Saturday 24 January 2015 18:40, UK
Blackburn boss Gary Bowyer has insisted Rudy Gestede will not leave the club for cheap after his side's 3-1 win over Swansea in the FA Cup fourth round.
Gestede goalscoring exploits since signing for Blackburn a year ago have seen him linked with a number of Premier League clubs. Hull made an enquiry last week while Gestede's agent revealed Crystal Palace had a bid turned down.
The striker was left out of the squad for last weekend's draw with Wigan and was only a substitute when Swansea visited Ewood Park.
But Gestede managed to steal the headlines after coming off the bench to put Blackburn ahead in the 78th minute as Rovers clinched a 3-1 victory over their Premier League opponents.
"Our aim all along in this window has been to try to hold onto everybody," Bowyer said.
"The way Rudy's conducted himself with all the speculation has been magnificent. We had no trouble putting him back in the squad and no trouble putting him on.
"We said to him as he was going on, 'Go and score the winner'. It wasn't quite the winner but he made a big impact because that's what he is, a big player for us."
Gestede's goal was his 13th of the season and 26th since signing permanently for Rovers from Cardiff last January, an average of more than a goal every other game.
Losing the 26-year-old or his strike partner Jordan Rhodes would be a huge blow for Bowyer, with the club only able to sign players on loan because of a transfer embargo.
"If you look at the last striker who moved into the Premier League, you're not talking peanuts these days for strikers," Bowyer added.
"Our owners, rightly so, have put a value on him and if that value gets matched then there's a decision to be made. But at the moment the figures are nowhere near what the owners are looking at."
Blackburn were undoubtedly helped by Kyle Bartley's early sending off for bringing down the pacey Josh King as the last man, and Swansea ended the game with nine men after Sigurdsson jumped into a needless challenge on Taylor in injury time, but they still had to come from a goal down to secure victory.
"It's a good feeling. The lads are delighted to beat a Premier League team and get through to the next round is terrific for us," Bowyer added.
"It certainly levelled the game a bit for us when they lost the player but even down to 10 men they're a great team because of the manner in which they keep the ball."
