Latest Transfer Update at 03-11-11

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Latest Transfer Update at 03-11-11

Adam Maher: Rising star in the Netherlands
MAN CITY 'WANTED MAHER'

Manchester City are among several clubs that have previously attempted to sign AZ Alkmaar wonderkid Adam Maher, according to the teenage attacker's father.
Maher, who is enjoying a breakthrough season in the Eredivisie, has recently caught the attention of European giants Barcelona, according to reports in the Dutch media.
And his father claims Premier League leaders City, as well as AC Milan and Lyon, have also previously shown interest in the 18-year-old attacking midfielder.
However, despite the interest from overseas, Ider Maher has stressed that the Netherlands Under-19 ace is not yet ready for a big move away from Holland.
"He could have joined AC Milan, Manchester City or Olympique Lyonnais a few years ago," Ider Maher was quoted as saying by De Telegraaf.
"It was too early for a move abroad, though - and it still is. Adam is still too young for such a big step. There's plenty of time to leave in three or four years' time."
Maher's contract with Dutch table-toppers AZ runs until the summer of 2015.

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Steve Lomas pictured during his playing days
LOMAS LOOKS SET FOR ST JOHNSTONE

St Johnstone are set to name Derek McInnes' successor as manager, with Steve Lomas thought to be the man they have plumped for.
Under-19 coach Alec Cleland has been in temporary charge alongside captain Jody Morris of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League club since McInnes' departure for Bristol City last month.
Cleland has repeatedly stated his wish to claim the permanent position, but former Northern Ireland international Lomas has also been linked with the vacancy.
And St Johnstone have called a press conference for 0930 this morning to unveil their new boss.
A statement on the club's official website, www.perthstjohnstonefc.co.uk, last night read: "The club have called a press conference for tomorrow (Thursday) morning with regards to the managerial vacancy at McDiarmid Park."
A deal to bring in Paul Cook from Sligo Rovers collapsed last week over personal terms.
Saints have failed to score since McInnes' departure to Ashton Gate - drawing 0-0 with Dundee United and losing 1-0 to St Mirren last weekend - and next play Aberdeen on Monday.

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Paul Rachubka: Awful night against Blackpool
JEEPERS KEEPERS FOR LEEDS UNITED

Leeds boss Simon Grayson says he still has faith in Paul Rachubka after the goalkeeper was taken off at half-time in the 5-0 defeat against Blackpool.
The 30-year-old was at fault for all three Blackpool goals before the break at Elland Road and Whites boss Simon Grayson replaced him with 18-year-old Alex Cairns for the second half.
Lomana Lua Lua's opener was gifted to him after Rachubka parried a weak shot and his failure to catch a routine effort in the 25th minute led to Tom Lees' dismissal for handball.
Jonjo Shelvery scored the resulting penalty and the forward was able to bag the second goal of his hat-trick after another moment of woe for the former Seasiders shot-stopper.
Grayson now admits he may be forced to sign a goalkeeper on loan before Sunday's trip to Leicester and he will scour the market to see what options are available to him.
"I have got faith in him because he's a good goalkeeper but it's a difficult position to be in," he told reporters after the heavy loss.
"A striker or midfielder can make a bad pass or error and do something to rectify it.
"Goalkeepers can't make mistakes because if you do there are very few opportunities to rectify it again.
"I've got faith in him but it's something I have to consider for the weekend.
"Do I play Paul? Do I play Alex Cairns who's only a young kid or do I go into the loan market?
"If we're going to do something we'll do it before the weekend but we'll have to see what's out there and whether I decide to do it or not.
"I've got a good young goalkeeper in Alex Cairns. Is the game too big for him on Saturday? We'll have to wait and see."
Grayson is hoping Leeds can use the dreadful night as an "inspiration" to go on a good run of form.
"We'll make sure that we use tonight as an inspiration to go on and be a better team and individuals," he added.
"We won't become a bad team overnight because of one result. We've proved in a 10-game period that we can match anybody in this division.
"Blackpool are unpredictable. They can do that against any team with 11 players never mind 10 so we've contributed to our own downfall but we won't let that zap our confidence and be downhearted.
"It's a great game at the weekend for us to respond and get into a one of the teams that are favourites for the division."

