Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has told Premiership rivals to forget about trying to snatch any of his young stars.
French midfielder Charles N'Zogbia has been linked with Arsenal, while reports at the weekend suggested Chelsea could be interested in England Under-21 defender Steven Taylor, who has previously been touted as a target for Liverpool and Tottenham.
Taylor, 21, has established himself back in the Magpies' defence after recovering from surgery on a dislocated shoulder last season, and will have a key role to play in the UEFA Cup campaign with Oguchi Onyewu ineligible in Europe.
Roeder and number two Nigel Pearson have been working closely with Taylor, and while they insist he still has a lot to learn, the manager is adamant his future lies on Tyneside.
He said: "Chelsea have not been in contact with us. No club has spoken to us about Steven Taylor - and if they did, they would be wasting their time.
"There is no chance of Taylor leaving this club while I am manager.
"We are trying to build a squad of players here, not dismantle one, and youngsters like Taylor and Charles N'Zogbia are the future."
Taylor, like the rest of his team-mates, was given the weekend off with no senior fixture on the calendar, but returned to training today to begin preparations for Thursday`s clash with AZ Alkmaar in Holland.
The Magpies know a clean sheet will book their place in the quarter-finals after last week's 4-2 victory over Louis van Gaal's side at St James' Park.
AZ failed to score in their Eredivisie fixture against Feyenoord at the DSB Stadium yesterday, and 0-0 would suit Roeder.
Chief scout David Mills was at the game, but Newcastle already knew what to expect from their hosts after a thrilling first leg which they might have won more comfortably, only for the visitors to score a potentially vital second away goal after being awarded a controversial penalty.
Roeder and his squad will fly from Tyneside on Wednesday morning, and there are unlikely to be any new faces on the plane.
Celestine Babayaro, Craig Moore and Peter Ramage are back in training, but not yet at the point where they could be considered for first-team duty.
Stephen Carr and Emre returned from lengthy absences for the first game with Carr starting at left-back and Emre coming on as a late substitute for Damien Duff.
Taylor, 21, has established himself back in the Magpies' defence after recovering from surgery on a dislocated shoulder last season, and will have a key role to play in the UEFA Cup campaign with Oguchi Onyewu ineligible in Europe.
Roeder and number two Nigel Pearson have been working closely with Taylor, and while they insist he still has a lot to learn, the manager is adamant his future lies on Tyneside.
He said: "Chelsea have not been in contact with us. No club has spoken to us about Steven Taylor - and if they did, they would be wasting their time.
"There is no chance of Taylor leaving this club while I am manager.
"We are trying to build a squad of players here, not dismantle one, and youngsters like Taylor and Charles N'Zogbia are the future."
Taylor, like the rest of his team-mates, was given the weekend off with no senior fixture on the calendar, but returned to training today to begin preparations for Thursday`s clash with AZ Alkmaar in Holland.
The Magpies know a clean sheet will book their place in the quarter-finals after last week's 4-2 victory over Louis van Gaal's side at St James' Park.
AZ failed to score in their Eredivisie fixture against Feyenoord at the DSB Stadium yesterday, and 0-0 would suit Roeder.
Chief scout David Mills was at the game, but Newcastle already knew what to expect from their hosts after a thrilling first leg which they might have won more comfortably, only for the visitors to score a potentially vital second away goal after being awarded a controversial penalty.
Roeder and his squad will fly from Tyneside on Wednesday morning, and there are unlikely to be any new faces on the plane.
Celestine Babayaro, Craig Moore and Peter Ramage are back in training, but not yet at the point where they could be considered for first-team duty.
Stephen Carr and Emre returned from lengthy absences for the first game with Carr starting at left-back and Emre coming on as a late substitute for Damien Duff.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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