Jermain Defoe’s arrival on the White Hart Lane turf helped turn the tide in Tottenham’s epic 4-4 draw against Aston Villa last night – but will it be enough to earn him his first start of the Premier League season against Liverpool this weekend?

As Martin Jol ponders his strike options, there is talk of a swap deal involving Defoe and Everton and England man Andy Johnson (The Sun). The idea of the impish Toffees' striker moving to Spurs was talked about in this column yesterday, and it seemed odd that Jol would add another attacking headache to his top-heavy strike force. Would a swap deal suit both sides? I think not.

Defoe, in my opinion, is a better player with more potential, and any player exchange would seem to do little for the North London side and would definitely benefit Everton manager David Moyes. Would Defoe want to move to Merseyside? Unlikely.

‘... any player exchange would seem to do little for the North London side and would definitely benefit Everton manager David Moyes.’


It has transpired that the reason Ashley Cole left Arsenal to join Chelsea was not his love of making more and more money but in fact down to his wife (GQ magazine). Girls Aloud singer (for want of a better word) Cheryl Cole has revealed that her marriage to Ashley was in trouble after she refused to allow him to join Real Madrid since she wanted to pursue a career in the UK. For the sake of his wife, Cole quit the Gunners to join Chelsea.

Cheryl said: "Why should all my dreams and aspirations be shattered for the sake of his career? It would have meant that I'd have had to give up my career, which I wasn't prepared to do". How many people think Cheryl Cole will have a career in 12 months' time?

It appears that Arsenal’s major stakeholder, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, had been considering a takeover move for Liverpool before ploughing part of his fortune into the Gunners (The Sun) It should be noted that these options were considered when Usmanov first tried to get a foothold in English football two years ago.

He originally talked with Arsenal's bitter rivals Spurs and then considered an investment in Liverpool. It seems that Usmanov’s loss has been Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s gain. It is a surefire sign of just how big the Premier League is getting and indeed how big it will become, that all the major investors into the English league seem to come from overseas. Whether this is a good or bad thing is open to debate but a great many clubs across the country stand to benefit from the millions being pumped in from abroad.

Roman Abramovich may have devised a way to regain the love of his Chelsea flock. He is believed to be lining up a managerial dream team at Stamford Bridge with Gianfranco Zola being touted for a sensational return alongside Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi (Daily Express).

It would certainly go a long way to repairing the damage done since the loss of Jose Mourinho. There is such a lack of confidence in Avram Grant, who is totally out of his depth, that this could really turn out to be a huge flop of a season for the Blues. Abramovich should offer all the money he can muster to get the Italians on board.

David Beckham has been linked with a shock move back to England (Daily Mirror). The England and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder is being tracked by Sunderland manager and former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane, who wants to offer him a six-month loan deal.

This sounds like paper talk – is there any way the Americans would agree to let their prize asset leave, even in close season, when they have him tied to such a huge deal? It would be a great move for the Black Cats and I am sure 32-year-old Becks can still do a job at the highest level, but I don’t see it happening.

Will Becks ever come back? Would Defoe be more likely to get a game at Goodison? Give us your views on the news and gossip.