More football gossip and rumour. Bolton Wanderers. Manchester United and Lyon also get a mention is this bulletin of transfers news invented (sorry, reported) by the newspaper hacks.
'Squillaci is an adept player who helped his side to the French title last year and previously performed well for Wenger’s former club AS Monaco'
Rumours are a running amok about who Juande Ramos is planning to recruit in the near future after the Tottenham boss stated he is after a defender and a midfielder. Most of these rumours are, of course, unfounded and involve players that Ramos may have run the rule over whilst he was in situ in La Liga. However, the three players connected with a move to White Hart Lane today are all currently plying their trade in the Premier League.
First up we have Manchester United's Wes Brown, who apparently is stalling on a contract which has led to fears that the England international may leave on a Bosman (The Sun). Much-maligned Brown is a very capable if not spectacular player; indeed, anyone with over 200 starts for Sir Alex’s side is no dummy. At 28, he is also adaptable and can adequately cover many roles.
Next up we have another Old Trafford star - and that is Louis Saha, whose move to north London is apparently directly linked with another potential bid from Fergie for Dimitar Berbatov (various). However, that particular deal seems pretty far fetched even to me.
The last of the trio seems the best buy in my opinion - and that's Bolton’s on-loan midfielder Danny Guthrie. The 20-year-old Liverpool man has impressed recently but has reportedly been told he's not going to get a shot at the Anfield first team any time soon. This has led to Reebok boss Gary Megson toying with the idea of bidding for the former Manchester United schoolboy. Now it appears that Ramos is monitoring the situation with a view to putting in a bid of his own.
The total outlay of these three players would come to around £20m, which is a smart investment in three talented players who are not quite on the A-list of Premier League stars.
Arsene Wenger has announced his intention to bring in some defensive talent in order to cover for Arsenal's African Nations bound players, and this has led to rumours circulating about a potential £8m bid for Lyon’s French international defender Sébastien Squillaci (various).
The Gunners boss said: "In midfield we have plenty of players.The only area we might be a bit short is at the back because we have Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboue going to the African Nations Cup.”
Some would argue that it would good for Arsenal to have defensive cover regardless of the upcoming tournament and Squillaci is an adept player who helped his side to the French title last year and previously performed well for Wenger’s former club AS Monaco, where he was a mainstay for eight years.
However, Wenger did add: "We might have Johann Djourou back, though. We have the option to recall him."
This might be a much better option as I feel that the giant Swiss is capable of playing at the highest level and needs to be given more first-team outings with the Gunners.
Celtic chief Gordon Strachan is thinking about making a bid for Fulham full-back/wing-back Moritz Volz (various). Strachan's intention of bringing in a number of players in January have been outlined in recent statements as the Bhoys look to maintain their SPL push and hopefully go on a Champions League run. They are short of many defenders following an influx of injuries in recent weeks and Volz may be keen for a new challenge after three years as a cult hero at Craven Cottage.
Who do YOU think Juande Ramos will buy for Spurs? Post your thoughts below or write an article for Sportin go if you prefer.