Rumour has it that unsettled Villarreal midfielder Robert Pires is about to become a target for under-fire Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez (various).

The former Arsenal hero hasn’t performed well this season and has found himself the subject of the Madrigal boo boys. Pires says of his poor form: "A season is long and there are ups and downs and low moments. I know that I am not doing well, but what worries me most and what I want is that Villarreal win and the best for the team.

''I know I can do more and better on the field. I do not know why I am not playing well. I do not believe that either it's physical or technical, but I know that I am not playing well, that people ask a lot of me and I am the first to admit that I must do more. I am not at my best, but the improvement will come."

'Fred is a good player and ideally suited for the English game - and £9m seems a decent price for the 24-year-old hitman'


Pires, 34, was a hit in north London and may be able to perform at the highest level for another 18 months or more. As he is out of favour with the Spanish club, he would no doubt be available for a relatively small fee, which is just as well as money is reportedly tight at Anfield. Will this rumour become fact? Not likely.

Tottenham's Juande Ramos is reportedly about to trump Man City, West Ham, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough to the signing of Brazilian front man Fred (The Sun).

I wouldn’t have thought the front line at White Hart Lane needed strengthening, after all they have managed a total of 65 goals already this season. And even if Dimitar Berbatov did leave they would still have a handy set of strikers to call on.

Maybe Tottenham would be better served signing defenders, or is that me being foolish? However, it could be that Ramos wants to totally change things and maybe Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent are also on their way out. Either way, Fred is a good player and ideally suited for the English game - and £9m seems a decent price for the 24-year-old hitman.

After West Ham's £1.5m bid for Ipswich attacker Danny Haynes was turned down, it appears that Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers have decided to get involved in a bidding war to sign the 19-year-old Londoner (various).

Haynes, an England Under-19 international, has been in good form of late and looks like being the latest in a line of quality youngsters to leave Portman Road in recent years. A move north of the border could be a good one for Haynes and it’s just a case of which Glasgow rival offers more. A fee of around £2m would probably do the trick.

Would Robert Pires be a good buy for Liverpool? Post your thoughts below.