ANGUS Kinnear, Leeds United's chief executive, admits he knew the Championship side weren't going to be able to sign Che Adams in January.

Saints made it clear at the first sniff of interest that their £15m summer signing wasn't going to be going anywhere.

Despite this, Leeds continued to knock on the door in what could be viewed as an effort to unsettle the player.

But it emerged fairly quickly that Adams has every intention to stay and fight for a place in Ralph Hasenhuttl's starting XI.

Speaking about Leeds' interest in the striker, Kinnear said: “So I know the window was dominated with headlines around Che Adams, Dwight Gayle, Andre Gray and Jarrod Bowen.

“Actually, they’re all avenues that we explored. But you find out quite quickly whether they’re available or not available. 

“Although the media speculation ran and ran, actually all those clubs said those players weren’t available pretty early on.”

Adams is still waiting to bag his first goal for Saints.

The striker was given a run in the team at the beginning of the season and, on occasions, came agonisingly close to breaking his duck.

But it didn't quite happen for him in a team that were struggling at the time and then Danny Ings embarked on a sensational run in front of goal.