If the reports from earlier today are true, then Spurs could be scrapping any thoughts of negotiating a permanent deal for Emmanuel Adebayor and turning their attentions elsewhere. Ade's wages have been reported as being between £170,000 and £200,000 a week and that has always been the likely stumbling block for any permanent transfer.

Swansea's on-loan midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has told Hoffenheim he wants to leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season. Gylfi Sigurdsson in action for Swansea Newcastle have been linked with the player who is currently on loan at Swansea, and the former Reading star is now attracting the attentions of Manchester United.

Martin Skrtel has hailed the influence to Liverpool of Craig Bellamy after the Welsh international's two-goal display against Newcastle United in the final game of 2011 on Friday night.
Liverpool's No.39 was a constant menace to his old side and the Slovakian was quick to mention just how important a figure he is for Kenny Dalglish's side.

Martin Skrtel has hailed the influence to Liverpool of Craig Bellamy after the Welsh international's two-goal display against Newcastle United in the final game of 2011 on Friday night.
Liverpool's No.39 was a constant menace to his old side and the Slovakian was quick to mention just how important a figure he is for Kenny Dalglish's side.

In celebration of January, In The Stands have chosen one player per Premier League side that we believe will make a difference. Arsenal: What they need: With an improved defence in recent weeks Arsenal may turn their attentions to another attacking midfielder to give Wenger increased attacking option.

Liverpool face a major battle to sign Brazilian teenage sensation Lucas after the talented midfielder revealed he is happy to stay at Sao Paulo.
Lucas is rated as one of the best young talents in South America and has been linked with a number of big European clubs, including the Anfield giants.

Word has begun circulating that Chelsea are expected to close the signing of Gary Cahill in the next 48 hours. More, after the jump:

English Recruits

So, this one looks like it'll finally be finished. The worst-kept secret of the winter is coming to its final hours, after an apparent break-through in negotiations took place Sunday evening, during which Chelsea representatives were able to reach a consensus with Cahill's agent.

Matches in the Third Round of The FA Cup frequently draw attendances that are lower than they would be otherwise. The simple fact that tickets are not usually provided as part of annual season tickets combined with the possibility of people feeling the pinch in the weeks after Christmas is usually enough to keep many away.

Jose Reina believes the Anfield faithful can play a big part in helping Liverpool book their place in the Carling Cup final.
The Reds hold the upper hand in their semi-final showdown with Manchester City, with Steven Gerrard's penalty at the Etihad Stadium handing them a narrow lead.
The road to Wembley will now head to Merseyside on 25th January, with everything riding on the second leg of an evenly poised encounter.

Premier League Preview: Upset at the Bridge and a third defeat for United? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

With Tottenham tied on points with Manchester United and City hitting a bump in form, the title race is becoming more wide open, and in turn it leaves three teams three of the original Big Four, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea fighting it out for the fourth place.

A name that has been cropping up since Graham Westley's departure last week is Gary Smith. In fact, Smith is currently the favourite for the job with bookmakers and is reportedly on Phil Wallace's 6 man shortlist along with the likes of Paul Buckle and Paul Ince. However, Smith is the one candidate that not many supporters know much about.

Having strengthened the forward line, Newcastle United continue to pursue some cover in central defence. Although without much luck so far. Now that we've unexpectedly strengthened our strike force with the addition of Papiss Demba Cissé, the club's attentions have turned back to what they said was the priority position they need to get cover [.

Kickoff from White Hart Lane at 7:00PM GMT/2:00PM EST

Liverpool's youngsters return to NextGen Series action today, with their quarterfinal matchup with Tottenham's U19s taking place in London. The brief break in senior squad action allows for attentions to turn to a competition that, on the whole, has been a terrific advertisement for youth football on the continent.

Some areas of the press are suggesting that it hasn't been such a stellar year for Gareth Bale in comparison with last season. Those reports tend to just point to the winger's hat trick in the San Siro but they conveniently forget that this has been a much more consistent campaign for the Welshman.

Today's announcement at Southwark Crown Court means that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is free to resume full duties at White Hart Lane. We are therefore unlikely to see a repeat of Monday's game at Liverpool where Harry was absent due to transport problems and it's likely that all the players will be happy to see his familiar face in the dugout.

England's Euro 2012 plans have been thrown into disarray after Fabio Capello stepped down as national team manager.
Capello's resignation came after he publicly disagreed with the Football Association's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy.
He spoke out against the FA on Italian state broadcaster RAI on Sunday and resigned after a meeting with the FA on Wednesday.

Following an awful defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League, Manchester United turn their attentions back to the Premier League title race with a home match against West Brom Sunday afternoon....
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By Max Grieve

With apparently false obstinacy, both red and blue repeated the tired lines. "We'll pick a team that will do this club justice," said Dalglish. His captain nodded in approval: "We've got the game against Fulham, and then we can get ready for Chelsea".

Liverpool target Eljero Elia looks set to snub a move to Anfield in favour of joining Schalke, reports talkSPORT.
The 25-year-old Dutch international winger is a long-term target for the Premier League side, despite enduring a difficult campaign with Juventus after arriving in Turin in an £8million deal from Hamburg last summer.

This game was a bit dead. With Clint Dempsey getting the start, the pre-game hype machine was ready for some fireworks, but Fabian Johnson's very late withdrawal during warmups threw something of a wet blanket over proceedings, and the game never sparked to life.

The first half was dull, frankly.