No Reebok Exodus - Chairman

By Mark Heys
May 10 2007

Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside has promised that the club will be keeping hold of their top players despite rumours in the national press which have linked no fewer than four players with moves away from the Reebok Stadium following Sam Allardyce's shock departure as manager just under a fortnight ago.

Jussi Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan, El-Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka where all identified as players who would leave the Trotters in the close season but Gartside says only contract rebel Tal Ben-Haim is the biggest assett set to leave after refusing to sign a new contract.

Skipper Nolan has already pleadged his future to the club and Gartside has revealed that Anelka has said nothing about being unhappy since Allardyce's exit or before.

"As far as we are concerned it's not difficult, We've had no approaches and no indication from Nicolas that he is unhappy. He's never indicated he is unhappy in all the time he has been with us and I have no reason to believe he wants to leave."

"And the same goes for everybody at the club, other than Ben Haim, who has consistently refused to sign a new contract, in spite of our efforts to convince him otherwise."