Latest Transfer Update at 14-01-2012

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Sandaza: Has impressed for St Johnstone

SANDAZA 'TURNED DOWN RANGERS OFFER'

Francisco Sandaza has rejected an offer of a pre-contract agreement by Rangers, according to St Johnstone boss Steve Lomas.
On Friday - just 24 hours before the clubs' SPL meeting - Rangers boss Ally McCoist confirmed his interest in the Saints striker, who is valued at around £300,000 by the Perth club.
Lomas has not ruled out allowing the 13-goal Spaniard to leave if Rangers come up with the money but claims there are other clubs interested.
Ahead of the sides' clash at McDiarmid Park, the Irishman told a number of newspapers: "Fran has told me he won't be signing a pre-contract agreement with Rangers and I think that is the right call.
"I take the lad at face value. He isn't stupid.
"I heard Ally say he didn't want to talk about the Sandaza situation - and then talked for five minutes about him.
"I don't want to fall out with anyone over this and I genuinely like Ally.
"But I bet if the boot was on the other foot he wouldn't be happy.
"If Rangers really want Fran why don't they make us an offer and get him in January?"

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Carlo Ancelotti: Aiming for new additions to PSG squad

ANCELOTTI AIMING FOR MORE PSG DEALS

New Paris St Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti is determined to further strengthen his squad this month after the arrival of Maxwell and the collapse of a deal for Alexandre Pato.
Ancelotti has money to spend courtesy of the club's Qatari owners, who funded a summer spending spree which has helped lift the capital club to the Ligue 1 summit at the season's halfway mark.
The Italian was quick to bring in full-back Maxwell from Barcelona, but the prospects of a second Brazilian addition in Pato seem slim after Ancelotti indicated it was contingent on the Rossoneri signing Manchester City's Carlos Tevez.
"Pato is not coming," Ancelotti told PSG's website. "We expected an agreement between Milan and Manchester City for the transfer of Carlos Tevez.
"Now we are searching for another forward, but we have another month to find one. I would rather talk about Maxwell. He is a very important addition, a big player. I am very happy with his arrival at PSG.
"He has trained with us today and I think he will play on Saturday."
Seventh-placed Toulouse will provide the opposition for Ancelotti's first game at the Parc des Princes, and he expects a tough test against a team nine points behind his own in the table.
"Toulouse are a good side," he said. "They are well organised and play for each other. It will be a difficult game but we want to win.
"I am excited about my first match here, but calm. I prefer to keep my emotions inside."
Ancelotti has installed Mathieu Bodmer as vice-captain in place of Marcos Ceara, but insisted defender Mamadou Sakho remains his first-choice skipper despite his substitution in the Coupe de France win over minnows Locmine.
Opposite number Alain Casanova has urged his team not to become stuck in a defensive mindset against the league leaders.
"It is very important for us to be solid defensively. But if we go to Paris only to defend and think we can get a result, I think we will come unstuck," Casanova told tfc.info. "We have to also attack.
"We don't want to go there as victims. We will give our all and we go there with everything to gain."
Casanova will be without the injured Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro, Yohann Pele and Pantxi Sirieix, as well as his trio of African Nations Cup absentees, Mohamed Fofana, Cheikh M'Bengue and Aymen Abdennour.
Emmanuel Riviere and Etienne Capoue return from injury and suspension respectively.

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Andy Carroll: Won't be returning to Newcastle

