Latest Transfer Update at 14-10-11

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Latest Transfer Update at 14-10-11

Salomon Kalou: Offered new Chelsea deal
KALOU OFFERED NEW CHELSEA DEAL

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed the club have offered a new deal to Ivory Coast international Salomon Kalou.
The 26-year-old, along with the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, is out of contract at the end of the season.
Kalou's Stamford Bridge future had looked uncertain but Villas-Boas has revealed the striker had been offered a fresh terms.
The former Feyenoord man has made just two Premier League starts under Villas-Boas, leading to speculation over his future.
However, the Portuguese is keen to retain Kalou and he is not worried by the mental state of the trio while talks continue.
"Kalou was offered a contract and hopefully we will continue talks," he told the club's official website.
"In January these players are available to discuss their future. We'll continue talks until we reach an agreement or not.
"The fact that they are emotionally tied to this club - like Nico (Anelka) - too, means we can count on them while they are negotiating. Their loyalty to the club will never be in question."

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Carlos Tevez: West Ham target
ALLARDYCE STILL KEEN ON TEVEZ

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce feels he still has an "outside chance" of taking Carlos Tevez back to Upton Park.
Tevez returned to training at Manchester City on Thursday following his suspension for apparently refusing to go on as a substitute against Bayern Munich a fortnight ago.
The controversial striker's future at Eastlands remains uncertain, while West Ham have already had an initial enquiry about a possible loan move knocked back.
But Allardyce is monitoring the situation and has not given up hope of Tevez returning to the club he originally joined in 2006 along with fellow Argentinian Javier Mascherano.
When asked on Thursday if their was any possibility of landing Tevez, Allardyce said at his pre-match press conference: "The answer is I don't know.
"I suppose the situation, from my point of view, is just if and when the decision is finally made regarding what's happening with Carlos at Manchester City, then perhaps my co-chairman David Sullivan might want to pursue it.
"That would be with my blessing, obviously. [Sullivan] was the man who talked about it with me first and if we could get him back here, based on what he did here last time and if he did love the club as much as he did, and if it was a possibility, then I think it's an outside chance. We'll wait and see."
Tevez was a huge favourite during his one season at West Ham, scoring seven goals including the strike which kept them up at Manchester United on the final day of the campaign.
He was named the club's player of the year and the first time he returned to Upton Park as a United player, he saluted the crowd by crossing his arms in a 'Hammers' gesture.
Allardyce has also confirmed Tottenham loanee David Bentley is unlikely to play for West Ham again this season after he underwent knee surgery.

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Emile Heskey: Out of contract in the summer
McLEISH HINTS AT HESKEY DEAL

Alex McLeish has hinted veteran Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey could be offered a new contract.
Heskey, who is 34 in January, is in the final year of his current deal but has impressed McLeish with his performances and versatility.
McLeish, whose side visit Manchester City on Saturday, said: "Emile is in the last year of his contract but I don't think he needs to worry about his future.
"Emile is a player who can play anywhere and won't let you down. He is a fantastic professional. I never have cheek from him.
"Sometimes you'll hear coaches shout 'brilliant' from the side but the one minute you criticise them and say 'you should have done this' they're chirping back at you.
"They don't chirp back and say 'thanks for saying brilliant' of course! But Emile is a guy who gets his head down, and gets on with it.
"He is a brilliant all-round player, he understands the game, we need him in the squad."
One of Heskey's strike partners, Gabriel Agbonlahor, is winning his battle to be fit for the trip to the Etihad Stadium.
Four-goal leading scorer Agbonlahor has been suffering with a back problem this season and was substituted during the 2-0 win over Wigan a fortnight ago.
But he has looked sharp in training this week and is hoping to help Villa maintain their unbeaten start to the season in the Barclays Premier League.
McLeish said: "We are very pleased with the way Gabby has trained. Today was the most intense session for him.
"We put him through it a wee bit and he came through with flying colours.
"We expect him, barring a nightmare in training tomorrow, to be okay for the game at City."
Stephen Ireland (foot), James Collins (foot) and Barry Bannan (Achilles) are also expected to be available after the international break.

