Papers 05/08

[macca69]

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Chelsea are unwilling to spend more than £20m on England and Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole. (Daily Star)

Shaun Wright-Phillips can leave Chelsea for £12m - a £9m loss on the player signed last summer. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle are closing in on Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt with AZ Alkmaar's Joris Mathijsen and Inter Milan's Obafemi Martins also targets. (Mirror)

Magpies boss Glenn Roeder will not sign Empoli sriker Francesco Tavana. "I don't even know him," he said. (Star)

Although Roeder has confirmed Newcastle are interested in signing Thomas Gravesen from Real Madrid. (Guardian)

Martin Jol remains adamant Wigan's Pascal Chimbonda will be playing for Tottenham in the coming season. (Sun)

But Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has told the Latics any deal is off as the London club have turned their sights to Blackburn's Lucas Neill. (Mail)

And Spurs are set to make a shock swoop for Roma striker Mido, who was on loan at White Hart Lane last season. (Star)

Manchester City are set to complete the capture of Ajax and Tunisia right-back Hatem Trabelsi next week. (Mirror)

Charlton will bring in Djimi Traore from Liverpool for £2m and Newcastle's Amdy Faye for £2.5m. (Mirror)

Portsmouth will stop in their efforts to sign Blackburn defender Ryan Nelsen if a £4.7m bid is rejected. (Mirror)

Watford are close to hijacking West Brom's move for QPR defender Danny ****tu, despite the Baggies agreeing a £1.5m deal with Rangers. (Star)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has no intention of letting Jose Antonio Reyes move to Real Madrid. (Daily Mail)

France winger Franck Ribery wants to quit Marseille after seemingly pledging his future to the club. (Guardian)

Chelsea have told William Gallas to forget about leaving the club as they have not received a single bid for the defender. (Telegraph)

OTHER GOSSIP

Gallas will be fined two weeks' wages - Chelsea's maximum club fine - for his no show in LA. (Sun)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is unimpressed by Chelsea's summer signings and the manner in which the Londoners splash cash on ageing stars. "I'm producing a team that will last years," he said. "When you have an old team then maybe all the challenges have gone for them. Youngsters have hunger." (Sun)

Managers at every club have been sent monitors to check for early signs of heart attacks. (Mail)

Tesco boss Terry Leahy - an Everton fan - is hoping to head up a deal that will see the club move from Goodison Park to the outskirts of Liverpool. (Independent)

England head coach Steve McClaren has already decided on the new national captain but is staying tight-lipped on the subject.

FUNNIES

Millwall are getting infuriated because referees keep pocketing the Molton Brown bubble bath and shower gel they put in the officials' changing room. (Sun)

Shaun Derry has said no to sex so he can focus all his energies on the start of the season. The Leeds midfielder kicked his wife out of the matrimonial bedroom and feels in tip-top condition ahead of the new campaign. "I told her to go into another room," he revealed. "Fair play, she's been fantastic and it's really helped." (Star)

 

[Benno_900]

 

[lebron]

Enough said

 

[DB10]

Chelsea are unwilling to spend more than £20m on England and Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole. (Daily Star)

No move for you campaignerley!

 

[moomba]

Shaun Wright-Phillips can leave Chelsea for £12m - a £9m loss on the player signed last summer. (Daily Mirror)

Not sure he would be prepared to come back (loss of pride and all that), and I doubt we have the money any more, but it would make my day. Still the club has got to ask whether a £21m profit and no SWP is better than a £9m profit and SWP given the current financial situation.

Martin Jol remains adamant Wigan's Pascal Chimbonda will be playing for Tottenham in the coming season. (Sun)

Given it's the Sun, I'll give Jol some credit for not having this classless attitude, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Manchester City are set to complete the capture of Ajax and Tunisia right-back Hatem Trabelsi next week. (Mirror)

Apparently there was a problem with the medical but it has been resolved. Stefano Fiore is another rumoured to be in the latter stages of a move to the club.

France winger Franck Ribery wants to quit Marseille after seemingly pledging his future to the club. (Guardian)

Set for Lyon by all accounts.

In other news, Carrick is crocked already. Went off early in the Amsterdam tournament with an ankle injury, is expected to miss the first week or so of the season (best case scenario).

Bobby Robson has been taken ill at the Ipswich game yesterday, and was taken to hospital. No confirmed details yet, hope he makes a quick and full return to health.

 

[apollo_creed]

You point and laugh at people in wheelchairs do you?

The guy nearly died in a car accident when he was 2 and had something like 200 stitches in his face, give him a break.

 

[moomba]

I'm sure he'll cope with someone making fun of him on an Australian mesage board.

Besides I've seen you make fun of Darren Fletcher, and is it really his fault that he was born with no football ability?

 

[kimirocks]

You point and laugh at people in wheelchairs do you?

The guy nearly died in a car accident when he was 2 and had something like 200 stitches in his face, give him a break.

Ref pulls out the red card (to benno). Great player young Ribery is. A testiment to him after his early life

 

[moomba]

No move for you campaignerley!

Would there be any interest from Arsenal in an SWP part ex?

 

[DB10]

Would there be any interest from Arsenal in an SWP part ex?

Cheslea already offered that and it was rejected. To be honest I'd say that ship has long departed, and SWP won't ever be a Gooner.

 

[Shinboners]

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Chelsea are unwilling to spend more than £20m on England and Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole. (Daily Star)

£20m for a left-back? Arsenal should take the money and run.