Nzonzi will stay frozen out at Rovers (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Nzonzi will stay frozen out at Rovers
10:22am Thursday 19th July 2012 in News
By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Steve Kean insists Steven Nzonzi won’t play for the Ewood Park outfit again - unless he makes a statement committing himself to the club.
As revealed by the Lancashire Telegraph, the French midfielder was left out of Rovers’ pre-season training camp in Austria after telling boss Steve Kean he wanted to quit the club this summer.
Kean has now insisted Nzonzi will continue to be left frozen out of first team affairs, as he continues to train on his own, and admits the player is for sale - but only for the right price.
The Rovers boss has said no offers have yet been received for Nzonzi but warned the midfielder he would only be welcomed back into his squad if he withdrew his transfer request and pledged his future to the club.
Kean also insisted Nzonzi was the only player who had told him this summer that he wanted to quit the club as he looked to keep the squad together.
Kean said: “Steven has asked for a transfer. We want to have players on camps like that who want to be here so that was the reason why Steven was left at the training ground.
“He won’t be involved with us now we are back either, it is ongoing. We have had a couple of meetings with his dad, who is his agent, and he would like to play his football elsewhere.
“We will be listening to offers if they come, but at the moment we haven’t had any. We are not planning to have him in the squad, he has not been taking part in any of the first team sessions.
“He has been training here, which we have no problems with, he has come out and said he doesn’t want tio play for the club and that is where we stand at the moment.”
Kean would not comment on Rovers’ valuation for Nzonzi, who is contracted to the club until 2015, but the Lancashire Telegraph understand they would want in the region of £10m for the 23-year-old.
Kean said: “We will see what happens and see in the next few weeks, maybe there will be a few offers, maybe there won’t.
“It is disappointing when we are attracting players and keeping the majority of the squad. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to maintain our status - and there are many different reasons as to why that was.
“When you sit with Danny Murphy, Leon Best and Nunes Gomes and you can explain to them what happened and that we want to immediately bounce back and guys with that type of experience can see the logic in it and want to come on board.
“At this stage it is disappointing, but you never know. There might be no bids that match our valuation and Steven might then see the type of signings we are making and might end up still being here if he withdraws his request and makes a statement he wants to play for the club.
“If no one met the valuation then I would hope he would respect the fact he has a contract. I would hope he would want to get his head down and work towards playing football. He is employed to be a football player, not a football trainer and at this moment in time, he doesn’t want to play for the club.”
Meanwhile, more staff could be set to leave Ewood Park as several Southern clubs show an interest in members of Rovers' player welfare department.
Comments are closed on this article.

Comments (46)
10:29am Thu 19 Jul 12
bypass06 says...
10:31am Thu 19 Jul 12
penemo says...
10:32am Thu 19 Jul 12
vicn1956 says...
The last paragraph is interesting to all but the kean luvvies.
10:38am Thu 19 Jul 12
whittleblue says...
10:46am Thu 19 Jul 12
RUinsane says...
10:49am Thu 19 Jul 12
vicn1956 says...
( I use the word manager loosely). We have people on this site telling us to get behind kean- if we don't we're not real fans! Wake up!!!!
Our managing director Haw skereD-"I cannot comment on this. I don't know any more. ALL the country knows about this. More evidence of their lies and avoidance of tellling us the TRUTH.
I was treated like scum last season, the lies goes on, the people running the club are ****so I won't give them any more of my money or legitimise them with my support!
10:50am Thu 19 Jul 12
French Rover says...
That statement tucked away at the end of the article clearly needs urgent investigation by the LET. What does that mean exactly to the club? What is the Player Welfare Dept? And why are they leaving the Rovers?
Come on LET do your job on behalf of your concerned readers.
10:52am Thu 19 Jul 12
Rishtonian says...
GO GET EM SAM
Kean Out
10:53am Thu 19 Jul 12
wampam says...
10:56am Thu 19 Jul 12
Gaz M says...
10:57am Thu 19 Jul 12
makaveli96 says...
Kean, Samba, Nzonzi, the Yak - please go, we dont want you back.....your bloods not blue and white like ours!
See what I did there, a rhyme!
We want our BLACKBURN back! Our boss is Uncle Jack!
If you not from the town, you must be a clown!
We all eat Hollands pies, not Venkys Chicken fat on our Thighs!
Im local not from afar, do real fans drink in the Toll Bar?
11:07am Thu 19 Jul 12
thresholdweller says...
11:11am Thu 19 Jul 12
RobbyRover says...
All those people who said "the players want to play for him" must be feeling a bit silly now!!
11:11am Thu 19 Jul 12
PpMac says...
11:23am Thu 19 Jul 12
Nellie 77 says...
Its a measure of how much we love Rovers that we keep coming back for more of this torture and b~llsh@t.
I personally cant turn my back on Rovers no matter how bad it is for my mental health. But at the same time I cant bring myself to give Venkys a penny of my money until this man has been rousted out of Ewood.
This is total torture as a football fan. Any success for the team next season cements Keans place as manager. So whilst the odious one is still here I for one will not experience the emence joy of Rovers scoring and winning.Not whole-heartedly. Not even half heartedly such is my hatred for this man and the way he has treated Rovers fans. This joy been taken away from me. All the Rovers fans I know feel the same.
Please let this nightmare end.
KEAN OUT”
11:51am Thu 19 Jul 12
GAZHAY says...
ce the reason you are not fit to be our manager......ok rant over!
11:52am Thu 19 Jul 12
benal13 says...
11:54am Thu 19 Jul 12
Lancs - pensioner says...
