All The Very Latest Transfer Gossip, With The Transfer Window Opening In Just 12 hours

It's New Years Eve, at least here in the UK right now, and the temperature is rising rapidly in the world of football - as speculation on where some footballers might be plying their trade in 2010 will come to light from tomorrow onwards, as a month of transfer activity officially begins!

Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Wigan, Bari, Stoke, Real Madrid, Everton, Sporting Gijon, Aston Villa, Borussia Monchengladbach, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Moucron, Fiorentina, West Ham, Sporting Lisbon, Lyon, Auxerre, Portsmouth, Valencia, Wolves, Blackburn, Besiktas, Derby, Forest, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Lorient, Newcastle, Leeds, Burnley, QPR, Ipswich, Sheffield United, West Brom and Swindon are all caught up in the transfer gossip as we speak.

Is your club involved?

Here is a round up:

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini will move for Liverpool trio Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard if the Reds finish outside the top four in the Premier League this season and are forced to sell their superstars - The Sun

City boss Roberto Mancini is close to making Inter Milan defender Ivan Cordoba his first signing at Eastlands - Daily Telegraph

Chelsea are set to smash the British transfer record with a £40m swoop for Valencia striker David Villa - Daily Express

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has rejected claims a deal has already been struck to sell Franck Ribery to Real Madrid in the summer for a fee of around £49m - German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung

Liverpool have held preliminary talks with Crystal Palace about signing highly-rated teenager Victor Moses - Daily Star

Ruud van Nistelrooy's wages have scared off Blackburn but Liverpool can just about run to the £87,500 a week he wants to leave Real Madrid - The Guardian

Everton manager David Moyes hopes to sign 17-year-old midfielder Maxime Lestienne from Belgian side Moucron - Daily Mail

Manchester United will move to bring in a goalkeeper with Lyon's Hugo Lloris their target, but not at the current £20m asking price - The Guardian

Manchester City have made an enquiry about signing £6m-rated Bari defender Leonardo Bonucci - Daily Mail

Aston Villa have joined Liverpool and Tottenham in the chase for West Ham midfielder Scott Parker, who could be available for around £8m - The Guardian

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez wants to take Argentina winger Maxi Rodriguez on loan from Atletico Madrid, while out-of-favour Reds forward Ryan Babel is set to reject moves to Fiorentina and Besiktas - Daily Mail

Birmingham are ready to rival Wolves in the £3million chase for Aston Villa defender Craig Gardner - Express & Star

Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford has put a £2m move to Newcastle on hold so he can help his side try to upset Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday - Daily Mirror

Wigan have confirmed they have agreed a loan deal for Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic - Sky Sports

Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan is planning a £3m bid for Leeds striker Robert Snodgrass - The Sun

Portsmouth have invited Manchester City to make an offer for their £8m-rated defender Younes Kaboul - Daily Mirror

Sporting Gijon have no plans to sell highly-rated midfielder Michel during the January transfer window. The 24-year-old has been strongly linked with a New Year switch, with in-form Premier League outfit Birmingham City reported to be interested - Sky Sports

Wolves are weighing up a £1.5m bid for Derby County winger Kris Commons - Express & Star

Mick McCarthy wants Sheffield United contract rebel Matthew Kilgallon to come to Molineux but faces a test in prising him away from the Blades - Express & Star

Arsenal are monitoring QPR's 15-year-old "wonderkid" Raheem Sterling and Arsene Wenger will do his best to stop Jack Wilshere joining Burnley on loan, following injuries to Cesc Fábregas and Denilson - The Guardian

Everton manager David Moyes hopes to sign 17-year-old midfielder Maxime Lestienne from Belgian side Moucron - Daily Mail

Wigan have made a shock move to sign Ivory Coast centre half Steve Gohouri from German side Borussia Monchengladbach - Daily Mirror

West Brom have struck an agreement with Auxerre with Auxerre to bring in defender Gabriel Tamas on loan. The Championship side were linked with a move for the Romanian in the summer and are now set to recruit him on a deal until the end of the season - Sky Sports

Sheffield United striker Jamie Ward is set to sign a new deal despite interest from West Brom - Daily Mirror

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has admitted that he would welcome the opportunity to bring Inter Milan defender Maicon to Eastlands - Sky Sports

Derby, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich are all chasing in-form Swindon striker Charlie Austin - Daily Mirror

Burnley, meanwhile, are close to agreeing terms with Algeria's captain, Yazid Mansouri. A bid of £1m should persuade Lorient to let the midfielder strut his stuff Turf Moor - The Guardian

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

With the transfer window due to open this Friday the amount of 'potential deals' or 'rumours' flying around is unsurprisingly rife.

However with many clubs struggling in this current financial climate, it will be interesting to see how many actual purchases and sales go through.

