All the very latest football news and transfer gossip across Europe!

With just a month to go until Christmas and the January transfer window less than six weeks away, Clubs are drawing up both long and short term targets to either bolster or save their season! I am not just talking about the acquisition of players, but managers and backroom staff too!


Here is a round up of all the latest football news/gossip across Europe today, which includes the likes of: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Paris St-Germain, Arsenal, Barcelona, Everton, Liverpool, Wales, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Rennes, Athletic Bilbao, Juventus, Crystal Palace, Watford, West Ham, Holstein Kiel, RB Leipzig, Changchun Yatai, Leicester, West Brom, Derby, Sunderland and Ross County to name but a few!


Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could be on the move, with Juventus, Real Madrid, PSG and Atletico all interested - The Sun

Arsenal's German playmaker Mesut Ozil wants Barcelona to pay him 370,000 euros (£329,559) a week to join them in January. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is willing to let the 29-year-old leave, as long as he does not join Manchester United on a free transfer next summer - AS (Spanish daily sports newspaper) and Daily Mail

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has dismissed Arsenal's £40m bid for striker Karim Benzema as embarrassing - The Sun

West Brom caretaker manager Gary Megson insists his first game in charge, against Tottenham, is not going to be an audition for a permanent job - Daily Telegraph

West Brom are likely to fail with a bid to appoint Sam Allardyce as their next boss. The ex-England boss is keen to return to international management - Daily Mirror

Watford are confident manager Marco Silva does not want to join Everton as he is house-hunting in Hertfordshire - Daily Mirror

However Everton are considering appointing RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick instead - Daily Express

Paris St-Germain have opened discussions with Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini. The 30-year-old Belgium international is out of contract in the summer - Le10Sport (French sports newspaper specialising in football) and Daily Mail

Swansea boss Paul Clement says he still has support from the club's board despite a disappointing start to the season - Guardian

Wayne Rooney has called on the Everton board to end the uncertainty and appoint a new manager following last night's humiliating 5-1 defeat to Atalanta at Goodison Park - Daily Express

Eden Hazard admits that he admires Real Madrid, but says that he has no interest in leaving Chelsea for the time being - Daily Mail

Liverpool have made contact with PSG over a January loan move for 24 year-old Germany midfielder Julian Draxler - L'Equipe (French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport)

Eliaquim Mangala admits he could leave Manchester City in search of regular football, despite the side's injury crisis at the heart of their defence - The Sun

Stoke, West Ham, Everton and Southampton are interested in former Watford striker Odion Ighalo. The 28-year-old moved to Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai in January - Tutto Udinese (Italian football news website)

Arsene Wenger wants Feynoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst to be his successor as Arsenal manager - Daily Star

Crystal Palace will rival West Ham for the signing Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter, 27, in January - Daily Mirror

Rennes are pursuing a loan deal for Leicester forward Islam Slimani, but face competition from Watford and Crystal Palace - Daily Mail

Chris Coleman has backed Craig Bellamy to succeed him as Wales manager, and says his lack of experience could be a positive - Daily Star

Former England defender Sol Campbell said he would be interested in becoming the United States' head coach - ESPN

Jack Wilshere admits he may have to leave Arsenal to get regular football as he is frustrated with his current game-time - Daily Mirror

Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to go head to head for the signature of highly-rated Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte - Daily Express

Spain midfielder Juan Mata, 29, wants to extend his stay at Manchester United and has not ruled out playing until he is 40 - ESPN

West Ham asked to be given an away fixture on Boxing Day because nearby Stratford station would not have been able to cope with the number of fans and post-Christmas sales shoppers - Daily Telegraph

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says he "does not care" that Danny Rose was upset by being left out of the north London derby - Guardian

Chelsea have made the most money from player sales since the Premier League began - Daily Star

Glenn Murray says he would get more credit for his performances with Brighton if he had a foreign name - Daily Telegraph

Derby County want Joe Ledley to sign a new deal at the club, but Sunderland are keen on the 30-year-old midfielder - Daily Mirror

Burnley are monitoring Kilmarnock's 23-year-old winger Jordan Jones ahead of the January transfer window - Daily Mail

Leeds United scouts watched Bundesliga Two top scorer Marvin Ducksch play for Holstein Kiel against Nuremberg last weekend.

Chris Eagles has joined Scottish Premiership club Ross County until the end of the season - skysports.com

All the very latest football news and gossip across Europe!

With only about six weeks or so to go of the current 2016/17 football season, there is plenty of transfer talk going on as we speak. Many clubs across Europe are already 'provisionally planning' on how they are going to strengthen and develop their squads and infrastructure ahead of next season, despite the fact that many clubs are unsure in what division of their respective leagues they will be playing in at the start of the 2017/18 season. Some clubs may have to wait until the final game of the season before they know their fate, whilst others will have to go through the nerve-racking play-off scenario at the end of May before they can truly plan for next season.

Here is a round up of all the latest football news/gossip across Europe today, which includes the likes of: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Slaven Bilic, Antonio Conte, Tottenham, Manchester City, Sunderland, Newcastle, Juventus, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Benfica and Arsene Wenger to name but a few!


Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski is being lined up to succeed Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United if the latter elects to leave Old Trafford this summer - The Sun

West Ham are considering sacking manager Slaven Bilic if they lose to Swansea on Saturday. Defeat would be their sixth in a row in the Premier League - Daily Telegraph

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has insisted he is committed to the Blues despite interest in the Italian from Inter Milan - Daily Mirror

Arsene Wenger is locked in a power struggle over his new contract. Wenger is almost certain to stay at Arsenal and sign a new two-year deal, but there is major concern behind the scenes about his unwillingness to embrace change - Daily Mirror

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, is ready to give the club one more year, as long as they prove their ambition in this summer's transfer market - Daily Mirror

Jose Mourinho has phoned Alexis Sanchez about a possible move to Manchester United this summer. The wantaway Arsenal star has also been contacted by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola - Daily Mail

Marseille are planning to spend £85m on three England-based France internationals this summer - striker Olivier Giroud and defender Laurent Koscielny from Arsenal and midfielder Moussa Sissoko from Tottenham - L'Equipe (French nationwide daily sports newspaper)

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, 26, is reconsidering a planned £89m move to Manchester United because he wants to play Champions League football - The Sun

France international Griezmann says he is "tired" of speculation over his future. Asked where he will be next season he replied: "I certainly see myself at Atletico." - AS (Spanish daily sports newspaper)

Atletico Madrid will move for Genoa striker Giovanni Simeone, son of manager Diego, if their transfer ban is lifted this summer - Il Messaggero (Italian newspaper based in Rome)

Manchester United are preparing a £51m bid for Inter Milan and Croatia winger Ivan Perisic, 28, who is also wanted by Chelsea - Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian Sports newspaper)

Arsenal could be set for a summer swoop for 22 year-old Schalke and German international midfielder Leon Goretzka. Schalke may be willing to part with Goretzka for £21m - The Sun and Bild (German tabloid newspaper)

Arsenal have made contact with Kingsley Coman over a proposed summer transfer. The French international winger/forward is currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Juventus - The Sun

Tottenham are confident of keeping hold of 20-year-old England midfielder Dele Alli despite interest from Real Madrid and Manchester City - Daily Mail

It's being reported Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe is attracting interest from North-East rivals Newcastle, who look set to win promotion back to the Premier League. The Black Cats looked doomed for relegation and Defoe is likely to move on for top-flight football. Bournemouth and West Ham are also reportedly interested in the 34 year-old - The Sun

Alvaro Morata will leave Real Madrid this summer if the club do not sell France striker Karim Benzema. The Spain forward, 24, is a target for Premier League leaders Chelsea - Diario Gol (Spanish news publication), via Daily Star

Isco has stated he is not going to Barcelona after he published a photo which featured a packet of Barcelona-branded crips on social media. The Real Madrid playmaker, who is inside the final 15 months of his Bernabeu deal, has been linked with a 2018 free-transfer move to fierce rivals Barca - skysports.com

Barcelona will re-sign Gerard Deulofeu for €12m this summer. The Everton winger is currently on loan in Serie A with AC Milan - Mundo Deportivo (Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper)

The fall-out from the Liverpool tapping-up ban intensified after Stoke City chairman Peter Coates revealed he was pursuing compensation over the matter - Daily Telegraph

Stoke boss Mark Hughes has revealed a decision on the future of midfielder Giannelli Imbula will not be made until the end of the season. Imbula has featured just 15 times for Stoke this season and has been linked with a summer move away from the bet365 Stadium - skysports.com

Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, 20, would be prepared to put in a transfer request to force a move to Manchester United, according to sources close to the Nigeria international's agent - Own Goal Nigeria (Nigerian football website) and Daily Express

Scouts from Manchester United, Arsenal and West Brom were all at Benfica's Portuguese Cup tie against Estoril, all believed to be watching Swedish centre-back Victor Lindelof, 22 - The Sun

Serie A side Napoli are interested in signing Sunderland's Jeremain Lens, but the 29-year-old Netherlands winger is only interested in making his season-long loan at Turkish club Fenerbahce permanent - ChronicleLive (North-East football website)

All the very latest football news and gossip across Europe!

With the new season well underway and the summer transfer window slamming shut in just 10 days' time, many clubs across Europe are frantically trying to tie-down players to new deals or are looking to bring in new players to fill any voids in their squads!

Here is a round up of all the latest football news/gossip across Europe today, which includes the likes of: Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, Zinedine Zidane, Arsene Wenger, Sam Allardyce, Liverpool, Tottenham, Valencia, Danny Drinkwater, Andriy Yarmolenko, Giorgio Chiellini, Real Madrid, Newcastle and Ajax to name but a few!


Sam Allardyce has told Sky Sports News HQ that Joe Hart will be named in his first England squad on Monday. The Manchester City man has been dropped by manager Pep Guardiola, and is set to leave the Etihad before the end of the window - skysports.com

Chelsea are set to make a £25m bid for Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini - The Sun

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane insists James Rodriguez is happy at the club, despite links in the British press with a move to Chelsea and Arsenal - skysports.com

Santos striker Gabriel Barbosa could be set to link up with Brazilian team-mate Neymar at Barcelona, with Manchester United and Leicester also interested - The Sun

Arsene Wenger has admitted he hopes Arsenal's signing of Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi "will be done" before the transfer deadline - SFR Sport (French TV station)

Valencia say defender Shkodran Mustafi won't be sold in this transfer window. Mustafi has already agreed in principle to move to Arsenal. The defender has a £43m buyout clause and is in the Valencia's squad for their first La Liga game of the season against Las Palmas tonight - skysports.com

