November Football gossip 2008

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Friday 07th November gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Barcelona are ready to launch an immediate £30m bid for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, rather than waiting until the summer to re-sign the 21-year-old, who left the club six years ago. (Daily Star)

Chelsea are lining up a January move for Michael Owen, with the Stamford Bridge club valuing the 28-year-old Newcastle striker between £3m to £5m. (The Sun)

However, they may face competition from Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who is keen to bolster his striking ranks. (The Sun)

Manchester United have joined the race to sign 19-year-old midfielder Alex Witsel from Standard Liege, with the Belgian club valuing him at about £15m. (The Sun)

Everton are planning to relaunch a bid for 22-year-old Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho after having a £12m offer rejected in the summer. (Daily Star)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce has told Hull to make an offer for striker Marlon King, who is currently on loan at the KC Stadium. (Various)

West Ham and Fulham are tracking Basel midfielder Beni Huggel, who would cost about £2.5m. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
West Ham's owners have admitted for the first time that are considering selling the club as they continue to feel the effects of the credit crunch but potential investors will wait for the outcome of Sheffield United's Carlos Tevez appeal. (Daily Telegraph, The Independent)

England manager Fabio Capello will axe David Beckham from his squad for the forthcoming international friendly in Germany. (The Sun)

Newcastle interim manager Joe Kinnear has tipped controversial midfielder Joey Barton for a shock England call-up. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo believes his side have to win at Arsenal on Saturday if they are serious about winning the Premier League title. (Daily Star)

Ahead of that clash, Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has said he would not swap any of his team-mates for anyone in the United team. (The Sun)

Former Tottenham manager Juande Ramos will receive £1.7m in compensation from the north London club after his exit in October - the figure being half of what was his annual salary. (The Times)

Manager Paul Ince wants to employ former Manchester United team-mate Andrew Cole as a striker coach at Blackburn Rovers. (Various)

West Ham are close to agreeing a shirt sponsorship deal with betting company SBO Bet, who will replace XL on the club's shirts after the airline went bust in September. (The Times)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United have turned to a sleep expert in their bid for glory this season, with players receiving home visits and getting professional tips on how to sleep. (The Sun)

 

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Monday 10th November gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester City are monitoring the progress of Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel. The 19-year-old Belgian has also been linked with Middlesbrough and Arsenal. (Daily Mail)

Celtic look to have ended their interest in Croatian star Tomislav Dujmovic. The glasgow side had a greed a pre-contract agreement with the Amkar player, but have decided to drop their interest. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Mark Hughes could be forced out as Manchester City boss by his Brazilian contingent, who are said to be unhappy with the Welshman's management style. A new replacement could be found in the January transfer window. (The Sun)

Hughes, who had met chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak on Saturday night, could fly out to Abu Dhabi for a meeting with club owner Sheik Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday. (The Times)

A South African consortium has approached Portsmouth with a view to buying the club from Alexandre Gaydamak for about £60m. (The Times)

Portsmouth manager Tony Adams wants former Arsenal youth team coach Terry Burton as his new number two at Fratton Park. Ex-Wimbledon boss Burton is currently assistant to Dave Jones at Cardiff. (Daily Mirror)

Everton striker Louis Saha believes Everton can qualify for Europe after their 3-1 victory over West Ham, the Merseyside club's third successive Premier League win. (The Sun)

Pascal Chimbonda's future at Sunderland is in doubt after he was dropped and disciplined by manager Roy Keane for breaking a curfew. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez says the best is yet to come after his side's 3-0 victory over West Brom. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United's training sessions at their Carrington training ground are being disrupted by dive-bombing geese flying in from a nearby nature reserve. (The Sun)

 

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Tuesday 11th November gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Andrei Arshavin looks set to leave Zenit St Petersburg, with Tottenham interested in the Russian striker. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal are keen on Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah, who is a free agent after leaving Fenerbahce. (Daily Mirror)

Derby are lining up Bolton defender Danny Shittu on a month-long loan deal. (The Sun)

Aston Villa will attempt to sign Wigan and England striker Emile Heskey in the January transfer window. (Daily Star)

