LAMBO WARNS KOP: BUT OUT!
STOKE have slammed the door on keeper Jack Butland leaving in the January transfer window.
Liverpool were ready to pounce with a £40m bid for the England star but have been told to forget it.
New Stoke boss Paul Lambert says the 24-year-old will not be snatched away with the club scrapping to avoid relegation.
“There is absolutely no way he is going in January, absolutely no chance,” said Lambert. “As long as I’m here, I’ll do everything I can to keep him.”
Lambert, who takes charge for the first time in today’s home clash with Huddersfield, is a big Butland fan.
“In my opinion, he is one of the best around – not just in Britain but in Europe as well,” said the Potters boss. “We’ll do everything we can He made saves at Old Trafford that were great. He had absolutely no chance at any of the goals, none whatsoever.”
Lambert believes another key player in the same bracket is Xherdan Shaqiri and he’s urging the pint-sized star to show what a big player he really is.
He added: “He is a massive talent. I think he’s a unique footballer. You have to get him doing his stuff in the right areas and making things happen.
“Give him the freedom to go out and play. If he makes mistakes in the forward areas, I don’t have a problem because he’s going to make things happen and be creative.
“You can’t expect Shaqiri to go out and head balls that are nine feet high.
“I’d prefer to get him up that pitch, playing to his strengths.”