Kean looks at legal options of Samba rift

Steve Kean said Blackburn Rovers are looking at legal options as the rift with wantaway defender Chris Samba widens.

The Lancashire club were subjected to a 7-1 mauling by Arsenal on Saturday, a game which the defender sat out despite having no fitness worries.

Samba handed in a transfer request last month after an offer from QPR was rejected by the club and he is understood to want to leave despite having a contract that runs until 2015.

He has not played for Rovers since their home defeat to Stoke on January 2 and, though this was partly due to an ankle injury, he was absent from the squad on Saturday while being fit and available for selection.

The club can ill-afford the distraction as they lie 19th in the Premier League, three points below safety.

Although it is believed the PFA have not yet been approached to resolve the matter, Kean commented on the effect the dispute is having on the squad and did not rule out legal options.

“Obviously, without going too deep because it could get into a position. I’m not a legal expert. But he’s fit and he’s available for selection, but I’ve decided not to put him in the squad,” he told reporters.

“He’s one of our key defenders and you always miss any player when they’re not available. It’s a position where we’d like to get it resolved as soon as possible, because I think the way we are just now is not really helpful for anybody.”