PARDEW REFUTES CARROLL RUMOURS

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has slammed speculation linking Andy Carroll with a dramatic return to the club, claiming the rumours have "no foundation".
The 23-year-old has struggled with both injuries and form since his £35million move to Anfield on transfer deadline day last January.
He has scored just six goals in 12 months for the Merseysiders, after netting 11 in the first five months of last season in a black and white shirt.
Speculation surfaced earlier this week that with Liverpool reportedly eyeing striking reinforcements - including Toon star Demba Ba and Villa frontman Darren Bent - Reds boss Kenny Dalglish was prepared to let Carroll leave for a cut-price £20million.
However, the striker's agent and Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias swiftly scotched the rumours, with Dalglish soon following suit.
Now Toon chief Pardew has issued a denial, dismissing out of hand speculation of a proposed January bid.
"I think it's unfair on the Newcastle public and I think it's unfair on Andy," said the 50-year-old.
"It was speculative journalism that had no foundation."
Meanwhile, defender Mike Williamson is refusing to look too far ahead as the Magpies attempt to remain in the upper reaches of the Barclays Premier League table.
The 28-year-old's return from injury has coincided with a resurgence on Tyneside which has seen the team end a run of six league games without victory to rekindle their unlikely challenge for a top-six finish.
Wins over Bolton and champions Manchester United have strengthened their grip on seventh place and they are only one point adrift of Liverpool in sixth, sparking the more optimistic fans to talk of European qualification.
That would represent a major achievement for a club which only returned to the top flight last season and which has since seen Carroll, full-back Jose Enrique and midfielders Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton all leave.
However, as he prepared for Sunday's home clash with QPR, Williamson was content to tackle each match as a separate entity rather than imagine what might lie ahead.
He said: "It's a cliche, but we are taking every game as it comes.
"For me personally, when you start getting carried away with targets and looking where we could finish, it just gets a bit too much.
"You take every day as it comes and then come the last game of the season, we will see where that brings us."
Newcastle established themselves as the latest Premier League surprise package when they went 11 games unbeaten at the start of the campaign.
But with 20 games played, they continue to rub shoulders with the division's big spenders despite having rebuilt their squad on a more humble budget, and that is a source of immense satisfaction.
In addition, they have managed to do it in some style with Ba and Yohan Cabaye having produced sublime strikes in the 3-0 victory over United, while Hatem Ben Arfa and Jonas Gutierrez scored final individual goals to knock Blackburn out of the FA Cup last weekend.
Williamson said: "People were waiting for the bubble to burst, but we have just got an honest group of lads - although saying there are no superstars after the goals the other day, you would beg to differ.
"But we have just got an honest group and we know if we carry on working hard and applying ourselves in the way we do, we have got goals in the team and we have got a back four and a midfield which can keep clean sheets.
"Everybody needs a bit of luck along the way. Even the top teams go through sticky periods like we have done, but no, I am not really surprised.
"I know how hard the lads worked in pre-season, the togetherness when they were away, and you just feel the bond we have had for the last couple of years.
"It's just carried on."
QPR will arrive on Tyneside with new manager Mark Hughes taking charge of his first game, but without suspended skipper and former Magpie Joey Barton.
Williamson said: "It would have spiced the game up a little bit. He's a good player and he does bring a lot to that team, so I suppose it's a plus-point in that way."
However, they will have eight-goal striker Heidar Helguson among their ranks, and Williamson knows from personal experience what a threat he can be.
He said: "I have played against him once before and he has got a tremendous leap for a little man.
"He's very, very good in the air, so our set-pieces will cater for that. It will be important for us to win the first contact and if not, react to the second ones.
"We know he's a big threat and we will have to look at that on the set-plays."

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Steve Lomas: Not a happy man

LOMAS BLASTS GERS' SANDAZA PURSUIT

St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas hit out at Rangers over their handling of the pursuit of Francisco Sandaza and told the Light Blues fans they should be worried about the running of their club.
The Scottish champions have submitted a pre-contract offer for the Saints striker, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Lomas, speaking after his side's 2-1 Clydesdale Bank Premier League defeat to Rangers, launched a scathing attack on their owner Craig Whyte, who bought Sir David Murray's majority shareholding last May.
He said: "I do believe there should be a bit more leadership from the top at Rangers.
"Ally McCoist has got a difficult job because of the finances and he has had to follow Walter Smith, who is a legend, so he has a tough job.
"But this wouldn't happen if David Murray was at the club, he wouldn't let it. Rangers are a big club but unfortunately they are behaving like a little one."
He added: "We haven't even had an offer. As a boy, I was a Rangers fan. They are great fans, the Rangers fans, and I'm sure they must be feeling slightly miffed that they can't go out and pay for Fran Sandaza.
"I would be worried, especially a guy who is in the last months of his contract. I would be extremely worried if I was a Rangers fan."
Lomas is also unhappy with Sandaza's agent, Clive Jagger.
He said: "As for his agent, we still haven't heard if he's turned our offer down - probably as big an offer as St Johnstone have ever made in their history, which I think is slightly disrespectful to us.
"He's on the TV saying this and that. No doubt he wants him to go to Rangers because he will be getting something."
A double from Nikica Jelavic secured the points for Rangers, despite an own-goal from Carlos Bocanegra.
But Saints were furious with the positioning of a free-kick that led to Rangers' opener.
Lomas said: "Unfortunately we are talking about a refereeing decision again.
"I like Craig Thomson, I think he's a fantastic referee and it's by no means a witch hunt from me, but I said to Craig he got it wrong after the game.
"Whenever there is an offence the foul has got to be taken where it's committed, not seven yards away. I'm all for football being played quickly but it's got to be at the right position. It's a bitter one to take."
McCoist revealed on Friday Rangers had made Sandaza a pre-contract offer, but was unwilling to discuss the situation after Saturday's game.
He said: "I don't want to talk about that now. I just want to talk about the game. That's for another day."
He also claimed there was no issue between himself and Lomas after both managers were warned about their behaviour towards each other in the dug-out by the referee.
He said: "These things happen. I'm just going in to see him and we will have a bottle of beer. There are certainly no problems there, just a wee bit of dug-out excitement."