Wigan - Stoke

Not too much time for analyze here, as the odds are in a serious drop.

Btw. previous bet was a draw.

Wigan –Stoke City

Two opposite trends here and serious difference in quality. Wigan (although undefeated in last four at home) have been producing poor performances that resulted with three consecutive defeats. They’re also clashed with injuries. Beside they’re lowest scorers in Premier (total of 11 goals), they’ll be without Rodallega and Moses with Di Franco rated 50-50.

Stoke are undefeated in last four games (three wins), where their draw against Man City was especially impressing. They invested lot during the summer, ambitions are high and I expect more from them.

I give a significant advantage to Stoke, but no way I can exclude a possibility of a draw. So, dnb option for me.

Bet: Stoke 0.0
Odd: 1.81 Tipico
Stake: 9/10

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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are tracking Sporting Lisbon defender Daniel Carrico as cover for first-choice pair Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott but he is also interesting Atletico Madrid and Valencia.(Daily Mirror) 
City scouts are also impressed with Sampdoria midfielder Andrea Poli but striker Emmanuel Adebayor wants to stay at Eastlands, despite interest from AC Milan. (Daily Mail) 
Manager Mick McCarthy has conceded that Wolves have little chance of keeping £6.5m striker Kevin Doyle if they are relegated from the Premier League. Aston Villa, Fulham, Everton and Sunderland are all set to battle to sign the Republic of Ireland international if his side slip into the Championship. (Daily Mirror) 
Wilson Palacios has stunned Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp by admitting he is using Spurs to get a move to Real Madrid. The Honduran midfielder has been a key player for Redknapp's side following his £12million move from Wigan last January. But Palacios, 25, reckons he has bigger fish to fry. (The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Four years after arriving at Chelsea on a £121,000-per-week contract, German midfielder Michael Ballack has been offered a new one-year deal at half that salary. (The Sun) 
Chelsea have reopened negotiations with striker Nicolas Anelka over a contract extension that may result in the France international staying at Stamford Bridge until 2013. Anelka's deal was set to expire in 2012 but there is still no sign of a new contract for Joe Cole, whose current contract expires in the summer.(Daily Mail) 
England will step up their security as they attempt to hunt down and identify the culprits behind the security breach at their team hotel in Hertfordshire. A six-hour recording of team meetings is said to be in existence and has been offered to media outlets. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is set to escape disciplinary action after he appeared to aim a V-sign at referee Andre Marriner during Monday's defeat by Wigan. (Daily Telegraph) 
Stoke full-back Andy Griffin, currently on loan at Reading, has laughed off suggestions he could snatch a World Cup berth with England after some impressive performances that have guided the Royals away from the Championship relegation zone. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan's Victor Moses could be set for a World Cup appearance with Nigeria after he invited officials to watch him play and train for the club. Moses, born in Lagos, has represented England at youth level but could be tempted to switch allegiances. (Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Fabio Capello's biggest World Cup selection headache is over the goalkeeping position - according to tennis legend Boris Becker. After a recent dinner with the England coach, Becker said: "I understand why the players are a little bit afraid of him because he's a very serious guy who doesn't joke around much. We talked about goalkeepers and Capello was just smiling so we didn't get into that." (Press Association)

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Friday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Arsenal have been told by Nice they must pay £13m if they want to sign France's 23-year-old striker Loic Remy.(Daily Mail) 
Fulham's attempts to take on Al-Ittihad's Egyptian star striker Mohamed Nagy have ended in failure. (Sky Sports) 
Birmingham are about to smash the club transfer record with the £11m signing of Estudiantes striker Mauro Boselli.(Daily Mirror)

