the star not being in the right state of mind, and that he will feature for the relegation-struggling club soon.
In six seasons with the Lancashire outfit, Samba has racked up over 180 appearances for Blackburn and scored 18 goals.
Steve Kean’s reign at Ewood Park has come under some scrutiny following a difficult start to the 2011-12 campaign, however a decent run of results sees them starting to gain some momentum.
It’s unknown whether recent form – which includes a win at Old Trafford – will be enough to keep Samba at the club, but it will certainly make it a lot more likely as they look to obtain Premier League survival.