Arsenal may have to spend £50m on acquiring defender Shkodran Mustafi - Daily Mirror

Tottenham are keen on signing Barcelona forward Munir. The 20-year-old has also reportedly gathered interest from Everton and Stoke, and is rated at around £13m - Sport (Spanish daily sports newspaper)

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is weighing up a move for Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko - The Sun

England midfielder Danny Drinkwater, 26, will become the latest Leicester City player to sign a new contract this week, thought to be worth £90,000-a-week - Daily Telegraph and skysports.com

There have been plenty of reports over the weekend linking Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes with a move to the Championship, with Wolves at the front of the queue to sign him. 'Boro paid £12million to sign him from Blackburn last January but he was left out of the squad for the win at Sunderland yesterday - skysports.com

Tottenham have made a number of offers for Espanyol's 21 year-old Spanish goalkeeper Pau Lopez - skysports.com

Sunderland have bid £3m for Barnsley defender Alfie Mawson as they prepare to lose Lamine Kone - Daily Mail

Newcastle forward Siem De Jong has joined PSV Eindhoven on a season-long loan - skysports.com

Tim Krul is set to sign a new one-year contract with Newcastle, but will leave the club on loan to join Ajax. The goalkeeper is reportedly wanted as a replacement for Jasper Cillessen, who is close to joining Barcelona - Daily Mail

West Brom are keen on signing Southampton's forgotten man Jay Rodriguez on loan. Hull City are also interested - Daily Telegraph and skysports.com

West Brom have signed Everton defender Brendan Galloway on a season-long loan deal - skysports.com

Hull City have offered Abel Hernandez a new bumper deal in an effort to keep the striker at the club. The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to Newcastle and Aston Villa - Hull Daily Mail

Nottingham Forest face a battle to keep hold of teenage midfielder Oliver Burke before the transfer window closes, with Arsenal, Sunderland and West Ham all circling the Scotland winger - Daily Mirror

Hull City caretaker-manager Mike Phelan has urged the club to allow him to beef up the squad after their fine opening to the Premier League campaign - Daily Mail

Arsenal are interested in signing Porto midfielder Yacine Brahimi, after failing to sign Leicester City star Mahrez. The Dragoes value him around £35milliom - Daily Mirror

Phil Jones could be sold to free up enough space for Southampton defender Jose Fonte to join Manchester United - Daily Express

Championship side Wolves have signed Cameron Borthwick-Jackson on a season-long loan from Manchester United, as well as Ola John from Benfica - skysports.com

Fiorentina want to sign West Ham's 24 year-old Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang - Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian newspaper)

Liverpool are poised to sell 23 year-old defender Tiago Ilori to Olympiakos for £5milliom. The defender has made just three appearances since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2013 - The Sun.

Atletico Madrid are interested in 22 year-old Portuguese born Monaco midfielder Bernardo Silva - AS (Spanish daily sports newspaper)

Antoine Griezmann admits he would be tempted by a move to the Premier League if he left Atletico Madrid - The Guardian

Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado, 28, is expected to complete a permanent move from Chelsea to Juventus in the next few days - ESPN

Los Angeles Galaxy have ruled out a move for Joleon Lescott, with the 34-year-old defender seeking a way out of Championship club Aston Villa - Daily Mirror

Leon Britton has signed a one-year extension to his Swansea contract, keeping him at the club until 2018 - skysports.com

Former QPR and Spurs midfielder Adel Taarabt wants to move to Marseille. The 27-year-old, currently at Benfica, is desperate to leave the club and "return home" - France Football (French football news website)

FC Porto have convinced Portugal Under-21 striker Andre Silva, 20, to sign to a new five-year contract - ESPN

Reading manager Jaap Stam is hoping to sign defender Tyler Blackett from Manchester United skysports.com

Liverpool set the highest possession rating for a losing team in the Premier League with 80.6 per cent against Burnley at the weekend - Daily Mail

Cheltenham Town are set to sign free agent forward Jeffery Monakana - skysports.com

All the latest transfer gossip across Europe!

With the January transfer window only weeks away the wheels are in motion already as Clubs look to bring in new signings in an attempt to secure their own personal goals, whether it be short-term, long-term, finishing top of their respective leagues, avoiding relegation, filling voids left as a result of a number of injured or out of form players etc.
Whatever their agenda, it is a crucial time for many clubs as this transfer window could mean the difference between success or failure come the end of the 2014/15 season!

Here is a round up of all the latest transfer gossip across Europe today!

Is your club involved?

