February Football gossip 2008

Friday, 1 February 2008

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Benjani Mwaruwari's proposed transfer to Manchester City from Portsmouth did not go through on Thursday night because he failed to reach Eastlands before the midnight transfer deadline. (Various)

The amount Portsmouth paid Tottenham for Jermain Defoe varies according to your choice of morning paper. A cool £12m according to the Daily Star, £9m says the Daily Mail, £7m reckon the Sun, Daily Mirror and Daily Express. Take your pick.

Tottenham did manage to complete the signing of Brazilian left-back Gilberto from Hertha Berlin on deadline night, but failed to prise striker Fred from Lyon. (Express).

Liverpool will pay Javier Mascherano's agents MSI £18.6m to make his deal permanent in June when his loan deal expires. (Various)

Bolton boss Gary Megson failed in a £7m transfer deadline swoop for Reading striker Leroy Lita but will try again in the summer. (The Sun)

Newcastle blocked a bid from Swindon to take England U-19 international Andy Carroll (Sun).

But Magpies boss Kevin Keegan pulled out of a deal for centre-back Alvaro from Spanish club Levante. (Sun)

Kevin Keegan is to hold crisis talks with unsettled midfielder Charles N'Zogbia to try and keep him at St James' Park in the summer. (Daily Star).

Aston Villa saw their £2m move for goalkeeper Brad Guzan from Chivas USA collapse as he failed to get a work permit. (Sun)

Rangers lost out on an 11th-hour bid to land Italian striker Andrea Caracciolo from Sampdoria. (Daily Record).


OTHER GOSSIP
Sammy Lee is set to be named new Leeds boss Gary McAllister's number two. (Various)

Middlesbrough still need international clearance for new record signing Afonso Alves before he can play in Sunday's derby with Newcastle. (Daily Star).


AND FINALLY
Tottenham striker Aaron Lennon is officially the shortest player on the books of any Premiership club at 5ft 5in. (Guardian)

Saturday 02nd February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
The Premier League will meet next week to decide whether Benjani's transfer from Portsmouth to Manchester City can go ahead. (Various)

Javier Mascherano is expected to make his loan move permanent by signing for Liverpool next week in a £17.1m deal. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City defender Micah Richards says he is ready to sign a contract extension with the club to end rumours of a move away from Eastlands. (Various)

Middlesbrough may have to pay a further £2m for striker Afonso Alves because of a legal challenge from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. (Mail)

Bolton manager Gary Megson has opened talks with Liverpool in a bid to seal a permanent £2m deal for on-loan midfielder Danny Guthrie at the end of the season. (Daily Star)

Fulham hope Daniel Cousin may still join from Rangers before the end of the season as a Fifa meeting will review player status after the Africa Cup of Nations. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Fabio Capello is to name Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard as his captain for the friendly against Switzerland, but the role of permanent skipper is still up for grabs. (Various)

Chelsea defender John Terry has been banned from attending the national team's kit launch next week because Capello does not want injured players on show. (Various)

Former Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni will next week be named Republic of Ireland manager. (The Sun)

New Scotland coach George Burley does not want to play the planned friendly against England at Wembley on 28 May as he believes many of his players will be unavailable because of club commitments. (The Daily Telegraph)

Stoke City's Tony Pulis and former Burnley boss Steve Cotterill have been short-listed to replace Burley as Southampton manager. (Telegraph)

Premier League clubs spent a record £150m in January, surpassing the total of all top divisions in France, Germany, Italy and Spain (Times)


AND FINALLY
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley says goalkeeper Robert Green should dye his hair "or do something else silly" to gain a place in the England squad. (Various)

Sunday 03rd February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester City are adamant the £9m deal for Benjani cannot go ahead and are set to launch a legal battle to settle their row with Portsmouth over the on-off signing. (News of the World)

But City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson said of the transfer: "I want him here and he wants to come, I strongly believe that. Something will happen on Monday or Tuesday." (The Mail on Sunday)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will allow £15m-rated midfielder Xabi Alonso to return to Spain in the summer, while John Arne Riise, Peter Crouch, Harry Kewell and Andriy Voronin will also leave Anfield. (News of the World)

Crouch will link-up with Erkisson in a £12m swap deal involving 19-year-old City midfielder Michael Johnson. (The People)

Jermain Defoe has joined Portsmouth on loan - not in a £9.5m permanent transfer. Pompey claim the deal will be made permanent within days because they have an obligation to buy Defoe. (Sunday Mirror)

Afonso Alves's record transfer to Middlesbrough is being investigated by Fifa after world football's governing body received an official complaint from Paolo Almeida, the striker's former agent. (Sunday Mirror)

