The only real 'news' is whether Joe Cole will sign for Spurs or Arsenal. Still too close to call IMO.

I thought you'd be offloading a few players by now, or selling those who either didn't get on with 'Arry or didn't play.

Keane, Pavlyuchenko etc

Well Keane looks to be coming back to WHL (for how long?) because Celtic can't meet meets Spurs' GBP12m asking price and Spurs aren't prepared to loan him out to them again. Pav, no news there, although he looks to be on his way out.

Jenas to Real Madrid? No you are reading correctly - there is a logic to that move.

Bale stays put, having turned down any idea of going to Inter.

I bet you're gutted

Absolutely. Mourinho has long been known as an admirer of Jenas. More fool him

Just to re-emphasise that the silly season is gathering pace I saw a list last night of players linked to Spurs this summer. It totalled over 70.

Reports that Madrid are cooling their interest in Gerrard due to Liverpool's alleged £30m price tag. That means one of two things:

1) Madrid are cooling their interest in Gerrard due to Liverpool's alleged £30m price tag

2) Madrid know that Gerrard is desperate to leave Liverpool (and indeed England) so are playing a game of brinkmanship to get him for a lower price.

Part of me kind of wants Madrid to buy him for £30m. I think Liverpool have become too reliant on him, with Benitez pretty much building a team round him. When he was injured or off-form, the team has struggled for quite a number of seasons.

Mascherano looks almost certain to go to Inter - hardly a surprise. He was whingeing through last season about his missus not settling in England (and not being able to speak English so, being Spanish-speaking, will obviously be fine in Italy...). I reckon we'll get £20-25m for him.

I may be being optimistic, but I can't see Torres going to Chelsea, nor indeed any other English club. Barca aren't flush right now and have just signed Villa, so I think he might just stay - at least to see how it goes for one more season.

Seeing as we've already got £6m for Benayoun, I wonder if Woy will get the c£30m on top of the £15m publicly stated as a transfer kitty by Broughton. Ha! Yeah, right.

If Madrid were to offer GBP30m I would bite their hands off.

Woy would become a cult hero (at least outside Liverpool) and instantly join the Daniel Levy 'I screwed United for GBP30m for that useless lump Berbatov' Hall of Fame, when it comes to doing astute transfer business

EDIT: Just read a piece in The Indy. Real Madrid claimed Monday that Liverpool have slapped a GBP58m price tag on Gerrard. I guess he's not going to Madrid.

Spurs and Arsenal set to battle it out over Wickham's signature. No great surprise here. This one could go to GBP10m.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1294916/Arsenal-Tottenham-set-8m-battle-Ipswich-striker-Connor-Wickham.html

Very quiet on the transfer front with regard to most of the prem clubs...... i dont think that there will be a lot of business being done, my own club Man U really do need two or three additions but with the obvious financial constraints it will be difficult.

The latest betting on Joe Cole have 6/5 Liverpool, 6/4 spurs, 9/4 Arsenel...6/1 Man U. Its really turning into a bit of a saga now !!

Whilst I'd love it if Wickham came to Arsenal, I worry that it could effect his development as Wenger probably wouldn't play him in the first team, except maybe in a couple of carling cup matches.

Well Spurs have already said that if they get Wickham, he'll be loaned back to Ipswich.

Martin Jol to be confirmed on Monday as manager of Fulham. I still can't understand why we got rid of him.

The Fabreghastly farce rumbles on.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/8831591.stm

I was led to believe by a usually reliable source late last season that his departure had already been agreed. Clearly not, but at this rate I could see him ending up in the reserves by Xmas.  

I notice this morning, yet again, that United are looking to do a swap deal with Bayern involving Berbatov for Lahm. Good business IMO.

Of more importance, SAF has given Berbatov his vote of confidence. So that means the story does have legs on it

Can see why Man U would be interested in Lahm... who wouldnt be ? Tho SAF is quite a stubborn bugger he may want to give Berba another season.. SAF will not want to have been seen as buying a total duffer that cost 30M

Cole signs for Liverpool - 4-year deal worth 90K a week. Must say I'm not that surprised, given he wants regular first team football. Oh and the not insubstantial fact that the car thieves were prepared to offer more money than Spurs or Arsenal.

