Spurs get Rocha:Ricardo Rocha underwent a medical at Tottenham Hotspur yesterday after a £3.8 million deal was agreed with Benfica for the centre-half.
The three-cap Portugal international's arrival is particularly timely for Spurs as their captain, Ledley King, has suffered a setback in his return from a foot injury that will keep him out of the League Cup semi-final against Arsenal tomorrow night. Rocha, who signed a three-year contract, replaces Calum Davenport, who left for West Ham United last week.
Race for Bale
Southampton have not yet received a formal £10 million bid for Gareth Bale (17), although both Tottenham and Arsenal remain in the race with Manchester United to sign the Wales left-back.
Southampton have turned down bids of £5 million from Tottenham and £8 million from Manchester United and, while Saints may be tested by furthers offers before the closure of the transfer window, no new bid was tabled yesterday.
Double swoop
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley's bid to save the club from relegation continues after he brought in Sevilla striker Kepa Blanco and Blackburn defender Lucas Neill.
Kepa had been attracting interest from a number of Premiership sides and for that reason the Hammers' loan deal includes an exclusive option to make the 23-year-old's move permanent in the summer should he impress. Neill's arrival from Ewood Park was merely a formality once he turned down Liverpool's advances and the Australia defender finally signed, for an undisclosed fee.
Takeover 'still on'
Despite reports of a new counter-bid to buy Liverpool, from George Gillett, the owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, sources at Dubai International Capital insist that their move to buy the club is on course.
DIC are currently involved in due diligence and sources claim that a formal offer to buy chairman David Moores' 51 per cent holding could be made via the Stock Exchange in a fortnight.
Battle for place
David Beckham may have to play second fiddle to Real Madrid's crop of talented youngsters while he sees out the remainder of his contract, according to sporting director Predrag Mijatovic. Beckham is still hoping to earn a first-team recall, but Mijatovic believes the impressive performances of players such as Fernando Gago (20), Gonzalo Higuain (19) and Miguel Torres (20), may make it difficult for the 31-year-old midfielder. "Like many players who have done important things for this club he wants to play," Mijatovic said. "But we have promising young players and I think that right now they have an advantage over him." Although Beckham looks like remaining in Madrid until the end of the season, the future of his team-mate Ronaldo is still up in the air with Italian side AC Milan a possible destination.
Melee investigated
Sheffield United's manager, Neil Warnock, is likely to escape FA reprisals for Saturday's touchline confrontation at the Madejski Stadium, but Reading and Sheffield United may be charged over the ugly scenes. Soho Square is expected to reveal its findings today, after Warnock and the Reading coach Wally Downes were sent to the stand in the wake of the sending off of United substitute, Keith Gillespie. Downes is expected to be charged for pushing Warnock in the chest and sparking a melee. Gillespie too will be charged and may be suspended for up to six matches for striking Reading's Stephen Hunt on his way off the pitch.
Poland waiting
Polish soccer officials fear the national side will be thrown out of the Euro 2008 competition after Fifa and Uefa warned yesterday they would take action over a row with the government. The Polish Sports Minister Tomasz Lipiec suspended the board of the national football association and appointed Andrzej Rusko as a commissioner in its place following new arrests in a match-fixing investigation. Fifa, who resent government involvement in soccer matters, issued a strongly-worded statement yesterday saying action would be taken for what it called Warsaw's "interference".
Fernandes on loan
Everton are to sign the Benfica midfielder Manuel Fernandes until the end of the season in a move that will finally allow them to sanction Simon Davies' transfer to Fulham for a fee that could reach £3 million. Fernandes, a defensive midfielder who spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Portsmouth, had a medical at Bellefield yesterday with Everton hoping to take him initially on a temporary basis. That could become a permanent £6 million deal in the summer. Everton confirmed last night that their record signing, Andrew Johnson, would be out for "weeks rather than months" after undergoing a scan on his left ankle injured at Wigan on Sunday.
In brief . . .
Wigan boss Paul Jewellis hoping Papa Bouba Diopwill agree to join after Fulham have agreed a fee for him . . . Middlesbrough defender Ugo Ehiogu (34)has agreed to join Rangers and passed a medical with the Ibrox club .. .
