January Football gossip 2008

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TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United contacted Tottenham about signing Dimitar Berbatov four weeks ago, but they are thought to want to sign him in the summer rather than now (Times).

Chelsea could hijack Manchester United's interest with a £26m offer for Berbatov (The Sun).

Hull and Leeds both want to sign Manchester City's Danny Mills (Daily Star).

Valencia want to sign Liverpool's John Arne Riise (Times).

Sheffield Wednesday have been priced out of a move for John Hartson, who has been told he can leave West Brom (Daily Star).

Dundee United boss Craig Levein says captain Barry Robson, who has been linked with Celtic, is worth £2m (Daily Record).

Real Madrid will focus their efforts on signing Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer (Mirror and Express)

Watford's Marlon King and Bobby Zamora of West Ham are on Roy Hodgson's wish list after he took over as Fulham manager (Mirror).

Barcelona are interested in Manchester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel after Jens Lehmann turned down a chance to move to the Nou Camp as back-up for Victor Valdes (Mirror).

Everton are poised to make Plymouth's versatile 17-year-old Ryan Gosling their first signing of the transfer window (Mirror).

Reading's Kevin Doyle is a surprise name on Chelsea's January shopping list, along with Bolton's Nicolas Anelka (Independent).

Bolton boss Gary Megson says the transfer window is "rubbish" and he would like to see its legal validity challenged in court (Telegraph).


OTHER GOSSIP
Javier Mascherano says he does not want to play for any other team in England if Liverpool decide not to make his loan move permanent (Daily Star).

Queen's Park boss Billy Stark is to be the new Scotland U21 manager (Daily Record).

Harry Kewell, who is out of contract in the summer, says his time at Liverpool has been so injury-plagued he dare not think about a new contract (Sun).

Sunderland's Daryl Murphy seems unenthusiastic about the possibility of joining QPR, saying "I've a good few years left on my contract here" (Sun).

Watford captain Jay DeMerit has warned his team-mates their jobs are on the line after a dramatic loss of form in the Championship (Mirror).

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has hinted he would be happy to get rid of Robbie Savage, saying he is frustrated and "doesn't take not playing very well" (Express).

Derby chairman Adam Pearson is refusing to admit their survival hopes are over but admits they face "a very difficult challenge" to stay in the Premier League (Express).

Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor has caught the eye of new England coach Fabio Capello and could be called into his first squad next month (Mail).

But John Terry is likely to miss the game against Switzerland as he could be out for two to three months with broken bones in his foot (Guardian).


AND FINALLY
Manchester United put on an alcohol-free Christmas pantomime at the training ground, with youth team players performing impressions of senior players (Daily Star).

Aston Villa's Wilfred Bouma says Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor are so frustratingly talented to play against in training he has to restrain himself from kicking them (Daily Star).

Even after he had won his first Scotland cap, Alex McLeish's father asked then Aberdeen boss Sir Alex Ferguson to persuade him to continue training as an accountant (Mirror).

West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has no Christmas decorations up in his house as he says playing over the festive period makes it just like any other part of the year (Independent)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce says buying a player in the transfer window is "like buying puppies at Christmas - you have to make sure it's long term and for the right reasons" (Telegraph).

 

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Wednesday 02nd January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea manager Avram Grant is ready to spend £35m to capture Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka and Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov. (Daily Star)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane wants to sign Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage and will also bid £2.5m for Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt. (Daily Star)

Derby are set to sign Argentine forward Emanuel Villa from Mexican side UAG Tecos this weekend. (The Sun)

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is lining up a £2m swoop for Crystal Palace's 17-year-old winger Sean Scanell. (The Sun)

West Brom want to permanently sign Shrejill Macdonald, who is on loan from Dutch side AGOVV. (The Sun)

Bristol City will pay Turkish side Genclerbirligi £500,000 for Australia international Nick Carle. (The Sun)

Leeds are preparing a new bid for Walsall's 21-year-old left-back Daniel Fox after having a £250,000 bid for him rejected. (The Sun)

Blackburn have discouraged interest in striker Jason Roberts by slapping a £4m price tag on his head. (Mirror)

Meanwhile, Rovers want South Korea midfielder Yoon Bitgaram. (Mirror)

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is hoping to make Liverpool winger Harry Kewell one of his first signings since taking over at Craven Cottage. (Mirror)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane is hoping to secure Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell on a loan deal. (Mirror)

Former Newcastle winger Laurent Robert wants to return to England, and Ipswich are favourites to sign him. (Mirror)

Crystal Palace want to sign Preston winger Simon Whaley and Birmingham midfielder Neil Danns. (Mirror)

Blackpool are close to signing Stephen McPhee after Hull accepted a £250,000 bid for him. (Mirror)

Arsenal are tracking Gillingham striker Luke Freeman, who is the youngest player to have played in the FA Cup at 15 years and 233 days old. (Telegraph)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is keen on signing 25-year-old Porto defender Jose Bosingwa. (Telegraph)

Rangers are stepping up their bid to sign Aston Villa striker Luke Moore. (Sun)

Rangers are chasing Napoli midfielder Sam Della Bona after a recommendation from AC Milan's Rino Gattuso. (Sun)

Rangers have been linked with Stuttgart left-back Ludovic Magnin. (Sun)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is interested in Rangers full-back Alan Hutton and Hibernian left-back defender David Murphy. (Telegraph)

Blackburn are monitoring South African midfielder Lance Davids, who plays for Swedish side Djugaardens. (Telegraph)

Chelsea manager Avram Grant is interested in Reading's Republic of Ireland striker Kevin Doyle. (Telegraph)

Derby are set to raid America for 22-year-old Kansas City Wizards striker Eddie Johnson. (Telegraph)

Everton are watching 30-year-old striker Thorstein Helstad, who plays for Norwegian side Brann. (Telegraph)

Manchester City defender Danny Mills, who is currently on loan at Charlton, is wanted on a permanent deal by Hull and Leeds. (Telegraph)

Manchester United could re-sign Henrik Larsson on a loan deal, similar to last season's transfer. (Telegraph)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp could make a move for Liverpool and England forward Peter Crouch. (Telegraph)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is looking at 24-year-old Macedonian striker Ilco Naumoski, who plays for Austria's SV Mattersburg. (Telegraph)

Reading will have to pay £5m to sign Coventry's Michael Mifsud. (Telegraph)

QPR are interested in Sunderland's Daryl Murphy, Blackburn's Robbie Savage, Celtic's Bobo Balde and Reading's Leroy Lita. (Telegraph)

West Ham are interested in signing Tottenham's out-of-favour striker Darren Bent. (Telegraph)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is tracking 24-year-old Ipswich striker Jonathan Walters. (Telegraph)

Celtic could offer Derek Riordan in part-exchange to Burnley for striker Kyle Lafferty. (Star)

Maccabi Tel Aviv have cooled their interest in Celtic striker Maciej Zurawski. (Record)

St Mirren have launched a £40,000 bid for Inverness Caley Thistle midfielder John Rankin. (Star)

Falkirk forward Pedro Moutinho is hoping for a move to a bigger club in January. (Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is being offered to European clubs by his agents, who feel time is running out to secure a deal at Anfield. (various)

West Ham striker Dean Ashton is set for showdown talks with the club after being dropped for recent matches. (Daily Star)

Blackburn are set to offer David Bentley a bumper new deal. (The Sun)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is eager to extend the contract of goalkeeper Maik Taylor. (Mirror)

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos insists striker Dimitar Berbatov will see out the season at White Hart Lane. (Mirror)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has insisted he has received no offers from any other clubs for England striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph)


AND FINALLY
David Beckham has been labelled Oldenballs rather than Goldenballs after revealing a new bleached crop haircut that has led him to him being likened to One Foot In The Grave character Victor Meldrew. (The Sun)

 

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Thursday 03rd January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon is lining up a £45m bid for Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. (Telegraph)

Ronaldo has made up his mind up to join Real and his agent has agreed a deal in principle with the club. (Express)

Chelsea have agreed an £8.5m deal with Lokomotiv Moscow for Serbia international defender Branislav Ivanovic. (various)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka is also set to move to Stamford Bridge for a £10m fee. (various)

And Blues manager Avram Grant is considering making it a triple swoop by offering £26m for Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov. (various)

Yet Chelsea are not finished there - they are also set to make a double swoop for Sevilla defender Daniel Alves and Valencia striker David Villa, at a cost of £45m. (Mirror)

Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb is wanted by Barcelona, who claim he is their top transfer target. Barcelona are also tracking Cesc Fabregas, Man Utd's Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. (Mirror)

Manchester United face competition from Barcelona for the signature of Bayern Munich left-back Philip Lahm. (Mirror)

AC Milan are confident they will capture Barcelona's Brazil superstar Ronaldinho in the summer, despite interest from Chelsea. (Mirror)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is lining up a move for Espanyol's 20-year-old keeper Kiko Casilla. And German stopper Jens Lehmann is set to leave the Gunners to join Borussia Dortmund. (various)

Blackburn will assess Levski Sofia striker Valeri Domovchiyski during a five-day trial at Ewood Park. (The Sun)

Macedonia striker Goran Pandev, who plays for Lazio, has said he is interested in playing for Tottenham, Liverpool or Everton. (The Sun)

Sheffield United will pay £6.5m for three midfielders and two defenders. West Ham's Nigel Quashie, Derby's David Jones, Portsmouth's Richard Hughes, Man Utd's Phil Bardsley and Aston Villa's Gary Cahill are the targets. (various)

Derby and Fulham have joined the race to sign Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage, who is also wanted by Sunderland. (The Sun)

Leeds have had an offer of £250,000 for Barnet midfielder Jason Puncheon turned down. (The Sun)