Would have been a good signing for us. But hey, Liverpool need him more than we do.

Think he went to the club who were prepared to pay him the highest wages.... hes a very good player but 90K a week..? I guess Liverpool will say they can afford that as no transfer fee was paid out.  Suprised he didnt go to Spurs or Arsenal as they will both be playing champs league football... Liverpool err Europa league.

When you consider Stephen Ireland at Citeh is on 80K (unbelievable I know) then by that yardstick Cole is a very good player.

To get into the the Arsenal team (in his preferred central role) Cole would have had to have displaced Fabregas. At Spurs it would have been Modric. He isn't as good as either one of those two.

Agree with you on most points there.... tho for a team with financial problems 90K a week is a lot of cash. With regard to Stephen Ireland.. that lad has a lot of potential still a raw talent (80k..only shiteh would pay that) but Ireland is a player who could develop into something special....

So, the next big battle looks to be between United and Spurs, following the revelation that cash-strapped Ajax may be forced to offload Suarez. Now that would be a signing - for either club. In United's case it would provide just the excuse to get rid of Berbatov to somewhere like Bayern.

Suarez has scored a lot of goals in a very mediocre league...... not so sure hes worth a risky punt . Man U do have a few strikers that are either very raw, injury prone or just a bit of an enigma. Rooney plays best alone so SAF may decide to spend money on other areas of the team. It will come down to price.....Suarez in Berba out  i would grab that deal.

Suarez showed me at the World Cup that he is capable of upping the ante. As for where he'd be played I think he's flexible enough to play either in front of Rooney, or in the hole behind him. He's certainly a more multi-dimensional player than Berbatov, so would prove a useful addition. Or replacement, of course.

From the 'Dear Mr Levy' blog

Who the hell does Joe Cole think he is? Not only has he rejected his father figure and original mentor (Harry) and a chance to remain within the pinnacle of civilisation (London, obviously) with a critical role in a side that has qualified for the Champions League qualifiers, he's chosen instead a mid-table club on the slide, living off the past, where he will earn untold thousands per week to prance about in front of held-up scarfs and humourous red banners. Gutless for him to select guaranteed first team football at a smaller club than fighting for his place and overcoming squad rotation at the superior one.

What a mercenary, selecting the option of more money and a far more comfortable ride. These modern day players with their agents and their long term contracts and lack of ambition. Obviously knows he has little self-confidence, hunger and focus for the Champions League and prefers the less pressurised arena of the Europa League.

Cole obviously harbours dreams of dicking us (and his family of Spurs supporting fanatics) in said competition when we crash out of the CL and face the might of Anfield. Marquee signing for Liverpool. Torres, Mascherano or Gerrard and Cole...fourmid(t)able.

But don't fret, we have goal-keeping cover with Pletikosa on its way.

Dark days for THFC. We are down to the bare bones now with only Modric, Bale and Kranjcar vying for the left hand midfield position. We might even have to experiment again with Lennon there.

RIP, The dream is over.

Let's all pray we succeed in signing Craig Bellamy. I can't be having two knock-backs in the space of a week.

All this is allegedly:

Arsenal offered 80k - 2 year deal.
Spurs offered 65k - 3 year deal.
West Ham offered 100k per week - 3 year deal.
Liverpool signed him on 90k - 4 year deal.

Although there is a whisper that the Liverpool deal Cole accepted was 110k per week and £8M signing on fee.

MONEY GRABBER !!!111

WHERE WAS THE GUARANTEED FIRST TEAM FOOTBALL AND WAGE-STRUCTURE-DESTROYING WEEKLY WAGE OFFER?

First Duff, then Petrov...heads will roll at Spurs HQ. Never rated Cole anyways. One trick pony.

Not entirely PL related but two of the worst footballers in the PL could be on the move - Titus Bramble to Sunderland and Marlon Harewood to Rangers.

I don't know which club to pity more. Actually, neither