Johnson cool over exit talk
19 Jun 2008 - 13:25:14
Bristol City manager Gary Johnson has confirmed that his club are yet to field an official offer for any of their star players this summer.
The likes of goalkeeper Adriano Basso, defender Liam Fontaine and midfielder Marvin Elliott are all believed to be of interest to Premier League clubs, but Johnson is cool over any potential exits.
He told the Evening Post: "I'm trying to build something here and I want to keep my best players, not sell them. The last thing I want is to be losing players to rival clubs.
"Of course every player has his price and you have to consider what is best for the club, but the players enjoyed last season and I can't think of any football reasons why they might want to leave.
"But there have been no firm offers as yet and, until I receive a faxed bid from another manager, I'll take all this transfer talk with a pinch of salt.
"It can turn the players' heads, but I've been in the game long enough to be able to handle the speculation."