Is Ferguson playing a dirty game with Liverpool?

Sir Alex has claimed that Charlie Adam could be a potential successor to Paul Scholes.

He also said that the 25-year old's "corners were worth £10m" each, a ludicrous statement if he were ever interested in the player.


It sounds more like Ferguson is trying to hike up the price for the Blackpool player, just as he did with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (whose deal to Arsenal has collapsed because of Man United's "interest").

Newcastle reject stunning Carrol bid

Spurs have made a massive bid to land Andy Carroll by the end of the transfer deadline.

A stunning £23m was turned down by Newcastle, who will only do business if a bid closer to £30m is made.


It remains to be seen if Spurs will smash their transfer record for a player who has just six months of Premiership experience on board.

Shock for Liverpool as Torres asks for move

Chelsea has made a record £36m bid to acquire Fernando Torres.


While Liverpool have rejected the move, Torres has stunned them by saying that he would consider making a switch to Chelsea.


Liverpool are keen on adding striking power to their squad, especially after selling Babel. They are in negotiations with Luis Suarez but wanted him to combine with Torres. 


They did not expect the Chelsea bid and they would have very little time to replace two strikers (Babel and Torres) in 72 hours.

Benfica confirm Luiz deal

Chelsea edged closer to capture David Luiz from Benfica.

It was thought that the two clubs were apart from the valuation of the hugely talented defender but Chelsea have now come back with a new offer.

Chelsea had offered £18m for the 23 year old but Benfica wanted a player either on loan or in exchange. They did not agree on the player being offered to them though.

Chelsea has now returned with a £24.8m offer which will seal the deal for the Brazilian before the transfer deadline.

van der Sar to call time on illustrious career

Manchester United's keeper Edwin van der Sar has confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season.

The 40-year old who had a glittering career wants to retire to take care of his wife's health.

van Der Sar has played for Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He also has over 130 caps and won the Champions League twice with Ajax and Manchester United.

Many would feel that he perhaps has another year in him but his wife's health complications meant that a decision had to be taken.

PSG star to sign for Sunderland

Stéphane Sessegnon has landed in Sunderland in order to complete his move from PSG.

Respected French newspaper L'Equipe is reporting that Sunderland's offer of 6m Euros (around £4.75m) has been accepted last night by the French club.


French sources have also said that Sessegnon missed training in the last couple of days in order to force his move.

Sessegnon is a playmaker who is versatile as he can play across the midfield. He has been a hit with French clubs Le Mans and PSG, and will be a great addition to Bruce's squad.

West Brom want to sign Carlos Vela

Highly rated Arsenal youngster Carlos Vela is being chased by a number of clubs after he was made available on loan.

Bolton were thought to be frontrunners but interest of Spanish giants Valencia has made it certain for Vela to go there.

Vela is keen to go to Spain but Arsenal would prefer him to stay in England in order to get Premiership experience.

West Ham set to capture Keane

Robbie Keane has asked to leave Spurs and West Ham have joined the race to sign him on loan, with a view of a permanent deal at the end of the season.

The Hammers who have also captured Demba Ba are keen to add power up front to battle relegation.

Keane's huge salary (£65,000 a week) is proving a problem for clubs who are interested in him. Birmingham withdrew their interest after learning they will need to at least match his wages for him to consider a move.

Liverpool to give up on Suarez chase?

Reports in Holland suggest that Comolli was stunned to learn that Ajax now value the Uruguay star at £26m.

Liverpool's director of football has flown to Holland to seal the deal for Luis Suarez but made an offer of only £12.5m for a player who shone at the World Cup.


Liverpool are desperate to sign a striker especially after sanctionning Babel's move to Hoffenheim.

van Bommel opts for Milan

Tough-tackling van Bommel has joined AC Milan on a free transfer.

The Bayern Munich player was made available by his club and Liverpool were among his suitors.

But he has opted to join the Italian giants, who are currently top of the Serie A.

Eastmond moves to Millwall

Young Arsenal midfielder Craig Eastmond has moved to Millwall on loan until the rest of the season.

The 20 year old is highly rated by Wenger and has also played several games in the Champions League.

He joins Aaron Ramsey, Henri Lansbury and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the list of Arsenal loanees this season.

Real snatch Adebayor from Monaco

A very late bid from Real Madrid prevented Monaco from acquiring the services of Emmanuel Adebayor.

Jose Mourinho who was a big admirer of the Togolese when he was at Arsenal moved quickly for Adebayor, who was in talks about a return to Monaco.

Adebayor obviously did not hesitate to chose one of the world's biggest clubs and Real also has an option to secure him on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

West Ham completes Ba signing

West Ham has finally ended their chase for a new striker, after bringing Demba Ba on loan until the rest of the season.

A belated search for new players has started at Upton Park after Grant was given a stay of execution as manager.

