Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are favourites to beat off neighbours United and Tottenham by signing Chelsea's Joe Cole on a free transfer in the summer.(Sunday Mirror) 
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is heading towards the exit door at Anfield after becoming fed up with their poor form. Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester City wait with their cheque books at the ready.(Mail on Sunday) 
Tottenham have moved closer to sealing the biggest deal of the January transfer window by holding direct talks with Palermo about £11m defender Simon Kjaer.(Daily Mail) 
Argentina winger Angel di Maria has said 'no' to a move to Manchester City after a £38m bid was made for the 21-year-old at Benfica.(Sunday Mirror) 
Sunderland winger Kieran Richardson is wanted by Birmingham as part of Alex McLeish's Blues revolution.(News of the World)
Ruud van Nistelrooy will snub a move back to the Premier League and instead join Galatasaray in a £4m deal.(Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland want Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, but the £7m price tag may put them off with manager Steve Bruce unlikely to pay more than £5m.(News of the World) 
Manchester United keeper Ben Foster will be sold as the Old Trafford club wait to see what happens with Schalke's Manuel Neuer. (Sunday Express) 
While Sunderland and Stoke are considering a £4m move for the United and England keeper.(Mail on Sunday)
Portsmouth are hoping their transfer embargo is lifted this week to enable them to snap up Spurs midfielder Giovani dos Santos on loan.(News of the World) 
Wolves have bid £6.5m for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson - but other clubs, including Chelsea, are monitoring the former England Under-21 star.(Daily Mail) 
Newcastle are lining up a loan move for Arsenal teenager Jack Wilshere for the remainder of the season.(Daily Mirror) 
New Bolton boss Owen Coyle has his eyes on Stoke's 25-year-old defender Andy Wilkinson.(News of the World)

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United could be in line for a £1.2bn takeover after efforts by the Glazers, United's owners, to attract Middle East investment.(Sunday Express) 
The West Ham takeover saga is set to be resolved by Tuesday, with David Sullivan and David Gold now poised to seize control of the club.(News of the World) 
Liverpool and Manchester United would be banned from the Champions League if Michel Platini's "Financial Fair Play" criteria for European club competitions was introduced, according to senior sources within Uefa. Manchester City and Chelsea would also be at risk, despite their owners having paid off their debts recently.(The Times) 
Manchester United will decide on Monday whether striker Dimitar Berbatov needs an operation on his injured knee.(News of the World) 

AND FINALLY

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has been approached about a coaching role at Old Trafford before stepping into the hotseat to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.
Guardiola's agent Jose Maria Orobigt said: "A club has contacted me but there have been no discussions over money or the sporting project. Anything like that is up to Pep."(News of the World)

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Thursday column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham look set to agree the £7m signing of Internacional's Brazilian midfielder Sandro on Sunday. (Daily Mirror )
Manchester United are considering a January transfer move for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.(Daily Mirror)
But Arsenal are also interested in the £15m-rated Bosnia striker as they look to replace injured forward Robin Van Persie. (The Sun)
United will sell Serbian winger Zoran Tosic and pass up on their option to sign his former team-mate Partizan Belgrade midfielder Adem Ljajic in order to free up funds to sign Dzeko.(Daily Mirror)
Or, United's decision to pull out of the £10m deal for Serbian 'superkid' Ljajic is because there are suggestions the Old Trafford club are suffering from a financial crisis.(Daily Star)
Meanwhile, United keeper Ben Foster will be sent out on loan in January in a bid to secure his place in England's World Cup squad.(Daily Mirror)
Manchester United are said to be considering a move for Schalke 04 keeper Manuel Neuer, according to the German player's agent. (Daily Mirror)
United will also listen to offers of around £10m for Portugal winger Nani who has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford. (The Sun)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been told to pay around £12m to sign Toulouse's France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac. (Daily Mail)
The Gunners also expect to sign Juventude's Brazilian playmaker Zezinho in the new year after in impressed during a trial period in the summer. (Daily Mail)
Meanwhile Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos is set to quit the Premier League club and join Atletico Madrid in January. (The Sun)
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy is tracking Leeds United's £6m-rated striker Jermaine Beckford.  (The Sun)
Portsmouth striker John Utaka is being lined up for a January loan move to Scottish Premier League side Celtic.(The Sun)
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is considering a £1.5m bid for Watford keeper Scott Loach in January. (The Sun)
Birmingham are keen on Marseille strike duo Brandao and Mamadou Niang.(The Sun)
West Ham are in advanced talks with Bayern Munich's Italian striker Luca Toni. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Jurgen Klinsmann is coy over speculation linking him with the Liverpool job. (The Sun)
Milton Keynes Dons manager Paul Ince is fighting to save his job at the League One club, despite only returning there in July. (Daily Mirror)

