Latest Transfer Update at 06-09-11

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Latest Transfer Update at 06-09-11

Roy Keane: Understood to be in the frame
ROY KEANE IN ICELAND LINK

The Icelandic Football Association is on the lookout for a new national team boss - and Roy Keane is reportedly in the frame for a return to management.
The Irishman has been out of the game since being dismissed by Ipswich in January but is now understood to be one of the candidates to replace Olafur Johannesson as Iceland coach.
Johannesson's four-year spell in charge of Iceland is set to come to an end after next month's final Euro 2012 qualifier and the country's FA is keen to get a new man in place.
"Interviews have taken place with a number of coaches," an Icelandic FA spokesman said in the Daily Mirror.
"We're in no hurry because the current coach's contract runs until the end of the qualification campaign, which finishes against Portugal on October 7."
Keane is expected to meet with officials in Reykjavik on Tuesday after reportedly failing to show for talks on Monday.
Former Reading and Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell has also been linked with the role, along with ex-Sweden boss Lars Lagerback and Stuart Baxter.
Iceland have endured a miserable Euro 2012 qualifying campaign and are currently bottom of Group H with just one point from six games.

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Yobo: Joins Fenerbache on loan
YOBO SEALS TURKEY RETURN

Joseph Yobo has rejoined Turkish side Fenerbahce on a season-long loan deal.
The centre-half is contracted to Everton for three more years but spent last term at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
And the Toffees sanctioned his departure before the Turkish transfer window closed for business until the New Year.
Yobo returned to Goodison Park for pre-season but did not feature in any warm-up matches.

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Gai Assulin: Yet to play for Manchester City
ASSULIN BACKED FOR FIRST-TEAM ACTION

Israel Under-21 coach Guy Luzon thinks Manchester City youngster Gai Assulin needs to play first-team football.
The 20-year-old moved to the Etihad Stadium in December 2010 after his deal at Barcelona expired but he has yet to make his debut for City.
Assulin impressed for Israel Under-21s in the 4-1 defeat to England on Monday night and Luzon thinks the midfielder needs to play more football to improve his game.
"The squad at Manchester City contains all the stars from the world and I don't think a young player can play at Manchester City," he told the press after the game at Oakwell.
"Tevez doesn't play at Manchester City. The squad at Manchester City is like the squad at Barcelona and it is very hard to play.
"I think when he plays it can show his quality. He has the quality to play in England.
"I would like to see him play. For me it doesn't matter where but he needs to play."

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David Beckham: Linked with QPR
QPR RUBBISH BECKHAM LINKS

QPR have dismissed rumours linking them with a move for David Beckham.
Rangers were reported to be readying an approach for the former England skipper once his contract with LA Galaxy expires in November.
But Amit Bhatia, vice-chairman of QPR Holdings, insists it's false.
"There's absolutely no truth in it," Bhatia told West London Sport. "David Beckham is a great player and I hope in the next few years we'll be signing players of such stature, but not now."
Beckham's deal with the Galaxy runs out at the end of the current MLS campaign and he has so far refused to extend his stay in the USA.
That has prompted much speculation about the 36-year-old's next destination and Rangers are one club who could potentially meet his wage demands following Tony Fernandes' takeover at Loftus Road.

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Neymar: Interests Spanish giants
NEYMAR ADMITS SPANISH INTEREST

Highly-rated Brazilian striker Neymar has revealed that both Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in signing him.
The 19-year-old has emerged as one of Brazil's brightest young prospects in recent years and has long been linked with a move to Spain's big two.
Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester City have also been linked with the Santos striker, who played for Brazil in their 1-0 friendly win over Ghana at Craven Cottage on Monday.
Speaking after that game Neymar admitted that Barca and Real are interested in him, but stressed that no deal had yet been agreed.
"Real Madrid and Barcelona have come calling for me. Both clubs want me," he told AS.
"I can confirm it, but I have not reached an agreement with any of them.
"The interest from Spain's big two means that my self-esteem is very high because I am being followed by two big clubs like these."