Ba failed a medical at Stoke but his goalscoring record is very good. He has bagged 37 goals in 97 games for Hoffenheim and will be a much welcomed addition for the Hammers.

Holloway facing wrath of senior managers

After blasting "disgraceful" Houllier, Ian Holloway had a right go at Liverpool's manager Kenny Dalglish for his pursuit of Charlie Adam.

Holloway says that Adam was worth £4m 20 years ago when Dalglish last managed.

Adam who is only in his first season in the Premiership despite being 25 is worth around £40m in accordance to Holloway's logic. Adam has now made a transfer request.

Holloway's disrespect of two senior figures (Houllier & Dalglish) is not well seen by the Premiership establishment.

Sir Alex Ferguson said "I've had him bending my bloody ear on the phone. He's never got a penny, always pleading poverty. He's always been that way, for loans and so on. When he goes for a player, his view is the asking price is 'bloody disgraceful, bleeding the country dry''.

Holloway is feeling the pressure of seeing his side sliding towards the relegation zone, with their next opponents Manchester United.

Suarez invites Liverpool bid

Uruguay's star Luis Suarez has confirmed he wants to move to England after watching fellow South American Carlos Tevez star in the Premier League.

The Ajax forward is being lined up as a big name move by Liverpool.

Ajax have asked  Liverpool to make their bid as soon as possible. Frank de Boer has said that they will not let him go at midnight on the 31st of January, suggesting that they are prepared to sell him but want to have time to look for his replacement.

Latest reports from Holland suggest that Liverpool have made a bid of around £11m for Suarez but Ajax are asking £23m (around 35million euros).

Emanuelson signs for AC Milan

Dutch international Urby Emanuelson has signed for AC Milan for four years.

Milan wanted to strengthen their back four and have swooped for the Ajax left-back in order to step up their title bid.

They are currently top of the Serie A but Zambrotta's injury meant they had to move for Emanuelson.

Oxlade-Chamberlain to complete Arsenal switch

Highly rated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is finally set to move to Arsenal after he met with Arsene Wenger at their training ground.

Arsenal were thought to have a deal for the Southampton player a month ago but late interest from Manchester City meant more negotiations for the Gunners.

But the 17-year old midfielder will move to Arsenal after watching former Southampton's golden boy Theo Walcott clocking his 101th appearance for Arsenal on Saturday. Walcott has scored 15 goals and also has 15 England caps at the age of 21.

Premier League Round-Up

Manchester United hammered a poor Birmingham side to remain top of the Premier League.

They extended their lead as neighbours Manchester City was beaten by a vibrant Villa side. Darren Bent justified his transfer by scoring a poacher's goal.

Arsenal moved to second after a world-class display from van Persie helped them outclass Wigan.

Spurs' title ambitions were perhaps killed for good despite snatching a late draw at Newcastle. They are now 10 points behind United with a game more.

At the end of the table, unlucky West Ham were pegged back in the last minute to stay bottom of the league. Piquionne was sent off after celebrating his goal which put the Hammers ahead with six minutes left.

But they still moved level on points with Wolves who were destroyed by a clinical Liverpool to give Dalglish his first win in his second spell.

Fulham dominated Stoke to give themselves breathing space and Stoke will not feel entirely safe after this latest defeat. Pulis had another moan calling Dempsey a clever diver despite a clear penalty and a red-card within the rules for denying a goal scoring opportunity.

Sunderland closed the gap on Spurs for the fifth-place race while Blackpool will also feel some pressure despite a good start to the season.

Houllier complains about English racisim

Gerard Houllier has been on the receiving end of two sensational blasts from managers Steve Bruce and Ian Holloway this week.

In perhaps a concerted attack, the two managers gang up on the respected Frenchman.

Houllier has a point regarding the Bent deal.

Villa made an offer and Sunderland had the choice to accept or reject it.

As far as the club have accepted the bid, Bruce cannot moan about underhand tactics.

As for Holloway, he says Villa's pursuit of Charlie Adam is "disrespectful" but finds nothing to say about Dalglish's interest.

Fulham to complete Kakuta loan

Fulham are close to bring Chelsea striker Gael Kakuta to Craven Cottage.

Kakuta's signing was controversial and Chelsea got a suspended transfer ban as a result.

But he is a highly rated prospect who needs games.

Both Hughes and Ancelotti have confirmed that a loan move could be completed soon.

Alves reject Barcelona offer

Dani Alves has rejected a huge contract renewal offer from his club Barcelona.

The Brasilian who is available on a free transfer at the end of the season has been locked in months of negotiations with the Barca board for a new contract.

Top European clubs like Milan, Chelsea, Real and City are all watching the developments very carefully.

Alves want to stay at Barca but they will not break the bank to extend him.