Derby will sign former Newcastle winger Laurent Robert. (The Sun)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is considering making a move for Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge. (Star)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is preparing to offer former club Leicester £1m for 20-year-old defender Richard Stearman. (Star)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is set for a major clear-out at the club, releasing five players. Martin Taylor, Rowan Vine, Olivier Tebily, Neil Kilkenny and Neil Danns are all on their way out. (Star)

Derby manager Paul Jewell is ready to pay £2m for Hull's American-born goalkeeper Boaz Myhill. (Star)

Charlton and Hull are fighting it out for the signature of versatile Colchester skipper Karl Duguid. (Star)

Ipswich have made an enquiry to Sunderland for 30-year-old striker David Connolly. (Star)

Wolves are keen on taking Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi on loan for the rest of the season and also want Derby's Robert Earnshaw. (Star)

Leeds are set to sign Luton striker Dean Morgan, who is currently on loan at Southend. (Star)

Everton are tracking Sheffield Wednesday's £1m-rated teenage centre-back Mark Beavers. (Star)

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray is preparing to bid £750,000 for Luton midfielder David Bell. (Star)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has his eye on Manchester City's out-of-favour Greece international striker Georgios Samaras. (Mirror)

Newcastle face competition from Real Madrid for Valencia midfielder David Albelada. (Telegraph)

Derby manager Paul Jewell is set to sign Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly on a loan deal. (Mirror)

Everton manager David Moyes will pay £1.5m for Plymouth's 17-year-old midfielder Dan Gosling. (Mirror)

Aston Villa's out-of-favour goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen has pleaded with manager Martin O'Neill to be released from his contract. (Mirror)

Ipswich have bid £1.5m for Plymouth midfielder David Norris after having an initial £1m offer turned down. (Mirror)

Leicester manager Ian Holloway is involved in a tug-of-war with Plymouth over a loan deal for Manchester United winger Lee Martin. (Mirror)

Aston Villa's Bulgaria star Stylian Petrov is sure his compatriot Dimitar Berbatov will get his wish to leave Tottenham for a bigger club. (various)

Everton manager David Moyes may move for Bayern Munich defender Daniel Buyten on a loan deal. (Telegraph)

Doncaster want to sign Birmingham midfielder Neil Kilkenny. (Telegraph)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is ready to listen to offers for midfielder Jason Koumas and defender Fitz Hall, who is attracting QPR's interest. (Telegraph)

Sunderland are interested in Reading striker Leroy Lita. (The Sun)

Bolton are monitoring Barcelona striker Santiago Ezquerro, who is unsettles at the Nou Camp. (Telegraph)

Liverpool may sell Mohammed Sissoko, John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch to raise money to sign Javier Mascherano on a permanent deal. (Telegraph)

Manchester City have been told by French club Toulouse that striker Johan Elmander, who is also wanted by Tottenham, is not for sale. (Telegraph)

Manchester City forward Rolando Bianchi is wanted by Italian side Torino, on a loan move with a view to a permanent transfer. (The Times)

Arsenal's highly-rated young Spanish midfielder Fran Merida is set to join Real Sociedad on loan. (Independent)

Liverpool have been warned off making a move for Palermo striker Maurizio Zamparini. (Independent)

Tottenham manager Juande Ramos is considering making a move for Atletico Madrid's Portugal international midfielder Maniche. (Independent)

Inter Milan have abandoned the idea of signing Manchester City forward Elano, claiming the Brazilian is out of their price range. (The Times)

Bolton and Middlesbrough have expressed an interest in signing Sheffield United forward Rob Hulse. (The Times)

West Ham may re-ignite their interest in Derby midfielder Giles Barnes, who is available for £3.5m. (The Times)

Manchester United and Aston Villa have been told by Porto that right-back Jose Bosingwa would cost £20m. (The Times)


OTHER GOSSIP
Watford striker Marlon King says he will leave the club during the transfer window - with Fulham tipped as his likely destination. (The Sun)

Tottenham have told Jermain Defoe to sign a new contract with the club or leave this month. (Telegraph)

Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld will leave the club at the end of the season, when his contract ends. (Star)


AND FINALLY
West Ham defender Matthew Upson is using torn-up phone book pages to solve his persistent injury problems. The centre-back was advised to stuff them into his boots - and he is so impressed he is stuffing them in his regular shoes, trainers and even his flip-flops as well. (The Sun)

 

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Firday 04th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United have slapped a £75m valuation on Cristiano Ronaldo in a bid to ward off the unwanted attentions of Spanish giants Real Madrid. (Daily Express)

United, meanwhile, could hijack Tottenham's £8m move for Rangers full-back Alan Hutton. Newcastle, along with leading clubs on the continent, are also showing interest. (Times)

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has had an audacious bid for Blackburn's Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz rejected. He will now turn his attention to Vagner Love and Peter Crouch. (Times)

Hot property Dimitar Berbatov will cost at least a British transfer record £35m if any of his suitors - Manchester United or Chelsea - are to prise the forward away from Spurs. (Various)

Bolton manager Gary Megson is closing in on Portsmouth utility player Matt Taylor. (The Sun)

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is primed to splash £5m on Watford striker Marlon King - and is also chasing Liverpool centre back Sami Hyypia. Fulham also want Czech giant Jan Koller from Monaco. (Daily Express)

Birmingham are keen to secure the services of occasional Man United midfielder Darren Fletcher and Spurs defender Anthony Gardner. The pair could cost £5m. (Express)

Seemingly disgruntled by his lack of opportunities at Upton Park, Dean Ashton could leave West Ham with Manchester City, Tottenham, Newcastle, Portsmouth and even Chelsea possibly interested. (Daily Star)

Blackburn's Robbie Savage tops Derby manager Paul Jewell's transfer window wishlist. Other targets include Savage's team-mate Jason Roberts, along with Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson, Tottenham's Hossam Ghaly and former Newcastle star Lauren Robert. (Daily Express)

Jens Lehman's proposed move from Arsenal to Borussia Dortmund has broken down because of his wage demands. (Times)

Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly monitoring the situation of Javier Mascherano at Liverpool. (Independent)

Italian giants Juventus are also tracking the Argentine international, who Liverpool have still not secured on a permanent deal. (Mirror)

Bolton are chasing Celtic's giant centre back Bobo Balde. Boss Gary Megson also wants to raid his old club West Bromwich Albion for Zoltan Gera and Paul Robinson. (Mirror)

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan is reviving his interest in Paris Saint-Germain defender Bernard Mendy. (Express)

Former Celtic player and ex-Norwich City boss Peter Grant is a shock candidate for the manager's job at Hearts. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
England boss Fabio Capello will take in two FA Cup ties this weekend - most likely Man United v Villa and Liverpool v Luton - before he officially starts his new job at Soho Square on Monday. (Daily Mail)

Gary Neville could make his long-awaited return from injury when Manchester United meet Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday. (Various)

Chelsea fear John Terry could miss the rest of the season with his troublesome ankle injury . (The Sun)

Sven-Goran Eriksson reckons Man City keeper Joe Hart is the answer to the England goalkeeping crisis. (The Sun)

Steve Finnan says Liverpool's title hopes will be over if they suffer one more slip-up at Anfield. (Independent)

Joey Barton may now have been bailed from jail - but he will not be getting close to the Newcastle squad in the near future. (The Guardian)


AND FINALLY
Steve Clarke - not Avram Grant or Henk ten Cate - tore into Chelsea's players at half-time against Fulham, questioning their commitment and demanding they raise their game to inspire their fightback which saw them take all three points at Craven Cottage. (Times)

Birmingham City have called 16-year-old midfielder Jordan Mutch into their squad for Saturday's match at Huddersfield Town and, if selected, he will break Trevor Francis' record as the youngest Blues player to play in the FA Cup. (various)

Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has warned his team-mates that they should not rile Manchester United when they meet them in the FA Cup this weekend by scoring a goal too early. (various)

 

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Saturday 05th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Bolton will sign former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse from Marseille if Nicolas Anelka leaves the Reebok Stadium. (Sun)

Manager Gary Megson also insists Greek midfielder Stelios will not be joining Sheffield United, despite having fallen out of favour recently. (Daily Star)

Manchester City and Wigan are both interested in signing former Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek, who is now reserve keeper at Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)

Danny Mills says he wants his loan move from Manchester City to Derby to become a permanent transfer. (daily Mirror)

Rangers have joined Bolton and Sunderland in the race to sign Portsmouth's Matt Taylor. (Daily Express)

Fulham could make a £2.5m move for Liverpool's Harry Kewell. (Daily Mail).

Manchester City and Aston Villa have made formal inquiries to Newcastle about signing striker Obafemi Martins. (Independent)

Liverpool are watching Zenit St Petersburg's 23-year-old Slovak central defender Martin Skrtel. (Guardian)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has branded speculation linking Cristiano Ronaldo with Real Madrid "mischievous" and "a lie", and said he expected it at this time of year from Madrid. (Times)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool rejected cash-strapped Luton's request to forgo their share of the gate receipts for Sunday's FA Cup third round tie. Luton, who are in administration, could go out of business on Monday. (Various)

Didier Drogba is expected to play some part for Chelsea against QPR in the FA Cup as he makes his return from knee surgery. (Sun)

Kia Joorabchian, who tried to buy West Ham last season, is involved in a consortium considering a bid to acquire Southampton (Daily Mirror).

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce says fighting relegation when he was at Bolton was more stressful than his current situation (Daily Express).

Fabio Capello will watch Aston Villa's game with Manchester United two days before he officially takes charge as England coach (Independent).

Manchester City's new loan signing Nery Castillo paid Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk half of the loan fee himself to secure his move to Eastlands (Independent).


AND FINALLY
Havant and Waterlooville's players have been promised an end of season trip to Las Vegas by one of their directors if they beat Swansea in the FA Cup third round (Daily Mirror).

Comedian Frank Carson will be telling jokes in the Chasetown dressing room before their FA Cup tie with Cardiff to prevent the players getting too nervous (Daily Express).

