Samba was stripped of the captaincy by Kean prior to the Boxing Day defeat by Stoke after saying he wanted to quit in protest at the handling of former boss Sam Allardyce's recent departure. The Congo international missed the Stoke clash and the 3-1 Premier League win at West Brom with an ankle injury but Kean has cleared the air with the player. Kean feels Samba showed enough determination in a fitness test before the West Brom game to prove he has no intention of leaving. Kean said: "He pushed himself for 35-40 minutes but he still felt his ankle. He was gutted. "I'm convinced he will be fit for Sunderland [on January 1] and I am delighted to say he does not want to hand in that transfer request. "He is happy to see how things develop in the transfer market and he is starting to think about staying at the club, which is a bonus for us." There have been reports of further player unrest at Rovers but there seemed little sign of it in a lively performance at The Hawthorns which delivered Kean's first win. Nikola Kalinic twice put Rovers ahead either side of a Jerome Thomas equaliser but was then sent off shortly after Mame Biram Diouf added a third. West Brom rallied and hit the bar but Blackburn held on after Gabriel Tamas was also dismissed for bringing down Diouf. There was also evidence that Kean has the backing of the Rovers fans, who chanted his name, but it was clear their support does not extend to the club's controversial new Indian owners. Kean said: "I never felt there was a rebellion or that anyone didn't want to play. "I think for Chris, what was said was if another club came in for him then he would look at it. "He might have been misquoted. He assured me he never said he wanted to leave. "He didn't put in a written or verbal transfer request and I am very encouraged." The only other downside for Blackburn was a calf injury to goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was forced off at half-time. Kean said: "It is a buoyant dressing room. What is even more pleasing is that we had Paul Robinson, from the very first moment of the warm-up, feeling his calf. "He wanted to give it a go and Michel Salgado was up all night being sick, but he wanted to play. "To get a victory with lads that were a bit under the weather, and to play the way we did against a very good West Brom team, was fantastic, especially for the travelling fans. "We have got great fans. At the last home game there was a bit of frustration because we didn't play well against Stoke. "But it's not about them singing my name. I was delighted for them because they have travelled a lot with the team. "Today we showed our togetherness. That hopefully can get the fans singing and we'll take them up to Sunderland." West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo felt his side contributed to their own downfall. "Today was bad defending," said the Italian. "After five minutes we were chasing the game already and it is tough in the Premier League. "Generally we haven't conceded too many goals to set-pieces but today we conceded two. "We need to be better and pay attention defensively because you get punished very quickly. "In the first half we got ourselves back into the game and created chances but it is difficult to win games if we concede all the time." The promoted Baggies are now halfway through a campaign which has promised much, but work is still needed to guarantee safety. Di Matteo added: "We never thought it was going to be easy. "We are what we are. We try very hard but we need to improve in certain circumstances."