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Michael O'Neill: Linked with Northern Ireland job
O'NEILL: I'M GOING NOWHERE

Shamrock Rovers manager Michael O'Neill insists he is not looking to leave the club as they prepare to face PAOK Salonika in the Europa League on Thursday.
Highly-rated O'Neill has just guided Rovers to back-to-back League of Ireland titles, the first time they have achieved the feat since 1987, but has been strongly linked with the Northern Ireland job, vacated by Nigel Worthington at the end of their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
With O'Neill's Rovers contract set to expire some bookies had suspended betting on him taking over from Worthington but he insists he expects to stay put for next season.
"I'm not really looking to go elsewhere. I'm not applying for jobs elsewhere despite what some people have been reporting," he told RTE.
"The progress at Rovers has been great, but there's still so much more that can be done with the club.
"Hopefully over the next few weeks, we can find a resolution to the contract situation."
Chairman Jonathan Roche has always insisted that the club can agree a new deal with their sought-after coach, and believes wrapping up the league title means the players can relax as they look to secure their first points of their Europa League campaign following a 2-1 defeat in Greece last time out.
"We can enjoy playing PAOK now - if we hadn't won the league it would have taken the gloss off it a bit," he told the Irish Independent.
"The club and the team have worked hard for this. We are building something. Over every one of our European games we have played better, we have improved and we have learned. We were never going in expecting to beat teams in the group stages. It is about learning.
"I don't think that in the general Irish sphere the size of our achievement has been recognised; people don't appreciate what we're up against.
"PAOK might not be a well-known club in Ireland, but they are a big club. Their budget is 15-16million euros. That is bigger than anything in this country in any sport, and they are treating us as equals.
"Winning the league has given us a better chance of doing it again because of the route back in."
Salonika coach Laszlo Boloni, meanwhile, has several injury problems ahead of the trip to Ireland as striker Stefan Athanasiadis, defender Pablo Contreras, midfielders Pablo Garcia, Stavros Tsoukalas and Vladimir Ivic plus forward Apostolos Giannou are all ruled out, while Giorgos Katsikas, Leonardo and Juliano Spadacio are ineligible.
But a win for the Greek side will move them a step closer to a place in the knockout phase, particularly if Tottenham can see off Rubin Kazan, whom PAOK lead by a solitary point at the halfway stage of the group.

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Toivonen: Has signed new deal
NEW PSV DEAL FOR TOIVONEN

PSV Eindhoven captain Ola Toivonen has penned a two-year extension on his contract to keep him at the Philips Stadion until 2014.
The Sweden international joined PSV from native outfit Malmo in January 2009, quickly establishing himself as first-team regular.
His former deal was due to expire at the end of the season but the striker has now confirmed he will be staying put.
Toivonen has scored six Eredivisie goals this season to help PSV to second in the table.
The skipper made his 100th first-team appearance for the club in May this year.

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Eden Hazard: Backed to be a success
GERVINHO BACKS HAZARD MOVE

Arsenal forward Gervinho believes former Lille team-mate Eden Hazard would be a success in England if he moved to the Premier League.
Hazard revealed earlier this week he is likely to leave Lille at the end of the season for a new challenge.
A host of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, are thought to be chasing the Belgium international but the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and PSG are also admirers of the 20-year-old.
Gervinho, who left Lille in the summer for Arsenal, is a big admirer of Hazard and feels his former team-mate would be a hit in England.
"Hazard is a young player with enormous quality," Gervinho told French radio station RMC Sports.
"If he has decided to leave, it is normal for clubs to be interested, as he has the level to triumph in a big league like England.
"Eden has learned a lot at Lille, and I believe he could succeed abroad. Where he goes is up to the clubs. But it will be a big operation."

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Steve Lomas: New St Johnstone boss
ST JOHNSTONE APPOINT STEVE LOMAS

St Johnstone have confirmed Steve Lomas as their new manager.
The former Northern Ireland midfielder has been appointed as successor to Derek McInnes, who last month left the Clydesdale Bank Premier League club for Bristol City.
A statement on the club's official website read: "St Johnstone Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Lomas as the new team manager.
"The 37-year-old former Manchester City, West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers midfielder - an experienced Northern Ireland international - joins the club on a two-and-a-half-year contract."

