'He's staying here and he has to get his head around that' - Blackburn boss Steve Kean defiant over Christopher Samba saga

Blackburn manager Steve Kean has insisted Chris Samba will not be leaving Ewood Park and has expressed his hope that the defender can now put transfer talk behind him.

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Samba handed in a transfer request earlier in January but Kean has been adamant ever since that the Congolese defender will not be leaving the club.

Despite Samba claiming that he won’t be putting in 100 percent for Blackburn on the pitch, Kean has told him he needs to keep working hard to replicate his form from earlier in the season.

Speaking to reporters, Kean said: "We want him to get his head round the fact that he's going to be here.

"In the last window, and even before that, as soon as the window closed, he got his head down and got on with it.

"His performances were excellent and there's no reason why he can't play like that again.

"It's never nice when someone hands in a transfer request. But it's a two-way thing and we didn't accept his request.

"We want him to be part of what we are trying to do this season."

The defender has recently been suffering from a slight knock but Kean has dismissed reports that he won’t be available for the visit of Newcastle United on Wednesday night.

"He's available," said Kean. "I need to speak to him tomorrow when the window has closed.

"We need to move forward and get him mentally prepared. I'll take that conversation forward tomorrow morning."