The new Indian League franchise got their squads ready during the week, with a fantasy league type auction.

The six week run tournament, seen each team bid for an "Icon" player and a foreign coach set up in the same style as the Indian one day cricket format currently used to great effect.

By Chris Wright

'Twas a bit of a slow one yesterday as anyone who spent 11-and-a-bit hours 'glued' to the live feed will tell you, with the total spending across the English leagues failing to surpass the £50 million that Chelsea spaffed on Fernando Torres this time last year let alone the ludicrous £225 million that was spent in total in January of 2011.

Reports from Craven Cottage are suggesting that Fulham have sold QPR a player who "never existed in the first place."

The extraordinary claims come on the back of Bobby Zamora's mooted £5 million move from Fulham to QPR.

A source from the West Ham grounds staff revealed today that "Bobby Zamora gave up football a long time ago.

Martin Jol has stunned the footballing world by dramatically selling himself to Aston Villa.

"To be honest I expected more from Fulham. It's a small club," he explained while screwing up his nose and sniffing. "And I wanted to be at a big club. You know? With big things."

Jol continued: "I had seen what happened to Mark Hughes after he walked out on Fulham.

In recent years, Swedish clothing retailer H&M has made strides in growing its brand in the United States, and it seems they've decided to take a major step in brand recognition by paying $3.5 million to air a commercial during Sunday's Super Bowl. What better way to make a splash in your first Super Bowl commercial than by having it star one of the world's most recognizable football players, David Beckham?

Sebastien Le Toux's return to Philadelphia truly does appear to be simply a chance to pack his belongings, as the striker's transfer to Bolton Wanderers is set to be completed in the next two days.

MLSsoccer.com's Joe Prince-Wright told TalkSport UK, in an interview, that the Frenchman was "gonna finalize his contract tomorrow with Bolton.

After weeks of rumours and hand-wringing negotiations, Martin Caceres finally returns to Juventus from Sevilla on loan for the rest of the season. Juventus will initially pay €1.5 million and an additional €8 million in the summer to make the move permanent. The Uruguayan defender was already once on the books for Juventus during the disastrous 2009-10 season on loan from Barcelona; however, due.

Looks like the the effect of those UEFA financial fair play rules are having at best a marginal effect as losses rose to €1.6bn for the 2010-11 FY, up from the previous year's €1.2bn loss racked up by Europe's soccer leagues.

The only exception is the Bundesliga which managed to turn around losses into a healthy profit of €52.

According to media reports in Spain, Jose Mourinho will quit his job as Real Madrid manager this summer.

For the first time Mourinho was booed and whistled at by the Bernabeu faithful as rumors continue to swirl around the team of divisions within the squad.

The sensational claim that Mourinho will quit came from highly-respected Spanish football journalist Siro Lopez, who said after Real Madrid's 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend that the former Chelsea boss will walk away from his £11.

According to media reports in Spain, Jose Mourinho will quit his job as Real Madrid manager this summer.

For the first time Mourinho was booed and whistled at by the Bernabeu faithful as rumors continue to swirl around the team of divisions within the squad.

The sensational claim that Mourinho will quit came from highly-respected Spanish football journalist Siro Lopez, who said after Real Madrid's 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend that the former Chelsea boss will walk away from his £11.

Henrique: still off to QPR?

São Paulo director, João Paulo de Jesus Lopes, says that the door has not been shut on forward Henrique's transfer to QPR. The Morumbi club say that contrary to earlier reports, Henrique has not been denied a UK work visa. "The truth is the visa wasn't turned down.

Chalk up another win for the Los Angeles Galaxy

Only this one wasn't just for them, it perhaps was an important win for MLS as well. Despite massive offers from numerous European clubs, David Beckham officially chose to remain in the United States, agreeing to new multi-year contract with the Galaxy that keeps the famed midfielder in Los Angeles through the 2013 MLS season.

By Chris Wright

This is a mock-up, before anyone gets too excited

Liverpool have announced this morning that, as of next season, their kit suppliers will no longer be Adidas (after eight years of service) and, as of this summer, will be American bods Warrior Sports.

The old saying hard work never goes unrewarded is perfectly embodied in Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Not only has he won multiple titles with United, but he is now the most successful manager in English football history since taking over United in November 1986.

