Latest Transfer Update at 27-09-11

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Latest Transfer Update at 27-09-11

Kuyt: Battling for first-team place
KUYT TO FIGHT FOR LIVERPOOL SPOT

Dirk Kuyt is determined to win back a regular starting place at Liverpool.
The 31-year-old forward has slipped down the pecking order under Kenny Dalglish with the likes of Luis Suarez and Jordan Henderson blocking his path in both the attack and midfield departments.
But whilst Kuyt admits he is not pleased with the situation, he will continue to push for a starting slot.
"I'm disappointed to be out of the team," said Kuyt, who was on the bench for the weekend win over Wolves after starting and scoring in the Carling Cup success over Brighton.
"From childhood, I've always been disappointed when I'm not in the team because I'm desperate to be involved and make a good contribution.
"But it also makes me very determined too. I need to continue to prove myself, train as hard as possible and, when I do play, make sure my performance is of a high standard.
"Competition is tough now but it's brilliant for the club that there are so many players to choose from now, top-class international players. The players realise at the end of the day you need more than 11 good players to be successful."
Kuyt, who was a target for Inter Milan over the summer, insists having such a competitive squad can only be a good thing for Liverpool.
"When I first arrived here we had a very good, big squad but for the last two seasons before this one, we haven't had the depth that we did in the first three seasons," he continued.
"Someone like Craig Bellamy is a strong addition to what is already a very strong squad, and that can only be good for the team. We definitely have better quality now and more players to choose from as well.
"I think with the signings we've made, we have a great squad now so we should be ambitious and have confidence in ourselves."
Watch Everton v Liverpool live on Sky Sports 2 and HD2 from 1245 BST on Saturday.

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Huub Stevens: Back at Schalke.
HUUB STEVENS RETURNS TO SCHALKE

Schalke have confirmed the appointment of Huub Stevens as their new coach on a deal until June 2013.
Dutchman Stevens succeeds Ralf Rangnick, who resigned last week due to exhaustion syndrome.
It is the 57-year-old's second spell in charge of the Gelsenkirchen club, having also led them from 1996 to 2002 - during which time the club won the 1997 UEFA Cup and the DFB-Pokal in 2001 and 2002.
In 1999, a poll of Schalke fans saw him voted the club's coach of the century.
After leaving the club in 2002, Stevens joined Hertha Berlin before spells with Cologne, Roda JC, with whom he started his coaching career, Hamburg, PSV Eindhoven and Salzburg.
Stevens was also in the running for the current vacancy at Hamburg following the sacking of Michael Oenning before they pulled out after learning of his willingness to discuss a deal with Schalke.
The Royal Blues are fifth in the Bundesliga and take on Maccabi Haifa in the group stage of the Europa League on Thursday night.

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Wilshere: To return in the new year
JACK WILSHERE FACES LENGTHY ABSENCE

Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere will be sidelined for a period of between four and five months following surgery to remedy a stress fracture to his right ankle.
Wilshere has not featured for the Gunners in a competitive game this season after suffering the injury in a pre-season friendly against the New York Red Bulls at the Emirates Stadium.
A statement on the club's official website on Monday evening read: "Jack Wilshere has on Monday morning undergone ankle surgery at a central London hospital.
"Under the care of two world-renowned surgeons, Jack has had the stress fracture of his right ankle repaired.
"The initial indications are that the surgery has been successful and Jack will now undergo a prolonged period of rehabilitation. It is envisaged that Jack's rehabilitation will take a period of four to five months."
Wilshere had initially hoped that the problem would not require surgery but the club confirmed last week that an operation would be necessary.
Wilshere added on the official website on Monday: "I've had my operation this morning and all went well. My ankle is little bit sore, but I'm already looking forward to working hard to get fit and playing again.
"I would also just like to say thanks for the many messages of support I have received from you - the fantastic Arsenal supporters. See you all soon at the Emirates."
The Gunners' prognosis means Wilshere may not play competitively for the club until late February.
There was further bad news earlier in the day when striker Robin van Persie revealed he was in no hurry to commit his long-term future to the club.
Van Persie hit his 100th Arsenal goal in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Bolton, and the continued good form of the new skipper could be the key to turning around the Gunners' poor start to the season.
The 28-year-old is understood to have sought assurances from manager Arsene Wenger that the club's future was still bright following the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who refused to extend his contract and was sold to Manchester City.
Wenger could be faced with a similar problem to the Nasri one if Van Persie does not sign an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2013, but the Dutchman insists talks are on the backburner for the time being.
"Maybe I'll leave it [holding immediate talks] because the main thing for me is the team and that we play well," Van Persie was reported as saying in a number of national newspapers.
"I do believe you have to look for a right moment to sit down and speak about your own stuff.
"It's not only about me, it's about the team. We are not talking now because we are so busy - we have games every three or four days.
"I don't think it's clever to do that during the season."
He added: "I still have almost two years left here, so for the moment that's fine. But I don't know, we will have to look.
"I'm happy with my contract, I'm good. That's how it is, I can't say much more. I can't look into the future."

