With Mark Schwarzer, the goalkeeper, apparently angling for a move to London rivals Arsenal and Philippe Senderos, the Swiss international defender rupturing his Achilles tendon in midweek, Mark Hughes, the club's new coach, has seen preparations for his first game in charge take a nose dive. The former Manchester City manager will now move for Rafik Halliche, of Portuguese club Nacional, as he looks to quickly shore up his backline before travelling to Bolton, but any move for Hughes's former charge Craig Bellamy will face stiff competition with Celtic and Sunderland joining the chase for the Welsh forward.
Christian Poulsen, the destructive Danish midfielder, is the latest player to join Roy Hodgson's red revolution after agreeing a three-year deal yesterday from the Italian Serie A club Juventus. Poulsen, who has 77 caps to his name for his country, will most likely replace Javier Mascherano, who continues to pine for a transfer away from Anfield. Inter Milan remain the Argentine's most likely destination, although Barcelona have also confirmed their interest. Mascherano was forced to speak out yesterday to quell fans' anger after some believed he had a problem with the club. "I prefer to change the country, not the club," he said.
While the manager, Roberto Mancini, tries to work out a way of shoehorning his galaxy of stars into one starting XI line-up, the Craig Bellamy conundrum refuses to go away. The striker, who was back on the goal trail for Wales in their 5-1 midweek thrashing of minnows Luxembourg, claimed earlier this week that he would consider quitting the game if he does not feature in the Italian's 25-man Premier league squad. Perhaps a fine of two weeks wages for speaking out of turn, which the club are said to be thinking of invoking, might speed up the outspoken and fiery-tempered forward's decision.
Fresh from winning the Community Shield against chief rivals Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, it has been a case of, if I scratch your back, you scratch mine, at Manchester United this week. First, Sir Alex Ferguson stuck up for Carlos Queiroz, his former assistant at Old Trafford, who is up on a misconduct charge that could cost him his job as the Portugal coach. The next thing we know, United announce the purchase of a new Portuguese striker, Bebe, from Vitoria de Guimaraes, a former street urchin who has represented Portugal at the Homeless World Cup, on the recommendation of ... Queiroz. * Compiled by Paul Radley and Gary Meenaghan