Tottenham, Southampton, Napoli, Manchester United, Celtic, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Swansea, Sunderland, Liverpool, Leicester City, Chelsea, HNK Rijeka, Real Madrid, River Plate, Cruzeiro, AS Roma, Aston Villa, Napoli, Juventus, Lazio, QPR, LA Galaxy, Lille, Fiorentina, Strømsgodset IF, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Exeter City, FC Twente, Derby and Middlesbrough .................are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Tottenham are targeting Southampton's 25-year-old France midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, team-mate Jay Rodriguez, 25, and Napoli's Spain centre-back Raul Albiol, 29, as they look to bolster the squad in January - Daily Mirror and skysports.com

Manchester United remain interested in AS Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman (right) and despite the Giallorossi insisting their star midfielder is not for sale at any price, the Red Devils would be prepared to pay as much as €40m in order to persuade the club to part company with the player - Il Messaggero (Italian national newspaper)

Tottenham are also set to move for Celtic defender Virgil Van Dijk, although the 23-year-old is also wanted by Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Southampton and Swansea - Daily Express

Real Madrid are interested in River Plate defender Augusto Batalla - Olé (Argentine national daily sports newspaper)

Cruzeiro midfielder Lucas Silva, who is valued at £12m has been attracting the attention of Arsenal of late, has now spoken of his excitement about the possibility of joining European champions Real Madrid - skysports.com

Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet remains keen on signing Liverpool's out-of-favour Italian forward Fabio Borini, 23, in January - Daily Mirror and skysports.com

Leicester City have had a £7m bid rejected for HNK Rijeka and Croatia striker Andrej Kramaric, 23 (right) who is also wanted by Chelsea and Tottenham - Daily Express and theguardian.com

Serie A giants AS Roma want to lure 25 year-old Tottenham centre-back Vlad Chiriches to the Stadio Olimpico when the transfer window re-opens for business in January - skysports.com

QPR boss Harry Redknapp hopes to bring in some Major League Soccer players on loan in January with LA Galaxy's Robbie Keane, 34, top of his list - Setanta Sports and theguardian.com

Lille have enquired about Fiorentina's 29-year-old German international striker Mario Gomez - L'Equipe (French daily newspaper)

Liverpool want Strømsgodset IF's attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard. The 15-year old Norway international will also meet Bayern Munich and Ajax before deciding which club to join - The Sun and skysports.com

Already tracked by Arsenal as well as reportedly being on the radar of Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, AS Roma, Juventus and Lazio, Ron Vlaar (right) Aston Villa's 29 year-old Dutch international centre-back, is according to the latest rumours from the Italian media, also a target of Napoli - transfermarketweb.com

Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini is looking at Torino's 24 year-old Brazilian wingback Bruno Peres - transfermarketweb.com

Arsenal are set to beat Manchester United to Exeter City's 14-year-old academy player Ethan Ampadu - Daily Star

Derby County boss Steve McClaren will raid his old club for FC Twente for their Dutch U21 international striker Luc Castaignos - TalkSPORT.com

Chelsea's Patrick Bamford will extend his loan at Middlesbrough - Daily Mirror

All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe!

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip across Europe:

Is your club involved?

Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Napoli, Juventus, Sevilla, Roma, Benfica, Arsenal, Hamburg SV, Bayern Munich, Norwich, Swansea, Espanyol, Hull, Sporting Lisbon, Sunderland, Spurs, Velez Sarsfield, West Brom, Crystal Palace, Peterborough Utd, Vitesse Arnhem, Liverpool, Everton, Spartak Moscow, Marseille, Lille, Stoke, Newcastle, St Etienne, Lyon, Toulouse, PSV Eindhoven, QPR, Watford, Valencia, Millwall, Leeds, Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Wigan Athletic,Blackpool, Celtic, Colchester Utd, Schalke 04, Mainz and Sheffield Wednesday ..........are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will switch his sights back to Borussia Dortmund's 24-year-old striker Robert Lewandowski if he is unable to sign Napoli striker Edinson Cavani - Daily Mirror, transfermarketweb.com and footballgossip.org.uk

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, 27 (right), tops the list of targets for Manchester City as they look to replace Carlos Tevez. Sevilla's Alvaro Negredo, Roma's Pablo Osvaldo and Benfica's Oscar Cardozo are also in contention - The Independent

Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov, 27, has hinted he would be happy to follow striker Carlos Tevez in taking a pay cut and moving to Juventus - The Guardian

Arsenal's hopes of signing Swansea City defender Ashley Williams, 28, are fading as the Welsh club are refusing to lower their £10m asking price - The Times and Daily Mail

Marseille are closing on a £12million deal for Arsenal’s 26 year-old striker Gervinho - skysports.com

Arsenal defender Johan Djourou is close to completing a move to Hamburg SV on a season-long loan - BILD (German tabloid) and sportsmole.co.uk

Franck Ribery has agreed terms on a new four-year Bayern Munich contract, which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2017 - sportsmole.com

Chelsea have seen a £5millon bid for Norwich City keeper John Ruddy rejected by the Canaries - The Sun and footballgossip.org.uk

Hull have signed Ahmed Elmohamady (right) on a permanent deal from Sunderland. The 25 year-old Egypt international, has signed a three-year contract after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee - skysports.com, transfermarketweb.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Liverpool remain in negotiations for Sporting Lisbon defender Tiago Ilori - Liverpool Echo

Everton are closing in on a £6million deal for Spartak Moscow's Aiden McGeady - Liverpool Echo

Manchester City's Gareth Barry or Liverpool's Stewart Downing will not be returning to Aston Villa during the summer - Birmingham Mail and sportsmole.com

Sunderland are close to signing Argentina right-back Gino Peruzzi, 21, who shot to prominence with Velez Sarsfield after he kept Neymar quiet over both legs of a Copa Libertadores tie - Daily Mirror, Daily Mail and www.rokerreport.com

Sunderland are in talks with Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone about a long-term move to the Stadium of Light - Sunderland Echo

Sunderland and Arsenal have agreed a fee for goalkeeper Vito Mannone. The player is expected to arrive on Wearside early next week - skysports.com

