Wednesday's gossip column


TRANSFER GOSSIP

Out-of-favour Liverpool defender Andrea Dossena is set to join Italian side Napoli on loan in the January transfer window, with a view to a permanent deal.(The Sun) 
Manchester City have joined Manchester United in showing an interest in teenage Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell but are unlikely to launch a bid until next summer. (Daily Mail)   
Portsmouth are battling Birmingham and Ipswich to sign Benfica defender Miguel Vitor in January. (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has joined Real Madrid and Everton in the chase for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson - and could start the bidding war with a £3m offer.(The Sun) 
Fulham hope to sign Roma's former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise for £3m in January to team him up with his younger brother, midfielder Bjorn Helga, who is already at Craven Cottage.(Daily Express) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish will return to his former club Rangers to sign £3m-rated midfielder Steven Davis and striker Kris Boyd, who could be available for £1m. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn are willing to sell striker Benni McCarthy in January but will not allow him to join any of their relegation rivals in the Premier League or move anywhere on a loan deal. (The Sun) 
West Brom's Slovenian international Robert Koren says he could leave the Hawthorns in January unless he is restored to his favoured central midfield role.(The Sun) 
Birmingham, Fulham and Celtic are heading the chase for Koren if he does leave the Baggies.(Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes, who was sacked by Tranmere Rovers in October after only four months in charge, is close to being appointed the new national boss of Rwanda. (Daily Mirror) 
West Ham may have to pay former manager Alan Curbishley £4m after he won his case for constructive dismissal over his departure from Upton Park in September 2008.(The Sun) 
Curbishley will land a £2.2m pay-off from West Ham, who could be forced to sell players in January to afford the pay out. (Daily Express)
The Hammers will have to pay Curbishley a year's salary - a basic of about £1m - plus legal costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. (Daily Telegraph) 
West Ham initially tried to sue Curbishley for £2m, claiming he had left them in the lurch by resigning and was in breach of his contract.(The Independent) 
Hull City are lining up Curbishley as a replacement for under-fire boss Phil Brown, who could be sacked if the Tigers lose at home to Stoke on Sunday. (Daily Mirror) 
New Hull chairman Adam Pearson has reassured fans that the Tigers will not be forced to sell their best players to reduce their £40m wage bill.(The Times) 
Arsenal fans fear for the future of their club after Stan Kroenke increased his stakeholding in the Gunners. (The Times) 
Kroenke has no immediate plans to try to seize control of the Arsenal boardroom with a full takeover bid. (The Independent) 
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was "devastated" when Xabi Alonso left Liverpool and admits the Reds have missed the Spaniard. (Four Four Two) 
Notts County's director of Football Sven-Goran Eriksson claims Sol Campbell quit the club midway through a training session when he decided to leave the Magpies in September.(The Sun) 
Norwegian champions Rosenborg want former Manchester United star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their manager. Solskjaer is currently reserve team boss at Old Trafford. (Daily Mail) 
Oldham-born Hearts winger Andy Driver has admitted his agent has held talks with Scotland boss George Burley about changing his international allegiance from Scotland to England.(Daily Record)
Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has had another setback in his recovery from a cruciate knee injury and could remain sidelined until the new year. (Various) 
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is unhappy that clubs can only appeal against yellow cards in cases of mistaken identity and has urged the League Managers' Association to campaign for a change in the rules. (The Guardian) 
Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier will be offered the chance to become Saudia Arabia's director of football, overseeing their national side and top club teams, while ex-Anfield chief executive Rick Parry is wanted to run the administrative side of the Saudi game. (Daily Mirror) 
West Ham's Welsh midfielder Jack Collison, 21, is poised to begin talks over a bumper new five-year contract - only a year after signing his last deal with the Hammers. (The Sun) 

AND FINALLY

Newcastle United managing director Derek Llambias hopes a new jumbo TV screen at St James' Park will placate Magpies fans angry over the club's plans to sell the naming rights to the stadium. Any sponsorship of the ground will include @StJames'Park in its official title. (The Sun) 

David Beckham's wife Victoria has bought the England midfielder a pair of micro pigs for Christmas, and the on-loan AC Milan star wants to call them Pinky and Perky. (Daily Mirror)

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