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Lee Clark: Has no interest in the Leicester job
LEE CLARK RUBBISHES LEICESTER LINK

Lee Clark is "not interested" in becoming Leicester boss after widespread media reports saying he was close to taking charge at the Foxes.
The Huddersfield boss has been linked with various posts this season, with the fine job he has done at the Galpharm not going unnoticed.
Leicester, following their decision to part with Sven-Goran Eriksson, were the latest club reported to have expressed an interest in his services.
Clark has refused to comment on the rumours in the past but, with his future called into question yet again, he has taken the decision to air his full commitment to Huddersfield.
In a statement released on the Terriers' official website, he said: "We have woken up to another round of media speculation this morning (Thursday) regarding me and it is now escalating on a daily basis.
"I have tried not to comment on it up until this point as that is all it has been - speculation; I didn't want to give any substance to it. For me, it has been a case of business as usual this week.
"However, the speculation hasn't gone away and I apologise to anyone if not commenting on this earlier has caused any issues for the supporters. Regardless, now is the time that I want to put these rumours to an end.
"Obviously on a personal level it is satisfying to be linked to jobs at clubs in a higher division, but that is all I take from these links. Players get linked to other clubs when they are doing well and you have to take it as a compliment in that sense.
"As I have also said, I believe these rumours are a compliment to Huddersfield Town too and we should take it as a positive that our success is catching the attention of people in the game outside of our area.
"However, I want to reiterate that I am 100 per cent committed to the owner, the fans and the players at Huddersfield Town and I am totally focused on continuing this magnificent start to the season and getting this club promoted.
"I want to put an end to this speculation - I am not interested in the Leicester vacancy. All I am interested in is moving forward with the job at hand at Huddersfield Town.
"Mt staff and I, and most importantly my family, are very happy here; we get looked after unbelievably well by the club and we really appreciate it.
"My sole focus is on taking Huddersfield Town forward and achieving the goals that we are all so desperate to."

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Sebastien Bassong: Could leave Spurs
BASSONG HINTS AT SPURS EXIT

Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong admits he is not guaranteed to remain at White Hart Lane after falling down manager Harry Redknapp's pecking order.
The Cameroon international, who has started just one Premier League game this season, is now Redknapp's fifth-choice centre-back behind Ledley King, Younes Kaboul, William Gallas and Michael Dawson.
Bassong has not given up all hope of reviving his flagging Spurs career but the stopper admits he might be forced to look elsewhere if he fails to get more game time.
"I would love to have a long-term future at Spurs but if I'm not playing enough, I don't think I'll be able to stay at the club," he told the Evening Standard.
"For my career, for the type of player I am, I need to play week-in, week-out, so if I don't get another chance at Spurs, I'll change."
Bassong, who was a first-team regular when Spurs qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 2010, added: "I didn't receive any good explanation why I was dropped but that's football.
"Sometimes the manager has to make these decisions and I have to respect them, even if I am a bit surprised and disappointed about them."
A January move could be on the cards for the 25-year-old after a proposed switch to local rivals QPR collapsed over the summer.
"Everyone knew the QPR move was close but in football sometimes weird things happen and the deal wasn't done," he added.
Bassong has been dropped from the Cameroon national side since falling out of favour at Tottenham but hopes his appearances in Europe and the Carling Cup will keep him on their radar.
He said: "I got dropped at Tottenham for no reason and I lost my place in the national team as well so that was a tough moment for me but since I've been playing a bit more I'm confident of returning to the national team."

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Lukas Podolski: Linked with Arsenal move
COLOGNE COOL PODOLSKI TALK

Cologne general manager Volker Finke has shrugged off Arsenal's reported interest in star striker Lukas Podolski and says he expects him to extend his contract in the near future.
The Germany international is out of contract with the Bundesliga side in June 2013 and has been linked with a move away from the RheinEnergie stadium next summer.
The Gunners are thought to be chasing the 26-year-old's signature but Finke refused to be drawn on that speculation when questioned by Germany daily Bild.
He said: "I am trying to stay indifferent to rumours like this. We all know what we are facing.
"Sometime around Christmas we will be going to meet to try and thrash out the contract extension of Lukas Podolski.
"I have already spoken to his agent, Kon Schramm. We have no clear date just now. Maybe we will meet two weeks before Christmas or two weeks after Christmas. We should fix this without any pressure."
Manager Stale Solbakken added: "It's pretty usual there is big interest in a player like Podolski. He needs to talk to his family, his agent and the club about his future."
Polish-born Podolski, who arrived in Cologne from Bayern Munich in 2009, has scored eight goals for the German club so far this season.