Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cotterill is determined not to sell Chris Gunter and is confident the defender wants to stay.
Full-back offers assurances over future to Cotterill
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cotterill is determined not to sell Chris Gunter and is confident the defender does not want to leave the City Ground.
The full-back still has three years to run on the contract extension he signed in November 2010, but he has reportedly been the subject of failed bids from Norwich.
Cotterill had concerns Gunter might ask to leave in January amid the threat of relegation, but the ex-Tottenham player has offered assurances that is not the case.
The 22-year-old Wales international wants to help Forest stay in the Championship, according to his manager, who is understandably pleased.
"He does not want to go. He is happy at Forest. That was fantastic to hear," Cotterill told the
Nottingham Post.
"When you have 30 per cent of your dressing room who are out of contract in the summer, you question how they will react.
Tough
"But we have Chris who says he does not want to leave Forest in any trouble.
"That was so refreshing, from such a young man. I just thought it was great, particularly when times are tough.
"It is easy to say that you love being at a club, particularly when you are winning and everything is going well.
"The difficult time is wanting to stay at a club when it seems that nothing is going right for you. I liked that very much, it was fantastic for me to hear, as a manager."
But Cotterill admits Forest might have to consider selling if an offer was too good to turn down and speculation suggests they would listen to bids of at least £2.5million.
"I do not want to sell Chris and I have told him that. If it gets to the point where the money does get too good to turn down - and we are nowhere near that - then there would have to be a conversation between me and Chris," he said.
"And, even then, if he does not want to leave; if he wants to stay with us, that would be fantastic."