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TRANSFER GOSSIP

Middlesbrough have placed a £9m price tag on Adam Johnson with Manchester City closing in on the winger. The former England Under-21 star requested permission to speak to the Eastlands club earlier this week.(Daily Express) 
AC Milan are adamant striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will not be moving to the Premier League before the end of the month. Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Tottenham had been interested in signing the Netherlands international. (The Sun)
Tottenham have rejected an £8m bid from Birmingham for striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. The north London club are keen to recoup as much of the £14m they paid for the Russia international.(Daily Mail) 
Spurs have demanded £10m for the Russian, plus another £3m in add-ons with the Blues refusing to stump up the £13m being asked for in total.(Guardian) 
Newcastle have joined the list of clubs wanting to sign Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses by matching the £1.5m bid being offered by West Brom. Nottingham Forest are also interested in the highly rated striker.(The Times) 
Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic looks set to join Portsmouth team-mate Younes Kaboul at Tottenham as the south coast club attempt to raise funds to address their £60m financial crisis. (Daily Mail) 
Sunderland have made a £1.5m move for Manchester City striker Benjani after the Zimbabwe centre-forward had looked close to sealing a transfer to West Ham.(Daily Mail) 
Birmingham are keen on securing the services of Aruna Dindane on loan from Lens after the move of the Ivory Coast striker to Bolton fell through. The French club are eyeing a £4m deal.(Daily Mail) 
Celtic are planning to add a defender and a striker before the transfer window closes, with the club set to increase their £2.5m offer for Preston North End centre-back Sean St Ledger.(Guardian)

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City's owners in Abu Dhabi are considering offloading chief executive Garry Cook in the summer having become increasingly frustrated over his leadership style and publicity gaffes.(The Guardian)
Hull City are desperate to address their £10m debt and rising wage bill and chairman Adam Pearson has said the club will listen to offers for all of his players.(Daily Star) 
Portsmouth boss Avram Grant is considering walking out at Fratton Park after defender Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic were sold to help raise funds. The Israeli insisted last month no player would be sold without his prior approval.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon faces another three weeks on the sidelines because of a groin strain. The England international has not played since 28 December.(Guardian)
Despite loaning Robinho to Brazilian club Santos, Manchester City must pay about £70,000 to fund the striker's wages, with Santos searching for sponsors to help fund the remaining £35,000.(The Times)
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Newcastle 2-0 Crystal Palace

Newcastle pulled clear at the top of the Championship with a hard-fought win over crisis-club Crystal Palace.
A day after going into administration, Palace were a goal down after 20 minutes when Shaun Derry diverted Andy Carroll's header past his own keeper. 
Even so Palace, who could only named three substitutes, had a string of fine chances to level with Danny Butterfield and Darren Ambrose going close. 
Nile Ranger's cool finish on the break finally sealed the win in injury time. 
It was a deflating end to a spirited display from the beleaguered visitors, whose highly-rated striker Victor Moses was pulled out of the game by the club's administrators. 
Yet they started the game in fine style and created two early opportunities to take a surprise lead. 
First, lone striker Calvin Andrew narrowly failed to round Steve Harper after being fed by Ambrose and minutes later, the unmarked Butterfield somehow headed Nick Carle's cross wide from point-blank range. 
Newcastle then fortuitously took the lead when Palace midfielder Derry unwittingly guided Carroll's header past keeper Julian Speroni. 
The Magpies began the second half strongly with Peter Lovenkrands firing wide on the turn and Carroll blasting an effort across the face of goal. 
Neil Danns and Carle then had shots blocked in quick succession as the visitors fought vainly for an equaliser. 
With 20 minutes remaining, the Eagles went desperately close to a leveller when Ambrose's shot came back off the post and Tamas Kadar managed to get a block on Danns' follow-up. 
But their pressure counted for nothing and St James' Park breathed a sigh of relief four minutes into stoppage time when Ranger raced on to Wayne Routledge's pass and beat Speroni with ease. 
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton:
"With a game in hand, we have stretched that lead again.
"And probably more importantly with West Brom's result yesterday (1-1 at Ipswich), we have managed to stretch that lead between ourselves and third.
"But I expect highs and lows, good form, bad form, wins and losses through to the end of the season."