Porto's £20m-rated midfielder Ricardo Quaresma is top of Arsene Wenger's summer wish list. (The People)

Meanwhile, Manchester United have lined up a £15m summer swoop for the Portuguese club's right-back Jose Bosingwa. (News of the World)

United, Chelsea and Arsenal have been alerted after Barcelona told midfielder Deco he can leave the Nou Camp in the summer. (The People)

Aston Villa are trailing Leicester's 20-year-old full-back Richard Stearman. (News of the World)

Reading will go back to Crystal Palace in the summer in a bid to sign midfielder Ben Watson after initially being rejected by Neil Warnock. (News of the World)

Newcastle will sign Giles Barnes from Derby in the summer for around £3m. (People)


OTHER GOSSIP
Cristiano Ronaldo will become the highest paid player in Premier League history with Manchester United ready to offer him a £44m contract to tie him to Old Trafford until 2014. (News of the World)

Dennis Wise is to offer former Chelsea team-mate Gianfranco Zola a job as part of Newcastle's scouting team. (The People)

Fabio Capello is considering a private plea for Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes to make an England return. (Various)

Manchester City will hand Daniel Sturridge a huge pay rise to keep the 18-year-old striker out of the hands of Chelsea and Arsenal. (News of the World)

Stuart Pearce believes that his current crop of England Under-21 players can win the World Cup on home soil in 2018 - if they are allowed to get the right experience. (Daily Express)

Terry Venables has been shortlisted to replace Steve Staunton as Republic of Ireland manager. (Various)

Hopes of fielding a British football team at the 2012 Olympics looked doomed after Scottish officials insisted they would resist any attempt to unite the four home nations. (The Sunday Telegraph)

Former Scotland boss Berti Vogts will be sacked if his Nigeria team are knocked out of the African Cup of Nations by hosts Ghana on Sunday. (Sunday Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Romario's mother, Lita Farias, says her son's 120-day ban for failing a doping test is 'nasty and cruel'. "Yes he took a drug - to stop his hair collapsing. It is anti-baldness." (The Observer)

Monday 04th February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester City will be ordered to buy Portsmouth striker Benjani by the Premier League. However, City will be allowed to renegotiate the £9m fee. (Mirror)

However, City do not want a deal to go through and they are ready to go to court to prove that Benjani is not their player. (The Sun)

Paraguay striker Nelsen Cuevas claims he has signed a pre-contract agreement with Blackburn. (Mirror)

Dutch side AZ Alkmaar are claiming new Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves is their player and want Fifa to ban him from playing. (Mirror)

Bolton midfielder Blerim Dzemaili wants a loan move. (Mirror)

Arsenal midfielder Alex Hleb is a target for Barcelona, who claim they will meet him this week. (Daily Mail)

Teddy Sheringham's son, Charlie, is to be offered a deal by Danish second division club Fremad Amager after an eight-day trial. (Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Steve Cotterill, Kevin Blackwell and John Gregory have all been interviewed for the managerial vacancy at Southampton. (Mirror)

Former Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld will become the manager of Switzerland next season. (Mirror)

Rangers manager Walter Smith is angry that the Scottish FA has ruled out Wednesday as a Scottish Cup replay date because of international commitments. (Express)

The Scottish FA is set for a U-turn to allow Rangers to play their Scottish Cup replay against Hibernian on Wednesday. (Record)

Rangers are poised to appeal against the red card shown to goalkeeper Allan McGregor in Sunday's Scottish Cup tie against Hibernian. (Various)

Scotland could bid to host the Euro 2012 finals if political instability rules out Poland and Ukraine. (Various)

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee has denied suggestions that he will move to Hearts in the summer. (Record)


AND FINALLY
Liverpool players gave 6ft 7in striker Peter Crouch a stepladder for his birthday. The joke gift came with a note that suggested Crouch's girlfriend would now be able to reach him. (The Sun)

New Tottenham right-back Alan Hutton insists his partner will return to Scotland so their new baby will be born in his homeland. (The Sun)

Tuesday 05th February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester City aim to reduce the original fee for Portsmouth striker Benjani but the on-off deal appears to be going ahead on Tuesday. (Various)

Birmingham will open contract talks with midfielder Mehdi Nafti when the Tunisia international returns from the Africa Cup of Nations. (Daily Star)

Chelsea are interested in signing IK Start's Ghana international midfielder Anthony Annan. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool are set to permanently sign Javier Mascherano. (Various)

Former Lens coach Guy Roux says Daniel Cousin cannot be transferred from Rangers to Fulham because the striker played twice for the French club earlier this season. (Various)