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Chris Kirkland: Doncaster loan move
WIGAN FUTURE FOR KIRKLAND

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez insists long-serving goalkeeper Chris Kirkland still has a major role to play at the DW Stadium.
Kirkland is putting the final touches to a three-month loan deal with npower Championship outfit Doncaster, which was announced on Wednesday night even though the contract had not been signed.
Martinez does not anticipate any major stumbling blocks though, and is keen for the 30-year-old to gain some much-needed first-team exposure after finding himself frozen out at Wigan thanks to the form of Ali Al Habsi.
"It is a great opportunity for Chris," said Martinez.
"He has been working really well over the last few weeks and this is a chance for him to enjoy his football and play games.
"Chris is a pristine professional. An England player. He is special. Doncaster will be a really good opportunity for him to get sharp, come back and help the team to achieve its aims."
Kirkland has struggled to force his way back into Martinez's team since paying the price for Wigan's calamitous start to last season, when they conceded 10 goals in their opening two Barclays Premier League games.
Since then he has made just two appearances for the Latics, both times against Bolton when Al Habsi was unable to play due to competition regulations.
Now the Oman keeper has joined Wigan on a permanent basis, no such opportunity exists and with Kirkland now in the final year of his contract, he will have to do something spectacular to earn himself another.
"In football, you have to take your chance," reflected Martinez.
"We were all aware of the relationship Ali developed with the fans straight away.
"It shows the nature he has got and his type of personality. But it was more than that. His level of performance was very good too."
With veteran Mike Pollitt acting as back-up, Martinez felt able to let Kirkland leave, although a recall clause has been inserted into the contract just in case Wigan hit injury problems.
Martinez also revealed he is considering a number of loan offers for 20-year-old striker Callum McManaman, who has struggled to secure a first-team berth this term.
Along with Maynor Figueroa and Emmerson Boyce, Martinez expected Al Habsi back from international duty on Thursday ahead of Saturday's derby encounter with Bolton.
After four straight league defeats and five in all competitions, Martinez is pleased to be welcoming back winger Albert Crusat back from injury, and also Steve Gohouri, who is available again after suspension.
In addition, the Latics chief will check on the fitness of midfielder James McCarthy, who missed the Republic of Ireland's win over Armenia on Tuesday due to a bout of tonsillitis.
And there was an encouraging injury bulletin surrounding striker Hugo Rodallega and defender Antolin Alcaraz, who had been expected to be missing for a long stretch with knee and thigh problems respectively.
"It is difficult to tell when Hugo is going to come back but they haven't had any setbacks, which was my real concern," said Martinez.
"I was worried they would have a problem in their recovery process.
"It won't be too long with Rodallega now. The structure of the knee is fine. It is just bone bruising.
"I would say it will take him just a matter weeks to get fully fit."

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Adel Taarabt: Transfer talk continues
WARNOCK REJECTS TAARABT TALK

QPR manager Neil Warnock has told Adel Taarabt and the rest of his squad they are free to leave the club if they wanted to.
Rangers have had to deal with speculation linking clubs with moves for their star players since their promotion to the Barclays Premier League, with talisman Taarabt the main subject of such reports.
The midfielder allegedly fuelled the flames further while on international duty with Morocco, with reports emerging that he told the media he wanted to leave QPR in January for financial reasons.
Warnock has taken the comments "with a pinch of salt" but admitted that Taarabt, like the rest of his squad, was free to leave the west Londoners if he so desired.
"He has not said anything to me [about wanting to leave]," Warnock said, speaking ahead of Saturday's clash with Blackburn.
"I do take it with a pinch of salt when they go abroad [and reports come out].
"It is only six weeks since Adel said he would never play for his country again and then he scores a goal and kisses the coach. That's Adel. You take everything with a pinch of a salt.
"My message is the same with every player at the club, not just Adel. If a player wants to leave, he can leave. I've never had a problem with that.
"But for all the talk of the offers we had, I never saw an allegedly massive offer from Paris St Germain.
"I know what they offered and by the time we paid Tottenham [their share of the deal] we would have been left with peanuts.
"I think it is just in his court, really. If he wants to get the move that allegedly he has talked about, the best way of doing that is playing well."
As well as being the subject of reports during the international break, Taarabt took up a large chunk of column inches in the aftermath of QPR's 6-0 defeat at Fulham.
The 22-year-old reportedly stormed out of Craven Cottage after being replaced at half-time and came face to face with his manager for the first time since the match on Thursday.
While admitting words with Taarabt were needed, Warnock rejected the notion that he was contradicting himself by protecting the midfielder after recent criticism of Manchester City's Carlos Tevez.
"I think that is between me and him now," he said. "I am going to speak to him and that's how it goes.
"I think if you have ever sat in Fulham's dressing room and you are 3-0 down at half-time, I don't think I'd want to stay there if I am honest.
"He has just got to realise that when you are in the spotlight like we all are you have to think a little bit further than the instant reaction.
"I wouldn't put Adel in the same [category] as Tevez, although I think he wishes he is on his money."
Meanwhile, QPR have confirmed that Patrick Agyemang has joined Millwall on a one-month loan deal.
The 31-year-old striker moves to The Den after he was left out of Rangers' 25-man Premier League squad.
Agyemang started two of QPR's first three league matches this season but summer signings such as DJ Campbell, Jay Bothroyd, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jason Puncheon have since pushed him well down the pecking order at Loftus Road.

