Latest Transfer Update at 03-02-2012

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Didier Drogba: Contract ends in the summer

DROGBA COULD STAY AT CHELSEA

Didier Drogba has refused to rule out the possibility of staying with Chelsea when his contract ends in the summer.
The striker is wanted by MLS side Chicago Fire after he rejected a move to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua in January.
The 33-year-old has made just 13 starts for the Blues this season, scoring six goals, and is competing with Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata for a place in attack.
He is currently involved with the Ivory Coast squad in the Africa Cup of Nations and is preparing for the knock-out stages of the competition.
Speculation will once again persist over his future when he returns to the Premier League, but Drogba admits his options are open.
He said: "I am a free agent at the moment, so I can talk to any club unless I sign a new contract with Chelsea.
"My doors are still open to Chelsea, no doors are closed.
"I am just thinking about the African Nations Cup, which I want to win with my team-mates for the Ivorian people."
Meanwhile, Chicago Fire coach Frank Klopas has confirmed his interest in Drogba and is hopeful of agreeing a deal.
He said: "We are very interested in Drogba. We're having talks at the moment, but we do not know if he will come or not."

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Mesut Ozil: Not looking to leave

OZIL WANTS TO STAY AT REAL MADRID

Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil has revealed his wish for the Bernabeu to remain his home until retirement.
The 23-year-old joined the Primera Liga giants in the summer of 2010 from Werder Bremen and has become an integral player.
Ozil's position in Jose Mourinho's team did come under some pressure at the end of 2011 and the Germany international knows he can never afford to be complacent.
But with Real currently ahead of Barcelona at the top of La Liga, he has no plans to move on in his career.
"I want to end my career at Real Madrid," he told Kicker. "I know that there are many years to go and it will be very difficult.
"The club will sign a lot of great players in the coming years and there will be a lot of good young players, but I want to be part of that future.
"I know what I can do and I am convinced I will stay at Real for many years."
He added: "When you're at Real Madrid, you get criticised quickly even if you're just playing at an average level.
"I've learned from it. It's made me stronger. I've become more intelligent on the pitch."

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Habib Beye: Set to stay at Doncaster

BEYE CLOSE TO ROVERS STAY

Aston Villa have confirmed Habib Beye has left the Premier League club by mutual consent, paving the way for his move to Doncaster.
A statement read: "Aston Villa can confirm that defender Habib Beye has left by mutual agreement with the club."
Beye made 15 starts for Villa having arrived from Newcastle in August 2009.
The 34-year-old full-back had been on loan at Rovers until the end of the season and had impressed manager Dean Saunders enough to earn a permanent stay at the Keepmoat Stadium, with the deal set to go through before Saturday's clash with Reading.
"We are trying to keep him for 18 months and we are trying to do that soon," Saunders said.
"He is a top-class player and if we could get him to sign for us that would be great because he can play right-back, centre-back and left-back.
"He wants to stay, that's the main thing, so hopefully we can get around the figures."
The former Senegal international has featured nine times for Rovers following his November switch but is currently in the middle of a three-match ban following his red card at Bristol City a fortnight ago.

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Jose Mourinho: Linked with Real Madrid exit