QPR winger Gareth Ainsworth's band Dog Chewed the Handle have an album coming out in the spring (Daily Express).

A QPR fans' group has warned R's fans not to taunt Chelsea fans about their new wealth yet - "save it for when we thrash them in the Premier League," said a spokesman (Times).

 

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Sunday 06th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Blackburn want Chelsea's Steve Sidwell to replace Robbie Savage. Sunderland are also interested in taking Sidwell on loan (News of the World).

Middlesbrough could sell Stewart Downing if there is no progress in his contract talks. Tottenham and Everton would be interested (Express).

Manchester United have made Dimitar Berbatov their number one transfer target but are determined not to be held to ransom for him by Tottenham (Mail).

Arsenal are set to win the race for Gillingham teenager Luke Freeman, who became the youngest player in FA Cup history when he played for the Gills in this season's first round, aged 15 years and 233 days (Mail).

Charlton are keeping tabs on non-league striker Stuart Fleetwood, who has scored 26 goals for Forest Green this season (News of the World).

Tottenham have already lined up Swedish striker Johan Elmander, who plays for French side Toulouse, as Dimitar Berbatov's replacement (Express).

Rangers are poised to beat Birmingham to the loan signing of Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher. (People)

Birmingham have had a £1.5m offer for left-back David Murphy rejected by Hibernian but will launch a new bid. (Mirror)

Goalkeeper Artur Boruc's new contract with Celtic is worth £5.5m over three-and-a-half years. (Sunday Mail)

Artur Boruc's new contract with Celtic is worth £10m. (News of the World)

Rangers have rejected the chance to sign Monaco left-back Jeremy Barthod. (various)

Dundee United goalkeeper Grzegorz Szamotulski could be set to join Cardiff when his contract ends in January. (Scotland On Sunday)

Wolves have entered the race to sign Celtic forward Derek Riordan. (Sunday Mail)

Celtic will offer £2m plus Derek Riordan to Burnley for striker Kyle Lafferty. (People)

Aberdeen defender Zander Diamond appears likely to reject the club's offer of a new contract. (Sunday Mail)

Dundee United have laughed off a £175,000 offer from Blackpool for striker Noel Hunt. (People)

Kilmarnock striker Colin Nish is poised to reject a new contract and sign a more lucrative deal with Oldham. (various)

Gretna hope to sign Motherwell midfielder Simon Mensing ahead of his former club, St Johnstone. (Scotland On Sunday)

Hibernian are interested in taking their former captain, Ian Murray, on loan from Norwich. (News of the World)


OTHER GOSSIP
Jermain Defoe is close to agreeing a new five-year deal at Tottenham that will double his current wages (News of the World).

Manchester City are ready to triple goalkeeper Joe Hart's wages to ward off interest from Liverpool (News of the World).

Luton boss Kevin Blackwell says the football family, FA and Football League "haven't helped the club one bit" in their current financial struggle (Express).

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has told friends he thinks he will leave the club in the summer, with Jurgen Klinsmann his possible replacement (Express).

Sammy Lee is being lined up as Wolves' next manager if Mick McCarthy cannot turn things round at Molineux (News of the World)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane says he was "ashamed" by their 3-0 home FA Cup loss to Wigan (Observer).

Kevin Keegan could be a surprise candidate for the Hearts manager's job along with Nevio Scala. (Sunday Times)

Turun Palloseura coach Mixu Paatelainen has emerged as favourite for the Hibernian manager's job. (Scotland On Sunday)

Nottingham Forest player-coach Neil Lennon has entered the race to be Hibernian manager. (Scotland On Sunday)

Motherwell are planning to name a stand in honour of their late captain, Phil O'Donnell. (Scotland On Sunday)

Rangers captain Barry Ferguson dedicated his goalagainst Dundee United to his friend, Phil O'Donnell. (various)


AND FINALLY
Burnley striker Ade Akinbiyi has revealed the club banned him from going to the weights room because he had lost pace by bulking up his muscles so much (Express)

Wigan's Ryan Taylor is considering a career as a professional poker player when he quits playing (Express).

Leicester boss Ian Holloway says his midfielders in the FA Cup loss to Southampton were so young "they should have been playing in nappies" (Mail).

Swedish side Örgryte have rejected the chance to hire Diego Maradona for the club's centenary match on moral grounds, saying "he doesn't represent the values we stand for" (Observer).

Former Manchester United defender David May now runs a South African wine import company (Observer).

Sir Alex Ferguson says he would like Manchester United to draw his son Darren's side Peterborough in the fourth round of the FA Cup - "to give them some money" (Times).

Burnley owner Brendan Flood says his wife makes him buy her a diamond every time he buys a new player for the club (Independent).

 

[McFLY]

Monday 07th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has revealed his desire to quit the club in the summer. (The Times)

Tottenham are to revive their move for Rangers full-back Alan Hutton, with the Scottish club keen for the £8m transfer to go ahead. (The Times)

Spurs are also interested in former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse. But they face competition for the Marseille forward from Premier League rivals West Ham, Manchester City, Blackburn and Bolton. (The Times)

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is interested in Bayern Munich forward Lukas Podoloski. (The Times)

Chelsea and Tottenham are tracking Barcelona and Italy full-back Gianluca Zambrotta. (The Times)

Spurs may also move for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson, who they bid £1m for two years ago. (The Times)

Norwich want to sign Bulgaria defender Valentin Iliev and have offered his club, CSKA Sofia £700,000. (The Times)

Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov says he is not worth his club's £31m valuation and claims the speculation is getting to him. (The Times)

Meanwhile, Spurs right-back Pascal Chimbonda's future at the club is in doubt after he laughed when they asked him to play centre-back. (Daily Mail)

But Tottenham manager Juande Ramos is lining up an £8m move for Chelsea centre-back Tal Ben Haim. (The Sun)

Meanwhile, Ramos could soon be losing star striker Dimitar Berbatov, who is the subject of a money-no-object approach from Manchester City. (The Sun)

Derby want to sign Aston Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen. (Mirror)

Portsmouth midfielder Matt Taylor will decide this week whether to move to Sunderland or Bolton, who have both had a £3.5m bid accepted. (Daily Mail)

Bolton boss Gary Megson is lining up Real Madrid's Javier Saviola as a replacement for Nicolas Anelka, who looks set to leave. (various)

Chelsea are favourites to sign Anelka but they value the Frenchman at £11m while Bolton want £18m. (Express)

Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt is open to a move to Sunderland. (Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Bentiez continues to plan for the future, despite speculation he could be sacked. He has his eye on Porto defender Bruno Alves. (Mirror)

Manchester City are ready to offer Rolando Bianchi in a part-exchange deal for Roma's £16m-rated striker Amantino Mancini. (Mirror)

Blackburn defender Bruno Pezzoni is set to quit the club, just after breaking into the first-team, to join German side Cologne. (Mirror)

Reading will spend £700,000 on Czech Republic international midfielder Marek Matejovsky. (Mirror)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish wants to sign Tottenham defender Anthony Gardner and Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras. (Mirror)

Leicester boss Ian Holloway has agreed to sign Hungarian midfielder Gabor Bori for the rest of the season. (Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is to assess South Korea striker Cho Jae-Jin during a week's trial. (Mirror)

Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock is set to go back to his old club Sheffield Wednesday to sign midfielder Glenn Whelan. (Mirror)

Norwich's out-of-favour midfielder Ian Murray will reject a move to Brighton to join former club Hibernian. (Mirror)

West Brom's former England Under-21 midfielder Richard Chaplow is wanted by Burnley. (Mirror)

Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock has tabled a bid for Aberdeen duo Michael Hart and Chris Clark. (Record)

St Mirren have upped their offer for Inverness midfielder John Rankin. (Express)

Celtic may offer Derek Riordan to Burnley in a bid to sweeten a deal for Kyle Lafferty. (Express)

Dundee United have rejected an offer from Blackpool for striker Noel Hunt. (Daily Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry is set to meet with the club's owners in the USA and discuss manager Rafael Benitez's future. (various)

Southampton are the £50m targets of an Icelandic consortium. (Mirror)

Sven-Goran Eriksson has urged new England boss Fabio Capello to hand David Beckham his 100th cap against Switzerland. (various)

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is angry that he was forced to hand over the captain's armband to substitute Didier Drogba when the striker came on for the final 30 minutes of Saturday's FA match against QPR. (various)


AND FINALLY
The Football Association has revealed that 70,000 tickets have already been sold for England's friendly against Switzerland at Wembley next month, which is Fabio Capello's first match in charge. (various)

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 08th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is set to spend £7m on Slovakia international defender Martin Skrtel. (Telegraph)

Aston Villa want to sign Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte and Reading striker Kevin Doyle. (Telegraph)

Birmingham are continuing to track Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras. (Telegraph)

Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is wanted by Barcelona, but the Finn intends to remain at the Reebok stadium until the summer. (Telegraph)

Tottenham manager Juande Ramos will pay £8m to make Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim his first signing. (Telegraph)

Spurs are also weighing up a £9m bid for former Chelsea midfielder Tiago, who has struggled to make an impact since joining Juventus. (Telegraph)

Meanwhile, striker Jermain Defoe has revealed he has been told by Ramos he can leave White Hart Lane if he wants to - but the 25-year-old has vowed to fight to stay at the club. (The Sun)

However, Aston Villa have been alerted to Defoe's availability and manager Martin O'Neill is keen to make an offer for the England forward. (Guardian)

Chelsea need to increase their bid for Bolton's Nicolas Anelka from £10m to £15m if they are to secure the Frenchman's services. (The Sun)

Ipswich have dismissed speculation that midfielder Danny Haynes is set to join either West Ham or Everton. (Telegraph)

Fulham are interested in signing Falkirk's Portuguese striker Pedro Moutinho. (Telegraph)

