March Football gossip 2009

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Tuesday's 3rd March gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham is closing in on extending his loan deal to AC Milan, with the Italians keen on making the move permanent next year. (Various)

Tottenham defender Ledley King wants a new contract, despite his persistent knee injury. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies is eyeing Reading striker Leroy Lita to help his side. (Daily Star)

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is looking to undertake a summer clear-out, with midfielder David Bentley set for the exit door. (The Independent)

Aston Villa striker John Carew could be in line for a shock departure in the summer. (Daily Mirror)

Crystal Palace are hoping to sign Sunderland forward Anthony Stokes on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is determined to halt Manchester United's quest for five trophies this season in a rallying cry reminiscent of Kevin Keegan's outburst during Newcastle's 1996 title battle. (Various)

With the Blues seven points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, the Dutchman has a message to Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of Tuesday's visit to Portsmouth: "I'd love to stop him. I hope we can stop him." (The Sun)

Manchester United's Carling Cup goalkeeping hero Ben Foster has earned a new four-year contract, with talks set to begin over a deal worth £1.5m. (Various)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez remains downcast after his side's loss to Middlesbrough and injuries to key players such as Fernando Torres. (The Guardian)

Hull striker Geovanni faces a huge fine after reacting angrily to being substituted on Sunday against Blackburn. (The Sun)

Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell wants football authorities to deduct points from clubs whose fans are responsible for indecent and racist chanting. (Various)

Scotland's highest profile players are set to hear about new laws for next season, with an elite pool of about 30 players being made available for drug testing at a specified address for one hour every day. (Daily Record)

AND FINALLY
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy is staying cool, despite his team winning only once in 11 league games. He says: "If my wife leaves me - now THAT'S a crisis!" (The Sun)

Meanwhile, Southampton's new boss Mark Wotte wants his players to 'live like monks' to help avoid relegation. The Dutchman said: "They have to sleep in the kitchen, drink only water, and have proper food. I tell them to send their wives to a resort and have a good sleep." (Various)

 

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Wednesday 04th March gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
David Beckham's transfer saga continues, with officials working on a deal to keep him on loan at AC Milan until the end of the season. The deal would keep the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder in Italy until June and allow him to play in England's World Cup qualifiers before taking a month's break and returning to the United States for the rest of the Major League Soccer season. (Daily Mail)

Beckham is so keen to make sure his move to Milan goes through he is prepared to make a significant financial contribution to the deal himself. (Telegraph)

Arsenal and Bolton have been put on red alert after Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso revealed he will leave Portugal at the end of the season. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal will also take on Chelsea for the signature of Atletico Madrid's 16-year-old midfielder Sergio Marcos who is a free agent in the summer. (Daily Mirror)

Charlton have slapped a £5m price tag on Jonjo Shelvey with Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham all keen on the 17-year-old. (Daily Mirror)

Fulham are also interested in Shelvey, seen as one of the hottest prospects outside the top flight. (Daily Express)

Tottenham want to take Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic on loan. The 18-year-old scored 10 goals last term but has failed to make an impact at the Nou Camp this season. (Daily Mirror)

Barnsley want to make on-loan Liverpool winger Adam Hammill's stay at Oakwell permanent. (Daily Mail)

Rangers manager Walter Smith is lining up a £1.5m bid for Doncaster midfielder Brian Stock. (Daily Star)

Manchester United starlet Matty James is being tracked by Luton Town. Hatters boss Mick Harford wants to take the 17-year-old midfielder on loan. (Daily Mirror)

Derby County manager Nigel Clough could raid the Scottish Premier League for more transfer targets this summer. Clough brought in striker Chris Porter from Motherwell in January and was in the stands for Rangers 1-0 win over Hamilton on Saturday looking at "Two or three on each side." (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Fulham have opened talks with highly rated defender Brede Hangeland over a new deal. (Daily Star)

Hull's Geovanni has apologised to Tigers boss Phil Brown after the Brazilian striker shook his head and stared aggressively at Brown when he was substituted in the home defeat by Blackburn. (Various)

West Ham have held talks with more than five potential new owners including an Asian consortium. (Telegraph)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce has hailed Titus Bramble as a top-class defender. Bruce said: "Titus now looks like the real deal everyone thought he could be." (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric has called for Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo to stop moaning. Modric said: "He Really overdoes the theatrical bits." (Various)

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has urged referees to keep an eye on Everton midfielder Tim Cahill. Allardyce claimed Cahill is "clever" in the way he uses his body to gain an advantage in the penalty area without conceding free kicks. (Various)

West Ham midfielder Jack Collison has thanked boss Gianfranco Zola for giving him chance to shine this season. (Various)

Notts County chairman John Armstrong-Holmes is facing a vote of no confidence at Meadow Lane. (Daily Express)

Rangers defender David Weir could still be playing for the club at the age of 40. The veteran will be 39 in May and could be offered another 12-month deal at the end of the season. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp refused to let his players drown their sorrows after the Carling Cup defeat by Manchester United and Redknapp insisted his players will not be celebrating with alcohol if Spurs manage to stay up. (The Sun)

 