Bruce replace Bent with Fuller

Sunderland fans will no doubt be unimpressed as their manager has moved to replace £18m striker Bent with 31 year old Ricardo Fuller.

It was expected that Sunderland would splash the cash received by Villa to strenghthen their side but the capture of football journeyman Fuller is somehow an underwhelming signing.

Bruce who has had a real go at Houllier (despite the latter giving him £18m to spend) was tipped to make moves for Robbie Keane and Sebastian Larsson.

Mourinho opens door for exit

Jose Mourinho has been vague when questioned about his future at Real Madrid.

The Portugeese's confrontational style has not gone down too well with some of Real's hierarchy.

Mourinho's shelf life as a manager of a club is around 2-3 years (6 months at Benfica, 2 years at Porto, 3 years at Chelsea and 2 years at Inter).

His future will also depend on whether he manages to take the Liga off Barcelona this season.

Buffon commit to Juve

Fans who would have loved to see Buffon in England will be disappointed.

The Italian who is one of the best keepers of his generation has said that he would love to stay at Juventus for life.

At 32, he would have been great in a van Der Sar type of signing but his heart remains in Turin.

Friedel declared bankrupt

Brad Friedel has been declared bankrupt in the US despite earning £40,000 a week. 


He set up a football academy in America but the project failed and he was only left with huge debts to pay.


The Villa keeper who is not rated by Houllier (from their time at Liverpool) could also be shipped out soon.


He may be in deep trouble for the rest of his life as he is 40 and will not be able to continue to play for much longer.

Spurs desperate to sell Keane

After signing Pienaar on wages of £75,000 a week, Spurs are trying to offload a few players as soon as possible.


Having the biggest squad in the league and one of the biggest wage bills, Spurs have refused loan bids from West Ham and Fulham for Robbie Keane.


The 31 year old is on a whopping £65,000 a week despite having played very little recently. 


Spurs do not want to loan him out as they could be forced to keep the player next season if West Ham (for instance) get relegated and do not want to sign him permanently.

Blackburn to release Chimbonda and Diouf

Blackburn have released Pascal Chimbonda and are also about to tear El-Hadj Diouf's contract up.

Chimbonda's form has not been the best recently while Blackburn cannot seem to cope with Diouf's indiscipline.

There will no be shortage of buyers though.

Chimbonda nearly signed for West Ham in the summer. The 31 year old had a few good seasons prior to this season.

As for Diouf, he may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is clearly talented. Fulham and West Ham are both considering to sign him while Turkish clubs are also lining up offers.

It is actually very strange that the Indian owners at Blackburn have released them when they could have made at least £4m had they put the duo for sale. 

Could it be a decision linked to the inexperience of the new owners and the new manager?

Monaco want Adebayor back

Emmanuel Adebayor who made his name at Monaco is wanted by his old club.

Adebayor was snapped up by Wenger at the age of 21 and went on to become a fearsome striker at Arsenal.

Things have not gone as planned at City despite some flashes of his old form.

It is clear that Monaco do not have the funds to meet Adebayor's huge salary (around £130,000 a week) or price so it remains to be seen to what extent Man City are prepared to help Monaco for the deal.

Juventus close to complete Forlan deal

Juventus' quest for a new striker is about to end with a deal on the verge to be finalised for Diego Forlan.

The former Manchester United flop who rejuvenated himself in Spain is close to agree a 3 year deal with the Turin club.

Forlan who was one of the stars of the World Cup will cost around £9m (about 13m euros).

At 31, he is not cheap for a striker but his red-hot form of the last few years have made him a target for a number of Europe's top clubs.

Villa pull out of Adam deal

Aston Villa have withdrawn their interest in Blackpool's midfielder Charlie Adam.

They made two bids for Adam , the highest being £3.5m but Blackpool have rejected them.

It is believed that Blackpool are demanding at least £10m for their skipper.

The price has scared Houllier off as he has used most of his transfer funds with the Bent deal.

Larsson close to Blackburn deal

Sebastian Larsson is the subject of a £500k bid from Blackburn Rovers.

The underrated Swede is available for a marginal fee as his contract is expiring at the end of the season.

Often Birmingham's best player, he is also chased by Newcastle, Fulham and a number of European clubs.

The former Arsenal player will be a major coup for Blackburn should the deal go through as expected.

Wolves win Hammill race

Wolves have beaten stiff competition to sign highly rated Adam Hamill.

It was believed that Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton were also in for the winger.

The 23-year old was available for only £500k as he had a release clause so it is safe to say that Wolves have bagged themselves a bargain here.

Newcastle lead Wright-Phillips race

Shaun Wright-Phillips's agent has confirmed that Newcastle have made an offer for his player.

While Fulham has made a loan move for the winger, Newcastle have made an enquiry to purchase him.

