The new manager of Sky Bet Championship side Blackburn Rovers, Paul Lambert, has isnisted that his new star striker Jordan Rhodes is not for sale.
High demand
The Scottish international has been high demand in many years and that was made crystal clear last summer, when he publicly discussed a move to fellow Championship side Middlesbrough.
However that move was rejected, but it doesn't seem to have affected his performances as he has managed eight goals so far. Despite this, he has failed to help Rovers' form turnaround, as they currently sit in 16th position.
Winds of change
This poor run of form eventually saw a change as Gary Bowyer was relieved of his duties and subsequently replaced by former Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert at the weekend.
Lambert's first job at the helm of the Ewood Park side will be to make sure that he can keep his star striker at the club, should Aitor Karanka come knocking again in January.
Lambert is likely to have demanded assurances on Blackburn’s determination to fend off any interest in Rhodes before he agreed to take charge at Ewood Park.
When quizzed about the striker at his unveiling this morning, Lambert said Rhodes' goalscoring is "incredible". He also went onto say that the striker will be as important as “Benteke" or "Holt" had been at his previous clubs.
Force his hand
Despite his desire to keep him at the club, Lambert may be forced to sell his talisman due to the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Rovers sold Rudy Gestede to Lambert's former club Aston Villa in the summer, and the club are still operating under a transfer embargo after failing to comply with FFP rules.
However managing director, Derek Shaw, insisted that despite been one move away from escaping the ban, he believes that they will not be getting rid of their star asset.
Shaw said that they have been working on FFP "for months" and believes that they "making good progress.” He added that Rovers are “one sale away" but are not looking to "sell a player".