Wolves start talks with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Wolves boss Dean Saunders today declared contract talks are underway to keep Sylvan Ebanks-Blake at Molineux – and the 11-goal top scorer wants to stay.

The club turned down a £1m bid from Crystal Palace in the January transfer window and Ebanks-Blake said at the weekend that he is happy at the club, even though he's into the last five months of his contract.

Saunders wants the 26-year-old striker to commit what he hopes will be the best years of his career to the club.

"We're talking about it (deal) now," said the boss. "We were just waiting for the window to shut and for things to calm down a bit and now we'll crack on.

"I think he wants to stay and sign – it's just down to agreeing the figures.

"We've got to reach an agreement somewhere.

"He's always got the option of letting his contract run out which puts him in a position where no one has to pay a transfer fee for him, so he can command more money out of the whole package.

"But my plan was to turn down the money offered and give him a new contract and he bangs goals in for us for the next three years.

"It's hard to find goalscorers and if you're going to buy someone to guarantee you goals in this league, it will cost you £2m unless they're getting on a bit or they're young like Chris Wood."

Saunders also revealed Ebanks-Blake is happier now he's getting more chances again.

"I think he's pleased because from what he was telling me, he wasn't getting any chances," said the boss.

"Now the strikers are getting chances, he's happy."

Meanwhile, Saunders revealed Wolves refused to pay over the odds for Birmingham pair Curtis Davies and Marlon King in the January window.

Saunders saw bids for both players rejected, and admitted King would have been a replacement had Ebanks-Blake left.

"Birmingham didn't want to sell any of their players to us, which you can understand, but I felt they would have added something," he said.

"I was thinking if we lost Sylvan, then that (King) would have been one route to go down.

"We could have had him on a free transfer but it wasn't (free) in the end."