West Bromwich Albion are interested in Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair, 24, with the former Swansea player hoping to go out on loan - The Sun and transfermarketweb.com

Premier League newcomers Crystal Palace have agreed a fee to sign 22 year-old Peterborough United striker Dwight Gayle (right) - talkSPORT, skysports.com and Peterborough Telegraph

Swansea City are hopeful they will complete the signing of Wilfried Bony from , despite the Dutch club's denial that a deal has been agreed for the 24-year-old Ivory Coast striker - The Guardian

Espanyol's 24 year-old centre-back Jordi Amat has signed a four-year deal with Swansea City - transfermarketweb.com

Liverpool's Jonjo Shelvey could be on the move with Swansea and Norwich are poised to bid - Liverpool Echo

Marseille have confirmed the signing of Lille forward Dimitri Payet, 26, subject to a medical - sportinglife.com and skysports.com

Stoke City are reportedly the favourites to sign former Fulham player Chris Baird, who was released by the club at the end of the season - sportsmole.co.uk

Stoke City are closing on PSV Eindhoven defender Erik Pieters - Daily Express

Arsenal are pursuing Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier and Toulouse right-back Serge Aurier - Daily Express

Newcastle United could be poised to make a £15.2m offer for St Etienne's 24-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (right) - Daily Mirror, Newcastle Chronicle and sportinglife.com

Roma are stepping up their pursuit of QPR keeper Julio Cesar - The Sun

Watford's out-of-contract keeper Manuel Almunia is wanted by Spanish side Valencia - Daily Star

Millwall are closing in on a deal to bring 29 year-old Steve Morison back to the club on loan from Leeds United - skysports.com

Millwall and Bristol City are eyeing moves for free agent Marlon Harewood. Harewood is available on a free transfer after leaving Barnsley at the end of last season - skysports.com

Nottingham Forest striker Marcus Tudgay is hoping to make a decision over his future in the next 24 hours. Tudgay, who sees his current deal expire later this month, has been offered a new contract at the City Ground and he has offers from three other Championship clubs on the table - skysports.com

Mike Pollitt agrees to a new one-year deal with Wigan Athletic transfermarketweb.com and sportsmole.com

Wigan boss Owen Coyle expects to sign Celtic Norwegian centre-half Thomas Rogne today - skysports.com

Blackpool defender Stephen Crainey is having a medical today at Wigan - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Colchester United have completed the signing of former Arsenal striker Sanchez Watt on a free transfer - skysports.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Wovles manager Kenny Jackett is closing in on a £1 million move for Crewe midfielder Luke Murphy - sportinglife.com and skysports.com

Schalke 04 have complete the signing of Adam Szalai from Mainz on a four-year deal - sportsmole.co.uk

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Giles Coke has signed a new two-year contract with the club - sportinglife.com

You can’t buy experience! - Why ‘Super Kev’ can shoot Crystal Palace to the promise land!

Kevin Mark Phillips, may be diminutive in height but he has a presence and aura that is both dynamic and effective, and Ian Holloway’s capture of ‘Super Kev’ on a transfer deadline day loan to Crystal Palace may be pivotal in ‘The Eagles’ attempt to successfully secure promotion to the Premier League this season.

Kevin Phillips comes off the bench to equalize for Crystal Palace at Watford last week

As numerous names and potential Palace targets such as George Boyd, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Albert Adomah and DJ Campbell were banded about during the hectic January transfer window, many Palace fans were bemoaning the fact that Kevin Phillips was even in the frame!
There were still a lot of furrowed brows when he signed for the South London Club on loan until the end of the current season. Phillips was seen by many as a footballing veteran at 39 years young, with over 450 senior starts spread over a career spanning nearly 20 years. Numerous fans questioned the signing of Phillips and the ambition of the club, in what many saw as a gamble on a player who was surely over the hill!

On his move to Palace Phillips was the ‘ultimate pro’ saying exactly what the Club and fans alike wanted to hear: "Every time I pull on a Palace shirt or a training kit I will give 100 per cent and I thoroughly look forward to it. Palace are an exciting team, I enjoyed working under Ian Holloway at Blackpool and I really look forward to working with him from now until the end of the season."

Since joining Palace, Phillips had made two substitute appearances and on both occasions he has been instrumental in a change in fortune on the pitch. Less than two weeks ago the Crystal Palace team trudged off the Selhurst Park pitch at half-time looking crestfallen, after a woeful first-half performance against London rivals Charlton. The visitors had dominated the first 45 minutes and deservedly led at the break. Palace were lacklustre and void of ideas. Holloway took immediate action and the former England striker was handed his debut as a half-time substitute.

Murray and Phillips (right) celebrate!

This change in personnel clearly had the desired affect as Phillips helped spark a dramatic turnaround. Two goals from the Championship’s top scorer Glenn Murray secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for Palace, with Phillip’s orchestrating a calm, creative and significant influence on the game.

The Palace manager was naturally delighted by Phillip’s debut and the social message boards were awash with praise for the Hitchin born striker. Sentences containing adjectives such as classy, sublime, nippy, polished and impressive were used to describe the impact Phillips had on the match. As a result many fans were forced to eat at least a little piece of humble pie.

A week later and he was at it again, as Palace rescued a point at high flying Watford, despite going into the break two goals down.

