Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is ready to sign Valencia winger Juan Mata for £16.5m next summer.(The Sun) 
Liverpool and Manchester United are monitoring David Villa after the Spain striker sacked his agent for failing to secure a summer move away from Valencia.(Various) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is keen to make a move for 16-year-old Mexican Martin Luis Galvan.(Daily Mirror) 
Porto Alegra's Brazilian midfielder Sandro is interested in a move to Tottenham. (Daily Mirror) 
Watford will ask Manchester United and Arsenal to extend the loan deals for Tom Cleverley and Henri Lansbury. (Daily Mirror) 
Ipswich manager Roy Keane has been rejected in his bid to sign Stoke defenders Danny Higginbotham and Leon Court on loan until January. (Daily Mirror) 
Burton Albion manager Paul Peschisolido wants to sign Crewe striker Anthony Elding on a three-month loan deal.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Roman Pavlyuchenko's agent has suggested the Tottenham striker's recent poor form is down to "psychological problems" and not a lack of match practice.(The Sun) 
Further doubt has been cast over the future of Hull boss Phil Brown after Adam Pearson quit his post as Derby chairman on Wednesday to take on the same role at the KC Stadium.(The Sun) 
Brown is on the brink of being forced out of the club following their decision to replace his staunch ally, Paul Duffin, with Pearson.(Daily Mirror) 
Brown has been told his future as Hull manager is safe for now, having been called to a meeting with club officials on Monday night and asked to explain his vision for the side after just three league wins in 2009. (Daily Star)
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, currently earning £60,000 per week, will be offered a new £95,000-a-week contract to pledge his next five years to the club.(The Sun) 
Portsmouth will be banned from signing players until they pay money owed to Arsenal and Chelsea for the signings of Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson respectively. (Various) 
Pompey have been linked to another takeover and their latest potential savious - Levi Kushnir and Balram Chainrai - are close to completing a deal for the club.(Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth manager Paul Hart has emerged as a shock candidate to take charge at Championship side Reading if the Royals sack under-fire boss Brendan Rodgers.(Daily Mirror) 
Former Birmingham chairman David Gold will step up his bid to buy West Ham next week. (Daily Star)
Tottenham striker Robbie Keane believes his side have caught up with north London rivals Arsenal and a ready to overtake them.(Various) 
Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has criticised Magpies owner Mike Ashley's decision to sell the naming right to St James' Park. (Daily Mirror) 
Sheffield United hope to be granted permission next week to increase the capacity of Bramall Lane to 44,000. (The Sun) 
Bristol City's new stadium plan for a 30,000-seat ground in the Ashton Vale area has been boosted after the council recommended its approval. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY

Blackburn centre-back Christopher Samba lost 10lbs in two days after contracting swine flu. (The Sun) 
Referee Chris Foy mistook Fabio da Silva for identical twin brother Rafael and booked the former instead of the latter in Manchester United's 2-0 Carling Cup victory over Barnsley on Tuesday. United will ask for Fabio's yellow card to be transferred to fellow defender Rafael.(The Sun) 
Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies has received a written apology from Crystal Palace after they accidentally broadcast commentary from the club's radio station over the PA system during last weekend's 1-1 draw. The commentator accused Davies of "throwing his toys out of his pram". (Daily Star)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham are lining up a £14m deal for Internacional's Brazilian midfielder Sandro, who is also a target for Spanish duo Real Madrid and Barcelona.(Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal are keeping tabs on 21-year-old Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel, who recently broke into the Netherlands team.(Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn are monitoring England striker Emile Heskey's situation at Aston Villa. The 31-year-old is struggling to secure a regular first-team place at Villa Park but Rovers may come in to boost his hopes of clinching a berth in the 2010 World Cup squad. (The Sun) 
Chelsea want to sign Ghanaian striker Dominic Adiyiah, who plays for Fredrikstad FK in Norway, if the transfer ban at Stamford Bridge is lifted.(The Sun) 
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is ready to make Tottenham defender Gareth Bale one of the first signings of new Blues owner Carson Yeung's era in a £3m deal. (Daily Mirror) 
Sheffield United are keen to make on-loan keeper Mark Bunn's move to Bramall Lane permanent after Paddy Kenny lost his appeal against a nine-month drugs ban.(Daily Mirror) 
Aston Villa are set to launch a bid to sign striker Jay Bothroyd from Cardiff if England forward Emile Heskey leaves in January. (Daily Star) 
Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford is a surprise target for Portuguese side Benfica in the January transfer window. (Daily Star) 
Portsmouth are giving a trial to former Millwall and Plymouth striker Cherno Samba.(Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Tottenham managers Terry Venables and Ossie Ardiles believe that current Spurs boss Harry Redknapp will lead the club into the Champions League.(Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has ended his feud with midfielder Nigel Reo Coker. The pair had a training ground bust-up in September and Reo Coker has not started a game since but O'Neill hugged the 25-year-old in the dressing room before the draw with Manchester City on 5 October as an indication the incident was behind them.(Daily Mirror) 
Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, whose Atletico Madrid side play Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, says that the Blues have overtaken his former side Manchester United as the best team in the Premier League.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has vowed to help under-fire defensive teammate Rio Ferdinand get back to his best with United and England.(Daily Mirror) 
Everton manager David Moyes has slammed the Football League for their lack of respect for the Carling Cup, suggesting sponsors Carling must ask serious questions about the way sides are being forced to field weaker teams in the early rounds due to commitments in other competitions.(Daily Mirror) 
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has welcomed this summer's World Cup in South Africa as it provides extra incentive for his English players to perform for the Hammers this season.(The Sun) 

AND FINALLY

Chelsea's Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti, who switched from AC Milan in the summer, has joked that driving in England is tougher than managing the Blues. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackpool manager Ian Holloway missed the first of Blackpool's three goals in their home win over Sheffield United last night, as he was on a 'comfort break'. "I missed that one. I get so nervous these days after a year off, I sank three bottles of water and my bladder isn't what it used to be," said Holloway, whose side are now just two points off the top of the Championship in fifth place. (Daily Mail)
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