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Newcastle - Crystal Palace

Newcastle are not alone on the top anymore as Forest (played two games more though) joined them with the same number of points. The Magpies are in the bad run of results as they’re winless in three league games. Draws against Sheff.Wed. and Derby were followed with decent displays, while WBA league game was probably the best encounter in this whole season. Plenty of opportunities on both sides and a draw as fair result at the end. For the Cup clash at Saturday, boss Chris Hughton made a simple calculation it’s better to lose with mixed team than to send best eleven and to lose anyway. He got 2-4 defeat, was screaming on referee, but stated the main priority is Championship and that’s it. It seems the only loss is key defender, centre-back Ryan Taylor, who got a red card and is unavailable for tonight’s game, while Steven Taylor is also  ruled out with a knee injury. Shola Ameobi  and Nicky Butt are in doubt. Butt is close to start the game, while considering importance of this game Ameobi’s start also wouldn’t be a surprise. Lovenkrands has returned to the squad having been on compassionate leave following the recent death of his father.

 

Considering sport’s aspect, Warnock’s side has been doing well in past few weeks (months, in fact). They’re without a defeat in last six competitive games, four in the league. But more important for this game is outside aspect as Palace went into administration because big debt (evaluated on 30 mill. pounds) and will get 10 points penalty. First, this causes Palace won’t fight for play-off, but to avoid relegation as they’re now just three points above the relegation zone! I can not see different effect than big shock in the dressing room. Next thing, all players are on transfer market from now. It means, they can not see the future in the club. Good side for Palace is all of them will try to represent themselves in the best shape in front the scouts and will put the maximum effort. But, at the same time they will hardly look like a squad. And last, biggest star Victor Moses, has been pulled out from the squad as administrators don’t want him injured. Defenders Davis and Hill are doubtful.

 

There are two sides for this game. On the one is Newcastle, tean (in my opinion) a class above all other in the second tier and need to bounce back as their first place is under a big threat. On the other side are Eagles who are in big trouble. In regular circumstances I would skip this game, but all these facts make from the hosts a big favorite. Home win and -1.5 handicap.

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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Barcelona are stepping up their attempt to sign Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, and are prepared to offer him wages of £8m a year after tax.(Daily Star) 
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is in talks with Real Madrid with a view to signing former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy on a free transfer.(Daily Telegraph) 
And Redknapp has had a bid for out-of-favour goalkeeper Ben Foster rejected by Manchester United. (Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is ready to quit the club he joined as a nine-year-old two decades ago. Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan and Premier League big spenders Manchester City are believed to be interested in a deal.(Daily Mail)
Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford is planning to leave the League One club in the summer for a move to Everton.(Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has held further talks with the father and agent of Racing Santander's Spanish midfielder Sergio Canales. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested in the 18-year-old.(Daily Mail) 
Liverpool star Fernando Torres has urged the club to buy a top Spanish striker - such as Valencia's David Silva or David Villa - while under-fire Reds boss Rafael Benitez is pondering a £12m bid for Sunderland forward Kenwyne Jones.(The Sun) 
However, Benitez's attempt to sign Jones has hit the rocks as Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is holding out for a £10m cash deal.(Daily Express) 
Bruce wants Wigan's £7m-rated left-back Maynor Figueroa and is willing to sacrifice midfielder Kieran Richardson to land him.(Daily Star) 
Sunderland are preparing a bid for Benfica's veteran Portuguese striker Nuno Gomes.(The Independent) 
French side Lille want to sign Portsmouth defender Younes Kaboul for £10m, with cash-strapped Pompey willing to accept the offer.(Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has been told that he must drop his wage demands if he is to secure a move away from Fratton Park.(Daily Star) 
Zenit St Petersburg say they have pulled out of the race to sign Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.(The Guardian) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is ready to splash out on Fulham's England under-21 giant centre-half Chris Smalling - in a stunning £7m deal. (Daily Mirror) 
Birmingham City have been told they can have Celtic winger Aiden McGeady, if they match the asking price.(The Sun) 
And Birmingham are interested in FC Moscow forward Maxi Lopez, who has been on loan at Gremio in Brazil.(The Times) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has made an offer for Standard Liege striker Milan Jovanovic.(Daily Mail) 
Tottenham have watched Bordeaux defender Mathieu Chalme as they try and offload Alan Hutton. (Daily Telegraph) 
Crystal Palace striker Victor Moses has revealed he cannot wait for his crack at the big time as his inevitable exit from the Londoners draws closer.(Daily Mail) 
Burnley are speaking to Monaco striker Frederic Nimani, and could sign the French Under-21 international on loan.(Daily Mirror) 
Wolves are keen on Stoke striker James Beattie and Hull winger Stephen Hunt.(Daily Mail) 
Philippe Senderos is weighing up his options before deciding whether to join Celtic, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich or Everton on loan from Arsenal. (Daily Mail/The Herald)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea are waiting to discover the extent of midfielder Michael Essien's knee injury, amid fears that the Ghanaian could be out for the rest of the season.(The Times) 
The Glazer family, the controversial owners of Manchester United, could take £600m out of the club over the next seven years in dividends, interest and fees coming out of a bond issue.(Daily Telegraph) 
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola could be replaced by former Manchester City manager Mark Hughes if David Gold and David Sullivan complete their takeover of the club.(Daily Mirror) 
However, Gold and Sullivan will announce that Zola's position is safe when they take control of the club.(Daily Star) 
Barcelona have shrugged off claims that coach Pep Guardiola will replace Sir Alex Ferguson as the next manager of Manchester United.(The Sun) 
French winger Jerome Rothen, on a season-long loan from Paris St Germain, was in Glasgow on Monday to prove to Rangers he is still too sick to play after two months off with swine flu. (Daily Record) 
Celtic and Rangers are on the verge of clinching a £1.5m per year deal with Tennent's to replace Carling as the Old Firm's shirt sponsor. (Daily Record/Daily Express)

