Rams youngster staying says gaffer

Rams youngster staying says gaffer

Rams boss Paul Jewell has moved quickly to rubbish the latest Giles Barnes transfer speculation. In a tabloid newspaper it was reported West Ham had signed Barnes for £5m and he will move to Upton Park in the January transfer window.

His stand out performance for the Rams in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle will no doubt create more interest.

But Jewell was adamant the news was new to him, he said: ‘I know nothing about it. What I do know for a fact is that I have not had any contact with any club about Giles Barnes.

‘Until the phone rings or somebody tells me differently, then I can’t say any more about it.’

Jewell laughed off suggestions the deal was done and would simply be rubber-stamped when the January transfer window opens.

He joked: ‘Very nice. It’s a nice Christmas present – I just wish I knew about it. Maybe Santa Claus will drop the cheque down the chimney.’

Barnes further raised his profile on Sunday with a stunning goal to open the scoring in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle.

Commenting on Giles’ first Premier League goal at Newcastle, the gaffer added: ‘I hope he scores a few more goals for us. There’s been a lot of talk about Giles and he scored a great goal on Sunday.

“But he arguably cost us one when he tried to do a fancy trick in the box when a cross would have been more beneficial to the team, so Giles still has to learn the game.

‘I know there’s been a lot of talk about Giles Barnes, but that’s where he has to learn. He has a long, long way to go.

‘He has potential – bags of it, but he is only 19 and has a lot of improving to do, although I am pleased with the effort he is putting in.’

The youngster is hoping his goal against Newcastle United – His first in the Premier league – will mark the start of a purple patch for the Rams.

“When I score goals, they usually come in patches,” said Barnes.

“It took me a while to score last season as well. I score one and then I get another the next week, then the next week. Hopefully, I can carry that on.”

Barnes took 14 games to score in the Championship last season but then hit four in three games, but his strike past Shay Given was a reminder of the potential which has reportedly caught the attention of West Ham United, Spurs, Portsmouth, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

While pleased with his goal, Barnes felt Derby deserved to take three points back to Pride Park.

“In our heart of hearts, we think we should have won it,” said Barnes.

“We conceded two sloppy goals. If we’d cancelled out those mistakes, we would have won 2-0 but at least this is something we can build on.”

Earlier in the week, Barnes said he still felt some way off top form after missing the start of the season and pre-season training with a foot injury, but he looked sharp against Newcastle, playing in his preferred attacking midfielder role.

“I’ve not played in centre midfield for a while but I had all the lads around me and it gave the team a big boost because everyone was at the races. If the other lads look sharp, it rubs off on you,” said Barnes.

“Steve Howard was magnificent for us. He won everything, gave 100 percent, and he creates chances, and if you give Kenny a chance, he’s going to score.

“But I can’t just praise those two; I want to praise the whole team because I thought we were fantastic at times in the game,” added Barnes.