AND FINALLY

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has ruled out a big-money move to Manchester City because he wants his family to grow up as Scousers. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester United staff have put the clocks forward by seven minutes at the club's training ground as they look to stop players turning up late for their 1000 GMT exercise session. (The Sun)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has urged Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti to sign French midfielder Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan in January.(The Sun) 
Another Inter player in demand is midfielder Sulley Muntari, who is being tracked by Tottenham.(The Sun) 
Former Liverpool winger Bolo Zenden is keen to join Sunderland and will train with Steve Bruce's side in a bid to win a deal.(Daily Mirror) 
European champions Barcelona are believed to be weighing up a January move for Arsenal full-back Emmanuel Eboue.(The Sun) 
Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is wanted by Italian side Juventus, who are preparing a £3m bid.(Daily Star) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster and manager Sir Alex Ferguson were involved in a dressing-room bust-up after the draw with Sunderland, after the Scot pointed the finger at the England man for his part in Kenwyne Jones's goal for the Black Cats.(Daily Star) 
Portsmouth manager Paul Hart is facing the axe, as new owner Ali Al Faraj is keen on installing a bigger name in charge at Fratton Park.(Daily Mirror)
In addition, new Pompey owner Al Faraj has promised a spending spree in the January window to save the club from relegation.(Daily Mirror) 
Mike Ashley's long running quest to sell Newcastle United has taken a new twist after City sources confirmed that a new South African bidder had emerged.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has been left stunned by quotes attributed to Reds' co-owner George Gillett, who says any failures on the pitch are down to the Spaniard and not himself and American co-owner Tom Hicks.(The Sun) 
However, Benitez will be given a £12m transfer kitty this January by his American bosses in an attempt to salvage the club's title bid.(Daily Mail) 
Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou is set to become an unlikely beneficiary of Chelsea's transfer ban, with the 23-year-old set to sign a new contract.(The Times) 
Manchester City forward Robinho, who broke a bone in his ankle six weeks ago on international duty, is targeting a return to action against Fulham on 25 October, a month ahead of schedule.(The Sun) 
David Sullivan will step up his efforts to buy West Ham next week when he gets the £25m from Carson Yeung's buyout at Birmingham.(Daily Mirror) 
The outgoing Blues chief has also taken a swipe at Birmingham fans, who he claims have forced him out of the club.(Daily Mirror) 
Hull midfielder Geovanni has revealed he snubbed a return to Brazil in favour of pledging the rest of his career to the Tigers, with whom he recently signed a new three year deal.(Daily Mirror) 
Iain Dowie is being lined up as Director of Football at Notts County so Sven Goran Eriksson can move higher up on the Meadow Lane board.(The Sun) 

AND FINALLY

Manchester United's French midfielder Gabriel Obertan has taken up gardening in a bid to help him cope with his injury hell. He has yet to play since signing from Bordeaux in a £3m deal in July because of a back problem.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given has joked that in-form Blues striker Craig Bellamy is so demanding of high standards from his teammates that he "probably moans in his sleep".(Daily Mirror)
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Manchester Utd. - Wolverhampton

I won’t waste the words too much on United and their current form. Sir Alex again pulled something from the hat and this squad is again fully competitive. Five wins and one defeat (vs. Burnley on the road, 0-1) in Premier League, so far. For tonight’s encounter some youngsters and fringe players will get a chance. Goalie will be Tomasz Kuszczak instead walking disaster, Ben Foster. Central defenders will be Wes Brown and Jonny Evans. Just a fact Brown will be in front suggest a decent possibility of conceding goals. Gibson, Macheda, Welbeck, Brown, Tosic, some of them will also appear. Michael Owen will be in attack as the reward for Saturday’s winner. Far from disputing their talent, just don’t think they can be fully competitive and play on result. Despite some good results in past, Sir Alex doesn’t rank Cup competition (especially League Cup) too high and I think any upset tonight wouldn’t even take a smile, after Saturday’s win, from his face. They have a clash against Stoke at Saturday and most of his key players will be resting (at least first 60 minutes).

