Thank you to all the contributors for your work and to you our visitor for supporting us, we hope to return soon with more updates.

In these difficult financial times for us all, where the Government are telling us, cutbacks in every public service is necessary, where employers are struggling to make ends meet and keep employees in a job, why is it many football clubs appear to be ignoring how hard times are?  With £230million spent on the final transfer deadline day alone – the football world has gone money mad and are sticking two fingers up to the rest of us.

Many of you would argue that if foreign owners like Chelsea’s Abramovich and Manchester City’s owners are unaffected by the UK finance squeeze why should fans worry?  Football fans should be very worried, for one simple reason.  When the likes of Abramovich spend obscene amounts of money buying players the money spent needs to be re-couped from somewhere and yes you’ve guessed it correctly, long term it will be you the fans that will pay for it.

Back to Torres however and his Chelsea debut ended in the disappointment of defeat and a failure to last 90 minutes against his former club as Liverpool’s revival under Kenny Dalglish continued with victory at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s £50m British record buy from Liverpool cut a subdued figure and was well shackled before being replaced by Salomon Kalou after 66 minutes.

If that was not enough to delight the Liverpool fans who taunted their former idol mercilessly and brandished banners to demonstrate their displeasure at the manner of his departure, their joy was complete three minutes after Torres’ exit when Raul Meireles pounced to give Dalglish his fourth successive win. Meireles took advantage of a mix-up between Chelsea keeper Petr Cech and Branislav Ivanovic to score his fourth goal in five games when he turned in Steven Gerrard’s cross at the far post.

Chelsea’s loss represented a missed opportunity after Manchester United slipped to their first league defeat of the season at Wolves, Ancelotti’s side remaining 10 points behind the leaders. Liverpool, in contrast, move into the top six for the first time this season. The win was no more than the rejuvenated Reds deserved – and it will have come as a relief to Maxi Rodriguez, who hit the bar when almost on the goalline in the first half.

Liverpool’s resilience and organisation ensured it did not prove costly, but it was a forgettable start to Torres’ Chelsea career and provided early evidence that coach Carlo Ancelotti has work to do to integrate the Spaniard into his attacking system, after also including Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in a lop-sided starting line-up.

A fair few questions there.  Perhaps the other question that should be asked is, was Sky right to sack him when the comments were made “off air” in a general conversation that two people might have?  You will no doubt have your views, so let us know your thoughts now.

Its now emerged that Andy Gray after consulting his lawyers is to sue Sky for £3million for unfair dismissal according to the Daily Mirror. He may well win the case in our opinion if it gets to court, but probably it wont as Sky no doubt will come to some sort of settlement before it gets that far once they realise theyve been a bit hasty.

Why do we think Gray might win his case? because Sky havnt followed the correct disciplinary proceedures. We are not employment law specialists and we dont know the full details but what we do know is that any breach by an employee has to be dealt with under disciplinary guidelines, notice given, meeting arranged with employee etc. The mere fact that Sky instantly sacked him without following the disciplinary process might well be their downfall and cost Sky dearly.

Meanwhile for those of you who may not have heard what this is all about, here’s the recording of Andy Gray and Richard Keys talking about female match official Sian Massey during Wolverhampton Wanderers’ match with Liverpool on Saturday.

The Reds went ahead on 52 minutes when a Fernando Torres strike was deflected against the post and John Pantsil sliced a clearance into his own net. Fulham belatedly came out of their shell and had a Brede Hangeland header cleared off the goal-line. And a point-blank save late on by Reds keeper Pepe Reina from Moussa Dembele helped secure victory for Liverpool.

The home side may have had to endure a nervous finish as Fulham produced their late rally but the Reds maintain the impetus, although maybe not the improvement in play, that manager Kenny Dalglish has engineered since taking over. It was the Scot’s second win in five games and will have Reds fans looking up the Premier League table towards the European spots rather than over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

Fulham, who had looked comfortable for the most part, do not have that luxury as they lie four points from the bottom three after a game in which both teams struggled to find their passing game or rhythm. Dalglish masterminded a 10-0 win over Fulham in 1986 in his first spell in charge as Liverpool manager and he almost got the perfect start as he renewed rivalries with the London club.