Falkirk striker Pedro Moutinho's £200,000 move to Kayserispor has collapsed ahead of the closure of the Turkish transfer window tonight. (Daily Record)

Crystal Palace have postponed contract talks with Julian Speroni after the Argentine goalkeeper demanded vastly improved terms. (Daily Star)

Sheffield Wednesday will sign on-loan Sunderland midfielder Graham Kavanagh permanently in the summer. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forest want Watford striker Will Hoskins on loan. (Daily Star)

Craig Armstrong is to rejoin Cheltenham on a free transfer after only five months at Gillingham. (Daily Star)

Kevin Phillips is set to agree a new deal with West Brom. (Various)

Out-of-favour Derby midfielder Bob Malcolm could join MLS outfit Dallas FC. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
New England boss Fabio Capello's first words to his assembled squad were: "I hate losing". The Italian addressed his player by their last names and laid down a number of rules, including banning WAGs. (Daily Star)

Republic of Ireland will offer Giovanni Trapattoni the manager's job with a £1m bonus if he takes them to the World Cup in South Africa. (Daily Mail)

Celtic midfielder Scott Brown will be suspended for the Scottish Cup quarter-final against Aberdeen after being booked against Kilmarnock at the weekend. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has celebrated becoming the Premier League's highest-paid player by splashing out £4m on a new home. The five bedroom mansion boasts an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, gym, cinema room and media suite. (The Sun)

Wednesday 06th February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal winger Alex Hleb will stay with the Gunners despite a planned summer raid by Barcelona. (The Sun)

Tottenham and Arsenal will fight it out to land Newcastle winger Charles N'Zogbia in the summer. (Daily Mail)

Middlesbrough are set to double defender David Wheater's wages to fend off interest from Liverpool. (The Sun)

Boro expect Wheater to sign a new long-term deal in the next two weeks. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has been spotted house hunting in Barcelona while he recovers from a thigh injury. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has pledged his future to the club despite interest from Real Madrid and AC Milan. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United have been sounding out clubs interested in signing striker Louis Saha. (Daily Mail)

Ipswich hope to sign out-of-favour Portsmouth striker David Nugent on loan. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham will go to court to fight a legal challenge from Kia Joorabchian over fees relating to Carlos Tevez's spell at Upton Park. (Telegraph)

Rangers captain Barry Ferguson will spend the rest of his career at Ibrox with the club set to offer him a contract extension. (The Sun)

Dunfermline have taken St Mirren forward Alex Burke on loan until the end of the season. (Daily Mirror)

Giovanni Trapattoni is the preferred choice to be the new Republic of Ireland boss, ahead of Terry Venables and Billy Davies. (Independent)

Coventry City want to re-sign striker Gary McSheffrey on loan from Birmingham. (Daily Star)

Leeds striker Tresor Kandol wants to quit Elland Road after a bust-up with new boss Gary McAllister. (The Sun)

Former Scotland striker Gary McSwegan, 37, is training with Clyde. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
England boss Fabio Capello could pick Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole up front against Switzerland and leave Michael Owen on the bench. (Various)

Owen was a spectator in training on Tuesday as Capello experimented with new formations. (Various)

Matthew Upson, Wes Brown, David Bentley and Ashley Young are all set to start against the Swiss at Wembley. (Various)

Motherwell will pay £40,000 to replace part of their rain-sodden Fir Park pitch - and the new surface will only last six weeks. (Daily Record)

Shaun Maloney fears for his place in the Scotland squad if he does not secure more first-team football with Aston Villa. (Various)

Barry Ferguson is desperate to seize what he sees as his last chance of playing at World Cup finals for Scotland. (Various)

Maciej Zurawski says leaving Celtic for Larissa will revive his hopes of playing for Poland at the Euro 2008 finals. (Daily Mail)

Former Scotland international Andy Goram is poised to become goalkeeping coach with Clyde. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Fabio Capello banned England players from playing golf before the friendly with Switzerland but says they can play as much as they like on Thursday. (Various)

Benjani's move from Portsmouth to Manchester City was held up on transfer deadline day because the Zimbabwe striker fell asleep at the airport and missed two planes. (The Times)

Saturday 09th February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard will launch a £20m summer bid for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. (Daily Express).

