Blackburn boss Steve Kean has told club captain Christopher Samba to forget about a move away from the club now the transfer window has slammed shut and to start focusing on regaining his place in the side.
The 27-year-old was the subject of much speculation throughout the window with the likes of QPR, Tottenham and PSG all interested following the ex-Hertha Berlin man’s transfer request – which was rejected by the club owners Venky’s.
Kean opted to leave Samba out of Wednesday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United, stating that while the centre-back was fit, he was not in the correct state of mind to play.
“I didn’t feel as though he was in the right frame of mind,” Kean told reporters.
“He was fit and available but that was my decision. It wasn’t that Chris refused or anything, far from it.
“I felt the defence against Everton and Fulham did well enough that I wouldn’t have changed it anyway.”
With Ryan Nelson leaving the club to sign for Tottenham late on in the window, Kean has called on Samba to put his desire to leave Ewood Park to one side and help ensure the club’s Premier League survival.
“Obviously Chris had handed in a transfer request, wanted to leave the club, that was refused. We didn’t have any [more] bids, which was good really because we were only going to turn them down.
“I’ll sit down with Chris and I’ll say, ‘Let’s move on. You’re at the club, let’s get back to what normally happens when the window closes’, where his performance level is very high and I don’t foresee any other problems.”