Samba denies exit reports
Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba has denied reports in a tabloid newspaper that he is keen to leave Ewood Park to play Champions League football.
The former Hertha Berlin stopper has been linked with big money moves to Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur this summer, having once again impressed at the heart of Rovers' defence during 2010/11.
And it was claimed that the player himself has spoken of a desire to play Champions League football - puttting the Gunners in pole-position for his signature.
"I want to play Champions League football," Samba was reported to have said in The Sun. "Which player doesn't dream of that?
"I don't know what is happening with Arsenal because I am not dealing with it and it's not my problem.
"At the minute I am still at Blackburn but it would be a big lie if I told you 'everything is good and I don't want to play in the Champions League'.
"I don't know what the board and the manager at Blackburn are planning or what provisions they have made for signing new players.
"It is difficult for me at the moment because I'm just waiting to see what happens and concentrating on my preparation for the new season."
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However, the defender moved to deny the quotes on Thursday morning, insisting he would never publically discuss another club while still with Blackburn.
"The declarations made [by] The Sun about me are totally false - never said that," the defender said on his Twitter account.
"Nonsense. I never mention other clubs. I'm a Rovers player and will never mention other clubs, it's disrespectful
"[I am] not happy right now."
Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.