Gilberto Silva's future at Arsenal looks in doubt after he admitted he feels like a spare part under Arsene Wenger. (Sun)

Chelsea are planning a renewed effort to sign Croatia midfielder Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer. (The Times)

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee believes Ross McCormack should set his sights higher than a move to Wigan. (Various)

Leeds boss Gary McAllister wants midfielder Alan Thompson back from his loan deal at Hartlepool. (Sun)

Portsmouth have rejected a loan bid for £6m striker David Nugent from his former club Preston. (Various)

Everton striker Yakubu's future at Goodison hangs in the balance after he failed to report back on time from Africa Cup of Nations duty and was axed from the squad to face Reading. (Various)

Hull striker Michael Bridges has rejected a loan move to Crewe to fight for his place. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom striker Zoltan Gera is set to snub a new deal at West Brom if the Baggies fail to win promotion to the Premier League. (Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Bolton Boss Gary Megson has revealed that Jermain Defoe turned down the chance to replace Nicolas Anelka at the Reebok. (Sun)

Coach Nigel Pearson has left Newcastle, according to reports. The 44-year-old took over as caretaker boss after Sam Allardyce's departure last month. (Times)


AND FINALLY
England boss Fabio Capello's top-of-the-range hair dryer was stolen from his private changing room at Wembley on Wednesday. (Daily Mirror)

Tom Huddlestone has revealed that Tottenham boss Juande Ramos ordered him to ditch tomato ketchup, among other things, in a bid to get his weight down. (Various)

Tottenham's desperate bid for european football next season has driven the club to apply to enter the Intertoto Cup (various).

Wednesday 20th February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United have targeted £15m-rated Sporting Lisbon defender Miguel Veloso. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is set to bid for Crystal Palace left-back Lee Hills. (Daily Mirror)

However, the player said he will not leave the south London club. (Daily Star)

Sunderland are planning a move for Southampton's Andrew Surman in the summer. (The Daily Mail)

Hull are poised to sign defender Neil Clement on loan from West Brom. (Daily Star)

Chelsea face a battle with CSKA Moscow to sign FC Brno midfielder Lubos Kalouda. (The Independent)

Coventry are interested in signing Fulham defender Ian Pearce. (The Times)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has slammed the Football Association for failing to punish William Gallas for a tackle on Nani. (Various)

Everton are rewarding midfielder Lee Carsley with a new contract. (The Sun)

Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman has described Carson Yeung's plan to get him voted on to Birmingham's board as "a mistake". (Daily Mirror)

Reading have put their stadium expansion plans on hold because of the threat of relegation. (Various)

The Football Association is expected to grant a stay of execution to the Premier League's '39 games' proposal. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson is in line for a recall to the first team for Thursday's Uefa Cup match against Slavia Prague. (Daily Mail)

Gretna chief executive Graeme Muir says the club faces an uncertain future. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has credited mind exercises for his improving performances. "I do them in the hotel room before the game, do them on the bus and on the pitch," he said.

Thursday 21st February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal are on the brink of signing defender Ignasi Miquel. He is set to join the Gunners when he turns 16 in October. (Various)

Manchester United will have to battle it out with Barcelona in order to sign Bayern Munich full-back Philip Lahm. (Daily Mail)

Hibernian star Steven Fletcher says he is flattered at being linked with Real Madrid but says any proposed move is a little "far-fetched". (Daily Record)

Barcelona are keen on Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso but the Spaniard wants to wait until the summer before deciding on his future. (Daily Mail)

Fulham's protracted move for Rangers striker Daniel Cousin is no closer to completion after the Gabon international said he would be staying in Glasgow until at least the summer. (The Independent)

Manchester United defender Gerard Pique has been linked with a move back to Barcelona. (The Independent)


OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has warned manager Avram Grant that he expects to start the club's remaining Champions League matches. (Various)

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon is expected to confirm his support for the Premier League's '39th game' proposals. (Various)

However, Manchester United counterpart David Gill is apparently ready to tell the Premier League that his club opposes the plans. (Various)

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho could be heading to Barcelona because the biggest opponent to the appointment, Johan Cruyff, has agreed to join Ajax at the end of the season. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing has admitted that he has yet to officially sign a new contract, despite agreeing a five-year deal last week. (Daily Mail)

New Coventry boss Dave Coleman is poised to recruit goalkeeping coach Dave Beasant. (Daily Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate, who joined the club from Middlesbrough last month, says he is still living out of a suitcase in a hotel after being stunned by house prices in the capital. (Various)

Friday 22nd February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has made Lyon striker Karim Benzema the club's top summer transfer target - but Lyon want £45m. (Guardian)

Wes Brown has rejected a third contract offer from Manchester United and looks set to leave on a free transfer in the summer. (Telegraph)

Barcelona are preparing a £13m bid for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. (Mail)

Fulham will sign Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia in the summer - providing they stay up. (Mirror)

Frank Lampard could leave Chelsea at the end of the season, with £12m Luca Modric set to replace him. (Star)

David Nugent's loan move to Ipswich has been put on hold after the Portsmouth striker picked up a groin injury. (Sun)

