On the eve of tomorrow's must-win Barclays Premier League clash with West Ham, the 62-year-old read reports that midfielders Charles N'Zogbia, Joey Barton and Alan Smith could be sold to fund his own recruitment drive.

Kinnear has repeatedly insisted none of his key men will be offloaded this month, although with executive director (football) Dennis Wise doing both his and owner Mike Ashley's bidding behind the scenes, those decisions may ultimately not be his to take.

However, after yet more quotes from France attributed to N'Zogbia linking him with Arsenal, as well as Tottenham and Aston Villa, the Magpies boss took the unusual step of calling Gunners counterpart and friend Arsene Wenger to ask if he is on the trail of the 22-year-old Frenchman.

He said: "I have spoken to Arsene Wenger and he said he's not interested in any of my players, so I don't know where the agent is coming from.

"We are looking into it. If it is true, then the agent is being disrespectful. He's never had the decency to explain anything to any member of this football club.

"It's laughable, to be honest. It's absolute nonsense.

"Charles is under contract until 2012, and I told him on day one that he was a very important player.

"He's been in the team, and has done very well. He's 60-40 to play tomorrow - and I hope he does."

Kinnear was unhappy too with suggestions that Bolton and Portsmouth are ready to battle it out for Barton's signature, while he also revealed Smith was unimpressed by reports that he could be offloaded to either Everton or Middlesbrough.

Both men are currently working their way back to fitness after long-term injuries.

Kinnear said: "We have identified the players we want, and it's in Dennis Wise's hands.

"As for bids for our players, we haven't heard from anybody.

"It's been non-stop and the latest rumours focus on Joey Barton and Alan Smith.

"I spoke to Alan Smith and he is bitterly disappointed that his name has been bandied around for no reason at all.

"He is two weeks away from full fitness, and I don't know how we can transfer someone who has been out for six months.

"It's the same with Joey Barton. He's back in full training next week."

Kinnear left today's press conference duties to number two Chris Hughton, and he was quick to confirm that the club's policy remains that no key player will be sold.

The manager has found himself in the firing line of sections of the media in recent weeks and is clearly unhappy with some of the rumours surrounding both his current squad and the players he is attempting to lure to St James' Park this month.

However, Hughton insisted Kinnear was simply getting on with his job.

He said: "One thing Joe is is an experienced manager, and experienced managers have been through good times and they have been through bad times, and it is how they react when they are in the bad times.

"Joe's goal at the moment would be to get this team away from the position we are in, into an area where perhaps things could be a little more comfortable."

The media circus which surrounds Newcastle may have come as something of a surprise to Kinnear after his time out of the game, but it has not to his deputy.

He said: "From my time at Spurs, I had been used to being at a club which was very much always in the news and I was well aware of what it was like up here from the times we had played up here, but also from talking to individuals who had been up here before, like Les Ferdinand.

"They had told me about their experiences up here and what a club it was and how big a club and about the support, so it hasn't been a surprise."