Woverhampton started this season as clear underdogs. Fast return in second tier is something that has been already predicted to them. But, so far, they’re announcing a battle at least. Two wins in opening six rounds, Wigan on the road (1-0) and in last round Fulham at home (2-1). Worth of mentioning is also their more than decent away display in defeat against Man.City (0-1). Their biggest problem currently is big number of new players, some signings are even new in England and simply need some time to adapt. Also, Wolves have had a lots of injury concerns. For tonight’s game, two key players are making comebacks from injury, excellent winger Michael Kightly and striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (both came as the substitutes at Saturday’s win). Also new signing, striker Stefan Maierhofer, will have his debut. Boss Mick McCarthy will try to use this game for morale boosting, but also as a test game for Premier League. This could be the strongest Wolves’ team this season. 

United are always favorites wherever they play, but I can not see any obvious domination. Although home win is probable, I can not see any convincing win and wouldn’t even write off some surprising result at Trafford. Especially because I expect some outcome from Wolves’ attacking force. Asian handicap +1.75 on visitors seems as a very good value and nice choice, (188 offer 1.95), while Pinnacle for +1.5 offer also more than decent 2.20. 

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Wednesday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Brazilian star Ronaldinho denies he is thinking of retiring before his AC Milan contract expires in 2011, and adds he is "very happy" at the Italian club.Marca (Spanish) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham striker Giovani Dos Santos is being offered a move to Deportivo La Coruna as he pursues a bid to play for Mexico in the World Cup. (Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa are keen to loan striker Marlon Harewood to Newcastle for three months. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Tottenham and Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has quit Notts County after only one game, having agreed a £40,000-a-week deal at the end of August.(Daily Mail) 
Former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan is on track to win his legal battle with Magpies owner Mike Ashley, which could net the ex-England boss £8m compensation. Keegan is seeking constructive dismissal after quitting his St James' Park role a year ago.(Daily Star) 
Everton are furious after Blackburn's El Hadji Diouf, in an interview on Senegalese radio, claimed their fans hurled bananas at him on Sunday. Police are investigating the striker for alleged racial abuse of a ball-boy in Rovers' 3-0 defeat.(The Sun) 
Former Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton has emerged as favourite for the Rotherham managerial post. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster may be dropped for Saturday's match at Stoke City, with Tomas Kuszczak set to be given a starting place. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY

The football "yob" look of the 1980s is making a big comeback following the release of hooligan flick The Firm, with sales of sportswear brands such as Fila and Sergio Tacchini soaring.(Daily Star)
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Netherlands - England

New national team coach, Bert van Marwijk, although inherited excellent squad from Marco van Basten, already made results that deserve a deep respect. Netherlands have already qualified for a World Cup with seven consecutive wins, with 16 goals scored and just two conceded. At their home, Amsterdam Arena, they kept a clean sheet on all four previous games (with eleven goals scored, btw.)! Their recent performances surely put them in the row of favorites in South Africa. Only concern that currently worries van Marwijk is the fact some his best players haven’t been playing in their clubs. Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Robben and Huntelaar (he signed for AC Milan) lost the season in Real Madrid, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel are more on the bench in Liverpool than on the pitch, nearly the same situation is also with Nigel de Jong in Manchester City. However, van Marwijk called all of them showing unlimited trust, while they’ll have additional motive for good performance in scouts who will watch the game. The Netherlands will be without the skipper Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Mark van Bommel through injury, while mentioned midfielder Nigel de Jong returns from suspension. A win against England would boost their confidence till the sky, but also it has to be said, visitors are much stronger squad than the opponents who Dutch defeated seven times in group.

After dark eras under Sven-Göran Eriksson and Steve McClaren, English national team finally started to look serious and competitive. Fabio Capello brought with himself his vision of the game which always includes playing on the result. With strong authority and the excellent media handling, it brings great results so far. As Netherlands, England booked the ticket for South Africa and the final showdown. After seven group games, maximum number of points are on balance. And as Netherlands, have a huge goal difference, 26 goals scored and just four conceded. Capello’s biggest concern is long-time solution for a goalkeeper. Standard number one, David James has a knee injury, while his replacement Ben Foster (Man.Utd.) also got injured. So, place on the pitch will take Paul Robinson (Blackburn), or Robert Green (West Ham). The fact is, all counted names are not on the same level as other lines of the team. For this encounter, Capello can not count on Steven Gerrard who was forced to withdraw from the squad after picking up a groin problem in training. Aston Villa's Ashley Young will replace him. All others are available. Only wins keep the good atmosphere (in the team and in public) and Capello as always will demand a result.

I doubt anybody looks this game just like a friendly game in preparation for World Cup. Both sides will give their best to defeat old rivals, but also would accept a draw for a peace in the house, much rather than defeat. I predict a lots of fire, but peaceful epilogue at the end. Draw.

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