Phillips’ introduction at Vicarage Road 10 minutes after half-time culminated in a non-stop second-half onslaught by a rejuvenated Palace team with Phillips and teenage sensation Jonny Williams playing a father and son age defining double act, culminating in Palace coming away with a well deserved point. Phillips firstly providing a good foil for fellow striker Murray, and secondly getting the all important equalizing goal, as he made a wonderfully timed run into the penalty box to expertly dispatch Jazz Richards’ low cross at the far post - his 243rd career league goal!

I don’t think the first 80 minutes of football played by Phillips in the red and blue shirt should be underestimated, as his introduction on both occasions has been quite simply ‘game changing.’ Most players take a while to settle in at a new club, but not ‘Super Kev.’ He signs for Palace, moves down to the South of England, meets up with his old manager, his new team-mates, has a training session or two, and on match day he puts in a couple of performances that make him look like he has been at the club since the year dot!

Not only is a Phillips a class act on match day, but I am sure his experience and knowledge will rub off on the youth in a Palace squad with some outstanding young talent at its disposal.

Throughout his professional career Kevin Phillips has averaged nearly a goal every other club game and commanded transfer fees with a cumulative total in excess of £5million. Palace are his eighth club since he turned professional in December 1994, and he represented England on eight occasions making his debut against Malta in Ta’Qali in June 2000 under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan, before bowing out of the England set-up, against Holland in the Amsterdam Arena in February 2002 under Sven-Göran Eriksson.

In 1999-2000 Phillips was the Premier League Player of the Season, the Premier League top scorer with 30 goals for Sunderland, a tally which won him both the Premiership Golden Boot and the European Golden Boot. He remains the only Englishman to win the European Golden Boot.

Phillips was a Football League Championship winner and the Football League Championship Player of the Year with West Brom in 2007-08, and a Football League Cup winner with Birmingham City in 2011.

Last season at the tender age of 38, Phillips helped Blackpool reach the Championship play-off final at Wembley, and finished as the club’s leading scorer with 16 Championship goals in 41 appearances.

When speaking on his arrival at Palace, Phillips was visibly grateful to Ian Holloway for bringing him to the club and giving him one final hurrah. He said: "I don't want to let him down (Ian Holloway). He's brought me here and I want to repay the faith he has shown in me".............and believe me, he has already started to repay the belief Holloway showed in him!

Could Mr P be the transfer coup of the season for Crystal Palace? That one individual that brings a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the table every day he is at the Club, whether it be on the training ground, in team meetings or on match day?

Time will tell, but for now it looks like a very shrewd bit of business on the part of Ian Holloway and the owners of Crystal Palace Football Club.

You cannot buy experience, so Mr Kevin Phillips welcome aboard the Crystal Palace rollercoaster! It’s never dull, so hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

# Photos courtesy of the BBC and The Sun Newspaper Group.

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

Finally the domestic football season across Europe is over, but already the race is well and truly on as clubs go in search of new players for next season. Clubs have not got a lot of time to bed any new signings into their squads with pre-season friendlies beginning in about six weeks time, and also some clubs (inc. British teams) having important UEFA Europa League qualifying round matches to negotiate, with the first round of games beginning on the 30th June.

For Fulham their first game in the competition will be on 15th July, for Stoke City and Hearts the 28th July, and for Tottenham, Birmingham, and Celtic the tournament begins for them on the 18th August. It's not just British clubs who have an early start to their season in Europe - there are some famous European sides also playing in the qualifying stages of this seasons Europa League competition, including Atlético Madrid, Red Star Belgrade, AZ Alkmaar, Roma, Schalke, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Lazio to name but a few!

Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Wolves, Sunderland, QPR, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Valencia, Newcastle, Swansea, West Brom, Everton, Norwich, Trabzonspor, Lazio, Wigan, Blackburn, Bursaspor, Norwich, Blackpool, Watford and Brighton...........are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your club involved?

Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole looks set to be reunited with Harry Redknapp, after Tottenham agreed a £3m transfer fee to sign the 29-year-old - Metro

According to inside sources and despite winning the Serie A title with AC Milan just a few weeks ago, Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not feel entirely settled at the club and is pondering on his near future.
Rumours that the Swede could leave this summer are mounting, even though there is nothing official in that regard yet. However, Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Ibrahimovic is tempted to join Real Madrid and reunite with the coach he admires the most, Jose Mourinho - footballpress.net

If Zlatan Ibrahimovic is sold this summer, AC Milan will try to sign Mario Balotelli (right) from Manchester City by August - footballpress.net

Wolves have agreed to sign Jamie O'Hara from Tottenham for £5m. The mdifelder, 24, spent the latter half of last season on loan at Molineux - goal.com
However the Press Association have come out and said that reports that the deal has already been done are "premature".

