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McFadden "is not for sale", Blues insist

24/06/2008

Birmingham City co-owner David Sullivan has said forward James McFadden "is not for sale" at any price.

Media speculation has linked the £5 million-rated Scotland international with a move to a Premier League side this summer following Blues' relegation to the Championship at the end of last season.

But Sullivan has insisted that he expects all the players manager Alex McLeish wants to keep at the club to remain in order to help the team bounce back into the top flight at the first time of asking.

"We have gone down with a good team and only gone down by one point," Sullivan told the Birmingham Post.

"We believe all the players who have taken us down have a responsibility to take us back up and that is what we are asking them.

"We are owed a debt and I have no doubt that James McFadden will honour that. He is not for sale. He gets on well with the manager and will be a key player for us.

"The player will not be sold - he will play in the first team and do his best.

"I don't think that is unfair as we have taken him from Everton's squad to being a first-team player."

McFadden joined Birmingham from the Toffees in a £4.75 million deal in January, scoring four goals in 12 appearances during Blues' relegation battle.