Niall Quinn was reported last night to be the subject of a transfer inquiry by Leeds United. The Elland Road club's manager, David O'Leary, a former team-mate of Quinn's at Arsenal and with the Republic of Ireland, is believed to have turned his attention to Quinn after failing to sign Pierre Van Hooijdonk from Nottingham Forest for £4.5 million last week.
Quinn, who last night scored his ninth goal in as many matches for Sunderland, is currently in negotiations with the Weirside club over a three-year contract.
Meanwhile, the battle for control of Everton has begun in earnest with potential buyers jockeying for position and Lord Grantchester, the grandson of Everton's former chairman and majority shareholder Sir John Moores, admitting that he is interested.
Grantchester is likely to forge an alliance with his fellow board member Bill Kenwright, who was promoted to vice-chairman in Monday's reshuffle.
"As one of the directors I will be involved, with others, to try to find a solution," Grantchester said. "Now whether that includes me isn't easy to say, but it is one option. If there are other people who come forward with a better solution, then I would support them.
"We have to find a way out of this; that is our responsibility. We had come to a situation that we could not endure any longer. Our chairman and manager were no longer able to work together."
As the directors, wealthy supporters and media groups began to check their bank balances in readiness for what may prove to be an undignified scramble, the one man who still has it in his remit to shape the future of the Merseyside club was keeping a predictably low profile.
Twenty-four hours after announcing that he had stood down as chairman, Peter Johnson was probably more concerned with preparing for a lengthy holiday in the Caribbean than with the fortunes of the club he had promised to restore to greatness.
Although Johnson has indicated that he will offload his 68 per cent shareholding, he is in no great hurry to so do. It seems unlikely he will sanction any formal hand-over until February at the earliest, when he will reap the tax benefits of having been resident in Jersey for 12 months.
In the interim he may agree in principle to sell his stake should anyone be willing to meet his asking price.
Blackburn Rovers' determination to install a new manager before the weekend could well lead them to Gordon Strachan's front door within the next 24 hours,
The Coventry City manager moved smartly up the Lancashire club's list of potential successors to the sacked Roy Hodgson yesterday after two other leading candidates were ruled out of contention. Although Blackburn's benefactor Jack Walker is willing to offer his new manager more than £2 million over four years, he is now struggling to find someone suitably qualified.
Meanwhile, Alex Ferguson is determined to keep the Old Trafford dream-team together but Manchester United may be powerless to resist Brian Kidd leaving the club.
Chairman Martin Edwards virtually admitted last night that any concerted effort by Blackburn to lure Kidd to the managerial vacancy at Ewood Park could take the man who won the European Cup with United in 1968 away from Manchester. Edwards has already rejected one approach from Blackburn chairman Jack Walker for Kidd. "I have told Brian about Blackburn's approach and that we have turned it down. That's all I can do."
The former Blackburn captain Colin Hendry, now with Rangers, was also removed from the occasion yesterday.
Darren Ferguson has left Wolves for a trial period with Serie B club Cosenza. The 26year-old son of Manchester United manager Alex has failed to win a regular first team berth at Molineux.