Raul Meireles slid a weighted ball through for Torres to control and slot past Cottagers’ keeper David Stockdale, only for the assistant referee to rule the goal offside in a questionable decision. Stockdale might have been beaten on that occasion but the 25-year-old, who had not been on the losing side in his previous eight first-team outings for Fulham this season, excelled as he played a big part in keeping his side level at Anfield.

The visitors threw centre-back Hangeland forward and the move almost paid off when he met a corner with a firm header which beat Reina, only to be cleared off the goal-line by Meireles. The Cottagers again went close when Dempsey nodded down a Murphy free-kick for Dembele, whose snapshot was again saved by Reina as the Reds dug in to secure victory and extend Fulham’s run to 30 games without a win at Anfield.

Ashley Young - Scores winner for Villa

An uncomfortable Aston Villa managed to get all three points against struggling Wigan to take them six points clear of the relegation zone, but although this was Villa’s second win on-the-trot following their victory over Man City on Saturday, they still leak goals with a fragile looking defence.

Villa went ahead four minutes after the break when Gabriel Agbonlahor nodded home at close range following an Ashley Young corner. Young then doubled Villa’s advantage from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Hendry Thomas. James McCarthy drove home a deflected late effort, but Villa held firm.

Nonetheless, it was a nervous finale for Villa, who looked increasingly ill at ease as Franco Di Santo, Hugo Rodallega and substitute Ben Watson went close for the hosts. Buoyed by Saturday’s 1-0 victory against Manchester City, in which Darren Bent’s winning goal hinted that the £24m it took to prise him from Sunderland may prove money well spent, Villa again showed clear signs of improvement.

Yet their inability to keep a clean sheet, combined with a failure to translate a dominant first-half phase into tangible reward, suggests the claret-and-blue revival retains a certain fragility. Villa manager Gerard Houllier will not, in all probability, be losing much sleep over that tonight. The Frenchman need only consider Wigan’s plight to realise life could be worse.

Roberto Martinez’s side remain entrenched in the bottom three, third from bottom, and the home fans were quick to vent their anger at him come the final whistle.

Berbatov - Double strike for United

The half-time scoreline Blackpool 2 Manchester United 0 was a fairytale come true for Blackpool fans, but come full-time the dream of beating leaders United turned to a nightmare as the Seasiders let the two goal lead slip away to suffer a 3-2 defeat.

Manchester United’s attempt to extend their unbeaten league sequence to 23 games this season looked to be in shreds as Ian Holloway’s side roared into a fully deserved two-goal lead at the interval. Blackpool still held the advantage given them by two headed goals, from former United youngster Craig Cathcart and DJ Campbell, with only 18 minutes left – but they were then hit by a torrent of attacks that brought Sir Alex Ferguson’s side an unlikely triumph.

And Ferguson himself takes much of the credit for the turnaround following his decision to remove a subdued Wayne Rooney after 66 minutes and replace him with Javier Hernandez, who went on to play a crucial role in their fightback. Dimitar Berbatov found the first cracks in Blackpool’s resilience when he pulled one back from close range and Hernandez himself drew United level with a composed finish three minutes later as Bloomfield Road’s earlier jubilation turned to despair.

And after a lengthy delay caused by an injury to Rafael da Silva – which resulted in 10 minutes stoppage time – Berbatov maintained his golden run of form by punishing more gaps in Blackpool’s rearguard to fire home the winner with his 19th league goal of the campaign. It was a bitter pill for Holloway and his players, who performed magnificently in the first half to take full toll on a shoddy United display, to swallow as they slumped on the turf at the final whistle.

Blackpool face Premier League leaders Manchester United tonight kick-off 7.30pm

Aston Villa will be looking to follow up their shock victory over Manchester City at the weekend with a win away at Wigan, but the Latics who are third from bottom in the table know three points are vital to move them out of the relegation zone.

Tommorrow Liverpool under new boss Kenny Dalglish host Fulham, the Reds who have had a mixed season need to prove to their fans that they have turned the corner and nothing short of a win would be acceptable. Fulham’s Mark Hughes however needs results to keep the Cottagers away from the relegation places.