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Manchester United: No Qatar bid.
NO MAN UNITED BID FROM QATAR

The Qatar Investment Authority's executive chairman has denied making a takeover bid for Manchester United.
Permission was granted last week for United to launch a floatation on the Singapore Stock Market, allowing the club to open dialogue with potential investors.
The development fuelled discussion about the future ownership of United, with reports suggesting that Qatar prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani was in London to negotiate a£1.6bn purchase of the club.
Sheikh Hamad, who is also Qatari royalty and executive chairman of the QIA, says he has no interest in assuming control of the Premier League club.
"That's not true," said Sheikh Hamad in an interview on the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera channel.
"We announced a few weeks ago that we did not negotiate that. A lot of people talk about 'Qatar now will buy this, they will pay that.' This also makes the price good for anything that will be sold."
The precise details of United's plans were not announced when their planned floatation was given the go-ahead, although it is thought the Glazer family are looking to sell 25 per cent of the club, which they hope will net them £600million.

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Diouf: Linked with Wigan and Doncaster
EL HADJI DIOUF ATTRACTING INTEREST

Former Blackburn forward El Hadji Diouf is attracting interest from a number of clubs with Wigan and Doncaster leading the chase.
The Senegal striker is a free agent after he had his contract at Ewood Park cancelled at the start of the month after a run-in with manager Steve Kean when he failed to report back in time for pre-season training.
However, he has trained with Rovers' Barclays Premier League rivals Wigan today and it is understood both the Latics and npower Championship side Doncaster have made offers to sign the 30-year-old.
It is believed another championship side Portsmouth are interested while two clubs in Turkey and others in the Middle East are also keen to open negotiations over a move.

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Van Persie: Under contract at Arsenal until 2013
ARSENE WENGER CALM OVER VAN PERSIE

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says there is no need to make an "immediate issue" of Robin van Persie's contract situation.
The Gunners captain still has a couple of seasons to run on his current deal and is no hurry to commit his long-term future to the club.
Van Persie hit his 100th Arsenal goal in Saturday's 3-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Bolton, and the continued good form of the new skipper could be the key to turning around the Gunners' poor start to the season.
The 28-year-old is understood to have sought assurances from Wenger that the club's future was still bright following the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who refused to extend his contract and was sold to Manchester City.
Van Persie's deal is not set to expire until 2013, and so the Dutchman is happy to leave things on the backburner to focus his attentions to on-field matters.
Wenger said: "You have to respect that he has nearly two years to go, so let's not make an immediate issue of something like that - two years in football is a very, very long time.
"On our side we are quite clear, so that is no problem - I do not say there is no problem because it does not depend only on us, but we are clear with our intention."
Wenger added: "I have a high level of expectation for him and his performances are as high as I expect them to be.
"He plays well with the team, with the other players, finishes well and his finishing record is absolutely fantastic - Robin has scored 26 goals in 31 games.
"Basically I am very demanding with Robin and he does as well as I expect him to."

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Gutierrez: Four-year deal.
JONAS GUTIERREZ EXTENDS TOON STAY

Argentina international Jonas Gutierrez has signed a new contract which will keep him at Newcastle until 2015.
The 28-year-old former Real Mallorca midfielder had two years of his existing deal still to run, but a new four-year agreement will secure his future on Tyneside after a summer of speculation that he could join the exodus of big-name players.
Gutierrez said: "I have said many times that I love playing for Newcastle. I love the city, the fans and the team, so I had no hesitation in signing a new contract.
Gutierrez arrived on Tyneside during the summer of 2008 in what proved to be a problematic transfer with the Magpies believing they had snapped him up on a free transfer after the player had bought himself out of his existing deal.
The clubs eventually settled after a lengthy dispute, and although Gutierrez's first season in England ended in relegation, he stayed to help them fight their way back into the Premier League and was one of their key men last season.
He has played his part in a fine start to the new campaign which sees the Magpies sitting in fourth place in the table and unbeaten in eight games in all competitions.
Gutierrez said: "It has been a good start to the season and this is a great place to be.
"I am proud that the manager and the board see me as part of the long-term future of Newcastle. I have always given my best here and I will always do that."
The South American was tipped to join the likes of skipper Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton in leaving St James' during the summer amid reports of interest from both Italy and Spain.
However, his decision to commit himself to the club has come as a welcome boost to manager Alan Pardew, who had high hopes of persuading Nolan, Enrique and Barton to stay, but was ultimately thwarted.
Pardew said: "Jonas is an integral part of the future of Newcastle United and we are delighted to have signed a new contract with him.
"As a seasoned international player, he adds a different dimension to our play when he is on the field and is a huge asset to us.
"Jonas can turn a game in an instant, he has marvellous ball skills, a terrific work rate and in my time here, has hardly missed a game.
"That's the sort of consistency, fitness and performance-wise, that a manager looks for in a player."
Owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias have taken a tough stance on contract negotiations in recent times and were unwilling to meet Nolan's demands having told Barton he would not be offered a new deal following aborted talks in January.
The Nolan situation in particular revolved around the length of contract for which the player was looking.
Gutierrez is of a similar age, suggesting the club has greater faith in his ability to perform to a high level into his 30s, or that his wage demands were more acceptable, or perhaps both.