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Thursday 05th March gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester City are set to make a £100m summer move for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. City owner Sulaiman Al Fahim is a huge fan of Argentine football and has not been put off by missing out on AC Milan's Kaka. (The Sun)

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is targeting a £5m move for Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh although Arsenal have also been watching the 24-year-old, with Redknapp identifing Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta as an alternative. (The Sun)

Redknapp looks certain to offload £16.5m flop Darren Bent this summer, while Roman Pavlyuchenko could also be on his way. (The Sun)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba almost left Stamford Bridge in January after a personal feud with former boss Phil Scolari. The Ivory Coast striker was an £18m target for Manchester City and Inter Milan. (The Sun)

Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock is planning to offer on-loan Blackburn striker Paul Gallagher, 24, a permanent move. (Daily Star)

Preston are set to sign Norwich midfielder Mark Fotheringham, 25, on loan. (Various)

Cheltenham have rejected a bid from League one rivals Yeovil to take striker Damian Spencer, 27, on loan. (Daily Star)

Blackpool have failed with loan bids for Crystal Palace strikers Shefki Kuqi, 32, and James Scowcroft, 33. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies expects to sign Coventry winger Gary McSheffrey on loan after beating competition from Norwich and Sheffield United. (Daily Mirror)

Queen of the South midfielder Stevie Tosh, 35, wants to extend his stay with the Dumfries club. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is the shock name topping the manager wish-list at Manchester City. The City owners have also targeted Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho and Croatia manager Slaven Bilic to replace Mark Hughes. (Daily Star)

Wenger is also wanted by Real Madrid if Florentino Perez returns as president. (Daily Star)

The Manchester City wish-list is actually Wenger, Mourinho, Bilic and Argentina coach Diego Maradona. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas claims if Wenger leaves the Gunners for Manchester or Madrid, he would consider quitting Arsenal too. (Daily Mirror)

Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were involved in a furious half-time tunnel bust-up with Newcastle defender Steven Taylor during Manchester United's 2-1 win at St James' Park. One United player said Taylor was a "useless defender", to which he replied "at least I am not ugly". (Various)

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks wants current commercial director Ian Ayre to replace Rick Parry as the club's next chief executive. (the Sun)

Paul Ince has turned down the chance to become manager of League One strugglers Brighton as he is unwilling to take charge of a team lower than the Championship. Stockport's Jim Gannon has also rejected the Seagulls who are now expected to appoint former Yeovil boss Russell Slade. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Championship strugglers Norwich City have been left stunned after almost 17,000 fans renewed season tickets for next season. (Daily Star)

Didier Drogba's agent claims the Chelsea striker is among the 10 best-paid players in the world but retains his humility. (Daily Mail)

 

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Friday 06th March gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has set his sights on signing another of English football's elite talent by targeting Manchester City keeper Joe Hart in a £3m deal. (Sun)

Manchester City and Chelsea's hopes of signing David Villa could be boosted after Valencia said their finances may force them to sell the striker. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland, West Ham, Real Betis and Sevilla are keen on Heerenveen winger Daniel Pranjic of Croatia. (Sun)

Stoke will again try to sign French midfielder Hassan Yebda from Benfica after missing out on him in January. (Sun)

Cowdenbeath striker Paul McQuade has been given permission to undergo a trial with Dundee United. (Various)

Hearts skipper Robbie Neilson has yet to be offered a new deal at Tynecastle and may have to look for another club in the summer. (Daily Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Manchester United's players get more protection from referees. He also says Cristiano Ronaldo's "arrogance" is "provocative" but wants a special committee formed for over the top tackles. (Various)

Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Sar says he would have quit football by now if he had stayed at Fulham and not moved to Old Trafford. (Sun)

A Kuwaiti consortium want to buy Liverpool but the asking price of American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet is too high. (Various)

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is set to give the side a boost by declaring himself fit to face Real Madrid in the Champions League next Tuesday. (Sun)

Fifa president Sepp Blatter claims Manchester United boss Sir Alex Fergsuon backs his six-plus-five plan to limit the number of foreign players in a team. (Times)

Referee Stuart Attwell is making plenty of headlines with doubts over his ability to manage in the Premier League after his performance in the game between Wigan and West Ham. (Times)

Birmingham managing director Karren Brady has told boss Alex McLeish his job is safe, despite fans' unrest. (Daily Mail)

Celtic forward Shaun Maloney has flown out to consult a German specialist about his troublesome hamstring injury. (Daily Record)

Clyde chairman Ian Letham admits the club could fold if they don't land a cash injection in the next three months. (Daily Record)

SFA president George Peat insists Fifa won't hesitate to suspend Scotland if MSPs continue to interfere in the row over a proposed GB Olympic team. (Scottish Sun)


AND FINALLY
Aston Villa have jetted off to Dubai for a bit of rest and relaxation in order to recharge their batteries ahead of the battle for a Champions League spot. (Various)

Ashley Cole could be sent to Coventry but in the metaphorical sense rather than for Chelsea's FA Cup tie after his arrest for being drunk and disorderly. Or, in fact, Hiddink will let the left-back off and play him against the Midlands club. (Various)