It in light of this that the Glazer family are in talks with Ferguson and plan to reward him with a new contract that will make him the best paid manager in the English Premier League.

Sebastien Le Toux's flight to England appears to be training ahead of a possible transfer, according to Fox Soccer. Bolton is the destination if the Philadelphia Union's star striker is transferred during the January international transfer window.

The transfer was originally reported by Ives Galarcep, who writes for Fox Soccer and his own site, Soccer By Ives.

Papiss Demba Cisse and his current club Freiburg have now agreed a deal in principle for the player to join Newcastle United for a fee of around £7.5 million according to Sky Sports' David Craig, though the deal will be subject to a medical. The player was spotted at the club's Benton trainng ground before [.

Liverpool lost their lucrative partnership with Adidas after demanding too much money for their on-field performance, according to the firm's chief executive.
The Premier League club's current deal with Adidas, the world's second biggest sporting goods manufacturer, expires at the end of the season after talks over an extension collapsed last year.

Quaker Oats to be the next sponsor of the Chicago Fire?

Ed Sherman with Crain's Chicago Business has the story:

"The Chicago Fire is about to venture into the land of oatmeal, cereal and granola bars.

The team is in the process of finalizing a contract with Quaker Oats Co. to be the Fire's new jersey sponsor, according to sources.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp watched as his potential target Loic Remy scored both goals to help his side Marseille defeat Lille in a Ligue 1 fixture yesterday.

Remy has established himself as one of Ligue 1′s most lethal strikers and could move to the EPL side if the rumours are to be believed.

Wellington Silva in his Fluminense days

Arsenal player Wellington Silva has switched Levante for Alcoyano who are currently sitting 17th in the Spanish second division.
Silva signed for Arsenal from Fluminense at the start of 2010 for around £3.5 million when he was just 16. He officially joined the Gunners when he turned 18.

PSG is splashing some serious cash this transfer window. They are on the verge of signing Alexandre Pato for €35 million from Milan for a three year deal. Leonardo is also milking his popularity with Brazilian players to bring Kaka on board and is offering €25 million for the services of the Real midfielder.

Marco Reus, the rising star in the German Bundesliga having helped Borussia Mönchengladbach to a respectable fourth place during the winter break, will be leaving the club at the end of the season to play for Borussia Dortmund.

It was announced today on Mönchengladbach's website that the player will remain at the club for the 2011-12 season before signing a five year deal with the current German champions Dortmund for a transfer fee of 17,5 million Euros.

You've heard the news, now take the poll: Should the Galaxy re-sign David Beckham?Yes, his 15 assists were a major reason the Galaxy won MLS CupYes, but not at $6.5 million a year, especially if he heads off to the Olympics for a monthNo, he can't repeat his success

Tottenham Hotspurs have given midfielder Steven Pienaar the green light to leave the club if Sunderland or any other club can meet their £5 million asking price. Pienaar who has not seen any league action this season due to his niggling injuries, has struggled to impose himself in Harry Redknapp's side since his £2.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott's astronomical contract demands could lead to him move to one of The Gunners' Premier League rivals, according to The Daily Star.
The England international is requesting a new four-year deal worth £85,000 a week.
The likes of Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly being alerted with Arsenal so far stalling over completing a deal.

Trouble is brewing for Andres Villas-Boas and Chelsea after a number of poor performances have left them out of the title race and raised concerns from players who are willing to quit the club if their pleas are not addressed.

Truth be said, the longer Villas-Boas stays in charge the worse it gets for Chelsea and as a matter of fact, he should be replaced as quickly as possible (however unlikely this may be).

With Liverpool in obvious need for a proven striker, especially with Suarez facing an eight-match ban in the near future, one possibility is German hitman Lukas Podolski.
The Polish native is playing for German side Cologne and has scored 14 goals in 15 appearances already this season.
He has also scored 43 goals in 95 games for his adopted Country, Germany in the past few years.

It is being reported today that the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to make a £5 million bid for the out of favour Wigan Athletic striker Hugo Rodallega. If sources are to be believed, the Colombian has fallen out with manager Roberto Martinez and is looking to secure a move away from the DW [.

According to the Russian daily Sovietsky Sports, Zenit St. Petersburg are keen on re-acquiring the Arsenal playmaker Andrei Arshavin for the original sum of €16.5 million that the North London side paid for him back in 2009. The report suggests that Zenit are hoping to bring back the little Russian with a view of appointing [.

