Coyle: No bids for Davies (From Daily Echo)

Owen Coyle denies any bids have been made for reported Saints target Mark Davies

2:12pm Thursday 5th July 2012 in Football League

Bolton manager Owen Coyle insists the club have received no offers for midfielder Mark Davies, who has been linked with Saints.

The future of the 24-year-old has been the subject of much speculation in recent days, with new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers reported to be a keen admirer.

Saints were linked with Davies back in May.

But such talk is misguided according to Coyle, who is in no mood to lose any of his leading lights as Wanderers attempt an immediate return to the Barclays Premier League.

"I'm an open book, I've always told you from day one if there's been any interest in my players, whether it be Gary Cahill or any other," said the Scot in reference to the England centre-back who left the Reebok Stadium for Chelsea in January.

"I can tell you there's been absolutely no phone calls, no dialogue, nothing about Mark Davies.

"It's the usual paper speculation and conjecture."

Coyle is determined Bolton will be no soft touch in the transfer market and he aims to keep the youthful nucleus of his squad together as they adjust to life in the npower Championship.

"If anybody out there thinks any of our players will be leaving on a whim then they're sadly mistaken," he said.

"We've now got young players that we've tied up on long-term contracts because that's the future of the club. That'll move us on and take us back to the Premier League, I believe.

"Mark Davies, Adam Bogdan and Lee Chung-yong - these are all lads that I've tied up on long-term contracts and we did that because we want them at the football club, to be the nucleus of the team that drives us forward.”

Nigel Reo-Coker and veteran goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen stand as the Trotters' only notable departures so far this summer, and Coyle is buoyed by the captures of centre-back Matt Mills, who started his career at Saints, and Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews from Leicester and West Brom respectively.

"Both players, as you can imagine, were being chased by various clubs all over the country and, indeed, out of England as well," he added. "There was huge interest in them.”