Liverpool may move for 17-year-old Ghanaian defender Daniel Opare, after he expressed a desire to play in the Premier League. (Telegraph)

Manchester City are set to sign a forward, with Peter Crouch, Fred, Lukas Podolski, Amanto Mancini and Vagner Love all on their list. (Telegraph)

Portsmouth defender Matt Taylor is wanted by Reading, Bolton, Sunderland and Rangers. (Telegraph)

West Ham are interested in Portsmouth striker David Nugent. (Telegraph)

Leeds chairman Ken Bates has slapped a £3m price tag on 15-goal top scorer Jermain Beckford, who is attracting interest from Derby. (The Sun)

Fulham are set to sign Jean-Alain Boumsong on loan from Juventus. (The Sun)

Coventry's £3m-rated striker Michael Mifsud is wanted by Birmingham, Wigan and Reading. (The Sun)

Birmingham and Wigan are battling it out to capture Swedish defender Erik Edman, who plays for Rennes. (The Sun)

Liverpool's 18-year-old left-back Emiliano Insua is wanted by Spanish club Real Sociedad on a six-month loan deal. (The Sun)

Everton manager David Moyes is close to signing Sheffield Wednesday defender Frank Simek. (The Sun)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is confident he will sign Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt, despite having an improved £3m offer rejected. (The Sun)

Derby manager Paul Jewell has begun negotiations with Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage over a £2m deal to bring him to the club. (The Sun)

Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri is keen on signing unsettled Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko. (Guardian)

Rangers still want full-back Alan Hutton to join Tottenham. (The Times)

Spurs have tabled an increased offer for Hutton but the Scotland star is likely to knock it back. (various)

Celtic have reached an agreement with JEF United to sign Japanese midfielder Koki Mizuno. (Daily Record)

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood is threatening to resign unless the board back him with a transfer fund. (various)

Hibernian have rejected Birmingham's £1m offer for left-back David Murphy (Daily Record & Mail)

Manchester City are set to sign midfielder Nashat Akram and make him the first Iraqi player to appear in the Premier league. (The Times)

Birmingham have taken AIK midfielder Dulee Johnson on trial and are also monitoring VfB Stuttgart left-back Ludovik Magnin. (The Times)

Portsmouth and Reading are interested in signing Lille forward Nicolas Fauverge. (The Times)

Bolton want £2m-rated Hearts striker Andrius Velicka. (Daily Mail)

Torino president Urbano Cairo has insisted the club does not want to sign Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi. (the Independent)

Middlesbrough are in talks to sign Heerenveen's Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. (various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Borussia Dortmund fans do not want the club to sign Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann because he used to play for their rivals Schalke 04. (Telegraph)

Hibernian want Phil Parkinson, who is currently Charlton assistant boss, as their new manager. (The Sun)

Liverpool's owners are lining up Jurgen Klinsmann to replace manager Rafael Benitez. (Daily Mail)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United want David Beckham to become the club's global ambassador when he retires from playing. It is a role that would net the former England skipper around £2m a year. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 09th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Tottenham manager Juande Ramos is set to axe eight players - keeper Paul Robinson, Jermain Defoe, Pascal Chimbonda, Lee Young-Pyo, Anthony Gardner, Paul Stalteri, Wayne Routledge and Hossam Ghaly. (The Sun)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is tracking unsettled Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra. (Various)

That could allow Emre to leave St James' Park for Bayern Munich, Monaco or Galatasaray. (The Sun)

But Newcastle face competition for Diarra's signature from Tottenham, Everton and Blackburn. (Various)

However, Arsenal have slapped a hefty £6m price tag on the head of the 22-year-old Frenchman to ward off interested parties. (The Sun)

Rangers full-back Alan Hutton has turned down a second, improved, offer to join Tottenham. (The Times)

Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko is on the verge of completing a move to Juventus, initially on a loan before a £10m deal in the summer. (The Sun)

Bolton boss Gary Megson is not resigned to losing striker Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea, and is hopeful a transfer fee will not be agreed. (various)

Aston Villa and Manchester City have made official inquiries about Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins. (The Sun)

Manchester United's Ryan Shawcross is set to join Stoke for £1m. (various)

Birmingham hope to complete the signing of Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras before the weekend. (The Sun)

Reading are hoping to fend off Sunderland's interest in Stephen Hunt by making the midfielder their highest earner at the club. (various)

Bolton and Derby are fighting it out to sign Sheffield Wednesday's highly-rated midfielder Glenn Whelan. (The Sun)

Hibernian have launched a bid to bring Kilmarnock striker Colin Nish to Easter Road. (Daily Record)

Manchester City and Middlesbrough are set to move for Heerenveen's £15m-rated Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. (various)

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is also hoping to tie up a deal for Iraq playmaker Nashat Akram. (The Sun)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is keen on Lyon's 24-year-old Brazilian striker Fred, who is also wanted by Portsmouth and Paris St Germain. (The Sun)

Coventry and Sheffield United are in a race to sign Southampton's £1m-rated midfielder Jhon Viafara. (various)

Charlton manager Alan Pardew is preparing to make a £1m offer for Sunderland's out-of-favour right-back Greg Halford. (The Sun)

Nottingham Forest are ready to make an improved bid of £600,000 for Coventry striker Leon Best. (The Sun)

Sheffield Wednesday are lining up a cheeky £100,000 move for Hull striker Stuart Elliott. (The Sun)

Southampton manager George Burley is set to pay £1m for Middlesbrough defender Andrew Davies. (various)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp wants to tie up a loan deal for unsettled Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng before the weekend. (The Sun)

Norwich are set to bid £800,000 for Sheffield United's combative midfielder Chris Armstrong. (The Sun)

Charlton have been told by Burnley their 13-goal forward Andy Gray is not for sale. (The Sun)

Hibernian caretaker boss Tommy Craig has turned down a £1m bid by Birmingham for left-back David Murphy. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough are considering offering winger Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson in a swap deal for Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe. (Daily Star)

Boro are also considering a move for Newcastle's Shola Ameobi. (The Times)

Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson will hand a trial to Iran international Ali Reza Nikbakht. (Daily Star)

West Ham are lining up bids for reading defender Nicky Shorey, Portsmouth striker David Nugent and Bolton forward El Hadji Diouf. (Mirror)

QPR will make River Plate midfielder Rusculleda their ninth signing of the transfer window. (Mirror)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is ready to raid former club Rangers to sign striker Kris Boyd. (Mirror)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has offered Portuguese club Guimaraes £2.5m for their Brazilian defender Pedro Geromel. (Mirror)

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is monitoring Galatasaray and Turkey forward Hasan Sas. (Mirror)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce is close to signing Rennes' former Tottenham defender Erik Edman. (Mirror)

Bruce is also after Ecuador striker Carlos Tenorio. (Various)

Manchester City are in talks with Marseille over striker Mamadou Niang and midfielder Samir Nasri. (Various)

Meanwhile, Marseille are interested in signing City's out-of-favour midfielder Ousmane Dabo. (Daily Mail)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is ready to offer £3m for Everton striker James McFadden after having a £2.5m bid turned down. (Daily Mail)

Derby boss Paul Jewell is considering a move for Kansas City Wizards striker Eddie Johnson. (Daily Mail)

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has ended his interest in signing Liverpool winger Harry Kewell because his wages are too high. (Daily Mail)

And Hodgson's hopes of signing West Ham striker Bobby Zamora may be foiled for the same reason. (Guardian)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane wants to sign unsettled Birmingham midfielder Olivier Kapo. (Daily Mail)

QPR boss Luigi De Canio is preparing to make a £1.5m offer for Plymouth striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. (Daily Mail)

Plymouth are lining up a move for Celtic's Derek Riordan, but face competition from Burnley for the striker. (Daily Mail)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants to sign Villarreal's creative midfielder Matias Fernandez. (Telegraph)

West Ham are interested in signing young Argentine striker Nicholas Mazzola. (Telegraph)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is keen on signing Sheffield United forward Rob Hulse. (Guardian)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce may move for Bolton's £5m-rated skipper Kevin Nolan. (Independent)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has pleaded with the club's owners not to sack him. The Spaniard has reiterated his commitment to the club as speculation mounts regarding his future. (The Times)

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is set to be receive an official approach from the Republic of Ireland to return as manager. (Daily Star)


AND FINALLY
Former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman has revealed he wants to become a monk. He says he spends as much time thinking about God as he can and claims that his only vice is tattoos, but is becoming less obsessed with them thanks to the Lord's help. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 10th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Paul Robinson's future at Tottenham is in doubt after being dropped against Arsenal and he is reported to have had a furious bust-up with boss Juande Ramos when he heard the news. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are lining up a move for Lyon's £11m-rated Brazilian Fred should Dimitar Berbatov seal his dream move to Manchester United. (The Guardian)

Palermo's Mark Bresciano has played down reports linking him with a move to Fulham. (The Independent)

Valencia have joined Juventus in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko. (Daily Mail)

Toulouse have confirmed reports they have been contacted by Tottenham about Sweden striker Johan Elmander. (The Independent)

New boss Fabio Capello will select Wayne Bridge ahead of Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole for the England left-back slot. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough are attempting to complete the £12m transfer of Brazilian striker Alfonso Alves from Heerenveen. (The Independent)

Defender Pascal Chimbonda is desperate to leave Tottenham in fury at the club's plans to sign replacement right-backs. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is preparing a £15m swoop for Chimbonda and his Spurs team-mate Jermain Defoe. (The Star)

Geovanni is poised to quit Manchester City for Deportivo La Coruna in the transfer window. (Daily Mail)

West Brom midfielder Richard Chaplow has moved to rivals Preston in a £1.35m deal. (Daily Express)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is ready to make a £4m offer for Everton forward James McFadden. (The Star)

