New Burnley boss Brian Laws hopes to keep hold of on-loan Portsmouth striker David Nugent.

Laws is keen to make securing an extension for the 24-year-old one of his first tasks, after being pipped to the post by Preston North End when Nugent left his first club, Bury.

"David Nugent is a terrific player. He's an established striker, and a good one, and we want to keep him here," Laws told the Lancashire Telegraph.

"I tried to nick him when he was at Bury and had a fight on my hands. I was at Scunthorpe and only had £50,000, Preston offered £65,000, and I couldn't raise the extra so I could talk to him.

"But I've watched his career all the way through.

"He's a quality player, and when you look for a striker who has a goalscoring record, in the Premier League, and they're available, they're hard to come by. When you've found one, keep him, and it's important we do.

"We'll certainly be working very hard with Portsmouth and David and hopefully talk him into staying."