The January window may turn into a damp squib - all talk and little action.
Personally I think their will be two or three big money transfers, but other than that the movement of players will be predomiminantly made up of loan deals

Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Bordeaux, Wigan, Stoke, Real Madrid, Sunderland, Juventus, Liverpool, Real Zaragoza, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Lazio, Manchester United, Toulouse, Fulham, West Ham, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Athleico Madrid, Bolton, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield United and West Brom are all caught up in the transfer gossip as we speak.

Is your club involved?

Here is a round up:

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti will make a transfer window U-turn by offering a British record £45m for Bayern Munich's France winger Franck Ribery - People

Manchester City are on the brink of signing Inter Milan defender Ivan Cordoba, 33, who has fallen out with boss Jose Mourinho - Daily Mail

Fernando Torres is ready to quit Liverpool if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season - News of the World

Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni, who has been linked with a move to both Chelsea and West Ham, has set his sights on a return to Serie A with Roma this winter, although a deal has yet to be concluded - Gazzetta dello Sport & Reuters

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering splashing out on a new striker in the January transfer window, with Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh top of his wanted list - Mail on Sunday

Or Wenger could launch a £12m January bid for Toulouse's French international striker Andre Pierre Gignac - News of the World

Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and Newcastle United's Fabricio Coloccini are just two of the latest players to be linked to a move to Spanish giants, Real Madrid - Spanish daily AS

Craig Bellamy has rubbished claims he wants to quit Manchester City and denies he led a player rebellion in the wake of Mark Hughes' sacking - Daily Mirror

Newcastle officials are understood to have been in touch with Leeds to outline their interest in leading goalscorer Jermaine Beckford - Northern Echo

Juventus director of sport Alessio Secco has made Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini 'unsellable' amid interest from both Manchester United and Manchester City - Football Italia

Arsenal and Tottenham are ready to fight it out for Newcastle keeper Fraser Forster. Both clubs have sent scouts to check on the 6ft 6in stopper, who is currently on loan at Norwich - Sunday Mirror

Portsmouth goalkeeper David James admits he is 'flattered' by the interest of Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp and would be keen on a move to White Hart Lane to boost his England World Cup chances - Sunday Telegraph

Harry Redknapp has paved the way for Roman Pavlyuchenko's Tottenham exit and says he would not necessarily need a replacement if the Russian quit White Hart Lane in January - Daily Mirror

Birmingham are ready to launch an £8m raid for Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia - News of the World

Manchester United striker Frederico Macheda, 18, is being linked with a loan move to Real Zaragoza - News of the World

Liverpool are poised to mount a major effort to sign former Lazio striker Goran Pandev on a free transfer next month in a bid to boost their flagging season - People

Ambitious Stoke manager Tony Pulis could make a surprise three-pronged raid for Liverpool misfit Ryan Babel, Aston Villa's Emile Heskey and Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones - News of the World

Bolton boss Gary Megson is attempting to sign veteran Real Madrid midfielder Guti - Daily Mirror

Sunderland have launched an attempt to hijack right-back Danny Simpson’s move from Manchester United to Newcastle - Daily Star Sunday

Tottenham's Scotland full-back Alan Hutton is a January target for Stoke and Fulham - News of the World

And Hutton's fellow out-of-favour Tottenham team-mate David Bentley is also attracting interest from Spanish side Atletico Madrid - News of the World

West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo is planning a £3million swoop for Sheffield United star Jamie Ward when the transfer window opens next month - Sunday Mirror

Liverpool Looking To Get Campaign Back On Track Versus Wolves - Betting Tips with Betfred

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has admitted his side must look to win all their remaining Premier League games in order to finish in the top four.

The Anfield club are currently in eighth place in the Premier League, having only won eight of their 18 games this season, and face a resurgent Wolves side on Boxing Day, who have taken nine out of a possible twelve points in their last four fixtures.

Wolves are an outside bet at Premier League odds of 15/2 with Betfred, but 'could be' worth a small wager on the basis of a very inconsistent Red's team this term, who have only been victorious in five of their nine games at Anfield.

Liverpool are eight points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth place and Brazilian midfielder Lucas thinks the side's target must now be to win "almost every game" in order to get back into the Champions League next season.

"Wolves have quality. We have to respect them and try to show our own quality and play well for the fans," said Lucas.

"All games are tough in the Premier League, so we have to prepare well, work hard and have confidence. We have quality and if we can play well we can beat anyone."

Odds with Betfred of 5/1 for a 2-0 victory for Liverpool could be a good offering as the Reds will be looking to recover quickly from their 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth last weekend.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy could also make big changes to his side, like he did against Manchester United earlier in the month, which would also make 8/1 for there to be over 2.5 goals in the tie a good football bet.