Portsmouth have taken South Korea striker Cho Jae-Jin on trial with a view to signing the free agent recently rejected by Newcastle. (Daily Express)

Blackburn will listen to offers for defender Stephane Henchoz, with Fulham boss Roy Hodgson leading the race for his signature. (The Star)

Wolves want to sign Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp. (The Star)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka has agreed a salary package at Chelsea worth over £20m. (The Star)

Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has blasted Rafael Benitez for refusing to allow loanee Besian Idrizaj to return to Anfield. (The Star)

Middlesbrough are in talks with Lyon's Brazilian striker Fred about a £10m move to join Gareth Southgate's struggling Boro. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are set to reignite their interest in Maniche. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton want to sign Iceland right-back Gretar Steinsson from AZ Alkmaar - ahead of Newcastle and Middlesbrough. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan are hoping to sign Newcastle's Steve Carr after new contract talks with the Magpies broke down. (Daily Mirror)

Paul Robinson had a furious bust-up with Tottenham boss Juande Ramos after being axed against Arsenal on Wednesday. (Various)

Manchester City are determined to sign Roma's Mancini. (The Sun)

Sam Allardyce was told he would get just £8m to spend in the transfer window - a day before he was forced out. (The Sun)

The Magpies did however, agree a £5.5m fee with Arsenal for Lassana Diarra, just hours before his exit. (Various)

Fulham want to sign Watford striker Marlon King as they fight for their Premier League survival. (The Sun)

Bolton's Stelios is at the centre of an £800,000 transfer battle between Stoke and Sheffield United. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough are keen on signing Cristiano Lucarelli from Shakhtar Donetsk. (The Times)

Former Rangers defender Jean-Alain Boumsong's move to Fulham has been put on hold for a week. (The Times)

Bolton have held talks with Celtic over the possible transfer of defender Bobo Balde. (The Times)

Charlton want to sign Burnley striker Andy Gray in a £1m deal and are also keen on Colchester skipper Karl Duguid. (The Star)

Leicester manager Ian Holloway is ready to raid former club Plymouth for defender Paul Connolly. (The Star)

Swindon have made a bid for Reading striker Simon Cox. (The Star)

Hull have rejected Celtic's £1m bid for Hull defender Michael Turner, insisting they want £2m. (The Star)

Rangers will move for veteran Hearts goalkeeper Steve Banks if Roy Carroll makes the switch to Derby County. (various)

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray is planning a double swoop on former club Hibs for David Murphy and Guillame Beuzelin. (Scottish Sun)

Defender Zander Diamond will commit his future to Aberdeen but striker Lee Miller wants a move to England. (Scottish Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Newcastle United have earmarked Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp as their next manager. (Various)

Manchester City have pleaded with fans not to wreck the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash next month. (Various)

Rafael Benitez has survived the latest round of talks with Liverpool's owners but has received no long-term assurances over his future. (The Star)

Graeme Souness will have talks with Scotland next week about becoming their new manager. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos has been served with a £2.2m writ by his former club Sevilla. (The Sun)

Mixu Paatelainen is the favourite to land the manager's job at Hibernian. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
New Derby County signing Robbie Savage admits he could be hated in the Pride Park dressing room and on the terraces. (The Star)

Luton Town players will be paid in full for the first time in more than two months after earning a £400,000 FA Cup windfall. (The Star)

Scotland are ready to pull out of a proposed March friendly with Argentina because the South Americans are looking for a fee of more than £1m. (Express)

 

[McFLY]

Friday 11th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United are preparing a £12m-offer for long-term target Klaas Jan Huntelaar. (The Sun)

Meanwhile, after recent interest from Real Madrid, Manchester United have said they will never sell prized asset Cristiano Ronaldo. (Various)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka is desperate to join Chelsea and has urged the Blues to up their offer to the £15m his present club want. (The Sun)

However, Chelsea manager Avram Grant is growing impatient with Bolton and may explore other possibilities this January. (The Guardian)

Tottenham are keen to bring Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing and Daniel Jarque to the club. (The Times)

Former Tottenham striker Freddie Kanoute has admitted he would love the chance to return to White Hart Lane and team up with former Sevilla boss Juande Ramos. (The Sun)

Meanwhile, Ramos has told his scouts to look for a new keeper with Ajax stopper Maarten Stekelenburg a possible target. (The Times)

Fulham have been told they must find £8m if they are to take striker Marlon King from Watford to Craven Cottage. (The Sun)

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes wants to sign Wigan and Wales midfielder Jason Koumas for £3.5m. (Daily Mail)

Reading have told Sunderland to forget their interest in midfielder Stephen Hunt after the Black Cats made an improved £4.5m offer for the Irishman. (The Guardian)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is ready to make an improved offer for Everton forward James McFadden and Hibernian defender David Murphy. (The Telegraph)

Newcastle's proposed £3m move for Porto defender Marek Cech has been put on hold after the departure of Sam Allardyce. (The Mail)

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is close to agreeing a deal for SC Heerenveen striker Alfonso Alves. (The Times)

Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra says his desire to leave the club left him in the wrong frame of mind to face Spurs on Wednesday. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa have insisted that striker Marlon Harewood is not leaving the club with Watford, Stoke and Crystal Palace among the clubs interested in the former West Ham man. (Daily Express)

Manchester City midfielder Dietmar Hamann has been rewarded with a new one-year contract. (The Mail)

Gilberto Silva has vowed to stay at Arsenal and fight for his place in the team. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is torn over accepting the Newcastle job after being tempted with a £20m transfer kitty. (The Mail)

Redknapp has been told that he can use owner Mike Ashley's private jet to fly him to and from his home on the South Coast. (Daily Express)

Portsmouth will be given £3m in compensation if Redknapp decides to leave Fratton Park for Newcastle. (The Sun)

The cost of sacking Allardyce and recruiting Redknapp could cost Newcastle £9m. (Daily Telegraph)

Portsmouth have vowed to hold on to manager Redknapp and have told Newcastle they face a fight to secure his services. (The Times)

If Newcastle fail to land Redknapp then Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is next on their list. (The Guardian)


AND FINALLY
Former England manager Steve McClaren has revealed that mickey-taking friends bombarded him with umbrellas for Christmas. He claims to have hundreds in his house. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Saturday 12th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Paul Robinson has demanded to leave Tottenham after being demoted to the bench for last Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final with Arsenal. (The Mail)

Robinson has been told by Juande Ramos that he can leave Spurs, and would cost potential suitors £5m. (Independent)

West Ham stopper Robert Green is being lined up to replace Robinson at Spurs. He would cost £6m. (The Sun)

Spurs are expected to land long-term target Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough for £10m. (Daily Star)

Tottenham midfielder Teemu Tainio could be part of the deal that brings Downing to White Hart Lane. (The Sun)

Out of favour Spurs striker Jermain Defoe could be Harry Redknapp's first signing as Newcastle boss - if he joins the St James' Park club. (The Sun)

Afonso Alves' move to Middlesbrough has hit a snag over a row about who actually owns the Brazilian striker. (The Independent)

Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari is target for Spanish outfit Valencia. (The Sun)

Arsenal 'keeper Jens Lehmann looks set to stay with the Gunners after his move to Borussia Dortmund fell through. (The Sun)

Derby hope to sign former Manchester United keeper Roy Carroll next week. (The Mirror)

Lyon striker Fred is the target of several Premiership clubs with Tottenham leading the chase for the £11m rated Brazilian. (Various)

Bolton manager Gary Megson hopes to spend all of the £15m the club received for striker Nicolas Anelka. (The Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Harry Redknapp has begun talks with Newcastle over becoming their new manager. (The Mail)

Redknapp wants to meet Newcastle owner Mike Ashley in person before he decides to pursue the Newcastle job. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth have told Redknapp to tell them by lunchtime whether he wants to leave Fratton Park. (The Times)

Newcastle will pay Redknapp £4m a year to become their new manager. (Daily Express)

Bayern Munich have claimed that their new manager - Jurgen Klinsmann was offered Rafael Benitez's job at Liverpool. (Various)

Arsenal's Spanish-born keeper Manuel Almunia will tell Fabio Capello that he intends to play for England. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Nicolas Anelka's move to Chelsea has seen him become the most expensive player in the history of the game. Anelka has cost a total of £87m in the transfer market. (Various)

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, nicknamed the baby-faced assassin, will be knighted in Norway for being a role model to children.

 

[McFLY]

Sunday 13th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United striker Louis Saha is out for the season, which could lead Sir Alex Ferguson to act in the transfer window and move for long-term target Klaas Jan Huntelaar. (News of the World)

But Ferguson could have competition for the Dutchman with Manchester City also keen on the £12m-rated Ajax frontman. (News of the World)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neil is looking to link up with former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson. O'Neil wants to bring the Swedish striker to Villa Park on a three-month loan deal. (News of the World)

Meanwhile Villa are set to renew their interest in Valencia defender Miguel and will bid £10m for the Portuguese star. (News of the World)

Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson has been told by club chairman Daniel Levy that he can leave White Hart Lane. (The Observer)

Spurs will make a £7m move for Ajax keeper Maarten Stekelenburg if Robinson leaves the club. (Mail on Sunday)

Tottenham are also keeping an eye on Espanyol centre-half Jarque. (Mail on Sunday)

Jermain Defoe could still sign a new contract with Tottenham despite a bust-up with Juande Ramos. (News of the World)

One man not joining Spurs is Maniche, who is holding out for a dream move to Inter Milan. (News of the World)

Fulham have launched a bid to sign Valencia midfielder David Albelda. (News of the World)

Dimitar Berbatov has told close friends he would love to join Manchester United. (Sunday Mirror)

Manchester City face stiff competition for former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse. West Ham, Blackburn and Fulham are also are keen on the £6.5m-rated 26-year-old. (Sunday Mirror)

Everton and Celtic are battling it out to land Bayern Munich defender Daniel van Buyten on loan until the end of the season. (Sunday Mirror)

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson may swoop for AC Milan's Croatian defender Dario Simic. (Sunday Mirror)

Chelsea boss Avram Grant is preparing a bid for Barcelona midfield star Andres Iniesta. (Sunday Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Portsmouth have doubled Harry Redknapp's wages to £3m a year after he turned down Newcastle. (News of the World)

Newcastle will now turn to Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan as they continue to search for Sam Allardyce's replacement. (Various)

Mike Ashley will turn his search to the continent after being rejected by Redknapp. (Sunday Telegraph)

Ashley has not given up on Redknapp and will fly back from Hong Kong to try and persuade the Portsmouth manager to join Newcastle. (Sunday Express)

Liverpool are the subject of a £500m buy-out from an Arab investment group. (The Observer)


AND FINALLY
The Special One could be back. Jose Mourinho wants to succeed Rafa Benitez as Liverpool manager, and the former Chelsea boss has contacted owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett indicating that he would love to take over at Anfield next season. (Sunday Mirror)

QPR owner Flavio Briatore has presented each of the club's players with £3,000 watch as a special thank-you present for their recent good form.

