Brazil's World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has agreed to take over as coach of Portugal and guide the team through the Euro 2004 championship, it was reported yesterday.
The 54-year-old coach, who took Brazil to victory in the World Cup earlier this year, will sign an 18-month contract and is due to start on January 1st.
Scolari, who has also coached in Japan and the Middle East, will work with the current caretaker coach Agostinho Oliveira.
The Brazilian's first game in charge will be a friendly on February 12th against unnamed opponents. Portugal automatically qualify for Euro 2004 as the host nation.
Fabrizio Ravanelli will today be offered a pay-off deal to end his career at Derby County.
The cash-strapped First Division club held talks with their bank yesterday in an attempt to reach an agreement on the injured Italian, who will be out of action until the spring following Achilles tendon surgery.
Ravanelli, on £38,000 a week, is owed around £1 million for the remaining seven months of his deal at Pride Park.
The club directors have approached their financial backers to get clearance to offer the 33-year-old a settlement deal to ease £30 million debts.
Meanwhile, Alex Ferguson has given his clearest indication yet that his squad at Manchester United is in need of a major overhaul.
With the opportunity to add players during January's transfer window fast approaching, Ferguson believes he may have to dip into the market to stay in touch with Arsenal and Liverpool.
"We have created three teams in 10 years here, and it is possible we are on the way to building another one," Ferguson told the Manchester United website. "And if we do, obviously new players can come in. We have trusted and believed in the nucleus of our squad, which has been there for a long time. Maybe it is time to assess that the nucleus of the team has been together for seven to nine years - it's a long time."
Newcastle United, already without the suspended Craig Bellamy when they travel to meet Barcelona in the Champions League at the Nou Camp in 11 days' time, will this afternoon find out if they will also be missing Alan Shearer.
UEFA will be reviewing video evidence of Shearer's 25th-minute clash on Wednesday night with the Internazionale centre-half Fabio Cannavaro.
Shearer is alleged to have struck the back of the Italian's head with his swinging elbow. If so, Shearer can expect a minimum ban of two games, beginning with Barcelona.
The Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has turned to the Nigerian international Taribo West to solve his defensive injury crisis and has offered him a contract until the end of the season.
West (28) has impressed while training with the First Division leaders and the former Inter and Derby County player will move to Fratton Park on a free transfer subject to being granted a work permit.
David Moyes has confirmed Everton and Marseille have agreed a deal to bring Joseph Yobo to Goodison on a permanent basis.
The two clubs have been locked in talks over the past 24 hours and the Nigerian defender is expected to sign a long-term contract in the next few days.
Yobo, who is likely to cost Everton around £4.5 million, has impressed since joining on a year-long loan deal in the summer.