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Steve Cotterill: Will take Nottingham Forest job
COTTERILL TO TAKE FOREST JOB

Steve Cotterill has confirmed he has agreed to take over as manager at Nottingham Forest.
Both Forest and npower Championship rivals Portsmouth are yet to make an official announcement but the details of the agreement, which will include a compensation package for Pompey, are believed to have been ironed out.
Cotterill will now head to the City Ground to put pen to paper.
"It's been finalised this morning but I can't sign any papers from down here," Cotterill told Sky Sports News.
"I've had a great relationship with everybody at Portsmouth and it's been quite upsetting. It hasn't been an easy decision and the players and staff have been nothing short of fantastic. It's been tough today."
He added: "Forest are a fantastic club. From the time that I knew about their interest it was obviously flattering."
Cotterill succeeds Steve McClaren who resigned 12 days ago after just three-and-a-half months in charge.
The 47-year-old led city rivals Notts County to promotion from League Two in May 2010 during a brief stint in charge at Meadow Lane before taking the reins at Pompey a month later.
He guided the club to a 16th-placed finish in the second tier last season despite their tough financial predicament and threadbare squad
Cotterill's appointment completes a remarkable two-week turnaround at the City Ground and is the first act of new chairman Frank Clark, himself only appointed on Wednesday after Nigel Doughty took the decision to stand down at the same time as McClaren, albeit remaining as owner.
Add to that the decision of David Pleat to depart his part-time consultancy role with Forest in late September and the Reds will be more than happy to get back to footballing matters this weekend and a trip to Coventry.

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Andre Villas-Boas: Doesn't know what will happen
VILLAS-BOAS PLAYS DOWN FUTURE TALK

Andre Villas-Boas has played down talk he could stay at Chelsea for the rest of his career, admitting he had expected to be at Porto for many years.
Blues chairman Bruce Buck last week declared the club may finally have found their Sir Alex Ferguson figure in Villas-Boas, claiming the 33-year-old could end up staying at Stamford Bridge for 15 years.
That is the maximum time Villas-Boas plans to spend in his current profession and, with the Portuguese today celebrating the second anniversary of his entry into management, he was making no predictions about what the future might hold.
"It's the 14th October, which is the day I started at Academica," said the precocious Villas-Boas, who also turns 34 on Monday.
"I have this idea of not being in the game for a long period of time.
"Bruce's words weren't said to collide with my words, on my future, but I really don't know what will happen."
Villas-Boas is Chelsea's seventh manager in the eight years since Roman Abramovich bought the club, with the Russian ruthlessly dispensing of those he deemed to have failed in the job.
The Blues are also on their 15th boss since Ferguson took charge of Manchester United almost a quarter of a century ago and Villas-Boas admitted it was "difficult to imagine" spending a similar length of time with one team.
He added: "It would be difficult for Alex to have predicted that 25 years ago."
Buck last week gave Villas-Boas a ringing endorsement, revealing Abramovich was particularly pleased with the attractive brand of football the new manager was beginning to implement.
But Buck also seemed to acknowledge success had to follow if the Portuguese was not to suffer the same fate as most of his predecessors.
Villas-Boas said: "A longer or shorter stay can or cannot be related to success.
"Last year, I went through the same (at Porto).
"We won four trophies and my emotions told me I'd be there a long time. But now I'm here.
"From what I understand from the chairman, there's confidence in the work we're doing and the most important thing is for me to alert people who aren't at the club that it isn't my arrival that's made us start well.
"This is a group success. We're happy with what we're achieving. Not fully happy because we'd like to be first in the league. But we're confident for the future."
Villas-Boas certainly seems to be planning for the long-term.
"I have a three-year contract and there's always room for improvement," he said.
"We just hope we improve in all areas and not make them worse.
"It's about making good decisions in the areas we are touching, the structures of the club as well as the team."
The short-term goal is to cut the gap to Manchester United and Manchester City at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Providing Chelsea win their next two games, they will achieve that, with the Manchester derby coming up a week on Sunday.
They might even move level on points tomorrow, with United travelling to Liverpool and City hosting Aston Villa before Villas-Boas' men take on Everton.
"If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen," Villas-Boas said.
"In the next two weeks, there are two weeks of Premier League contenders playing against each other, so the others have to make the most of it.
"We'll have difficult games in Everton and QPR, but we will try to get six points."
Overcoming Everton will be easier said than done, with David Moyes' men having made themselves Chelsea's bogey team in recent years.
Carlo Ancelotti never managed to beat them in his two years as manager, while the Toffees are undefeated on their last five Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge.
Predicting a "battle", Villas-Boas said: "They are in a good situation and, once again, they are proving that David Moyes' work is something fantastic.
"Even with all the difficult financial problems they have, it's a club that's well organised and should make the English public proud."