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Scott Parker: Was a target for Stoke
PULIS FAILED IN PARKER SWOOP

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has revealed he failed in a bid to sign England midfielder Scott Parker from West Ham.
The Potters were in negotiations with the Hammers for much of the week leading up to last Wednesday's transfer window deadline but missed out because of the player's wish to remain in London.
Parker eventually signed for Tottenham, with Pulis having to content himself with the signing of Spurs midfielder Wilson Palacios in addition to striker Peter Crouch and Birmingham's Cameron Jerome.
"We did have a go for Parker. It was something we were trying to do for a few weeks," said the Stoke boss in The Sentinel.
"But we realised that if he could, he wanted to stay in London. That was a big part of it with him.
"I felt there were certain areas of the team we can improve and have to improve and that was one of them.
"I enquired about him and kept in touch with Sam Allardyce (West Ham manager) to find out what the situation was.
"But Sam said Parker would prefer to stay in London because he'd got three boys in school there."
Pulis plans to offload some of his playing staff to npower Championship clubs in the coming week after Danny Collins, Danny Pugh, Michael Tonge, Andrew Davies and Tom Soares were all omitted from the final Premier League and Europa League squads.
The Stoke boss also left Jonathan Woodgate - a free transfer this summer after being released by Spurs following two seasons of injury problems - out of his European squad but that was for altogether different reasons.
"I don't want him to do the travelling," Pulis added.
"If he can play 30 games in the Premier League, I'll be absolutely over the moon."

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Sandro: Roma interest - but no offer
SANDRO: NO ROMA TALKS

Tottenham midfielder Sandro has denied he had any contact with Roma during the transfer window.
The Brazilian admits he would love to test himself in Serie A at some point in the future but insists reports he discussed a move to the Italian capital as wide of the mark.
"Roma were not the only side interested in me, there were others too," Sandro told Radio Mana Sport 24. "The problem was that no offer arrived.
"Nevertheless, I'm happy that a big club like Roma were keen, especially as they play in an important championship. I'd certainly like to play in Italy at some point in the future. It would be another forward step in my career."
In the meantime, the 24-year-old says he is focused on helping Spurs improve on last season's fifth-place finish.
He said: "I'm convinced we'll have a good season at Tottenham. It's a great club, with great players. I believe we can finish in the top three or four this term."

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Maldini: Ferguson once enquired him
FERGUSON REVEALS MALDINI ENQUIRY

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he was deterred from making a bid to bring Paolo Maldini to Manchester United by the AC Milan legend's father.
Maldini established himself as one of football's greatest-ever defenders during 25 years as part of the Milan first team and made over 900 appearances for the club.
He also retired from international football as Italy's most capped player after maintaining a consistently high standard through his career.
Ferguson was once keen to offer Maldini the chance to play in the Premier League, but has revealed he was given short shrift when he raised the possibility with his father Cesare.
"I once asked Maldini's father Cesare about him," Ferguson told Corriere Dello Sport during a trip to Rome.
"He looked at me as if I was a madman and that response was enough to understand that the answer would be no.
"I also loved Gianfranco Zola a lot. He always played with a smile and with the right sporting spirit."
During the interview, Ferguson was also asked about Francesco Totti, the long-serving Roma talisman who has endured a difficult period.
The United boss added: "Totti is the symbol of Roma, he'd never want to leave the club just like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes at United."

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Sebastian Coates: Liverpool newcomer
LIVERPOOL PROBE URUGUAY AVENUE

Liverpool's director of football Damien Comolli has revealed the club are looking to tap into the talent emerging from Uruguay with two internationals from the South American country now at the club.
The arrival of 20-year-old Sebastian Coates late last month to link up with countryman Luis Suarez has opened a door to the Copa America winners for the Reds.
Coates was signed directly from Nacional while Suarez came from the same club via Dutch side Ajax.
And according to Comolli, Liverpool are now looking to establish a more formal relationship with the most successful club in Uruguay on the back of the Coates deal.
"I've got to thank the people from Nacional, the directors and their chairman, because they have been very helpful," said the Frenchman on liverpoolfc.tv.
"They tried to help the player complete his will, which was to come here.
"They tried to find a solution for us to make it happen. We now have strong links with them because both Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates have come from this club and been developed by their academy.
"We are talking about a partnership with them that we would like to create over the next three, four or five years, to see if there is more talent coming through.
"Maybe we can help them to develop their standards and in turn have the ability to bring those young players here.
"During the Copa America they had 14 players out of the 23 who had at some point played at Nacional or were developed by Nacional. That is a fantastic record for their academy."
Comolli added: "It is very interesting for us. "We already have a strong link with South America through Lucas (Leiva), Maxi (Rodriguez) and Luis.
"Since it's been such a success with Luis - and I'm sure it will be for Sebastian - why don't we try to make it an even bigger success by bringing in other players from Nacional?"

