EVERTON WILL resist any attempt by Manchester City to lure Mikel Arteta and Joleon Lescott to Eastlands in the transfer window, with the Spanish midfielder and England defender both featuring on Mark Hughes's list of proven Premier League talents he wishes to sign next month.
Hughes is a known admirer of Lescott and Arteta, whose recent return to form at Goodison Park is also attracting attention from Aston Villa, but Everton are under no financial pressure to sell the pair and have privately made it known to City that they will not consider any offers in January. Both Arteta and Lescott are also under contract at Goodison until 2012.
The City manager is expected to spend big next month following Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's €207 million takeover of the club but is keen to add players who are established in England, such as Blackburn Rovers' striker Roque Santa Cruz, to his struggling side before stellar names in the mould of the Brazilian star, Robinho.
Tottenham Hotspur's perilous position above the relegation zone on goal difference has prompted Jonathan Woodgate to urge the club's board to abandon its apparent policy of mid-season prudence and hand the manager, Harry Redknapp, significant funds to rebuild the squad next month.
Defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday left Spurs without a win in four league games and in danger of being dragged back into trouble following the initial spring up the table after Redknapp's appointment in October. The club's chairman, Daniel Levy, told shareholders he did not "envisage any major transactions in and out of the club in January" at the annual general meeting two weeks ago, though he did add that the board would "keep an open mind should anything occur".
Recent defeats, and a sudden bluntness in front of goal, might now force the chairman's hand, with Redknapp having already seen a €6 million bid for West Ham's Craig Bellamy rejected over Christmas and other targets having been identified.
There is interest in Stewart Downing at Middlesbrough and Portsmouth's Jermain Defoe and moves for Glen Johnson, also of Pompey, or the Espanyol full-back Steve Finnan would be considered with Alan Hutton effectively ruled out for the season with a fractured metatarsal.
Meanwhile, Benni McCarthy ought to understand the thoughts passing through Santa Cruz's mind as the opening of the transfer window moves closer. Like Santa Cruz, McCarthy had been consistently linked with a move to a club owned by a billionaire and managed by his former boss but he never did join Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
Although the Paraguayan striker is odds-on to link up with Hughes at Manchester City, McCarthy told his team-mate to be careful what he wishes for. "Blackburn is a fantastic place to be," he said. "It is very close-knit, the people are nice and they always try to do everything they can for you.
"That is the most important thing you can have in football because, if your family life is good, then the football side will get the best out of you. Elsewhere I doubt that is the same. Here, you are appreciated and loved but go elsewhere and you have to start all over again."
While Santa Cruz's life would hardly be affected by a move to Eastlands - he lives in Manchester - he has placed great emphasis on the happiness of his wife and two children. His brother, Julio, was signed by Blackburn on a three-year contract in the summer.
However, his father and manager, Aproniano, has suggested that, if his son, who at 27 has one big transfer left in his career, does leave, it may be for Madrid rather than Manchester. He said:
"If the chance appears and Blackburn agree to let him go, I believe he would prefer to sign for a team who are fighting for the likes of the Champions League or a domestic title."
