Middlesbrough warn off Arsenal after £4m bid for keeper Steele

Gordon Tynan
Wednesday 01 December 2010 01:00 GMT
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Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb insists goalkeeper Jason Steele is not for sale following reports linking the England Under-21 international with a £4m move to Arsenal. Lamb has flatly rejected the speculation and stressed the 20-year-old stopper is not for sale at any price.

"The story is complete nonsense," he said. "We have no intention of selling Jason for £4m or any other fee. He is a massive part of the future of this football club, so the idea of selling him is not on our agenda."

The Middlesbrough manager, Tony Mowbray, added: "I think it's vitally important that we don't sell our assets, of which Jason is certainly one."

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey brings vital quality to the Nottingham Forest midfield, according to manager Billy Davies. The on-loan teenager came off the bench after 61 minutes of Monday's 1-0 defeat at Leicester for his first taste of competitive football since suffering a broken leg at Stoke in February.

Davies said: "You could see the difference when Ramsey came on, then we started to play a little bit better. Once he came on, he gave us the quality we needed. He has outstanding quality, there is no doubt about that."

Meanwhile, Forest are waiting to discover the extent of the ankle injury sustained by Dele Adebola against the Foxes.

Derby striker Alberto Bueno's hamstring injury is not as serious as first feared and the Spaniard could be back in action within a fortnight. Bueno, on a season-long loan from Real Valladolid, was forced off after only 14 minutes of the 2-1 defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, with early estimations ruling him out until the start of the festive fixtures.

But QPR winger Angelo Balanta is expected to be sidelined for up to four months having undergone surgery to repair ankle ligament damage. The 20-year-old Colombian, on a season-long loan at MK Dons, picked up the injury two weeks ago.

Swindon have agreed to extend the loan of Millwall defender Andy Frampton for another month. The emergency loan window may have closed last Thursday, but Town have been able to take advantage of a seven-day period in which to extend existing deals. Walsall are also likely to use the same ruling to extend striker Liam Dickinson's loan deal from Barnsley in the coming days.

Charlton are set to open contract talks with midfield duo Therry Racon and Jose Semedo. The pair will be free agents in the summer if no new terms are agreed, but manager Phil Parkinson said: "I've spoken to the chairman and we're going to sit down with those players and open talks."

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