AND FINALLY

Manchester United defender Gary Neville has stoked the flames ahead of Tuesday's Carling Cup semi-final first leg against rivals Manchester City by claiming his club were right to get rid of City striker Carlos Tevez as he was over-priced.(Daily Telegraph) 
And former United winger David Beckham has told City's fans that they will never be bigger than the Old Trafford club. He also said that he would never join City, no matter how much money they offered him.(Daily Mirror)

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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Spanish giants Real Madrid have joined the race to sign Crystal Palace's highly-rated 19-year-old striker Victor Moses.(Daily Mail) 
Under pressure Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce wants to sign Middlesbrough's Gary O'Neil to bolster Rovers' midfield. (Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal and Real Madrid are competing to sign 18-year-old midfielder Sergio Canales from Racing Santander. (Daily Star) 
The Gunners are also considering a move for Lazio striker Mauro Zarate - but he will cost £17m. (The Independent)
Everton are thought to be lining up a bid for out-of-favour Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos. (Daily Mirror) 
New Burnley boss Brian Laws is hoping to sign Sheffield United defender Matthew Kilgallon and is prepared to pay £1.5m and break the club's pay structure to land him. (Daily Mirror) 
Birmingham are prepared to pay £14m to sign 23-year-old midfielder Aiden McGeady from Celtic, but the Scottish club are not keen to sell.(Daily Telegraph) 
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has set his sights on signing Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas from Mexican side Club America. (Daily Mirror) 
Bolton manager Owen Coyle wants to sign Newcastle striker Andy Carroll and will try to tempt the Magpies with a £2m bid. (Daily Mail) 
Manchester United are considering an £18m bid for Porto defender Rolando, who has been outstanding in this season's Champions League. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Dutch coach Guus Hiddink wants to take over as Liverpool boss if Rafael Benitez is sacked - but would want the blessing of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. (Daily Mail) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish would make a superb Liverpool boss, reckons former Blues chief David Gold.(The Sun) 
Striker Wayne Rooney will ask for £140,000 a week when a new contract at Manchester United is negotiated in the summer - a figure that could end his Old Trafford career. (The Sun) 
West Ham midfielder Kieron Dyer is on the verge of retiring after failing to return from a series of injuries. (Daily Mirror) 
Paul Hart has left his post as manager of QPR after just five games in charge of the London club. (The Guardian) 
Reading are considering rewarding caretaker manager Brian McDermott with a permanent contract after the club's FA Cup victory over Liverpool. (The Times)