Redknapp - pay as you play deal for Woodgate

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claims he can only offer injury-plagued defender Jonathan Woodgate a pay-as-you-play deal at Spurs when his current deal expires at the end of the current season. Redknapp has also dismissed talk that the former England international could be joining Arsenal. Full story: Daily Mirror

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish heads into Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final, second leg against West Ham under increasing pressure from owner Carson Yeung. Full story: Daily Mail Blackburn boss Steve Kean is hoping to tie down the likes of defenders Michel Salgado, Ryan Nelson and Chris Samba to extended new contracts at Ewood Park. Full story: talksport.co.uk

Newcastle striker Andy Carroll faces two months out with a torn thigh muscle. The England striker, 22, is unlikely to play again for the Magpies until the home game with Wolves on 2 April. Full story: the Sun Edwin van der Sar will reject Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s offer for him to become the club’s goalkeeping coach when he hangs up his gloves at the end of the season. The 40-year-old says he wants to take a couple of years out of the game. Full story: the Sun

Ossie Ardiles has shown interest in returning to League One strugglers Swindon as manager, amid increasing pressure on current boss Danny Wilson. Argentine Ardiles started off his managerial career with the Robins in 1989. Full story: Daily Mirror Blackpool captain Charlie Adam wants to join Liverpool before the transfer window closes on 31 January but faces a bitter fight with the Tangerines over his departure. Liverpool are prepared to pay up to £5m for the 25-year-old. Full story: Daily Mirror

However, Blackpool manager Ian Holloway thinks Liverpool’s valuation of his prized asset Adam is “derisory” and “insulting”. Full story: Daily Mirror Tottenham must stump up £18m if they want to sign former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra, 25, from Real Madrid. Full story: Daily Mail

Meanwhile, Spanish side Real Madrid are pondering a loan deal for Tottenham’s 29-year-old forward Roman Pavlyuchenko as the short-term answer to their current striker crisis. Full story: Footylatest.com Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is determined to clinch the £4m signing of Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller on Monday. Full story: Daily Mirror

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed he is closing in on 17-year-old Southampton striker Alex Oxdale-Chamberlain in a deal worth about £10m. Full story: Daily Mirror Manchester City’s unwanted striker Emmanuel Adebayor is ready to fly to Monaco to seal a £9m switch to his old club. Full story: Daily Mirror

Adebayor’s move means Everton are set to revive their interest in Monaco striker Dieumerci Mbokani but Hoffenheim and Sunderland are also interested. Full story: Daily Mail Sunderland are preparing to make an audacious bid for Porto’s £30m-rated striker Givanildo Vieira de Souza, 24, better known as Hulk. Full story: Footylatest.com

The Black Cats are also set to sign Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari on loan until the summer. Sunderland will also have an option to buy the 26-year-old Ghanaian international for £6m.
Full story: the Sun

Drogba - Opened the scoring for Chelsea

Critics who wrote Chelsea off as title contenders would best be advised to think again, the Blues goal scoring machine is firing on all cylinders again as they thumped Bolton 4-0 at the Reebok, to close the points gap on leaders Man Utd.

Didier Drogba gave the visitors an early lead against the run of play with an audacious shot from 30 yards out. Matt Taylor almost levelled with a bullet header but Petr Cech saved well before Florent Malouda scored at the other end from a tight angle. Nicolas Anelka hit a third with a left-foot shot in the corner and Ramires finished it with a side-foot volley.

It was a night to forget for Bolton, who failed to draw inspiration from the tributes paid before the match to club legend Nat Lofthouse, who died aged 85 on 16 January. The west Londoners arrived at the Reebok looking to continue an unbeaten away run against Bolton that stretched back 13 years. Perhaps more importantly, the reigning champions were seeking to reverse a loss of form that has seen them fall behind in the Premier League title race.

With not only leaders Manchester United, but second-place Arsenal and Manchester City sitting above them in the table, and with the advantage over fifth-placed Tottenham based on goal difference only, Chelsea needed all three points to stay in touch. Bolton boss Owen Coyle’s side are without a win in 2011, but the Trotters dominated the opening exchanges.

