Di Canio cool on Martin stay (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

SWINDON TOWN: Di Canio cool on Martin stay

4:40pm Monday 4th February 2013 in Sport

PAOLO Di Canio says he no longer has any desire to further Chris Martin's stay in Swindon.

The striker returned to parent club Norwich on Saturday at the end of his loan spell, having informed Di Canio that he has been made aware of new opportunities for him at a higher level.

When asked whether he would want to resign the forward in the emergency loan window, the Town boss said: “Absolutely not. He took one month to get him fit and see him as an athlete as he was in the past. Even if I had an intention to keep him, in the last few days before the transfer window finished, he said to me he had a chance or he still has a chance to move to a different club - maybe the Championship.

“How and why do I persuade a player who was telling me before he desperately wanted to stay and then in the last few days maybe received the news from his agent that he has the chance to go somewhere else.

“Thanks to him for what he has done. I wanted to keep him even if he didn’t affect my team too much. He scored one goal, he won one penalty when we were already on top with Tranmere, he challenged one ball at Bournemouth but in 12 games it was very, very poor in some way.

“I was sure he would give something more until the end because he’s got quality and I believe that I could help him, but once he told me there is a chance I thought - even if he lost this chance - I didn’t want to keep him.

“The fact he had already thought about a move to another place that is not for me."