Everton have agreed a £2m deal to sign Egypt striker Emad Meteb in January. (Daily Star)

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes could sell Elano, Michael Ball, Nedum Onouha, Dietmar Hamann and Darius Vassell in a January clear-out. (The Independent)

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been warned by Chelsea hierarchy that he faces a January transfer freeze because of the global credit crunch. (Various)

Arsenal are lining up Palmeiras striker Lenny, who is out of contract in January. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane is interested in Lille centre-back Adil Rami. (Daily Star)

Hull City boss Phil Brown is attempting to sign Dutch winger Eljero Elia from FC Twente. (Daily Mirror)

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry could quit Barcelona to join David Beckham in the United States. (Daily Express)

Barcelona left-back Sylvinho says he will consider a January move to Celtic, who he confirmed have been in contact with with the Spanish club over a possible transfer. (The Sun)

The Scottish champions are also looking to bring in Red Bull Salzburg's Marc Janko in the transfer window in order to boost their striking options. (The Herald)


OTHER GOSSIP
Cristiano Ronaldo is to be offered a new deal at Manchester United, if the winger proves his loyalty to the club. (The Sun)

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendez is in talks with Manchester United's hierarchy over a new £170,000-a-week contract for the Portuguese star. (Daily Mirror)

Defender Gary Neville is sweating on his Manchester United future, having not yet been offered a new contract at the club. (Daily Mirror)

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will be offered £15m a year to manage Manchester City. (The Sun)

Odds on former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer becoming the new manager at St James' Park were slashed, with the club set to be sold to a US tycoon. (The Mirror)

Portsmouth manager Tony Adams wants former Arsenal team-mate Giles Grimandi as part of his backroom staff. (Daily Star)

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes feared he could be sacked when new owner Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan wanted to see him in Abu Dhabi but instead talks focused on the budget for the January transfer window. (The Guardian)


AND FINALLY
Martin Bodenham, 58, is to make history by becoming the first former football referee to become a first-class cricket umpire. (The Sun)

Former Manchester United and England striker Andy Cole has announced his retirement from football. (The Times)

England footballers will be targeted by drug-testing enforcers in a new clampdown next season. (The Sun)

 

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Wednesday 12th November gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Russia forward Andrei Arshavin has revealed he is desperate to leave Zenit St Petersburg in the coming transfer window in January, saying "at the start of 2009, I will be with another team". Real Madrid and Tottenham thought to be interested in signing the 27-year-old. (Spanish daily AS, 1615 GMT)

Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa, who almost joined Liverpool in 2005 before signing with Atletico Madrid until 2010, has revealed his long-term goal is still to play in England. "I still have the dream of playing in England. I'm attracted to the style of play there and their stadiums." (Press Association, 1549 GMT)


TRANSFER GOSSIP
Harry Redknapp is ready to rescue Richard Dunne from his Manchester City nightmare and bring him to Tottenham in January. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United have made Barcelona playmaker Xavi their top £20m transfer target. (Daily Star)

And United have also joined the chase for Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel, 19. Standard Liege want about £15m for the teenager. (Daily Mail)

Reading are on the trail of Ipswich left-back Dan Harding, who is currently on loan at Southend. (Daily Star)

Jimmy Bullard is being chased by Spurs and Sunderland - as Fulham decide whether or not to offer the midfielder a new contract. (The Sun)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is the managerial target for a Middle East consortium in talks with Nottingham Forest about a multi-million pound takeover of the Championship club. (Daily Express)

Fiorentina are keeping an eye on Ipswich's Alex Bruce, the son of Wigan boss Steve. (Daily Mirror)

League One strugglers Huddersfield have put former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd at the top of their wanted list. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Leading footballers have already been trapped by controversial "three strikes and you're out" rules that have quietly been introduced to combat drug-taking. (The Times)

City of London Police are investigating new evidence in their football corruption inquiry and will make inquiries abroad. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Managers are considering keeping their players in the dressing room until a few minutes before kick-off time to express their anger at recent refereeing decisions. (Daily Telegraph)