A huge sigh of relief as strikers stayed unsold

Barry Fry breathed a huge sigh of relief when the transfer window slammed shut with star forwards Jonson Clarke-Harris and Siriki Dembele still at the Weston Homes Stadium.

Fry was on the record - in a PT interview that irritated Posh chairmanDarragh MacAnthony - saying selling Dembele would be ‘footballing s uicide.’

The 24 year-old has wanted away from Posh since January when he first handed in a transfer request and the club have been weighing up the value of keeping him to improve the chances of staying in the Championship this season against cashing in on a player who could leave London Road for nothing at the end of the campaign.

As it happens no acceptable bids were received for Dembele. Indeed there was more interest in Clarke-Harris, although Fry dismissed the offers for the 27 year-old centre-forward as ‘insulting’.

Fry said: “Keeping Jonson and Siriki is huge for the club.

“We have a far better chance of staying in the Championship with them than without them and I would argue

that fact with anyone.

“We did receive offers for Jonson, but they were insultingly low so he was never going anywhere, while no-one really came in for Siriki.

“Siriki has already shown he will be a handful at Championship level so I am delighted he is still with us.”

MacAnthony was bound by a pledge made to Dembele earlier this year that he would be allowed to leave should an of

fer Posh couldn’t really refuse come in.

The Posh chairman laughed off suggestions made on talkSPORT on deadline day of a £2 million asking price being too much for Dembele’s many suitors of which Championship promotion fancies Bournemouth were one.

“I did promise Siriki he could go if we received a riculous offer,” MacAnthony said. “But I always wanted to see a fully fit Siriki, Jonson ClarkeHarris and Jack Marriott playing for us in the Championship. The £2 million price tag was a nonsense. It was much more than that.”

Celtic, Rangers, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth were all linked with Dembele during the summer.

Posh will now try and get the player to sign an improved contract at London Road.

Jonson Clarke-Harris (left) and Siriki Dembele are still Posh players