There's not much in the way of significant news circulating in the immediate wake of our grossly disappointing 1-1 draw in Wigan on Saturday afternoon. What we do have, though, is a few interesting tidbits to touch on. Let's take a look shall we?

To Naples, not London

Vargas opts to join Napoli
Disappointing news out of Chile, with Eduardo Vargas confirming he'll be joining Napoli in the January transfer window.

Article by Pedro Gomes [Editor's Note: FY = Fiscal Year]
On December 12, Soccer Insider Steven Goff dropped a budgetary bombshell on the soccer world. He revealed an inside look into the United States Soccer Federations's Budget for FY'13. No one knows exactly how this journalistic wizard came to this information and quite honestly I don't think many cared because its juicy details lit the Twitter Sphere ablaze with questions, comments, excitement, and disbelief.

Osvaldo Alonso recently suggested some Premiership teams might be interested in acquiring his services. Unsurprisingly, being as he is a professional soccer player, he is open to this possibility. None of this should really come as news.

The question is: How much concern should this cause us as Seattle Sounders fans, who clearly want our team to have as many highly talented players as is possible?

Liverpool are being touted to make a shock January move for in-form Wolves striker Steven Fletcher.
The Scottish striker, who has bagged six goals in ten appearances this season has reportedly caught the eye of Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish, who is growing concerned at his side's lack of goals this term.

Steve Goff of the Washington Post reports that Juergen Klinsmann will earn $2.5 million in base salary to coach the U.S. men's national soccer team — more than four times higher than his predecessor, Bob Bradley, and 13 times larger than women's coach Pia Sundhage.
No other details about Klinsmann's contract, including incentives and other payments, appeared in the U.

Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com

When U.S. Soccer sealed the deal to make Jurgen Klinsmann head coach of the men's national team, it was evident that the federation was making a big investment in Klinsmann and his outlook for the program. Now it's clear just how big that investment was.

Liverpool have joined Spurs in the race for Marseille striker Loic Remy.
According to reports in France, Kenny Dalglish is interested in the French international striker but also faces a fight with Arsenal for the 24 year old.
Remy almost joined Liverpool in the summer of 2010 however the Reds baulked at the £12.

Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov would swap his current situation with any Liverpool player in order to fulfil his dream of playing for the Reds.
The 32-year-old began his career in his native Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia before being granted a move to Celtic in the summer of 1999.
It was not until 2006 that Petrov finally realized his ambition of playing in the Barclays Premier League, when he move to Villa Park for £6.

This is a 2011 list of top 20 highest paid soccer players in the world.

RankPLAYERSCLUBSMONTHLYANNUAL 1Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid€ 1,000,000€ 12 million 2 Lionel MessiFC Barcelona€ 875,000€ 10.5 million 3 Fernando TorresChelsea€ 833,000€ 10 million 4 Yaya Toure Manchester City € 833,000€ 10 million 5 Wayne Rooney Manchester United € 791,000€ 9,500,000 6 Ricardo Kaka Real Madrid € 750,000 € 9,000,000 7 Zlatan Ibrahimovic AC Milan€ 750,000€ 9,000,000 8 Emmanuel Adebayor Real Madrid € 708,000€ 8,500,000 9 Carlos TevezManchester City€ 666,000€ 8,000,000 10 Samuel Eto'oInternazionale€ 666,000€ 8,000,000 11 Frank Ribery Bayern Munich € 666,000€ 8,000,000 12 John TerryChelsea€ 625,000€ 7,500,000 13 Frank Lampard Chelsea€ 625,0007500.

According to a story that broke in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday evening, the Galaxy are set to announce a 10 year, $55 million deal with two new Time Warner Regional Sports networks to televise Galaxy games. The new networks (one in Spanish and the other in English) are fighting for content in the crowded LA Sports market and this deal guarantees live programming from March to October.

The Milwaukee Brewers declined their mutual option on Francisco Rodriguez and the closer is now a free agent. The Brewers had a chance to lock him up for next season but the $17.5 million price tag was apparently too high. Instead, the Brewers gave him a $4 million buyout.

Though a closer throughout his career, the Brewers used him as a setup man after trading for him in the middle of the season.