TRANSFER GOSSIP
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is planning a summer raid on Manchester United to sign defender Rio Ferdinand, who has recently endured a torrid few months for club and country.(Daily Mail)
Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor says that current Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas will be the next star to quit the Emirates if the club underachieve again this season.(Daily Mirror)
Arsenal could also lose Fabregas' fellow Spanish midfielder Fran Merida, with Atletico Madrid set to step up their interest in the player.(The Sun)
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keen on signing Torino's Italy Under-21 international defender Angelo Ogbonna.(The Sun)
Birmingham want to sign Seville striker Arouna Kone on loan.(The Sun)
Alternatively, City are planning a move for Salzburg striker Marc Janko.(Daily Mirror)
Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo has turned down the chance to join Middlesbrough.(Daily Mirror)
Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan has other targets in mind though, namely Manchester United striker Federico Macheda, who the Scot wants on loan.(Daily Mail)
Swansea are tracking Sheffield United's Welsh international winger David Cotterill.(Daily Mirror)
Derby boss Nigel Clough is planning a £500,000 swoop for Plymouth striker Jamie Mackie.(Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is wanted by Real Madrid as replacement for current boss Manuel Pellegrini.(Daily Mail)
Hull manager Phil Brown has been given only two games to save his job as the club look to consolidate in the wake of the departure of Paul Duffen as chairman.(The Sun)
Alternatively, Brown has just one game to avoid the sack, meaning he must get a positive result at Burnley on Saturday.(Independent)
However, if former Hull owner Adam Pearson returns to the club, Brown will be axed as manager regardless of whether he turns their fortunes around.(Daily Mail)
Another manager who is battling to save his job is Reading boss Brendan Rodgers, who has two games to save himself from the axe.(Daily Mail)
Notts County executive chairman Peter Trembling says the club backed away from appointing former Inter coach Roberto Mancini as boss at Meadow Lane because of the media interest it would generate.(Guardian)
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has denied suggestions that his poor form this season is because of continual transfer speculation linking him with a move to European champions Barcelona.(The Sun)
Liverpool's players have backed Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who has recovered from a broken ankle, to be the club's trump card after he finally made his debut in the Carling Cup tie with Arsenal on Wednesday.(Daily Mirror)
Striker Marlon King will miss out on £2.7m in wages after his sacking by Wigan in the aftermath of his 18-month jail sentence for sexual assault.(Daily Mirror)
LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will miss England's friendly with Brazil in Doha on 14 November if Galaxy win their MLS play-off next week as they would next play again on the 12th. This will wreck his chances of breaking Peter Shilton's 125-cap record at the World Cup in South Africa next year.(The Sun)
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has slammed international friendlies as money-making ventures for FA delegates, who fancy a "nice sunny trip".(The Sun)
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has phoned Sir Alex Ferguson, Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce and Rafa Benitez to help defuse the row over comments attributed to him suggesting that the Manchester United, Blackburn and Sunderland boss were ganging up on Liverpool manager Benitez.(The Sun)
Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy says that he will quit international football with Wales if City qualify for the Champions League.(Daily Mirror)
Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell's attempts to release his registration from Notts County have hit a snag as the club want him to agree to five-year gagging agreement preventing him talking about his time at Meadow Lane.(The Sun)
Arsenal striker Jay Simpson is aiming to be a hit in the Premier League next season, whether it be with the Gunners or at QPR, with whom he is currently on loan.(Daily Mirror)
AND FINALLY
Sheffield United player-coach Gary Speed says the only training he is now doing is for the London Marathon. The former Newcastle midfielder, who has been recovering from a serious back injury suffered last November, is running the event for the Bobby Robson Foundation.(Daily Mirror)
Former Manchester City defender Danny Mills will compete in April's Brighton Marathon in a wheelchair to help raise money for the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and football charity the National Association of Disabled Supporters. (The Sun)
Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri says he was so hungry to make his mark on his return to Arsenal's in the Carling Cup match with Liverpool on Wednesday he "wanted to eat the pitch". The Frenchman has been out for three months with a broken leg.(The Sun)
Portsmouth boss Paul Hart says he loves being kept in the dark over issues at Fratton Park as it makes his day more interesting. Hart admitted he had not been consulted over the appointment of Avram Grant as director of football in October and Pompey despite a transfer embargo being in place at the club since 15 October, Hart only found out about it on Tuesday.(The Sun)
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P.S.:Football weekend is in front. Analyzes will follow, first tonight.