AND FINALLY

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has followed in the footsteps of David Beckham by modelling underwear for Emporio Armani.(The Sun)

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Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

David Bentley could be off to Atletico Madrid in a loan deal, with the 25-year-old winger desperate for a move away from Tottenham.(Daily Mirror) 
Or Bentley will stay closer to home after Sunderland manager Steve Bruce declared his interest in securing the services of the former England man.(The Sun)
Jermaine Beckford could have played his last game for Leeds with Newcastle United top of the list to sign the striker who scored the winner at Old Trafford on Sunday to dump Manchester United out of the FA Cup. A fee of £2.5m is being discussed for the 26-year-old.(Daily Star) 
Everton boss David Moyes wants to bring Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne, who is currently on loan at Portsmouth, to Goodison Park, with Blackburn, Liverpool and Aston Villa waiting in the wings.(Daily Mail) 
American star Freddy Adu, who once had a trial at Manchester United, is considering a move to Hull City after the Portuguese side Belenenses told the 20-year-old he can look for other employers.(Daily Mirror) 
Stoke City boss Tony Pullis wants to beat Liverpool in the race to sign Real Madrid and Holland striker Ruud van Nistelrooy by using a regular starting spot as bait in the build-up to the World Cup.(The Sun) 
Manchester City have joined the list of clubs who want to sign Crystal Palace striker Victor Moses. The 19-year-old is tipped to leave the cash-strapped Championship club with West Bromwich, Everton, Liverpool and Birmingham all keen on a transfer.(Daily Mail) 
Stoke City could make a shock loan move for Barcelona's 18-year-old midfielder Oriel Romeu.(Daily Mirror) 
Birmingham are closing in on a £3.5m move for Aston Villa's 23-year-old midfielder Craig Gardner.(Daily Mirror) 

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OTHER GOSSIP

Former Newcastle United boss Alan Shearer wants to become Sheffield Wednesday's new manager following the sacking of Brian Laws last month. The England legend is believed to want Gary Speed as his number two.(The Sun) 

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AND FINALLY

How well do parents know their kids? According to Pep Guardiola's dad, the Barcelona coach may leave at the end of the season. Despite the 38-year-old winning six trophies in his first year at Camp Nou, Guardiola senior said: "I don't know if he will stay or take a break from football and relax. The dad is always the last to know about these things."(The Independent)

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Peterborough Utd. - Crystal Palace

Peterborough are noticing not so good debut in second tier of English football. Just one point from possible 12. They made three defeats, WBA 2-3 at home and Derby County 1-2 and Preston North End 0-2 away. Only point came from encounter against Sheffield Wednesday at home (1-1). Club looks nearly the same like in previous season, without any big signing and it seems they simply don’t possess enough quality for this level of competition. Defense line looks extremely shaky so far. Usually they concede a goal in early stage and rest of the game opponent just keep the result and wait for a new error of Posh’s defense. Considering all clubs in Championship, Peterborough showed the least quality in opening four rounds and I see them as the most serious contenders for dropping into League One. Additional problem for boss Darren Ferguson is “short bench”, first eleven don’t have adequate substitutes and Posh start to face with injury problems. They hope to include winger Chris Whelpdale, who missed the start of the season following a hernia operation. But, defenders Tommy Williams (groin) and Jamie Day (ankle) are not expected to feature. Hosts will surely have their bright moments this season, but today’s visitors are not a team for a first win.

Crystal Palace made another unconvincing start of the season. One win (Ipswich Town 3-1, away), one draw (Plymouth Argyle 1-1, at home) and two defeats (Bristol City 0-1 away and Newcastle 0-2 at home). Despite not so good results in the first four rounds, Eagles show some potential. They put an impressive display against Ipswich and in Carling Cup against Man.City were equal in first 45 minutes (conceded twice in second half). They have some very talented players and surely have a quality for a middle of the table (at least), but biggest problem is their youth which doesn’t allow any consistency in results. Luck of experience was obvious against Newcastle, where they conceded a goal at the start (2nd minute), very soon got another one and game was finished. Striker Victor Moses is doubtful for Crystal Palace after suffering an ankle injury during the Carling Cup defeat, while skipper Shaun Derry and excellent midfielder Darren Ambrose should play despite sickness bugs. Striker Stern John (elbow) is still sidelined. Boss Neil Warnock is one of the best managers in Championship, he surely knows how to mentally prepare his young players and Eagles will go for all three points here.