VILLAS-BOAS WARY OF MOURINHO RETURN

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has admitted he and every top Barclays Premier League manager would be looking over their shoulders if Jose Mourinho left Real Madrid this summer.
Villas-Boas was relaxed about a report suggesting Mourinho would be interested in returning to Stamford Bridge were the self-styled 'Special One' to cut his ties with the Spanish giants.
The Blues manager acknowledged speculation over his own position would be rife if Mourinho became available but insisted the same would apply to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini, Harry Redknapp, Kenny Dalglish and Arsene Wenger.
Villas-Boas, who worked under Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, said: "At the moment, there is not a vacancy at this club, that is the most important thing. And the Real Madrid manager is not available at the moment. He's tied to the best club in the world.
"The only thing I can say is that I have lived Jose's availability when we were out of Chelsea and we know and I know how many clubs came knocking on our doors.
"So, a manager of Jose's dimension and the number one in the world will always be an attractive target for whatever club."
Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to return to England one day.
Villas-Boas added: "Because he's a manager that makes himself available to return to his beloved England will for sure capture the interests of City, United and Chelsea and Tottenham and Liverpool and Arsenal, and so on and so forth.
"So, in that sense, we are all under pressure, from Mancini to Ferguson to me to Dalglish to Harry Redknapp and so on."
Villas-Boas appears under more pressure than most, with Chelsea 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City and Manchester United.
The Blues have a chance to cut the gap to United when the sides meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
However, they will be without half their first-choice defence, with Ashley Cole suspended and John Terry ruled out injured on the same day he was stripped of the England captaincy.
"First, we cannot be crying out," Villas-Boas said.
"Man United will miss players for sure, important players. We have important players out as well but we have a very big squad, which enables us to go on and try to win the game and approach it in a positive way.
"So that's what we'll try to do, whoever is involved."
Villas-Boas admitted the loss of Terry was a blow, saying: "He is the captain, leader, on the pitch and off the pitch and he's a great player, so we'll miss him, of course."
But he played down the significance of being without left-back Cole for the first time in 65 league games.
Ryan Bertrand and Jose Bosingwa are vying to replace him and Villas-Boas said: "We have full trust in Ryan's abilities. It's a game of massive importance based on recent results and the fact that we have Man United, the champions, at home.
"Difficult decision to be made (on Saturday) when we practice strategically for the game."
Villas-Boas must also decide whether to hand Gary Cahill his debut and whether to risk Frank Lampard, who has missed the last two matches with a calf problem and did not train on Thursday.
He said: "Lamps has a chance to make it to the game. Again, reassessment (on Saturday) to make a final decision."
Villas-Boas admitted he was still smarting from September's controversial defeat at Old Trafford, his first league loss as a manager for almost a year-and-a-half.
"I try to forget it but I can't," he said of the game where United scored two goals that should have been ruled out for offside.
Until that game, Chelsea were considered genuine title contenders but they have slipped alarmingly off the pace since and Villas-Boas insisted a victory on Sunday would mean as little as December's triumph over City if they failed to build on it.
He said of the consequences of a win: "Good maybe in the immediate (sense) but maybe a false message regarding the future. The future has to be continuity.
"After Man City, we went to seven points behind and we didn't find that continuity that would've taken us closer to the leaders.
"So it can have an extra importance only if you manage to get the continuity after that."

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Martin O'Neill: Talked up by Tony Pulis

PULIS TALKS UP MARTIN O'NEILL

Stoke manager Tony Pulis feels his Sunderland counterpart Martin O'Neill would be a "fantastic choice" to succeed Fabio Capello as England head coach.
Former Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa boss O'Neill has had a major impact at the Stadium of Light since his appointment in December, the Northern Irishman taking a Black Cats team that was hovering just above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone into the top half of the table.
Wednesday's 3-0 win over Norwich made it 19 points from the last 27 on offer for the Wearsiders and saw them move into eighth place, leapfrogging Stoke, who they play at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
Pulis is certainly anticipating a stern test for his side and sees O'Neill as a prime candidate to take charge of England after Capello.
"Just look at their (Sunderland's) form - I think they are the form team in the Premier League," Pulis said.
"I went up and watched them on Wednesday night and they are winning, they have got loads of confidence and Martin has got them really going. It is going to be as tough a game as we have had at the Britannia this year.
"It is not just the last few games he has managed at Sunderland. If you look at what Martin has achieved over his career as a manager, it has been exceptional.
"This is not just a coincidence - the record says that he is a top, top manager, because he gets results.
"If England are looking for a British manager next time around, if it is not going to be (Tottenham boss) Harry Redknapp then Martin would be a fantastic choice."
These are also heady times for Stoke, who have what Pulis describes as a "massive month" ahead of them, with an FA Cup fifth round trip to Crawley and both legs of their Europa League last-32 tie against Valencia to come on top of their league fixtures before the end of February.
Asked if he was facing the most challenging period of his managerial career, Pulis said: "Yes, and I think it will be one of the great moments, if we achieve success, that this football club has been through in its' history.
"To be in the position we are in at the moment - still challenging in Europe, in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the third year running and in the top 10 of the Premier League - means the next month is massive.
"We need everyone to be galvanised, especially the supporters. We hope we get their support like never before - and that is difficult, because they have been top drawer for us over the past four or five years."
Pulis, who strengthened his squad considerably last summer, goes into the hectic phase having not made any new additions during the January transfer window.
But questioned as to whether or not he has been left frustrated at not getting any new players in, Pulis said: "No, not really. Over the years we have done very well and this time around, it just wasn't there for us and didn't drop for us.
"If we could have done business we would have done, but we couldn't, so we get on with what we have got.
"The players have done smashing so far and we are very pleased with them and with their attitude and application."
Potters winger Matthew Etherington is a doubt for Saturday's game having missed two days of training due to a virus.
Aside from that concern, Pulis has virtually a full squad to select from, with only long-term absentee Mamady Sidibe (knee) unavailable.