Everton are lining up a £3m bid for Barnsley Cup hero Brian Howard. (Sun)

Keeper Mark Schwarzer is set to leave Middlesbrough in the summer after 11 years at the Riverside. (Sun)

Chelsea will not sign Ronaldinho from Barcelona because the Brazilian is too old. (Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Frank Lampard will start the Carling Cup final on Sunday, while Didier Drogba will be partnered by Nicolas Anelka up front. (Sun)

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger could make a surprise return against Middlesbrough on Saturday. (Guardian)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp says he will not allow former club Bournemouth to go out of business. (Express)

Russian Alisher Usmanov is now Arsenal's biggest shareholder with a 24.2% stake. (Sun)


AND FINALLY
England boss Fabio Capello is paying £2,100 a week for his two-bedroom apartment in central London - not the reported £4,500. (Times)

Capello says his English is improving. "The only difficulty is that different people in different accents talk to me and in some instances I can hardly understand a word." (Times)

Carling will give up to £20,000 to charity if fans are in their seats in time for the second half of the Carling Cup final on Sunday. (Telegraph)

Saturday 23rd February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
AC Milan will bid for Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor in the summer, in the wake of Ronaldo's career-threatening injury. (Daily Mirror)

European champions Milan could also move for Chelsea forward duo Didier Drogba or Andriy Shevchenko at the end of the season. (Mirror)

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson received loan interest from other clubs for striker David Healy, but looks set to keep him - for now. (Daily Express)

Real Madrid chief Ramon Calderon has cooled on his interest in Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish wants Nottingham Forest winger Kris Commons and Huddersfield's Matt Glennon. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Ashley Cole is set to be dumped for Wayne Bridge for the Carling Cup final by Chelsea boss Avram Grant. (Various)

Injury-plagued skipper Ledley King fears Sunday's Carling Cup clash with Chelsea at Wembley will be his last game for Tottenham. (Daily Mail).

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger faces an angry Jens Lehmann if he replaces him in the side by fit-again Manuel Almunia. (Various)

Fulham's veteran striker Jari Litmanen, 37, is expected to return to training next week after recuperating at home in Finland after suffering heart palpitations. (Guardian)

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has patched up his relationship with co-owner Tom Hicks through e-mail. (Various)

Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson is eager to cement his place in the team after being given another chance by boss Juande Ramos. (Various)

Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman has warned Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov his ongoing take-over attempts will damage the club's on-field progress. (Guardian)


AND FINALLY
Robbie Keane has urged his Tottenham team-mates to win Sunday's Carling Cup for troubled former White Hart Lane hero Paul Gascoigne. (Sun)

Derby boss Paul Jewell has warned his mum she might not get the new kitchen he promised her if she cheers for his former club Wigan in Saturday's Premier League clash.

Sunday 24th February gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Real Madrid believe they will succeed in snatching Steven Gerrard away from Liverpool for £50m at the end of this season. (News of the World)

Ashely Cole faces an uncertain future at Chelsea after missing out on selection for the Carling Cup final against Spurs. (Mail on Sunday)

Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba may also leave Stamford Bridge to join up with Jose Mourinho, who is now strong favourite to manage Barcelona. (Mail on Sunday)

Everton manager David Moyes plans to sign Steven Pienaar on a permanent deal next season after agreeing terms with Borussia Dortmund. (Sunday Telegraph)

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is interested in Argentine left-back Emiliano Insua after watching him play against his reserves for Liverpool. (Sunday Express)

Brazilian full-back Rafinha is interested in a move to Liverpool. The Schalke defender is under contract until 2011 but would relish a summer switch to Anfield. (Sunday Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Wes Brown is holding out for £80,000 per week after turning down a £55,000 offer from Man Utd. (News of the World)

Arsene Wenger fears for Eduardo's career after a late challenge from Martin Taylor broke his leg. (Mail on Sunday)

Tottenham Hotspur have pledged to provide support for troubled former player Paul Gascoigne (Sunday Telegraph)

Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood is unhappy with his new "super sub" role at the club. (Observer)

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton will not be eligible to play for his club when they visit Liverpool because of the conditions of his bail. (Sunday Telegraph)

Positive feedback means a pilot scheme that would allow only the captain to talk to the referee could be introduced from next season. (Sunday Express)

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina denies there is any sort of dressing room split at Anfield. (News of the World)


AND FINALLY
Warming up for Spurs before their Uefa Cup clash with Slavia Prague, recalled keeper Paul Robinson was goaded by the away fans to sing them a song. He belted out a verse of "Stand up if you hate Arsenal", which went down a storm. (News of the World)