My Tip Of The Weekend:
Back over 2.5 goals @ 8/1 in the Liverpool versus Wolves fixture on Boxing Day - kick-off 5.30pm GMT.

By Charlotte Cook
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

MERRY XMAS from Beer Footy & Birds!

Festive Xmas XI of Former England International Players

• GK: Tim Flowers - Blackburn


• DEF: Ledley King - Tottenham
• DEF: Trevor Cherry - Leeds
• DEF: Barry Venison - Newcastle
• DEF: Terry Butcher - Ipswich

• MID: Harry Nutall - Bolton
• MID: Dennis Wise - Chelsea
• MID: Alfred Priest – Sheff Utd

• FWD: Albert Shepherd - Bolton
• FWD: John Cock – Chelsea
• FWD: George Holley - Sunderland

Champions League Last 16 Draw

Inter Milan v CHELSEA

Lyon v Real Madrid

AC Milan v MANCHESTER UNITED

Olympiakos v Bordeaux

FC Porto v ARSENAL

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla

Stuttgart v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina


The first-leg ties will be played on the 16th, 17th, 23rd or 24th February 2010.
The return games will be played on either the 9th, 10th, 16th or 17th March 2010.

*It had to be, didn't it? David Beckham will return to Old Trafford with AC Milan. Jose Mourinho goes back to Chelsea with Inter.

Terrific Stuff!

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

With the January transfer window opening in just over two weeks, transfer rumours are unsurprisingly ubiquitous.

Players at home and abroad are being linked with new clubs on a daily basis.

Clubs are on the lookout for reinforcements for several reasons - to ease an injury crisis, to bolster their squads in their chase for honours, or in their quest to avoid relegation, and in some cases they need to offload players to ease their current financial plight.

Barcelona, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Wigan, Schalke, Tottenham, Stoke, Sunderland, Liverpool, AC Milan, West Ham, Aston Villa, Standard Leige, FC Twente, Everton, Man United, Portsmouth, Blackburn, Newcastle, Birmingham, Coventry and Nottingham Forest are all caught up in transfer gossip as we speak.

Is your Club involved?

Here is a round up:

Crystal Palace could be set to lose one of their biggest young stars with Barcelona ready to make a shock £3.5m move for Victor Moses in the New Year. Sunderland, Wigan and Tottenham are also keen on the 19-year-old striker - Daily Star

Stoke manager Tony Pulis is preparing to make a £4m offer for Newcastle United forward Andy Carroll - Daily Mirror

Rafa Benitez will try to exploit the uncertainty over West Ham's future by making a swoop for Scott Parker. Liverpool are ready with a £6million offer for the midfielder when the transfer window opens next month - The Sun

Chelsea are plotting a January swoop for West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green following a series of below-par performances from Petr Cech -Daily Express

Real Madrid have targeted Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho and offered striker Ruud van Nistelrooy in part exchange - Daily Mail

Chelsea have rejected Portsmouth's request for more time to pay the £750,000 still owed from Glen Johnson's transfer to Fratton Park - The Sun

Manchester United and Arsenal have been told to forget about signing Standard Liege's £15million-rated midfielder Steven Defour, 21, in January. But Paul Stefani, the player's agent hinted at a summer move and said: "Of course Steven would be interested in coming to England in the future" - The Sun

Manchester United face battle with former England boss Steve McClaren to sign AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - Daily Mail

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has been given the green light to sign Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo on loan for the rest of the season - Daily Mirror

Everton are set to bid £7m for Schalke midfield ace Lewis Holtby, 19, who has been getting rave reviews in the Bundesliga - The Sun

Tottenham winger David Bentley wants to leave Spurs - Daily Mirror

Cash-strapped Coventry are set to sell star keeper Kieran Westwood next month to raise funds.
Both Everton and Aston Villa have been monitoring the £3million-rated star closely.
City’s top-scorer Leon Best, out of contract next summer, is also poised to be offloaded after rejecting new terms
Coventry boss Chris Coleman is keen to wheel and deal when the window opens to bring in fresh faces - Daily Mirror

Coventry manager Chris Coleman wants to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis McGuigan - The Sun

Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish made a surprise move for Giles Barnes last night - and will try to stop him joining Steve McClaren's Dutch side FC Twente - Daily Mirror.

Sony Ericsson launches once in a lifetime 2010 FIFA World Cup Flag Bearer competition

Christmas will come early for two incredibly lucky young people from the United Kingdom as Sony Ericsson, Official Mobile Handset of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is, today, launching a competition to enable them to become the 2010 FIFA World Cup Flag Bearers.

Live the dream together – Football enthusiast families across the UK will be able to enter their child into the free draw by logging onto www.sonyericsson.com/extraman and completing a very simple task.