Bulgarian midfielder Martin Petrov found Johan Elmander with a high cross in the box for the hosts’ best early chance but as the Swede flicked on to Kevin Davies, the captain failed to test Blues goalkeper Cech. Central defensive duo Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry, who was playing after suffering a rib injury, looked jittery as Coyle’s men continued to threaten.

Until this match, Bolton had suffered only one home defeat all season, while Chelsea had lost five league games away this term, but the form book was torn up by Drogba. Having nicked the ball off defender Gretar Steinsson, Malouda found the Ivorian striker whose blistering shot dipped into the top of keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen’s net from around 30 yards out.

Trotters old boy Anelka then had a chance to extend the visitors’ lead, but defender Zat Knight made a fine saving tackle to thwart the France international. The home side were denied moments later when Petrov provided a teasing cross from the left which Matt Taylor met with a bullet header, but Cech acrobatically pushed his effort around the post.

But it was Chelsea who found the back of the net next, this time after Malouda, who was standing almost on the byeline, slammed the ball against the legs of Gary Cahill before slotting the rebound in from a tight angle. It was 3-0 to the Blues just after the break, Michael Essien pulling the ball back into the area from the line and though Knight was able to prevent Drogba from getting a shot off, the ball fell to Anelka who made no mistake.

Bolton’s Mark Davies entered the fray just after the hour, and the midfielder almost netted after a smart one-two with Elmander, but the advancing Cech bravely grabbed the ball off his toe. Any hopes of a Trotters revival were ended, though, when Essien turned another decent ball into the penalty area and Brazilian midfielder Ramires hit a side-footed shot beyond Jaaskelainen to make it 4-0 – mirroring the scoreline in this fixture last season.

David Hoilett - Blackburn scorer

Blackburn’s 2-0 victory over a battling West Bromwich Albion have moved them up to seventh place in the Premier League. Despite a fighting display from the midlanders and some superb saves from Blackburn’s keeper Paul Robinson they could do nothing to stop Blackburn taking all three points.

West Brom defender Gabriel Tamas headed into his own net from David Dunn’s cross on 41 minutes. The impressive David Hoilett then burst on to a Nikola Kalinic lay-off to smash past Boaz Myhill to double the lead just after half-time. But the visitors were unfortunate when Peter Odemwingie was brought down in the box only to be given a free-kick.

Blackburn midfielder Jermaine Jones fouled the Nigerian forward and television replays showed he was very close to spoiling his debut in an otherwise notable performance. The hosts also had Paul Robinson to thank for a string of saves, three of them coming against Jerome Thomas, who gave Michel Salgado a torrid time down the left flank.
 
Blackburn boss Steve Kean will be pleased with a scoreline that slightly flattered his team and he would have been impressed by Jones and Roque Santa Cruz who were both making their first starts for the club. But for West Brom it was further evidence they are struggling to arrest a slide down the table where they are now three points above the relegation zone after their sixth loss in seven league matches.

Robinson played a huge part in thwarting manager Roberto di Matteo’s side and was in action as early as the first minute when he saved Odemwingie’s breakaway shot. And the former England goalkeeper did well to block Thomas’s effort soon after, in a battle which was to run throughout the compelling contest.

American international Jones, who signed from German side Schalke last week, was looking accomplished in the Rovers midfield with Hoilett and Martin Olsson also keen to penetrate down the flanks. But even though that trio were the chief architects of the hosts’ momentum, it was from the long throw-ins of Morten Gamst Pedersen that they produced their first clear chances of the game.

First, Olsson had a shot well saved by West Brom keeper Myhill after it came through a crowd of players, and then Chris Samba had two chances to score but his first shot was stopped and then he fired narrowly wide.  As half-time approached, Kean would have been content, but his side received a gift on 41 minutes to reward their superior endeavour.

Receiving the ball from Jones, Dunn found space between West Brom’s midfield and defence to cross, only for Tamas to head into his own net. Roque Santa Cruz, starting his first game since leaving Manchester City, was not far away from the unfortunate West Brom defender in that instance, and he was close to doubling the lead two minutes later when Myhill saved his shot after good work by Hoilett.