Liverpool have made a new £18.5m bid for Sunderland's 20-year-old midfielder Jordan Henderson, £5m more than last week's opening offer - Daily Mirror

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been told he will need to find in excess of £20m to sign Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric - The Sun

Ashley Young, 25, wants to quit Aston Villa for Champions League football, and Manchester United are favourites to sign the £20m-rated forward - The Sun

Villa, in the meantime, have been making discreet enquiries about Real Madrid's out-of-favour mdifielder Fernando Gago, 25, (right) - Insidefutbol.com

Tottenham duo Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane could leave Spurs for newly promoted Queens Park Rangers. Midfielder Jenas, 28, would cost around £7m, while 30-year-old Keane is more likely to move on loan - Metro

Liverpool are reportedly readying a bid for Queens Park Rangers' Moroccan international playmaker Adel Taarabt, as Kenny Dalglish looks to bring in youthful additions to his Anfield squad this summer. Taarabat is the subject of great interest from a number of clubs both in the Premier League and from the continent - caughtoffside.com

Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan has given the green light to Liverpool and Sunderland to sign midfielder Charles N’Zogbia for £9million - Daily Mirror & caughtoffside.com

Arsenal and Liverpool are considering a bid for Barcelona's unwanted 20-year-old striker Bojan (right) - Daily Mail

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich remain confident they will be able to broker a fee with Manchester City for full-back Jerome Boateng's services. The 22-year-old has reportedly informed City boss Roberto Mancini of his desire to return to the Bundesliga, with Bayern eager to acquire the ex-Hamburg defender - skysports.com

Miroslav Klose is being linked with a move to Valencia after current side Bayern Munich confirmed his contract will not be extended.
A host of clubs - including Italy's Lazio, Premier League duo Everton and Norwich and Turkey's Trabzonspor are reported to have also been interested in signing Klose - skysports.com & TALKsport

Nicklas Bendtner has confirmed he will "100%" leave Arsenal this summer after growing frustrated at his lack of opportunities - Daily Mail

Watford have confirmed the club have accepted a bid of £3.5million for Danny Graham (right) from Swansea - skysports.com

Newcastle are closing in on Swansea defender Neil Taylor as they look to take advantage of a clause in his contract - football365.com

Wigan and Blackburn are interested in Bursaspor's Kenny Miller, the former Rangers and Scottish international striker - football365.com

Norwich City are on the verge of signing their second player of the summer by agreeing a deal to take Leeds United midfielder Bradley Johnson.
The 24-year-old is available on a Bosman free and will sign a three-and-a-half year contract with the Premier League new boys this week. He was also attracting interest from West Brom and Sunderland but preferred a move to the Canaries - caughtoffside.com

West Brom are stepping up their efforts to sign Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima (right) - football365.com

West Brom have begun negotiations about bringing out of contract Fulham midfielder Zoltan Gera, back to the Hawthorns. Baggies boss Roy Hodgson is also interested in Blackpool midfielder David Vaughan - caughtoffside.com

Brighton are closing in on the signing of Watford winger Will Buckley. The Championship new boys are believed to have come back with an improved offer as they look to land the 22-year-old - skysports.com

Liverpool Out For Revenge Over Beach Ball Victors - Betting News with Betfred

VERSUS

Liverpool will be hoping for their luck to turn when they face Sunderland at Anfield on Sunday, after the previous meeting between the two teams ended in controversy.

Back in October 2009 the Reds went down 1-0 to the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light, after Darren Bent's shot hit a beach ball thrown on to the pitch by a Liverpool fan, causing it to dramatically change direction, before nestling in the back of the net.

With the form Bent has been in recently punters might fancy the 8/1 on offer with Betfred for him to be first goalscorer on Sunday, with or without outside assistance.

The incident caused huge controversy, and ultimately cost Liverpool valuable points. Five months on and with Liverpool's season faltering, they will have to pull out all the stops if they are going to finish at best in fourth place at the end of this seasons Premier League campaign.

They currently lie sixth, four points behind Tottenham who occupy fourth place and two points behind Manchester City in fifth, both of whom have played a game less than The Reds.

Manager Rafa Benitez has called for his big players to step up to the plate in the coming weeks to ensure Liverpool qualify for next season's Champions League.
The football betting odds make the Merseysiders favourites for Sunday's game at 1/3, but their stuttering form could make a draw at 4/1 a good bet.

The Spanish manager will be aware of the threat Sunderland can pose to his side, who could be still reeling from their defeat to Premier League leaders Manchester United last weekend.

"Sometimes when you talk about big names, top-class players, you are expecting something from them when the team is not doing well," said Benitez.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted in recent days that his performances this season have been lacklustre. He told Sky Sports News he has failed to reach the level he expects of himself, which has left him disappointed. He will certainly need to improve if he is to help England to justify their World Cup 2010 odds in South Africa this summer, and he could show signs of improvement here. Gerrard is 9/2 to grab the first goal on Sunday.

My tip Of The Weekend:
I expect a tight game with few goals at Anfield, so Betfred's odds of 7/2 for the game to be all square at half-time and Liverpool to be victorious at full-time is very attractive - Sunday 28th March, kick-off 4pm, live on Sky.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

City Need To Be Wary Of Bent Threat - Betting News with Betfred

VERSUS

Manchester City will have to be wary of the threat that Darren Bent brings as they continue their battle for a Premier League Top Four finish, with a visit to the north-east at the weekend.

City currently occupy fifth spot in the Premier League, but were given a boost when rivals Liverpool lost at Wigan earlier this week. Roberto Mancini's men will now look to increase the pressure on the Reds, as they vie for that fourth-placed finish and with it a lucrative Champions League campaign next season.
The Blues visit Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

On Tuesday night, Sunderland ended their 14-match winless run in the league dating back to October, with a 4-0 demolition of Bolton Wanderers, and some fans might fancy them to get another result on Sunday, with the Black Cats priced at 23/10 to win with Betfred, compared to the 6/5 on offer for City to take the spoils.