I don’t agree with a slight advantage that bookies gave to home side and think visitors are closer to victory at London Road. However, half of the 16 league matches between these clubs have ended in draws and I’ll cover a possibility of another one with Asian handicap. With a more than decent odd, it definitely worth a bet.  So, C.Palace (0.0), 2.12 at Pinnacle.

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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Barcelona are weighing up an increased offer for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and would like to sign the Spaniard before the Gunners' Champions League match at Celtic on Tuesday to avoid him being cup-tied for the European competition.(The Sun) 
Tottenham are considering a £5m move for Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses.(Daily Star) 
West Ham and Fulham are set to battle it out for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh after Arsenal called off their chase for the highly rated Moroccan. (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham also face a fight with Everton for the signing of Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O'Neil.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United are hoping to hijack Bayern Munich's £5m move for FC Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer, who has received rave reviews from United scouts.(The Sun) 
Argentine defender Renato Civelli, who broke off discussions with Blackburn over a Bosman transfer after failing to agree terms due to his excessive demands, wants to re-kindle the move because he is desperate to play in the Premier League.(Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth are closing in on the signing of former Middlesbrough midfielder Bolo Zenden.(Daily Star) 
Fulham are closing in on a deal to sign Mark Viduka after the former Newcastle striker flew into London for talks on Wednesday night.(Daily Mail) 
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo is keen to join Hull.(The Sun) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is considering a move for Celtic's Scottish international midfielder Scott Brown.(The Guardian) 
Burnley boss Owen Coyle hopes to clinch the £2.8 million signing of Reading's Cameroon defender Andre Bikey on Thursday.(Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is on the verge of bringing Paris St Germain midfielder Jerome Rothen to Ewood Park for £2million.(The Sun) 
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to make 20-year-old Serbian striker Nemanja Matic his fourth signing since taking the reins at Stamford Bridge in a £4million deal.(Daily Mirror) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is putting a move for French midfielder Mohamed Diame from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano on hold because of a heart scare in his medical.(Daily Mirror) 
Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne is set to sign a new four-year deal at Stamford Bridge before then joining Premier League newcomers Wolves on loan for the season.(The Times) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City have demanded to see the medical records of Joleon Lescott before making a new bid for the Everton defender. (Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard believes Manchester City could be Premier League title challengers this season.(The Sun) 
Similarly, Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill feels that City can challenge for the title, conceding that the Eastland outfit's summer spending spree has created a Premier League "big five".(Daily Mirror) 
Carlo Ancelotti claims the English core of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole at the heart of his Chelsea team will help him recapture the title for the Stamford Bridge outfit.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool midfielder Lucas believes he is the man to fill the shoes of recently departed Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso.(Daily Express) 
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has insisted the Reds have not taken a gamble in signing injured midfielder Alberto Aquilani, arguing that his ankle problem means he was cheaper.(Daily Mirror) 
Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed has given manager Roy Hodgson a license to spend as the Cottagers go in search of Europa League success.(Daily Express) 
Sulaiman Al Fahim has promised to be at Fratton Park for Portsmouth's season opener even though his proposed takeover of the club has yet to be completed.(Daily Mirror) 
Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb, who has recently joined German side Stuttgart on a season-long loan, admits he made a mistake in leaving Arsenal last summer.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

While Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole were lining up for England in Holland on Wednesday night, the first screening of a film they jointly funded, Dead Man Running, starring 50 Cent, was showing in Central London. (The Guardian)
Arsenal striker Nicolas Bendtner hopes that a change of squad number from 26 to his lucky number 52 will improve his fortunes in front of goal.(The Sun) 
However, Bendtner's decision to change number has not got off to the best start as he faces a £10,000 bill from Arsenal after offering to reimburse fans who bought replica shirts bearing his old number. (The Guardian)
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