If the visitors were looking to get straight back into the game after half-time they were left further from their task when on 47 minutes Hoilett produced a blistering finish. Pedersen fed Kalinic in West Brom’s defensive third and his chested lay-off was met on the burst by the Canadian who pelted by Tamas and smashed the ball into the top of Myhill’s net.

It was a wonderful way to restart the match, although many Blackburn fans would still have been settling into their seats, and Ewood Park was buoyant. Thomas, so often West Brom’s most positive attacker down their left side and up against Salgado, twice almost burst the bubble of excitement around the ground but he had two efforts superbly saved by Robinson.

Blackburn were the recipients of another dose of fortune when from another Thomas pass Odemwingie was brought down by Jones inside the penalty area, but referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free-kick which Chris Brunt slammed into the wall.

Despite a flurry of substitutions which ensured that the game set a new Premier League record for 22 nationalities being involved in the game, Di Matteo’s team could not find a breakthrough. They will now regroup before they take on Wigan on 1 February in a match which will be of vital importance to them.

Malouda - concerns from Ancelotti

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is becoming increasingly concerned about the form of Florent Malouda as the Blues approach the nine days that could define their season. Full story: Daily Mirror Fulham manager Mark Hughes says he and Stoke counterpart Tony Pulis should grow up and avoid another public spat at Craven Cottage. Full story: Daily Mirror

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is unconvinced by Manchester United’s unbeaten start to the season and claims the Old Trafford side are “lucky”.
Full story: Daily Mail Portsmouth chief executive David Lampitt insists the club’s latest owners are at the club for the long term and will not walk out once they have recouped their investment, amid talk of a fan protest against them before Saturday’s game with Leeds. Full story: Daily Telegraph

Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has ended his five-year feud with Sir Alex Ferguson after his departure from Old Trafford in 2006. “If I encounter Ferguson again – and I really hope it will happen – I will embrace him,” said the Hamburg striker. Full story: Daily Mail

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has tipped midfielder Kevin Nolan, 28, to win an England call-up. “I’m a bit surprised it hasn’t happened – he still has two or three years at the top,” said Pardew. Full story: Daily Star Liverpool have raised their offer for Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam but the Seasiders have rejected the £4.5m bid. Full story: Daily Mail

Aston Villa are considering Peter Crouch as a strike partner for new £24m signing Darren Bent. It would be a return to Villa for Crouch, who spent two seasons there under Graham Taylor. Full story: Metro Struggling West Ham are ready to move for controversial Blackburn striker El-Hadji Diouf with manager Steve Kean set to let him leave Ewood Park if the price is right. Full story: Daily Mirror

Hammers manager Avram Grant has drawn up a list of transfer targets, including Robbie Keane, Demba Ba, Jamie O’Hara and Joe Cole. Full story: Daily Mirror Newcastle have made an enquiry for Bayer Leverkusen’s Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta – although the 25-year-old may not be fully fit for another four weeks. Full story: Daily Mail

Manchester City could be ready to swoop for Barcelona defender Dani Alves after he rejected the Spanish club’s latest contract offer. Full story: talksport.co.uk  Aston Villa misfit Stephen Ireland could be on his way out of Villa Park and off to Newcastle as a replacement for the injured Alan Smith. Full story: Metro

Stoke City are trying to land another striker by bidding £4m for Birmingham’s Cameron Jerome. Full story: Daily Mail  Chelsea could seal the signature of Wolfsburg defender Simon Kjaer early next week for a fee of about £12.5m. Full story: talksport.co.uk  Ipswich’s highly rated 17-year-old England youth striker Connor Wickham, who has been linked with Tottenham and Liverpool, has signed a new contract until 2013. Full story: Daily Mail

Manchester United will allow injury-plagued midfielder Michael Carrick to leave in the summer as he has 18 months left on his contract and will not be offered a new one. Full story: the Sun

Third place Arsenal entertain third from bottom Wigan, many would predict a comfortable win for the Gunners but Wigan have sprung some surprises this season despite their lowly position. Chelsea who are 8 points behind leaders Man United play on Monday and face a difficult trip to Bolton.

Our Premier League match predictions are now available.