Darren Bent scored a hat-trick in that game, which took his tally for the season to 19 goals and his manager Steve Bruce has hailed him as a "natural goalscorer," who should be in contention for a place in Fabio Capello's England World Cup squad.

"To be at a team in the bottom half of the table and to get what he has got, it's fantastic. It is unbelievable with ten games to go," Bruce said.

However, it seems unlikely the striker will have the opportunity to boost England's World Cup chances, as Capello seems to view him as a fringe player at best.

Despite this, only Wayne Rooney has a better goal tally than Bent so far this season, and the former Spurs man could be a good bet to grab a goal against City and damage their top four bid. He is priced at 6/1 with Betfred to open the scoring in the game on Sunday.

Manchester City's last outing in the Premier League was their impressive 4-2 win over title-chasing Chelsea, which left many Premier League fans in the same mind set as goalkeeper Shay Given, who is convinced City can continue their fine form and finish in the top four.


My Tip Of The Weekend:
City, with home advantage will be too strong for Sunderland, despite their terrific midweek win, so my tip is City to win 3-1, which can be backed @ 16/1 with Betfred - Sunday 14th March, kick-off 4pm, live on Sky.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

'CRAP TOWNS' - The worst places to live in the U.K

Whilst in the throws of reading some literature lately on ' The 50 worst places to live in the UK - The idler book of CRAP TOWNS' - I began to deliberate in my own mind as to whether there was any correlation with some of these 'crap towns' also being towns with football clubs attached.

Irrespective of the success or otherwise of any such football clubs, I was more interested in whether or not it was possible to argue that having a football club in a town made it a better or a worse place to live.

A form of investigative journalism if you like!
Now being an avid footy fan I have to say over the years I have visited, (for better and for worse as a priest would say) both some alluring and equally abhorrent places whilst following my team around the UK.


Britain is full of crap towns full stop. Why?

Well look at all the miserable faces you see walking around the streets of your very own town, the overcrowded trains, the filthy walkways, inner-city crime, poverty, the economic climate, the smell, the concrete monstrosities for housing estates, hospital waiting lists, CCTV on every street corner, kids pushing prams, speed humps, cycle lanes, plastic glasses...........

The UK is soiled and full of people with tales of all the various forms of misery their towns have inflicted on their lives.

The UK and its towns are full of 'Rules' and 'Fun is Forbidden.'


A few years ago Hull, the gateway to Europe was considered 'The UK's No.1 Crap Town' but having used the 'net to check if this was still the case I subsequently found out that Luton indeeds currently holds the crown!

Both footballing towns, Hull has been described as 'smelling of death' due to the combination of its own chocolate factory and on days when there is a a south-east wind blowing, the smell of nearby Grimsby adds a fishy staleness to the odour.

Windsor perhaps surprisingly, was voted the second worst place to live this time around.

One voter said: 'The big thing about Windsor is that its townsfolk believe that by living near the castle they are more or less royalty themselves.'

Sunderland was described 'not so much a town, more of a mortuary' and came in third.

Other towns to feature included Croydon where the slang phrase 'Croydon-facelift' derived - hair that is scraped back so tight in a pony tail that it pulls back the wearer's cheekbones.

Morecambe the seaside town that promoted itself as a smaller version of Blackpool has been in a sad decline since the late 1930's.
Why anyone would ever go there is beyond me, unless you were unlucky enough to be born and brought up there!

Hythe, a small town on the south coast is quite possibly the most 'spirit-crushingly tedious town in Kent.' (Quite a feat)
Hythe has been labelled as: 'the place that makes nearby Folkestone look like Las Vegas.'

Other 'crap towns' to make the list that also double up as footballing towns included: Middlesbrough, Nottingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Brighton, Stockport, Portsmouth and Peterborough.

It is claimed Portsmouth is one of the most densely populated areas in Europe and is said to have one of the thickest populations.

Stockport is a typical mill town in South Manchester made prosperous by the Industrial Revolution.
However the superseding 'look' for Stockport locals is a shaven head with optional designer label baseball cap/visor, a shellsuit, the legs of which are tucked into a pair of luminous socks accompanied by a pair of kicker-style boots.
Gold plated jewellery in the form of chains, bracelets and earrings are an accepted and necessary part of the 'look.'

Brighton, the home of the nearest beach to London and Tory conferences, trades on a misinformed reputation for coolness!
The town was once described as 'The World's End' despite the council beating on about it being a 'beautiful city by the sea.'
It is neither beautiful nor a City!

Half of it is dirty, noisy & packed with horrible, gobby young fashion victims, mainly students studying 'The life and times of Peter Ward' or 'All things football in London's SE25.'
The rest of Brighton is a grimy Southeast town with council estates, teenage mums and screaming kids.
The guys roam the seafront on a Friday night, looking for someone from the other half to knock ten bells out of.


Now for the results of my investigative journalism.
I could not find any rhyme or reason to link 'crap towns' and 'footballing towns' together. There was no reason to suppose a town hosting a football club was any better or worse off as a result..........but it was fun trying!

If you would like to nominate a town that you consider to be one of the worst places to live in the U.K then post the name of that town and one reason why it is so awful in the comment box below, and I will pass it on to the writer's of The Idler magazine.