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Sir Alex Ferguson: No retirement plans
'I'M NOT RETIRING' VOWS FERGUSON

Sir Alex Ferguson has already seen off a few pretenders to his Manchester United throne - and he intends to repel a few more even though he will celebrate his 70th birthday later this year.
It will be 25 years since Ferguson was appointed United manager on November 6. It is also nearly a decade since he performed an abrupt U-turn on his retirement plans.
What has followed, in addition to five more Premier League titles and another Champions League triumph, has been a guessing game about when Ferguson will eventually call it a day.
With that, comes the topic of his successor.
At various times, Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren, Mark Hughes, Martin O'Neill and a host of top continental bosses have been linked with the job.
Current favourite to replace Ferguson is Jose Mourinho, although a mounting disciplinary crimesheet at Real Madrid is not helping his cause.
Yet, speaking to the Italian media at an awards ceremony at University of Rome Tor Vergata, Ferguson confirmed he is going nowhere.
"Over the years I've had the question who do I think could replace me? Now in those years, some of the coaches they were talking about to replace me don't have jobs any more.
"So it becomes very difficult because someone who I think has potential may be sacked by his club and disappear.
"I think you would need someone very experienced in the long term. But I have absolutely no idea... first of all, I'm not retiring."
With Arsene Wenger's crown slipping badly in recent times, Ferguson is unquestionably the most powerful manager in England.
At United, his authority over team matters is absolute.
It is impossible to imagine any player being bought or sold without his agreement, although he does not always get his man.
"There's only one certainty: I will always be in charge. I wanted Maldini. I asked his dad Cesare about Paolo and he told me I was crazy."
Nobody told Ferguson he was crazy for trying to sign Wesley Sneijder in the summer and for a long time, even the Dutchman thought he would end up at Old Trafford.
Eventually, Ferguson decided the sums did not add up given he was not the like-for-like replacement for Paul Scholes he had been after.
"Sneijder is not the ideal replacement for Scholes," he said.
"He's a fantastic player but he was not who we were looking for to replace Scholes. Only Xavi and Iniesta are comparable to Scholes."
Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly not a Scholes-type player. But in his own way, the former world player of the year made just as great an impact with the Red Devils.
And, such is his fondness for Ferguson, the man he calls "a second father" there always remains a chance, however slim, that one day he might return.
"I have good memories from Manchester and when I watch sometimes the games I miss it a lot because it's part of me I left in England," Ronaldo told Sky Sports News.
"Just because I play in Madrid I'm not going to miss speaking with the old guys so, when I have an opportunity, I speak with Sir Alex Ferguson.
"It was important for me when I played there, when my life was there, so it is good to speak with him because I'll never forget who really helped me.
"I don't close the door (on returning to England), so maybe in the future. I hope so, because I know the league, I know the players, I know the atmosphere."
Like Ferguson, Ronaldo is going nowhere for a while, so United must plan without him.
However, his former team-mates are starting to make an impact at Old Trafford, Anderson amongst them after experiencing huge difficulties completing the settling-in process.
"He has been tremendous," Ferguson told Inside United.
"He's had a couple of long-term injuries which haven't helped him, but in the last year or so, he's steered clear of injury.
"That means he's training every day so his fitness levels are much better. He is maturing so you can see the consistency in his game."
With the transfer window closed, Ferguson must now get the best out of the players at his disposal, knowing he still has seven strikers to keep happy, including record signing Dimitar Berbatov, who has made a minimal contribution to United's 100% start to the campaign.
He is not bothered about that though, content that he has never allowed disgruntled agents to exert more influence that the Scot feels is good for the club.
"You cannot get rid of agents now - that is cast in stone because they are firmly rooted in the game," he said.
"We have agents outside the gates of our academy waiting for the parents to come out from maybe 10, 11 years of age.
"So what is required in the modern-day game are strong presidents and strong coaches that within their own structure accept the role of agents but not more than the role of the players."