Saturday 22 January 2011

Arsenal v Wigan
Aston Villa v Man City
Blackpool v Sunderland
Everton v West Ham
Fulham v Stoke
Man Utd v Birmingham
Newcastle v Tottenham
Wolves v Liverpool

Sunday, 23 January 2011

Blackburn v West Brom

Monday, 24 January 2011

Bolton v Chelsea

Bruce - to talk to Alex Ferguson

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce will approach his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson about signing Manchester United veteran Michael Owen this month as a replacement for Darren Bent. Full story: Caught Offside Schalke 04 midfielder Ivan Rakitic is being chased by Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Bolton Wanderers and Everton. The Croatian will be out of contract in the summer. Full story: sport.co.uk

Tessa Jowell, the former Olympic minister who retains a place on the London 2012 board, says West Ham’s joint bid with Newham council to take over the Olympic stadium does fulfil the promises made in the bid book. Full story: The Guardian Real Madrid have left troubled midfielder Lassana Diarra out of the squad for the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final clash with Atletico Madrid on Thursday. Full story: Yahoo/Eurosport

Manchester United have been warned off a summer move for Japanese star Shinji Kagawa, with Borussia Dortmund valuing him at £20m. Full story: talkSPORT  Avram Grant has been handed no extra funds to recruit players, despite West Ham United’s statement on Tuesday backing their under-pressure manager. Full story: The Guardian

Arsenal and Manchester United are preparing to move for Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. The Spain international is valued at £25m. Full story: Caught Offside  Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been cleared to approach his old club Monaco with a view to a cut-price £9m transfer. Full story: Daily Mirror

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner suggests a bid for Ajax’s star Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez may be affordable, even at about £25m. Full story: Metro Keisuke Honda’s agent is to discuss the Japan international’s future with Premier League clubs. Liverpool are leading the chase for the CSKA Moscow midfielder, but Arsenal and Aston Villa are also interested. Full story: sport.co.uk

Aston Villa are ready to let unwanted midfielder Stephen Ireland join Newcastle on loan and are preparing a third bid for Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam. Full story: Daily Mirror

Robbie Keane - West Ham target

After being quoted a figure of £20m for Suarez, Liverpool may turn their attention to Sevilla forward Alvaro Negredo.
Full story: the Times (requires subscription)  The Reds hoped to use the proceeds from the proposed sale of Ryan Babel to Hoffenheim to fund a move for Suarez but midfielder Babel is ready to turn down the transfer in the hope of securing a loan move to former club Ajax. Full story: Daily Mirror

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is ready to sign Barnsley’s Adam Hammill in a £500,000 deal, despite late interest from the midfielder’s old club Liverpool. Full story: Daily Mirror  West Ham are proving their “commitment” to manager Avram Grant by selling midfielder Valon Behrami to Fiorentina to fund an £8m move for Tottenham striker Robbie Keane. Full story: Daily Mirror Alternatively the Hammers may recruit Paris St Germain striker Peguy Luyindula. Full story: the Independent

Blackburn have made a £500,000 bid for Birmingham winger Sebastian Larsson, hoping Blues will decide to sell now rather than lose the player on a free transfer when he is out of contract in the summer. Full story: Daily Mirror Blackburn are set to sign Argentine forward Mauro Formica from Newell’s Old Boys in a £3m deal. Full story: Daily Mirror

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is preparing a substantial bid for Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie as he looks to address his lack of effective attacking options. Full story: Caught Offside  Fulham are ready to swoop for Southampton’s highly rated teenage midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with his proposed £10m switch to Arsenal on the verge of breaking down.
Full story: Goal.com

Sunderland are set to spend some of the money brought in by the sale of striker Darren Bent on Paris St Germain midfielder Stephane Sessegnon. Full story: InsideFutbol  Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has earmarked Peterborough playmaker George Boyd as Charlie Adam’s replacement – if the Scottish midfielder leaves Bloomfield Road this month. Full story: the Sun

Tottenham are locked in a battle with Benfica to clinch the signing of Marseille defender Taye Taiwo. The Nigerian international, valued at £5m, has also been targeted by Everton. Full story: talkSPORT  Newcastle and Tottenham are believed to be interested in Italian World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi, with Stuttgart having confirmed the 34-year-old midfielder is surplus to requirements. Full story: Metro

