ROEDER WANTS TO KEEP DEFOE
Last updated : 08 August 2003 By Editor
Glenn Roeder:
"I will do everything I possibly can to keep him. I can
understand the attraction of Manchester United. They are a
huge club who get mobbed wherever they go in the world. But
as far as I am concerned there has been no contact between
the clubs. It's all been speculation but I wouldn't be
surprised if the speculation is true.
"Now the club has achieved the target money the banks
required, the decision falls back with me. As it stands I
would resist the sort of figures bandied around and say
'no'. They say it's worth £30m to go back to the Premiership
and if a bid comes in there's two figures to look at.
"He won't lose value this time next year and I think he will
be a better player. It's worth a gamble to see he stays
here. I told him how much I want to keep him and how
important he is to the team. He listened and said he didn't
have any questions.
"If I believe, like I do, that he will be a key player to
get us back in the Premiership, of course it would not make
sense to sell him. I hope someone makes him see sense, or
even better he sees sense himself. This season in the First
Division will not harm him at all.
"By the end of the season he will be an even better player,
because he's going to play, that goes without saying.''
