DIRECTOR of rugby Dean Ryan has vowed to do all he can to keep powerful forward Mike Williams at Worcester Warriors.
The 23-year-old, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, has been linked with a move to Aviva Premiership side Leicester Tigers.
The Warriors boss said he was not surprised Williams had reportedly attracted interest from their Midlands rivals as his thumping tackles and ball-carrying exploits have made him a popular figure at Sixways.
But Ryan insisted Williams remained a key figure in his plans to make Warriors a successful club in the top flight.
“I don’t think there have been rumours about Mike Williams looking to go elsewhere,” he said.
“I think there have been rumours about people looking at Mike Williams, so my response to that is pretty obvious. We have got some really good people here – from coaches to players – and that’s going to attract attention.
“We have got to get this group moving, but we have got to recognise that by doing that we will alert someone else that something good is going on here. That’s just part of how the market works.
“Of course (I would love to keep Mike Williams). I want good players all the time and he is a good player. So there is nothing to be read into people looking at our players. I would be disappointed if they weren’t.”
Ryan also revealed work which has gone on this season has helped pursued players whose contracts are up for renegotiation to stay at Warriors.
“We are not locking people in handcuffs and saying ‘we want keep everyone here’ as it won’t be right for everyone,” he added.
“We are not in a situation where we are talking about winning leagues and talking about everyone playing international rugby next week, so there is very different sell for us.
“The opportunity to be here is an opportunity to be involved in something right from the start and the building of it is where your ownership of it comes in and that sell is certainly having a lot of success as people want to be involved here.”