 

[McFLY]

Monday 14th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Steve Sidwell is joining Sunderland on loan with a view to a permanent move from Chelsea. (Various)

Harry Redknapp will try to sign Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe for Portsmouth this week. (The Mirror)

Spurs, meanwhile, are ready to move for Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. (The Mirror)

Senegal's Ibrahim Tall has attracted interest from Bolton. (The Times)

And Bolton boss Gary Megson has agreed a £4m deal with AZ Alkmaar to sign Icelandic defender Gretar Steinsson. (The Mirror)

But he has been priced out of the race to sign Sweden striker Johan Elmander from Toulouse. (The Mirror)

Leeds boss Dennis Wise has told Derby they have no chance in signing striker Jermaine Beckford. (The Star)

Blackburn are ready to snap up Amdy Faye from Rangers as a replacement for Robbie Savage. (The Mirror)

Leicester boss Ian Holloway is to make Isaiah Osbourne his seventh signing this week. (The Mirror)

Manchester United chief executive David Gill says there will be no significant transfer activity at the club this month. (The Times)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane will finally sign Stephen Hunt after tabling an improved £5m bid for the Reading midfielder. (The Mirror)

Sunderland have withdrawn their offer for Bobo Balde because of the out-of-favour Celtic defender's wage demands. (Daily Express)

Birmingham are hoping to meet the £5.5m fee being demanded by Everton for striker James McFadden. (Daily Record)

Juventus's interest in Liverpool's Mohamed Sissoko appears to have cooled after the club revealed they would not sign anyone this month. (The Times)

Matthew Taylor is on his way from Portsmouth with Bolton and Sunderland leading the race to sign the out of favour midfielder. (The Mirror)

Derby boss Paul Jewell is set to rival Birmingham's Alex McLeish for the signature of Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill. (The Mirror)

David Murphy is set to complete a £1.5m move from Hibernian to Birmingham in the next 48 hours. (The Mirror)

Ivan Ivanov is on trial at Derby. The 19-year-old Lokomotiv Plovdiv defender is a Bulgaria Under-21 international. (The Times)

Amantino Mancini has turned down a move to Manchester City and will remain at Roma. (The Sun)

Portsmouth are set to sign Juventus midfielder Tiago for £8m after the midfielder fell out of favour with the Italian giants. (The Sun)

Colchester will complete the signing of Walsall left-back Daniel Fox for £350,000. (The Sun)

Falkirk captain Steven Thomson wants to move to England, with Brighton favourites for the midfielder's signature. (Daily Express)

St Mirren and Falkirk have upped their offers for Inverness midfielder John Rankin but face competition from an English club. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has refused to rule out becoming Newcastle's next manager and is the new favourite to land the post. (Various)

The Rovers boss has been told by Magpies chairman Chris Mort that he is wanted to take over at St James' Park. (The Sun)

Chelsea skipper John Terry expects to be cleared to resume full training on Monday - just a month after breaking his foot. (The Star)

Terry is also willing to let David Beckham take the England captaincy if it helps the team improve under Fabio Capello. (Various)

Martin Laursen has revealed he expects to sign to sign a new contract at Aston Villa. (The Mirror)

Partick Thistle have threatened rugby tenants Glasgow Warriors with a compensation claim after the football club's Scottish Cup tie was postponed. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United are facing sub-zero temperatures on their 'sunshine break' to Saudi Arabia next week after the Gulf was hit by a severe cold snap. (The Star)

Coffee shop giants Starbucks are planning to invest in Premier League basement club Derby. (Daily Mail)

Kaka has been asked by authorities in Brazil to explain his link with an evangelical church who have pleaded guilty to money smuggling. (The Guardian)

Superstitious Cristiano Ronaldo keeps a pre-match ritual of getting his hair cut for fear of jinxing his scoring run. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 16th January gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Racing Santander are in discussions with Liverpool regarding the loan of midfielders Nabil El Zhar and Sebastian Leto. (Diario Montanes - 10:52 GMT)

Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic has insisted that former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben still has a future at the club. (Press Association - 10:40 GMT)

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has said he would welcome the arrival of Didier Drogba at the Spanish club. (Press Association - 09:57 GMT)

Liverpool are being linked with a January bid for Real Madrid's former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze. (Eat SleepFootball.com - 09:22 GMT)

Paris St Germain coach Paul Le Guen believes he is very close to bringing wantaway Lyon striker Fred to the French capital. (L'Equipe - 09:14 GMT)

But the Lyon striker Fred is due to meet with Tottenham in the next 48 hours and could still seal a move to North London. (L'Equipe - 08:50 GMT)

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba wants Spanish giants Barcelona to make an approach for him. (Various)

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is stalling over a new contract. (The Sun)

Manchester United remain hopeful Wes Brown will sign a new deal with the club. (Daily Star)

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is ready to offer Teemu Tainio a route away from Tottenham. (Daily Star)

Middlesbrough finally look to have got the green light to sign Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. (The Star)

Birmingham are close to securing the signature of James McFadden from Everton for £4m. (Daily Mirror)

Richard Dunne could leave Manchester City after contract talks stalled. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City are close to a deal for German striker Lukas Podolski. (Various)

Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell will snub a loan move to Sunderland. He could still join Portsmouth or Everton. (The Sun)

Bayern Munich have rejected Celtic's bid to take defender Daniel van Buyten on loan as the German club want a cash transfer. (The Herald)

Incoming Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann has told Daniel van Buyten to stay at the club. (Daily Record)

Celtic striker Maciej Zurawski's hopes of a transfer to LA Galaxy have been dashed by Celtic's £1m price tag. (Daily Mail)

Maciej Zurawski has been told by Poland coach Leo Beenhakker he must play first-team football to have a chance of playing at the Euro 2008 finals. (The Sun)

Blackburn will check with Fifa before signing Senegalese midfielder Amdy Faye. (The Mirror)

Rangers loan signing Amdy Faye has been told he cannot join Blackburn because he has also already played for Charlton this season. (Daily Record)

Jason Roberts is a target for Bolton as they look for a replacement for Nicolas Anelka. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has joined the race for Portsmouth midfielder Matt Taylor. (Daily Mail)

Wigan are close to signing former Spurs defender Erik Edman from Rennes. (Daily Mail)

AZ Alkmaar defender Gretar Steinsson expects to join Bolton for £3m. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth are close to agreeing a deal for Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra. (The Guardian)

Martin O'Neill is confident that Martin Laursen will sign a new deal with the club. (The Guardian)

QPR will make a final £1m offer for talented Sheffield Wednesday defender Tommy Spurr. (Daily Star)

Russian striker Andrei Arshavin has been linked with a move to either Arsenal or Tottenham. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough midfielder Fabio Rochemback is being targeted by Monaco. (The Independent)

Midfield duo Ousmane Dabo and Georgios Samaras both look set to leave Manchester City. (The Independent)

Arsenal youngster Armand Traore is wanted on loan by Watford. (Daily Star)

Rangers are considering a move for Sunderland goalkeeper Darren Ward. (Daily Express)

Birmingham are set to sign Argentina youth international Mauro Zarate on loan from Qatari club Al-Sadd. (The Sun)

Birmingham have offered Hibernian a final £2.5m for David Murphy. (Daily Record)

Norwich will allow Ian Murray to join Hibernian or Falkirk if they can find a replacement for the midfielder. (The Sun)

Striker Ross McCormack has assured Motherwell he will not leave until the end of the season if he agrees a move to Middlesbrough. (Daily Express)

Aberdeen striker Steve Lovell has been told he has not done enough to be offered a new contract. (Various)

Aberdeen midfielder Chris Clark is discussing terms with Plymouth after a £200,000 offer was accepted. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Alan Shearer believes he has the passion to do the Newcastle job. (The Sun)

Newcastle have turned their attentions to Didier Deschamps after first-choice Harry Redknapp turned them down at the weekend. (Various)

Newcastle fans have been warned not to expect the likes of Jose Mourinho joining them at St James' Park. (Daily Mail)

Gerard Houllier's English agent is to hold talks with representatives from Newcastle today. (Daily Express)

Billy Davies says he would prefer a return to club management after deciding against applying for the Scotland job. (The Sun)

Billy Davies would be interested in managing Hearts. (The Sun)

Former Stoke manager Gudjon Thordarson, now with Akranes, is a candidate for the Hearts manager's job. (Daily Express)

Rangers striker Jean-Claude Darcheville has been handed a three-match European ban after his red card against Lyon. (The Sun)

England fans will not be trusted to take part in a minute's silence during next month's friendly with Switzerland to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. (The Guardian)

Liverpool's owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett could be forced to sell the club over a row about debt. (The Independent)

England need to get real and admit they are inferior to Croatia according to their manager Slaven Bilic. (Daily Star)

AFC Bournemouth are the latest club facing a financial crisis. The club have served a notice of attention to appoint an administrator. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY
Television presenter Nick Owen will rescue Luton from financial meltdown. (Various)

Arsenal are lining up a new signing nicknamed 'The Elephant.' (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 17th January gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Rangers are in talks with West Ham to take Christian Dailly on loan for the rest of the season (BBC Scotland, 1545).

Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson confirms he "just needs one last discussion" with Rangers over signing Ugo Ehiogu, but the signs are "looking favourable" (BBC Radio Sheffield, 1445).

Everton confirm they have agreed an unspecified fee with Birmingham for James McFadden (Press Association 1445).

Newcastle have joined Aston Villa in the chase for £10m Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe (thisislondon.co.uk 1415 GMT).

Investment company Dubai International Capital ready to make offer for Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks's stake in the club. (Liverpool Echo, 1324).

Brazilian striker Fred says he will stay at Lyon, dashing Tottenham's hopes of signing him. (Agence France Presse, 1302 GMT).

Birmingham are close to signing Scotland striker James McFadden from Everton for a fee in the region of £5m. He is set to discuss personal terms before undergoing a medical (Press Association, 1235 GMT).

Celtic target Daniel van Buyten has told Bayern Munich he wants to stay and fight for his place (Glasgow Herald, 1215 GMT).

Middlesbrough target Afonso Alves could be on his way from Heerenveen to AZ Alkmaar, after the provisional judgement of a Dutch FA hearing into the clubs' pre-contract agreements went against Boro (Press Association, 1150 GMT).

Cardiff's Robbie Fowler will not play again this season after surgeons discovered a new hip injury (icwales.co.uk, 1145 GMT).

Former Fulham manager Chris Coleman could be in line to be Kevin Keegan's number two at Newcastle (thisislondon.com, 0950 GMT).

Aston Villa have held talks with Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe (Birmingham Post, 0900 GMT).

Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenige says "the file is closed" on Manchester City's reported interest in German international striker Lukas Podolski (Goal.com, 0858 GMT).


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Bolton could make a surprise move for Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg now they have money after selling Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea (Mirror).

Chelsea will ask Barcelona for Lionel Messi or AC Milan for Kaka if Didier Drogba decides to join either team in the summer (Mirror).

Fulham will make Kansas City Wizards striker Eddie Johnson the club's fifth American signing (Sun).

Tottenham have had no takers for Darren Bent, who they are prepared to sell at a loss despite having only signed him last summer (Independent).

Portsmouth have been told they can only sign Tottenham's Jermain Defoe on a permanent deal and there is no chance of a loan (Independent).

Birmingham are keen to sign Huddersfield goalkeeper Matt Glennon after he helped knock them out of the FA Cup third round (Mirror).

Manchester United are close to sealing a deal for 17-year-old identical twin defenders Fabio and Rafael Silva, who are both Brazilian youth internationals (Times).

Derby have rejected another bid from Maccabi Tel Aviv for American midfielder Benny Feilhaber (Telegraph).

Real Madrid say they will "just have to keep working" on their bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United (The Sun).

Sheffield United are keen to sign Ugo Ehiogu from Rangers as he has made just 12 appearances in the last year (Sun).

Nottingham Forest will make a third take-it-or-leave-it offer for Coventry's Leon Best (Star).

Spanish club Osasuna are to make an increased bid for Celtic's Evander Sno (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Reading are to introduce sniffer dogs looking for drugs as fans enter the Madjeski Stadium but insist it is preventative rather than because there is a problem (Mirror).

Liverpool's Jamie Carragher says he "hasn't got a clue" if he will ever win the Premier League title with the club (Independent).

Mark McGhee will talk with the Scottish Football Association about staying as Motherwell boss before becoming Scotland manager at the end of the season (Guardian).


AND FINALLY
Portsmouth say they are "puzzled" by Sol Campbell's criticism of the amount of money they are investing in the side and have told him to stop criticising the club for lacking ambition (Star).

QPR's players may be forced to return £3,000 watches given to them by Flavio Briatore as FA rules say any wages, bonuses or inducements must be registered within their contracts (Express).

 

[McFLY]

Friday 18th January gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Aston Villa boss Martin o'Neill has rubbished reports that Jermain defoe has had talks with the club. "It's absolutely untrue," he said. (BBC Radio West Midlands 1513 GMT)

Tottenham have strongly denied that striker darren Bent is for sale and that the club is "in the market for any strikers". (tottenhamhotspur.com 1444 GMT)

Celtic will reject a £400,000 bid for Derek Riordan from Burnley as they hold out for more. (thisislondon.co.uk 1426 GMT)

George Gillett is to mull over whether to buy out Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks with the backing of Dubai International Capital. (Guardian, 1230 GMT)

Argentine teenager Franco Di Santo, who holds an Italian passport, is set for a move to Chelsea from Chilean club Audax. (thesoccerblog.com, 1159 GMT)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate insists he does not want Stewart Downing to leave and has had no offers for the winger. (Middlesbrough Gazette 1220 GMT)

West Ham and Fulham are interested in signing Hertha Berlin striker Marko Pantelic. (sportinglife.com 1133 GMT)

Tottenham may be encouraged in their attempts to sign midfielder Tiago from Juventus after the player said it would be "best" if he left the Italian club. (Goal.com 1110 GMT)

Charlton winger Jerome Thomas has yet to agree a new deal with the club and Derby or Middlesbrough could pounce. (thisislondon.co.uk 1051 GMT)

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has not ruled out Tottenham target Fred leaving in the January transfer window. (Press Association 0933 GMT)

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is wasting no time getting involved in the transfer market and has targeted Jermain Defoe and Shaun Wright-Phillips. (Various)

Deco, Scott Brown, Daniel van Buyten and Wes Brown are also on Keegan's 'money-no-object' wanted list. (Daily Telegraph)

But Defoe has been at Aston Villa's training ground with a view to sealing a £10m move from Tottenham. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa are eyeing Steaua Bucharest's 6ft 5in Dorin Goian and Tottenham's Pascal Chimbonda in their search for a defender. (Daily Telegraph)

Villa are also vying to sign defender Nedum Onuoha for £6m from Manchester City. (The Sun)

Everton are keen on Barcelona striker Santiago Ezquerro. (Daily Telegraph)

Liverpool could raid Spain again as they look at Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta and Javi Martinez, while Gabriel Heinze is still a possible arrival. (Daily Telegraph)

Fulham are to add United States striker Eddie Johnson from Kansas City Wizards and defender Brede Hangeland of FC Copenhagen to their ranks. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic aim to lure midfielder Mark Noble from West Ham. (Daily Mirror)

Neil Lennon is unhappy at Nottingham Forest and Ipswich are vying with Stoke to land the midfielder. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi has an escape route out of the club with Espanyol and Lazio possible options. (Daily Mirror)

Charlton have been told to increase their £1m-plus bid if they want to sign Burnley striker Andy Gray. (Sun)

Spurs boss Juande Ramos signed Russia striker Alexander Kerzhakhov while at Seville and could sign the player - offered to West Ham and Manchester City - again. (Various)

Tottenham's hopes of signing Brazilian striker Fred have been dealt a blow after the club and player failed to agree personal terms. (Times)

Portsmouth are set to offload defender Djimi Traore to French side Rennes. (Various)

Sunderland want Olivier Kapo from Birmingham but Wigan are also interested in the midfielder. (Daily Mail)

Rangers boss Walter Smith could move for West Ham's out-of-favour defender Christian Dailly now that Ugo Ehiogu looks set to move to Sheffield United. (Daily Record)

However, Dailly has already turned down a move back to Scotland for family reasons (Scottish Sun).

Wigan want Motherwell forward Ross McCormack, who has been targeted by Middlesbrough (Scottish Sun).


OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea's recent £15m recruit Nicolas Anelka has told fellow striker Didier Drogba to stay at the club and not to make the same mistake he did in leaving the Premier League. (Various)

The Republic of Ireland are keen to make former Liverpool boss Gerrard Houllier their new coach. (Daily Mail)


AND FINALLY
QPR owner Flavio Briatore said he was part of Bernie Ecclestone's bid to buy Chelsea but missed out to Roman Abramovich. He now says he will take QPR into the Champions League in four years. (Daily Mail)

Commitment seems to be a lost word for Portsmouth's new signing Lassana Diarra. On arrival from Arsenal he said: "The people at Portsmouth know I will not spend my life at this club. If I shine, if a really big club wants me, I know that everything will go well." (Various)

 

[McFLY]

Sunday 27th January gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Tottenham are set to sign Jonathan Woodgate after the defender snubbed a move to Newcastle. (various)

Manchester United and Arsenal are keeping an eye on Everton defender Joleon Lescott. (News of the World)

Manchester City are closing in on CSKA Moscow striker Wagner Love. (News of the World)

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Soutgate is set to step up his pursuit of Plymouth goalkeeper Luke McCormick. (News of the World)

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is planning to make a move for Argentina and Real Zaragoza playmaker Pablo Aimar. (News of the World)

Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda is set for a £7m move to Sevilla. (News of the World)

Everton are keen to sign United States midfielder Michael Bradley for about £3m. (News of the World)

Reading are interested in signing West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt and are willing to pay £4m. (News of the World)

Bolton goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi has been targeted by German giants Bayern Munich. (News of the World)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is set to sign Lyon striker Milan Baros on loan on Monday. (Sunday Express)

Aston Villa and Bolton are keen to sign Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha. (Sunday People)

Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras could be heading to Spanish club Espanyol. (News of the World)

Rangers want Wigan striker Marcus Bent until the end of the season. (News of the World)

Fulham are planning a bid for Wigan midfielder Paul Scharner. (News of the World)