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James McFadden: Training with Wolves.
WOLVES SET FOR JAMES McFADDEN TALKS

Wolves were today ready to open talks over a deal for Scotland international James McFadden.
The 28-year-old free agent is currently in his second week of training with the Molineux club as he attempts to fight his way back from a cruciate ligament injury which has sidelined him for a year.
Manager Mick McCarthy is aware of interest from elsewhere in the player, whose deal at Birmingham expired at the end of last season, but revealed nothing has yet been agreed.
He told the Wolverhampton Express and Star: "We will have a discussion with his agent.
"I am sure there is other interest - there's never been a player yet where there's only been one club in for him.
"But nothing is happening as yet. He's training fine and we will just see what happens."
McCarthy is keen to add to his attacking options with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake currently recovering from medial ligament damage.
He said: "Sylvan is still injured. I haven't an idea when he will be fit.
"Hopefully it will be as soon as possible, but he's not training with the squad yet at all."

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Feruz: Decided to leave Celtic for Chelsea
LENNON STILL FUMING AT ISLAM FERUZ

Neil Lennon admits that even the lure of first-team action was not enough to persuade starlet Islam Feruz to stay at Celtic.
The 16-year-old Somalian-born Scotland youth international has long been touted as the jewel in the crown of Celtic's academy.
But Feruz has turned his back on the Old Firm giants to pen a deal with Chelsea, who he will join on a five-year deal.
Lennon admits he is still upset at losing Feruz, who he had lined up to train with the first team this season.
"I told him he would be part of the development team this season and be pushing for a place in the first-team squad," said Lennon.
Lennon says Feruz ignored pleas from by himself and Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell to stay at Parkhead.
"Peter and I met with Islam's representatives, and I use that term loosely, but there was no going back on their part," he said.
"Islam also became different in his demeanour and personality. We've tried everything with him, boardroom meetings, bringing in our youth team coach Chris McCart, asking his family to join in the discussions. The lot.
"I was waiting for an offer coming in from Islam's representatives but nothing ever materialised.
"The whole business has been badly handled and he has been poorly advised.
"Islam would have had more chance to progress at Celtic than Stamford Bridge.
"James Forrest is a perfect example of what can be achieved. But the people acting for Islam are not as professional as other agents I've dealt with."
Lennon says Celtic have been treated badly in the whole affair, adding: "Celtic have looked after Islam and his family very well but it's obvious his head has been turned.
"We've done all we can to keep him here but I haven't seen him since the start of pre-season training.
"We took him and his family out of what you might call a rough housing estate and put them into a nice flat in the West End of Glasgow.
"We did all we could to make life here as easy as possible for him. We even had him training with the first team for the final few months of last season.
"Islam was going along very nicely with us and had a good agent in John Colquhoun. Then the boy let somebody take over his future.
"His attitude changed dramatically and his attitude towards the club changed dramatically. Yet our club had been so good to him."

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Henderson: Backed to succeed at Liverpool
LUCAS: HENDERSON WILL COME GOOD

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has sprung to the defence of new signing Jordan Henderson by telling critics the England Under-21 international must be given time to settle in.
Henderson has started seven of eight matches this season, only sitting out last week's Carling Cup win at Brighton, but has struggled to make his mark even though he scored his first Reds goal against Bolton last month.
He has been substituted four times already, with a number of performances bordering on the anonymous, and that has led to some criticism of the 21-year-old.
Lucas knows only too well what Henderson is going through as, having arrived from Gremio in 2007 for £5million, he quickly became a target for fans to vent their frustration.
He has turned things around in impressive fashion in the last two seasons since the departure of central midfield heavyweights Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano and has backed Henderson - who left his only previous professional club Sunderland in a £16million summer deal - to do the same.
"I don't blame the young players because I've been in their place for a few years," said the Brazil international.
"He is English and knows the Premier League but to come to such a big club like Liverpool is really hard.
"I think he has played well and sometimes you get confidence when you get more minutes and understand the role you have to do.
"We have to encourage him and try to give him confidence to keep improving.
"We can see he has potential to be a good player but he is still very young and we have to give him time and be patient and I am sure he will be a good player.
"Everyone has their own opinions and character but we can see in the training sessions he likes to work and that is the main thing. When you work hard the opportunities will come and he will be ready to take them.
"Don't rush him a lot, give him time to settle and I am sure he will be a good player in the future."