Then only in my opinion stay away from Ewood untill these vultures leave, come on the old Dunkirk spirit will get us through this, and for those who cannot stay away then help us by giving Kean hell inside the ground and good luck, we are all in this together now, don't let them divide us, we will win I promise you all!
12:00pm Thu 19 Jul 12
benal13 says...
12:14pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Keen O to Get Kean Out says...
12:14pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Roy Race says...
.
Simple!
12:16pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Keen O to Get Kean Out says...
12:17pm Thu 19 Jul 12
londonrover says...
12:20pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Judge Nic Sanders says...
embarrass yourselves by all means but please stop lowering the standards of
all that is around you.
12:25pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Rishtonian says...
My sentiments as well
No rovers for me till Kean has gone
12:33pm Thu 19 Jul 12
MatthewCA says...
.So I feel with rovers he can build that respect, if he likes....other team members need to talk with him to get his confidence back if he is not happy to talk with manager Kean. None of the club buy him for 10mil for sure. So why he should sit in the bench and cry, Lets Play and see the difference and enjoy the game.
12:34pm Thu 19 Jul 12
1rover says...
12:37pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Tuo Neak says...
No wonder the player welfare department must be packed with unhappy players. Why should N'Zonzi be made to make a public statement, how about a public statement on the managers conduct. Why is he still the manager of the football club, etc, etc
12:37pm Thu 19 Jul 12
MatthewCA says...
.......so I.
Kean In, Game ON
12:38pm Thu 19 Jul 12
1rover says...
12:42pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Tuo Neak says...
12:50pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Road Runner Road Runner says...
I'll pop in LET today and see what the situation is ?
Thanks.
Yes, very worrying that little tit bit at the end of the article.
'He doesn't want to play for the club' are the quotes attributed to N'zonzi ?
I would be very surprised if that is the actual tone used by N'zonzi, but instead it's the regime at Ewood being the reason he doesn't wish to play for ?
Not many down the years, in public anyhow. have said they do not wish to play for the club, but always the manager.
Many thousands of good folk's will not be attending Ewood purely down to the direction our football club is going in driven by this divisive repulsive character.
Far to many solid professionals have walked or have been pushed out the door at Ewood for this story over N'zonzi to have an ounce of truth in it ?
The image that is being formed under this lot can go to hell. Successful or not ?
A very interesting interview year last with C. Hendry regards Keans tenure at BRFC on the BBC Sport homepage confirming his appointment if you can find it ?
I always accept that a ratio of players leave a club as natural wastage, but this period is messy to say the least !
Of course, the replacements, as is usual, we would hope are direct and of improved caliber to those leaving. Yakubu as the exception I would surmise that thus far we are sadly lacking in every department since the 'Odious One' as taken charge ?
I guess the new season will reveal just what progression is being made under this lot ?
The cynic in me is not hopeful when we have the situation such as N'zonzi !
Good day Mr French :)
Arte et labore
1:00pm Thu 19 Jul 12
NewallHateMyHamster says...
I am looking forward to the season, some good signings, some questionable signings but all in all think we've got a chance to go straight back up.
COYB
1:14pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Wild Rover says...
It is still a free country outside this forum...
And for " new poster" Race no I am not a Dingle..is that really the best you can do, Really...?
Feeble effort
1:26pm Thu 19 Jul 12
gleechy says...
As if Con man kean has turned over a new leaf, and all the positive predictions are more true than last years.
Is this selfish by all those unable to resist going back, just in hope that last year was made up, and he didn't really predict top four, never relegated, then straight back up?
They can be forgiven I suppose for all the smokescreen surrounding suggestions and allegations of player trouble and astounding agent's fees.
Those who can't be forgiven are the ones with the plan, the ones who are steering this mess, and releasing just enough information to get people arguing and losing track of how bad things have become, fans blaming each other for what is totally in the hands of the club owners and directors.
It would be useful if there was a no holds barred interview with Kean to get his response to his CV at Rovers, coupled with his outrageous predictions, and why so many so called knowledgeable personnel follow such rubbish.
2:31pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Wild Rover says...
You have to be an optimist to attend matches, how many teams win anything in their respective leagues? 1 or 2 if you count runners up
So why do the rest of us bother knowing that we are not going to win?
Optimism
You might want to try it sometime??
Keano might get the sack, or he might find his mojo and we might start winning -Who Knows?
Ok so it will probably not be as good as Optimism says but then again may not be as bad as Pessimism's dire predictions<
But we live (and support) in hope!
2:46pm Thu 19 Jul 12
stick to football says...
Man Management - pathetic and he knows it he reminds one of the school bully if you dont do it my way
Why Venkys perceiver with this individual is lacks commonsense but then we have had 18 months of Venkys and nothing will change their ignorance and arrogance.
Sorry but the Kean out brigade are in pre season training already with this mans proclamations confirming exactly what we knew - a loser
2:53pm Thu 19 Jul 12
MxMave says...
In other words, i've told the new guys how the fans dragged the club down by booing the players...
4:27pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Dukes says...
4:45pm Thu 19 Jul 12
merlinrabbit says...
8:04pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Road Runner Road Runner says...
Cracking post.
Breaths passion, honesty and, in my opinion - integrity.
A moral dilemma that dwarfs anything these bungling buffoons are attempting in doing in what was a solid and recognized established football club.
The optimism is there for the club in Rishtonians post, most definitely.
Kean Out.
Arte et labore
8:44am Fri 20 Jul 12
OnePostThenTheOther says...
9:16am Fri 20 Jul 12
MatthewCA says...
9:17am Fri 20 Jul 12
MatthewCA says...
9:22am Fri 20 Jul 12
MatthewCA says...
9:24am Fri 20 Jul 12
MatthewCA says...
n In, Game ON