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Paul Clement: Joins Steve Kean at Blackburn
PAUL CLEMENT GETS BLACKBURN ROLE

Blackburn have named Paul Clement as their new assistant head coach.
Clement will take up his position immediately and replaces John Jensen, who left Steve Kean's coaching staff at the end of last month.
The 39-year-old Clement has had two spells at Chelsea, including being the assistant first team coach to Carlo Ancelotti, and also spent seven years at Fulham and three years as the Republic of Ireland Under-21 coach.
Clement, who left Chelsea this summer, told Blackburn's official website: "I'm excited to be here at a big club like Blackburn Rovers and am really looking forward to the challenge.
"It's great to be linking up with Steve again, having worked with him previously at Fulham, and I can't wait to get started."
Kean added: "I'm delighted that Paul has agreed to join us. He is someone I know well and respect as a coach and will be on the bench with me at QPR."
Blackburn are second-bottom of the Barclays Premier League standings heading into their trip to QPR having picked up four points from their opening seven games.

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Arsene Wenger: Backed by Steve Bruce
BRUCE STICKS UP FOR WENGER

Steve Bruce has branded criticism of Arsene Wenger "ridiculous" as he attempts to pile more pressure on the under-fire Arsenal boss.
The Sunderland manager takes his side to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday knowing exactly how the Frenchman feels after having to deal with the fall-out from the Black Cats' own poor start to the new season.
However, he is aware that the focus on a manager who has spent much of his time with the Gunners at the business end of four competitions is magnified many more times.
Bruce said: "Listen, we are all open to criticism because of the job we are doing, but Arsene Wenger and what he has achieved, to criticise him is, for me, ridiculous.
"He has had a poor start for the first time in 20 years, is it? Certainly, he has qualified for UEFA (Cup) or the Champions League in the last 14 or 15 and produced great teams.
"As I have said many times when we have played Arsenal, I think he has been to the detriment of the young British manager because clubs have looked at the job Arsene Wenger has done.
"Let's be fair, it was one of those when he walked in, (people said) 'Arsene who?'.
"But certainly, most clubs have then thought, 'Let's go and get the new Arsene Wenger', and there are not many of those around. He's a terrific manager.
"It gives us all hope, I have to say, if we have got the audacity to question Arsene Wenger. What he has achieved there, it's quite remarkable."
Sunday's game represents a clash between the sides currently sitting in 15th and 16th places in the Barclays Premier League table, with Arsenal only a point better off than this weekend's visitors.
That is way below expectations for both, although with the Gunners, who have won only two of their seven league games to date but are perennial members of the top-four club, their plight seems all the more extreme.
There are mitigating factors, of course, with Wenger having lost key men Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri during the summer, although Bruce is convinced that, just like his old mentor Sir Alex Ferguson, Wenger will succeed in his latest rebuilding mission.
He said: "He built one of the great teams we have seen here; (Dennis) Bergkamp and (Patrick) Vieira and (Emmanuel) Petit and Overmars and all of that lot were a great, great team.
"That changed the mentality of the Premier League. They were big, strong, powerful.
"I remember my first game with Birmingham playing against them and thinking to myself, 'Oh my God, look at this lot, they are all 6ft 2in, 6ft 3in', and we had a team of midgets.
"Then of course, he has changed tack a little bit and built a new Arsenal team and a new Arsenal way, if you like. He's a great manager."
Bruce and his players will travel south without striker Nicklas Bendtner, who is ineligible under the terms of his loan deal with Arsenal, and that could mean a first Premier League start for either South Korea international Ji Dong-won or England under-21 international Connor Wickham.
Asked about Ji's chances of playing, Bruce said: "I have said many, many times, the boy is only 20 years old and he and Connor have been bought for the years ahead for Sunderland.
"He will be a great player for Sunderland, I have no doubt about that, but we must remember that he's 20.
"He's knocking on the door, he has been involved in every game we have played and he will continue to be so.
"He is certainly in my thoughts. I have got to make a decision on who I am going to play."

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Not looking to leave
AGENT: IBRAHIMOVIC HAPPY AT AC MILAN

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is happy at the club and has no plans to leave the Serie A champions, according to his agent.
Speculation surrounds Ibrahimovic's future after the Sweden international revealed last week he is not enjoying his football as much as he did before.
The forward, who turned 30 at the beginning of the month, also claimed that he wants to retire while he is still at his best.
However the player's agent, Mino Raiola, has moved to calm fears he is on the edge of leaving the Rossoneri.
He said: "I only know that Zlatan expressed some ideas about how he was feeling certain things but he never thought about being in crisis with Milan."
Ibrahimovic, who helped fire his team to the league title last season, is in his second year with Milan and still has three years left on his contract.