Desmond buys sharesCeltic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has increased his stake in the club to almost 41 per cent. The Irish multi-millionaire has taken advantage of the club's recent decision to issue more shares. Desmond had owned 29.9 per cent shares in the club but despite his move, he is not believed to be considering a takeover bid.
Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey has denied Kenny Miller is poised for an imminent move to Celtic, despite increasing speculation in Scotland. The 26-year-old Miller, who joined Wolves from Rangers for a £3 million fee in December 2001, is out of contract at the end of the season and has so far rejected offers to sign an extension. Moxey maintains the club have only received one offer - Sheffield United's bid was turned down. However, Miller's agent has spoken of Strachan's interest in the player.
City attempts thwarted
Manchester City's attempts to sign Greek striker Georgios Samaras from Uefa Cup contenders Heerenveen are being thwarted by the Dutch club's refusal to let the 20-year-old leave.
Samaras is desperate to take up the offer of a long-term contract with the Eastlands outfit but City are yet to reach Heerenveen's valuation and club chairman Riemer van der Velde wants the player to stay until the end of the season.
Meanwhile, it appears City will wait at least another couple of months before deciding whether to offer Robbie Fowler a contract extension.
The former England striker, currently on £35,000 a week, followed up his FA Cup hat-trick against Scunthorpe by scoring the match-clinching third goal in City's derby triumph over United last weekend.
But as Fowler has still only four first-team appearances this term - including three off the bench - and manager Stuart Pearce is already scouring Europe looking to reinforce his striking options, the odds still appear to favour the 30-year-old leaving.
Eriksson 'has to go'
The Sven-Goran Eriksson controversy rumbles on with Wigan chairman Dave Whelan calling for his head, but there may be some relief for the under-fire England head coach after league managers pleaded for an end to the saga.
Whelan is renowned as Eriksson's most forthright critic, so his latest outburst is hardly unexpected, but Eriksson has escaped public criticism from the League Managers' Association (LMA).
Instead, LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson, Eriksson's predecessor as England manager in a caretaker role while FA technical director, has called for a united front to support the England team in the build-up to the World Cup.
Whelan, however, believes there should be no way back for Eriksson after he negotiated with an undercover reporter about a future job and revealed private conversations with senior players.
He said : "It is an absolute scandal, a disgrace. You simply do not expect the England manager to openly discuss his future plans and to air his views about what he thinks about players in his squad. He has broken one of the game's golden rules. It is gross misconduct and the man has to go."
Van Hooijdonk is free
Pierre van Hooijdonk's second spell at NAC Breda looks set to be cut short after the striker was offered a free transfer.
The 36-year-old former Celtic and Nottingham Forest striker signed a one-year contract with NAC last March but complained of an increased feeling of pressure to perform before the club agreed he could be released.
NAC coach Cees Lok told Van Hooijdonk he could join Ajax, AZ, Feyenoord, Heerenveen, PSV Eindhoven or any non-Dutch club on a free transfer but insisted Breda's closer rivals would be required to pay a transfer fee.
In Brief . . .
West Brom announced yesterday they have ended their interest in signing Middlesbrough defender Ugo Ehiogu . . . Portsmouth have been linked with former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Dean Kiely, who is out of favour at Charlton . . . Ajax have revealed West Ham are the only side to have made an official approach for their Dutch international midfielder Nigel de Jong . . . Striker Bobby Zamora has signed a new contract which will keep him at West Ham until the summer of 2010.
