Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has issued a warning to West Ham amid reports that the Hammers are interested in signing Joe Allen during the January transfer window.
West Ham are one of the sides that are looking to strengthen their side during the January transfer window as they look to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Stoke will however be reluctant to let go off any important squad members especially as they themselves could possibly face the threat of relegation this season.
When questioned about his clubs link with Allen during his press conference, Hughes replied saying: “It is the first I have heard of that, but it wouldn’t surprise me because he has been impressive this year.
“We can’t afford to lose a player of Joe’s quality – he is working exceptionally hard for us and we are really pleased with what he is producing for us at the moment.
“We won’t be encouraging any bids for any of our key players, especially not in January, that is for certain. There is nothing definite at the moment, but it is clear that we are too stretched and ideally we would like to rectify that.
“We all know that January isn’t the ideal time to get deals done, but there are opportunities and we would like to be active – we feel there are areas that we need to strengthen.”
