Allardyce denies Diouf exit rumour

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is backing front man El-Hadji Diouf to get his side's chase for a European berth back on track by sinking Blackburn in Sunday's Lancashire derby at the Reebok Stadium.

Allardyce evidently believes Senegal star Diouf is just the man to make his side's Continental dreams a reality - which is why he has dismissed out of hand Spanish press reports of an imminent £6million move to Atletico Madrid.

Allardyce said: "We just wouldn't take anything like that figure. He is worth a lot more than that. He is an integral part of the team and one of the most influential players in that position across Europe."

Allardyce has earmarked 60 points as the likely total required to gain one of the two spare spots in the UEFA Cup, and challenged his side to cling onto what he would regard as a momentous fifth-place finish.

Allardyce told Wanderers World: "Finishing fifth would be like winning the Premiership for a club like ours.

"The size of the task of the 38 games of the saeson, with the resources, facilities and finance we have got, and the squad compared to everyone else in the Premiership, that is a major achievement in one season for a club like ours.

"It shows a level of consistency that really shouldn't be reached for a club like ours with the resources it has available."