Manchester City who badly want to reduce their wage bill would obviously prefer to sell him.

It is believed a fee of around £7m should seal the deal for Wright-Phillips.

Liverpool to spend big

Liverpool have made a big budget available for Kenny Dalglish as they bid to climb up the table.

Ajax have slapped a huge price on Luis Suarez as they have been made aware of Liverpool's interest.

But Liverpool seem keen to match the £20m plus being demanded by Ajax for Suarez.

No rift between Denilson and Fabregas

Denilson and Fabregas have both confirmed that there is no problem between them.

Denilson says that he has been misquoted and after you read the original interview from arseblog, you can see he is right.

Arsenal were in fine form today again as they swept aside a brave Leeds at Elland Road.

Grant has only £5m to spend

West Ham's board is clearly losing touch with reality.

They stated two days ago that they are fully behind manager Avram Grant.

It now emerges that they are only prepared to give Grant £5m for this transfer window.

The future is looking gloomy for a club whose squad look paper thin.

How many players can £5m buy?

Wheater set for Bolton

David Wheater's transfer to Bolton is likely to go through within 48 hours.

Boro and Bolton have been arguing over the fee and it was thought that the deal was off.

But Bolton have now gone back to Boro to settle a deal of £2.5m.

Bent deal likely to galvanise transfer market

Darren Bent's £18m move to Aston Villa is likely to mean a flurry of activity on the transfer market.

Villa smash their club record to bring the Sunderland striker and his former club now has plenty of cash to spend.

It is likely that Sunderland will buy a striker and a midfielder in order to strengthen.

Their cash is likely to boost what has been a slow transfer market so far.

Babel leaves Liverpool

Liverpool have accepted a fee of around £6m from German side Hoffenheim for Ryan Babel.

The Dutch international has not really shown his outstanding potential in England after Liverpool beat a host of clubs (including Arsenal) in 2007 for his signature.

The move is subject to personal terms being agreed but Liverpool will make a £5m loss for the player.

Given forced to stay at City

Shay Given may be finally asked to stay at City after Mancini criticised Joe Hart's lack of concentration in recent games.

Hart was not entirely faultless as City shipped three goals against Wolves and Mancini may want to keep Given as a top-class back up as they continue their title bid.

While Given wants to leave for first team football, City may want to improve his contract in order to keep him on board.

Pienaar to chose Spurs over Chelsea

Everton have finally accepted Spurs' bid for Pienaar. Chelsea made a £3m bid for the South African but did not agree terms with him.

It is believed that Chelsea have been shocked with Pienaar's £75,000 a week request.

Pienaar is a bargain at £3m and Spurs are not being put off by his salary demands.

Liverpool in for van Bommel

It looks that Dalglish is actively seeking to make his first signings at the club.

Dutch international van Bommel is being lined up for a move and his agent has confirmed that Liverpool have made an enquiry for the 33 year old.

While van Bommel's age may put some people off, his tough-tackling qualities will be welcomed at Anfield as Javier Mascherano has been sorely missed this season.

West Ham farce continues as Grant stays

The farce at West Ham has reached another level as they are publicly forced to back Grant.

While most people admit that Grant has been treated shabbily, the fact that the board does not sack him now shows that they do not have a clue what they are doing.

What if West Ham lose their next two games ? Is Grant sackable again?

Karen Brady is reported to have announced some players that O'Neil will be taking over on Saturday and I think the West Ham board must be very embarassed by her.

Keane's move to Birmingham collapses

Birmingham have pulled out of the race to sign Irishman Robbie Keane from Spurs.

The 30 year old is said to have stunned Birmingham by his astonishing contractual demands - he asked for a 4 year deal at wages of £70,000 a-week.

I can say that I am not altogether surprised that Birmingham have rejected Keane's demands- he has barely played for the past couple of weeks and £6m was already an inflated figure for a 30 year old.

Sunderland ask for more money for Bent

It looks like the most sensational transfer of this window will not happen as quickly as thought.

Darren Bent has already submitted a transfer request after probably being offered amazing money at Villa.

But Sunderland are determined to get more than the already whopping £18m offered by Aston Villa.

They are now understood to be demanding £20m up front for the striker. We will soon how desperate Villa are. 

Disaster for West Ham as O'Neil backs off move

Martin O'Neil has rejected the offer to become West Ham manager. He is said to be disappointed with the way that the Hammers hierarchy has dealt with his proposed appointment.

Karen Brady is widely tipped to be the one to have given the media the "scoop" about O'Neil's appointment on Saturday morning.

A spectacular own goal as the Hammers players look disinterested against Arsenal as they knew a win would make them miss out on a manager of O'Neil's calibre.

Grant has remained dignified throughout but the West Ham board - particularly Karen Brady- has a lot to answer for.