Everton striker James Vaughan is joining Celtic on loan for the rest of the season in a shock move that includes a £250,000 ‘rental’ payment. Full story: Daily Mirror  Aston Villa’s club record £24m swoop for Sunderland striker Darren Bent looks set to trigger a flurry of transfer window activity that propels top-flight spending past the £100m mark. Full story: City AM

Grant - Thumbs up to staying

West Ham football club directors have taken our advice and will back Avram Grant until the end of the season.  In our report Avram Grant – Give him credit we published on January 12th we said, “our message to the West Ham board, the Golds, Brady and Sullivan is simple, give the guy a break and stick with him - you wont regret it.”

West Ham are bottom of the Premier League but have won three of their last six games under Grant. The club said in a statement that “potential transfer targets” had been identified in a bid to beat the drop. Allegations in Tuesday’s Daily Mirror newspaper that vice-chairman Karren Brady had asked some of the players to “rise up against Avram Grant” were also categorically denied.

The Hammers said they intended to find the source of what they called “unhelpful and untrue” comments and would remove whoever was responsible from the club. They added that their lawyers were now dealing with the matter. The backing given to Grant by the board has been reinforced by co-chairman David Sullivan.

“The entire board is 100% behind Avram,” he told ESPNsoccernet.  “He is a really decent person who deserves our support. West Ham United is a club that does the right thing and the right thing at this time is to support the manager. “We will do all we can to bring in players over the next 12 days and once we have achieved that we hope it will keep us up. I urge all supporters to rally behind the club at this difficult time.”

A loan deal for Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge has been West Ham’s only move in the transfer window so far, with much speculation focusing instead on Grant’s possible departure. Reports had claimed that former Celtic and Leicester boss O’Neill was likely to take up the reins after Saturday’s match against Arsenal.

West Ham made no statement about their managerial position immediately after the Gunners’ 3-0 win, although they have now stepped in to make their position clearer on Grant. Despite Brady’s claim in November that the Israeli would “almost definitely” be in charge of the club at the end of the season, Grant’s position has seldom seemed secure.

In mid-December, it was widely believed that Grant’s job was dependent on him securing a win in his next three games. After a draw away to Blackburn, his team met that apparent ultimatum with victory over Fulham before also picking up a point against Everton. Earlier this month, owners David Gold and David Sullivan refused to comment on Grant’s position following a board meeting but reports suggested if he was to keep his job the club would have to avoid relegation.

Grant, who has previously held the manager’s position at Portsmouth and Chelsea, is a little over seven months into a four-year deal at West Ham.

Pienaar - Spurs or Chelsea?

The mysterious absence of Steven Pienaar in the Everton line-up against Liverpool yesterday was cleared up this afternoon with Everton agreeing a fee with Tottenham over the possible sale of the South Africa midfielder.  The confirmation has come literally days after a bid was accepted from Chelsea.

Pienaar, who was left out of Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, is now in the enviable position of having a choice of joining Spurs or Chelsea. He is out of contract at the end of the season and Chelsea are believed to have offered £3m. The former Ajax star joined Everton from Borussia Dortmund on loan in 2007 before completing a permanent transfer for £2m in 2008.

Pienaar was voted the club’s player of the season last term but his form during this campaign has not been at the same level. The Toffees have decided to cash in now to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer. He has previously rejected a new contract at Goodison Park.

Tottenham had been considering trying to sign Pienaar on a pre-contract agreement, which would have ensured he moved to White Hart Lane for free in the summer. But Chelsea’s decision to attempt to bolster their squad forced Spurs boss Harry Redknapp to bring his plans forward.

If Pienaar makes a move during the transfer window, he will be the second player to leave the club in January. On Thursday striker Ayegbeni Yakubu joined Leicester on loan with a view to a permanent deal. Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti refused to be drawn on a possible bid for Pienaar in his press conference following Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Blackburn.

And speaking after the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Sunday, Redknapp suggested the White Hart Lane club would be unlikely to match Chelsea’s valuation of the South African – having had their initial bid of £2m turned down. But it has been reported that a compromise figure of £2.5m might now have been offered.