The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Dembele certain to stay at Posh until the end of the season
Posh chiefs have reassured the club’s fans - and manager Darren Ferguson - that there is no chance of star man Siriki Dembele leaving the Weston Homes Stadium before tomorrow’s (Friday) transfer deadline.
Posh have received multiple bids from higher level clubs for Dembele in the last couple of months, but the 24year-old has been told he is staying put at least untiltheendofthecurrent campaign.
Dembele was outstanding inlastweek’sderbydayvictory at Northamptonandwillstart Saturday’s home League One fixtureagainst OxfordUnited.
Posh have also rejected recent bids for midfielder Jack Taylor and teenage striker Ricky-Jade Jones.
Taylor will return to the Poshstarting line uponSaturdayaftermissingtheCobblers gamebecauseofinternational duty. Jones is currently onthe injury list.
“No-one will be sold,” con
firmed Posh co-owner Darragh MacAnthony this week.
Posh director of football
Barry Fry added: “We have no interest in selling Siriki. We have had bids for him, but they’ve all been rejected because the manager, the coowners and myself agreed we would not sell another player this season after Ivan Toney.
“Darragh MacAnthony sat Siriki down when we were at St George’s Park in the summer and explained the situation to him.
“If he helps us get up, and heisakeyman, thenwewould probably offer him a lucrative contract to stay, butif wedon’t go up it would be difficult to keep him.”
That news was music to Ferguson ears as he plots a third straight LeagueOnewin against Oxford.
Last season’s play-off finalists have started the season poorly with a 3-1 defeat at Gillingham a third in four matches.
But Ferguson isn’t fooled bythat result or Oxford’s sluggish start.
“I watched Gillingham v Oxfordanditwasastrangeresult givenhowthegamewent,” Ferguson said. “Oxford created so many chances it was remarkable they only scored once.
“Sometimeslosing in playoffs can affect you at the start of the following season and I have no doubt Oxford will be up there challenging for promotion at the end of the season.
“They have good technical players and strong attacking players. They have plenty of ability out wide so it should a good and close game on Saturday.”
Ferguson’s wish to see Oxford live at home to Crewe on Tuesday night was scuppered by a late postponement as the Railwaymen suffered a positive Covid test within their squad.
Oxford have only played one home game so their current position of 21st is probably a false one. They won 4-1 at Accrington and lost 2-0 at Lincoln in their other League Oneawaymatchesthisseason.
Ferguson is expected to recall Taylor to resume last season’s successful midfield partnership with Reece Brown. Ethan Hamilton will therefore step down. Expected Posh line-up. (4-2-3-1)
Pym Thompson, Kent, Beevers, Butler.
Brown, Taylor
Ward, Szmodics, Dembele Clarke-Harris.