Celtic have won the race to sign Dundee United midfielder Barry Robson. (various)

Aston Villa have beaten Celtic to the signature of Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan. (News of the World)

Celtic are closing in on Marseille full-back Taye Taiwo for £2m. (Sunday Mail)

Hibernian have made a bid to take Derek Riordan back from Celtic. (Sunday Post)

Spurs are set to make another bid to sign Rangers full-back Alan Hutton as a replacement for Pascal Chimbonda. (Sunday Mail)

Dundee United goalkeeper Grzegorz Szamotulski has rejected a contract offer from Rangers and the Ibrox club now face competition for his signature from German giants Borussia Dortmund. (Sunday Mail)

Gretna defender Aurelian Collin is attracting interest from Lazio, Sheffield United, Wolves and Coventry. (News of the World)

Dundee United left-back Christian Kalvenes says he will give up football in the summer unless he is signed by former club Brann Bergen. (Sunday Mail)

St Mirren defender David Van Zanten is wanted by Nottingham Forest, Hull and Scunthorpe. (News of the World)


OTHER GOSSIP
Reading striker Dave Kitson will be the shock new name when coach Fabio Capello announces his first England squad this week. (News of the World & The Sunday Times)

The Football Association will go ahead with a holding a minute's silence in memory of the those who died in the 1958 Munich air crash before the game against England and Switzerland at Wembley. (various)

The identity of Derby's new owners is set to be revealed on Monday. (The Mail on Sunday)

Former Newcastle captain Alan Shearer is set to go into football mangement next season. (The Sunday Telegraph)

DIC remain intent on a Liverpool takeover despite the recent refinancing deal by the club's owners. (various)

Newcastle players were understood to be have been shocked by manager Kevin Keegan's team briefing prior to their FA Cup tie at Arsenal. (News of the World)

Manchester United defender Wes Brown is set to sign a four-year deal with the club. (News of the World)

New Scotland boss George Burley has revealed he wants Celtic defender Steven Pressley to join his backroom team along with Terry Butcher. (NotW)


AND FINALLY
West Ham defender Lucas Neill popped into a well-known Australian-themed watering hole in London and bought a drink for everyone in the establishment to help them celebrate Australia Day.

Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez fines his players if they are caught not speaking English.

Keeper Pepe Reina said: "There are 12 Spanish speakers but we try not to talk in our language because if he catches us, Rafa fines us."

 

[McFLY]

Monday 28th January gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Norwich forward Darren Huckerby could be on his way to the Canada to play for MLS side Toronto FC. (FansFC.com, 1458 GMT)

Blackburn have been linked with Macedonia international midfielder Velice Sumulikoski, who is currently playing in Turkey for Bursaspor. (FansFC.com, 1458 GMT)

QPR have agreed an undisclosed fee with Bradford for goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. (Sporting Life, 1451 GMT)

Rangers are believed to be interested in Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras. (Press Association, 1143 GMT)

Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has expressed doubt over whether their new coach, former Liverpool managerial target Jurgen Klinsmann, can cut it as a club boss. (Press Association, 1054 GMT)

Aston Villa central defender Gary Cahill finally looks poised to complete a move to Bolton. (Press Association, 1020 GMT)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Tottenham are set to complete a £16.25m double move for Rangers full-back Alan Hutton and Middlesbrough centre-back Jonathan Woodgate. (Various)

Spurs have also agreed a £9.3m fee for Juventus midfielder Tiago, but may lose out to Atletico Madrid. (The Sun)

White Hart Lane boss Juande Ramos also hopes to sign Hertha Berlin left-back Gilberto. (Various)

Middlesbrough are in talks with Brazil striker Afonso Alves after agreeing a fee in excess of £12m with his club Heerenveen. (Various)

Bolton manager Gary Megson also wants to sign Barcelona's former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. (Mirror)

Fulham are set to sign West Brom defender Neil Clement on loan for the rest of the season. (The Sun)

Aston Villa's 22-year-old defender Gary Cahill is on his way to Bolton in a £4.5m deal. (Various)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is on the trail of Schalke 04's Danish winger Peter Lovenkrands. (Mirror)

Manchester City's unsettled Greece international striker Georgios Samaras is a target for Rangers manager Walter Smith. (Mirror)

Aston Villa will sign Tottenham misfit Wayne Routledge, but will lose defender Olof Mellberg to Juventus at the end of the season. (Mirror)

West Brom are close to agreeing a loan deal for Viktoria Plzen goalkeeper Michal Danek. (The Sun)

Coventry are on the verge of finalising a deal for Walsall Daniel Fox, who will cost about £400,000. (Various)

Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood is interested in signing Leicester striker Matty Fryatt. (Mirror)

Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore is hoping to keep Bristol City's teenager winger Jennison Myrie-Williams on loan until the end of the season. (Mirror)

Crystal Palace winger Mark Kennedy is set to move to MK Dons. (The Sun)

Walsall manager Richard Money wants to turn Michael Ricketts' loan deal into a permanent move. (Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
England boss Fabio Capello is believed to be having serious doubts whether to include David Beckham in the squad to face Swizerland. Beckham is hoping to win his 100th cap by playing in the match. (Various)

Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann will make his farewell appearance for the Gunners in the FA Cup final, if they get there, as manager Arsene Wenger has promised him he will be selected for that competition. (Mirror)

Polish goalkeeper Gregorz Szamotulski looks to have blown his chance of a move to Rangers after demanding Allan McGregor's number one jersey. (Daily Mail)


AND FINALLY
FA Cup heroes Havant & Waterlooville went on a £100,000 bender after their 5-2 defeat at Anfield on Saturday, with Liverpool picking up the tab for the part-time footballers' night of celebrations. (Star)

West Ham may soon be able to boast having one of the most powerful fans in the world as has emerged that US Presidential candidate Barack Obama has been a follower of the Hammers ever since a visit to London five years ago. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 29th January gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
We reported earlier that Gary McAllister was in talks to return to Leeds United as Dennis Wise's replacement - and that was indeed true (1712 GMT)!

Leeds name McAllister as new boss
Bolton are being linked with a move for Croatian international defender Marko Babic. (Setanta, 1449 GMT)

Birmingham are poised to hold talks with Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill over a possible £5m move. Bolton had a bid for the player accepted on Monday. (Press Association, 1311 GMT)

Bolton boss Gary Megson says he will work right up until the transfer window closes in his efforts to sign Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. (Eat Sleep Sport, 1152)

South Korea midfielder Kim Do-heon will undergo a medical at West Brom on Tuesday as he closes in on a move to the Championship side. (Press Association, 1033 GMT)

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has ruled out a return to AC Milan, insisting he is committed to Chelsea (Press Association, 1012 GMT)

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish admits he is running out of time in his bid to sign AIK Solna midfielder Dulee Johnson before the January transfer window closes. (Press Association, 0913 GMT).

Juventus are set to complete the signing of Mohamed Sissoko from Liverpool - but will not let Spurs target Tiago leave during the transfer window. (Gazzetta dello Sport, 0842)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester City want to sign strikers Vagner Love and Jo Alves and midfielder Daniel Carvalho - all three Brazilians play for CSKA Moscow. (Various)

Sunderland and Birmingham have joined the race to sign Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill. Bolton have already agreed a fee for the player. (Various)

Portsmouth's Senegal international midfielder Papa Bouba Diop is wanted by Spanish side Murcia. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle are set to pay £2m for Derby winger Giles Barnes. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn are in talks with Chile captain Claudio Maldonado, who plays for Brazilian side Santos, over a £1m move. (Various)

Rangers boss Walter Smith wants Derby keeper Lewis Price in a swap deal with Roy Carroll. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle have ruled out a move for Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda. (Various)

John Arne Riise's agent insists the left-back will not be leaving Liverpool to join Newcastle. (Various)

Everton are sure defender Jolean Lescott will snub a move to Manchester United or Arsenal and sign a new long-term deal at Goodison. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough expect to sign Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. (Various)

Arsenal are watching Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko and may make a move for the 21-year-old. (Various)

Celtic are hoping to sign Manchester City's unsettled striker Georgios Samaras on a loan deal. (The Guardian)

Also on Celtic's wanted list is Burnley's Kyle Lafferty, and the Glasgow club has tabled a £3.12m bid for the striker. (Daily Record)

Norwich are ready to bid £850,000 for Scunthorpe's 11-goal forward Martin Paterson. (Various)

West Brom are desperate to offload striker John Hartson and will offer him a pay-off this week. (Daily Star)

But the Baggies are hoping to clinch deals for Livingston winger Graeme Dorrans and South Korea international midfielder Kim Do-Hean. (Daily Star)

Bristol City are set to make a £250,000 move for Coventry's 32-year-old striker Dele Adebola. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
The Football Association is considering banning all players except captains from speaking to referees from next season in an attempt to crack down on dissent. (Various)

New England manager Fabio Capello is stalling on a decision whether to give David Beckham his 100th cap against Switzerland next week. Capello wants to pick players only on merit and has doubts over Beckham's fitness. (Various)

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack is considering retiring from the game when his contract runs out next year. (The Times)

Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra is on a collision course with the club after demanding a £120,000-a-week contract. Evra currently earns about £36,000 per week but wants parity with the club's top earners before he commits himself to a new deal. (Daily Mirror)

Terry Butcher and Steven Pressley will join Scotland's new coaching team within the next 48 hours. (Daily Record)

Ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is on the verge of taking over at Spanish side Valencia, who are in relegation trouble in La Liga. (The Sun)

Stewart Downing is refusing to have new contract talks with Middlesbrough after his potential move to Tottenham fell through. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea's superstar players were left star-struck themselves yesterday when Diego Maradona visited the club's training ground. The Argentine legend was in huge demand for photographs and autographs. (Various)

David Beckham is planning to open a football academy in Brazil. The former England captain already has academies in London and Los Angeles. (The Guardian)