If you and your child love football then this is the competition for you!

This incredible opportunity for 10-16 year old girls and boys will see them, and a parent, travel to the home of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Each child and parent will receive free flights, stunning hotel accommodation plus a ticket for the parent to watch their child take to the field alongside some of the world’s greatest football stars.

To ensure your entry is counted for this once in a lifetime prize, we must receive your details via www.sonyericsson.com/extraman by the 19th December 2009 (by 23.59 hours GMT).

Arsenal Suffering Ahead Of Crucial Trip To Anfield - Betting News with Betfred

Arsenal are suffering from their worst injury crisis in recent years, as they prepare for this weekend's crucial Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

The Emirates treatment room must seem like the set of a war movie as almost a dozen first-team players are currently ruled out of the game.

Robin van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner, Gael Clichy, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby, Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou were all missing ahead of last weekend's victory against Stoke City.

Then, during the 2-0 win, Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Eboue, Armand Traore and William Gallas all picked up knocks that could see them miss the Liverpool tie.

Arsenal are priced at 15/8 with Betfred to win at Anfield and could be well-fancied as Liverpool have been struggling in the Premier League this season, having won only seven of their 15 games to date.

Arsenal's gap behind top-placed Chelsea reduced to eight points after the West London club lost to Manchester City at the weekend, and Arsene Wenger thinks his Gunners side can still upset the domestic football odds and mount a challenge for the Premier League title.

The Frenchman has bemoaned his side's lack of luck with injuries this season, and claims they are suffering more than any other side at the top of the table.

"You cannot say there is not a reason for it but we have not found it yet," said Wenger.

"It's the worst season for injuries for us. And they are all in the same area - in the offensive side. Last year it was in the defensive side."


My Tip Of The Weekend:
A 0-0 draw priced @ 15/2 with Betfred could be seen by many as a likely score as both teams are struggling offensively and the game may be tight and nervy as it is a must-win for both sides.

By Charlotte Cook
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

To All Football Fans Out There...............Xmas Is Coming! Who Is Your Favourite Football Player?

Are you a football fan, but stuck for gift ideas this Christmas!
Have you a family, relatives or friends who are mad about football?

Then look no further!

How would you like to purchase a professional photograph of a favourite player or players?
As long as they play in England, then there is a great chance I can get you an original unsigned print of them playing for their respective clubs.

Unsigned photographs come in two sizes:

16" X 12" at £8 each (not inc.postage & packing)
12" X 8" at £6 each (not inc.postage & packing)

* Depending on who the photo is of, it is possible I may be able to get it signed for you as well - in time for Xmas!

The cost of signed photos varies significantly depending on the club involved.

All pictures are unframed, so that the recipients of your gift can choose the type/style that best suits their taste.

Whether you live in the UK, USA, Europe or further afield then email me at mla.ross@virgin.net with your request & I will get back to you within 24 hours.

The Physio Room - Injury Update

With the Word Cup draw from Cape Town, South Africa only about six hours away (5.30pm GMT), there will be plenty of nervous, anxious faces looking on to see who England are drawn against in the opening phase of the competition.

Obviously the fans' will be keen to see that England get a favourable draw in the group stages, perhaps joined by the likes of Slovenia and New Zealand, rather than the Ivory Coast or France - but what about the players?

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Ashley Cole will without doubt be watching with great interest.

However those players on the fringes will probably be more concerned not who we draw but whether they themselves will be on the plane to South Africa next summer.
Obviously England boss Fabio Capello will want to take his strongest possible squad to the biggest tournament in world football. Capello is unlikely to name a squad that contains out of form players, or anybody struggling with a slight injury.

Therefore the fringe players if they are to force their way into the squad will only be able to do so if they are being picked on a regular basis by their respective club managers, show good form and stay injury free.

Players such as: David James, Ben Foster, Joe Cole, Peter Crouch, Ashley Young, Darren Bent, Phil Jagielka, Ledley King, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Carlton Cole, Mathhew Upson, Wayne Bridge and Stewart Downing to name but a few, will probably all be sweating on their places in the England squad when it is narrowed down to the final 22.

Meanwhile there is a full programme of English Premier League fixtures this weekend, so here is your chance to catch up on which players are out injured and who will be fit to play for their clubs.

Click on the 'link' to find out the latest on your Club's injury worries, and how soon it will be before some of your teams players will be back in action.

David Moyses' Everton are injury ravaged at the moment, and have eleven players on the treatment table as we speak. A couple may in contention for at least a place on the bench for Sunday's visit of Tottenham.
Arsenal and West Ham are also struggling with injuries, while Wigan have no injury worries going into their game with Birmingham at the DW stadium tomorrow.

Babes Of The Month - Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!