Bristol City manager Steve Coppell is confident the club will resist pressure to sell star striker Nicky Maynard. Scorer of 20 Championship goals last season, City's 23-year-old record signing has become a marketable asset and has already been linked with Premier League sides Wolves and West Brom. But Coppell, who took up his post at Ashton Gate earlier this week, instantly dismissed media speculation and predicted Maynard would still be a City player at the start of next season. Despite reports linking Maynard with a possible move to the top flight, City have yet to receive a single offer for the forward they signed from Crewe Alexandra for £2.25 million in July 2008. And Coppell believes any Premier League managers contemplating a bid for Maynard would already have made their move. He revealed: "I've certainly not had any phone calls from managers asking me about Nicky and, as far as I know, neither has anyone else at the club."
Bristol Evening Post

Bristol City boss Steve Coppell has urged striker Nicky Maynard to stay and fire the club to promotion next season. The 23-year-old is believed to have attracted interest from two Premier League club but Coppell insists City do not want to sell. He said: "I hope Nicky wants to stay and is hopeful of getting promotion with us next year so he can ply his trade in the top division. We won't have to sell Nicky for financial reasons - that's for sure."
BBC Sport

Bristol City boss Steve Coppell has no plans to change the backroom staff he inherited at Ashton Gate. The former Reading chief revealed before he started work at Ashton Gate on Tuesday that he had never brought in his own coaching staff at his previous clubs and he has no plans to change that policy. But Coppell said: "It's difficult to know how it works...the proof of the pudding is when you start training."
Teamtalk

Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown insists new manager Steve Coppell is under no pressure to sell before he can buy this summer. Robins supremo Lansdown believes the Robins' squad needs to be trimmed to 24 senior players, with the emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Coppell started work on Tuesday and will immediately turn his attention to building a squad for his first season in charge at Ashton Gate. Lansdown said: "Steve Coppell doesn't need to sell before he can buy players. I don't want to put him under pressure."
Mirror