Ferguson wants to keep stars

Darren Ferguson: Not a fan of signing players in January

Darren Ferguson has admitted he is desperate not to lose any of his key players in January as he feels Peterborough can achieve great things.

The Posh boss has already seen star centre-back Ryan Bennett and forward Paul Taylor linked with winter moves elsewhere but he is adamant it will take big money for them to leave.

"I desperately want to keep this squad together," Ferguson told the Peterborough Evening Telegraph. "I really feel we have the chance to build something special here.

"We've surpassed everyone's expectations already and we are so young we will only get better. Obviously the downside to playing well from the club's point of view is that players get noticed.

"Our situation regarding transfers in January is no different to any other time really.

"We want to keep our best players, but if a Premier League club comes calling with big money then we have to sit down and think about their offers.

"The interest in Ryan has been spoken about before and he is enjoying an outstanding season, but if he was to move I'd expect it to be in the summer.

"And I'm not surprised that clubs are looking at Paul. He needs to become more consistent, which is something I'm sure other clubs will have noticed, but when you look at where he has come from he is clearly a special talent.

"But the big advantage I have is that all the players seem to be happy here. We are playing well at a decent level of football and the team spirit is exceptional."

With that in mind, Ferguson is hoping for a quiet January in terms of players both coming and going.

He added: "I wouldn't expect us to lose anyone from the first team this month. There's a possibility we might bring someone in before the end of the month, but it will be a youngster.

"I'm not a fan of signing players in January and I certainly won't do it if I think the harmony in the squad would be affected."

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