Birmingham

Newcastle 2 -1 West Brom (Premier League, October 28, 2008)

Ryan Donk felled Shola Ameobi in the box and Joey Barton marked his return to St. James’ Park by netting the resulting spot kick. It got better for the Toon just before the break, Habib Beye crossed from the right for Obafemi Martins to head home number two.

The Baggies brought on Ishmael Miller at the break, and the striker pulled a goal back in the 65th minute after collecting a fine through-ball from Rob Koren. Thereafter it was far from a vintage performance from the Magpies, but they held on to move up to 15th in the table.

Birmingham 3 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday (Championship, October 28, 2008)

O’Connor headed the home side in front after 11 minutes, only to see Etienne Esajas equalise three minutes later from a quick free-kick. Birmingham regained the lead a minute later through O’Connor before Kevin Phillips added the third.

Werder Bremen 0 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, October 28, 2008)

Bayer Leverkusen took the lead away at Bremen in the 70th minute, Arturo Vidal stroking the ball in after Werder failed to clear their lines. Friedrich made sure of the points ten minutes from time, scoring following a Bayer corner.

Roda Kerkrade 0 - 2 AZ Alkmaar (Eredivisie, October 28, 2008)

AZ Alkmaar, who are riding high in Holland, took the lead away at Roda when Mounir El Hamdaoui converted after an earlier header rebounded off the bar. El Hamdaoui wrapped up the win with his second of the game a minute from time.

Ado Den Haag 0 - 2 PSV (Eredivisie, October 28, 2008)

Eric Addo gave PSV the lead with an excellent late run into the box from which he scored. With time running out, PSV scored a breakaway goal, Otman Bakkal burst through the middle and slotted home the killer second.

Cracovia Krakow 3 - 0 LKS Lodz (Puchar Polski, October 28, 2008)

Fourteen days to go until the opening of the English Premier season. It promises to be an enthralling season again in Europe’s top league as the big four of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will once again battle it out for Premier League supremacy.

With the transfer window still four week away the prospects for many teams will rise and fall on how is added or leaves between now and then. But with the current rosters, this is how I see the battle for the Premier League going in 2008-2009.

In part one I will break down the relegation battle. In the next couple of days I will also look at the teams who will battle for Europe, the Champions League and those who are doomed to be mid-table candidates.

Relegation Candidates
I expect that the three newly promoted clubs, West Brom, Hull City and Stoke to be relegated at the end of the reason. These are probably the weakest three times that have gotten promotion in recent memory and while I don’t expect them to be as bad as Derby were last year, I cannot see them surviving.

Even through these are the weakest teams in the Premier League that does not mean that there will not be a relegation battle. I expect that the bottom six will also contain Newcastle, Bolton and Wigan.

The wheels are coming off the Kevin Keegan revolution where off-side stories threaten to derail this season. Newcastle’s weakness last year was at the back and they have not made any major improvements there and I see a lot of 3-2, 4-3 games for Newcastle this year.

I admit I was amazed that Bolton stayed up last year. Gary Megson does not impress me as a manager and he will be hoping that new signing Johan Elmander from Toulouse can replace the goals that Nicholas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf got last year.

I feel that a great season for Bolton would be 10th position in the Premier League and I don’t think they will get that high.

Steve Bruce did a great job last year keeping Wigan up and his biggest off-season signing might be convincing Wilson Palacios to sign a new contract.

Like many of the teams in the bottom half of the table, Wigan will struggle to score goals again this season. The partnership of Marlon King and Emile Heskey will not keep many opposing managers awake at night.

Welcome to the English Premier League Transfer Central. The transfer central will document all transfers relating to all twenty Premier League clubs, including arriving and departing rumours and speculation, as well as the transfers that have actually happened.

The page will be regularly updated, and I’d appreciate it anyone wants to drop me a comment to tell me your news and rumours that I may have missed.

Stay tuned to the FIFA Rumour Mill to hear the latest transfer news, gossip and fantasy.

Enjoy!

Arsenal

In:

Possible: David Villa (Valencia), Hatem Ben Arfa (Lyon), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), Samir Nasri (Marseille), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle), Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Torric Jibril (Heart of Oak), Mahamadou Dabo (St Etienne), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg), Ruben De la Red (Real Madrid), Dani Guiza (Mallorca)

Out: Mathieu Flamini (AC Milan), Jens Lehmann (Stuttgart)

Departing: Alexander Hleb (Real Madrid, Barcelona or Inter Milan), Gilberto Silva, Emmanuel Adebayor (AC Milan) Justin Hoyte (Aston Villa)

Cuckoo Nest: Aaron Ramsey (Manchester United)

Aston Villa

In: Curtis Davies (West Brom)

Possible: Diego (Werder Bremen), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Scott Carson, Peter Crouch, Jon Arne Riise (Liverpool), Nelson (Benfica), Stephen Carr (Newcastle), Marco Caneira (Valencia), Justin Hoyte (Arsenal) Joe Mattock, Richard Stearman (Leicester), Hugo Campagnaro (Sampdoria), Giorkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), James Milner (Newcastle), Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace), Brad Cuzan (Chivas USA), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Brad Friedel (Blackburn)

Out: Olof Mellberg (Juventus), Thomas Sorenson (out of contract), Patrick Berger (Sparta Prague), Luke Moore (West Brom)

Departing: Gareth Barry (Liverpool), Shaun Maloney (Sunderland), Marlon Harewood (Stoke, Fulham, QPR or Rangers)

Blackburn Rovers

In:

Possible: Anthony Annan (IF Start), Michael Tonge (Sheffield United), Owain Fon Williams (Crewe Alexandria), Marc Torrejon, Ferran Corominos (Espanyol), Hossam Ghaly (Tottenham), Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton), Sam Allardyce (Out of Work), Paul Ince (MK Dons), Steve McClaren (Out of Work), Alan Shearer

Out: Mark Hughes (Manchester City), Stephane Henchoz, Bruno Berner, Peter Enkelman (all released)

Departing: David Bentley (Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester City), Roque Santa Cruz (Arsenal, Manchester United or Manchester City), Jason Roberts (Bolton or Fulham), Andre Oojier, Maceo Rigters, Brad Freidel (Aston Villa)

Bolton Wanderers

In:

Possible: Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Jerome Alonzo (PSG), Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon), Ben Watson (Crystal Palace), Emile Mpenza (Manchester City), Brian Howard (Barnsley), Zoltan Gera (West Brom), Jason Roberts (Blackburn), Michael Dawson (Tottenham)

Out: Ivan Campo, Andranik Teymourian, Stelios Giannkopoulos (released)

Departing: El Hadji Diouf (Atletico Madrid), Jussi Jaskelainen (Aston Villa), Ricardo Gardner.

Chelsea

In: Jose Bosingwa (FC Porto)

Possible: David Villa (Valencia), Robinho, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Roberto Mancini (Out of Work), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Luis Felipe Scolari (Portugal National Team), Kaka (AC Milan), David Bentley (Blackburn), Roy Keane (Sunderland), Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon), Luciano Spalletti (AS Roma), Cesare Prandelli (Fiorentina), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto)

Out: Avram Grant (sacked), Henk Ten Cate (contract terminated)

Departing: Ricardo Carvalho (Real Madrid or Inter Milan), Tal Ben Haim (Feyenoord), Didier Drogba (AC Milan), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan or Fenerbahce), Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa, Middlesbrough or Sunderland), Florent Malouda , Frank Lampard (Inter Milan), Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Valencia, Villarreal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Tottenham or Portsmouth), Steve Clarke (Leicester), Michael Essien (Inter Milan), Ben Sahar (Portsmouth), Claude Makelele (PSG), Ashley Cole (Inter Milan), Khalid Boulahrouz (Marseille)

Cuckoo Nest: Mark Hughes (Manchester City)

Everton

In: Steven Pieenar (Borrusia Dortmund)

Possible: Louis Saha (Manchester United), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Jonas Olsson (NEC Nijmegen), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Edu (Valencia), Dudu (CSKA Moscow), Joaquin Sanchez (Valencia), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff), Joe Lewis (Peterborough), Stephen Hunt (Reading)

Out: Lee Carsley (Birmingham), Thomas Gravesen (Loan return), Stefan Wessells (Released), Aidan Downes (Yeovil Town)

Departing: Andy Johnson (West Ham)

 

Fulham

In: Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough), David Stockdale (Darlington)

Possible: Steve Finnan (Liverpool), Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa), Bernard Mendy (PSG), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Gaby Mudingayi (Lazio), Zheng Zhi (Charlton), Jason Roberts (Blackburn), Paul Scharner (Wigan), Daniel Cousin (Rangers), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Joe Ledley (Cardiff)

Out: Carlos Bocanegra, Jari Litmanen, Bjorn Runstrom, Simon Elliot, Ian Pearce, Philippe Christanval (all released)

Departing: Danny Murphy, Steven Davis (Rangers), Chris Baird (Southampton), Brian McBride (Columbus Crew or Chicago Fire), Anti Niemi (Fulham), Seol Ki-Hyeon (Wolfsburg), Hameur Bouazza (Osasuna, Espanyol or Wigan)

Hull City

In:

Possible: Frazier Campbell (Manchester United), Ryan Taylor (Wigan), Craig Fagan (Derby), Ivan Campo (free agent), David Nugent (Portsmouth), Bernard Mendy (PSG), Anti Niemi (Fulham), Magnus Troest (FC Midtjylland)

Out:

Departing:

Liverpool

In: Phillip Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Andrea Dossena (Udinese) Sammy lee

Possible: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Rafinha (Schalke), Ricardo Queresma ( FC Porto), Albert Riera (Espanyol), Michael Johnson (Manchester City), Steve Harper (Newcastle), Ulrich Rame (Bordeaux), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Liam Fontaine (Bristol City), Marcus Johansson (Hagahojden), Alastair Mackintosh (Manchester City), James Milner (Newcastle), Sulley Ali Muntari (Portsmouth)

Out: Harry Kewell (released)

Departing: Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, Newcastle or Aston Villa), Jon Arne Riise (Newcastle, Aston Villa or AS Roma), Andriy Voroin (Stuttgart), Scott Carson (Aston Villa or West Brom), Jack Hobbs, Sebastian Leto (Espanyol), Xabi Alonso (Juventus), Charles Itandje (Lens, Rennes or Portsmouth), Jermaine Pennant (Blackburn), Steve Finnan (Fulham), Adam Hammill (Aberdeen or Wolverhampton), Rick Parry

Cuckoo Nest: Aaron Ramsey (Manchester United)

Manchester City

In: Mark Hughes (Blackburn)

Possible: Ronaldinho and Giovanni Dos Santos (both Barcelona), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Jo (CSKA Moscow), Jean Makoun (Lille), Pablo Zabaleta (Espanyol), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo La Coruna), Hidetoshi Nakata (Out of Retirement), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), David Bentley (Blackburn)

Out: Sven Goran Erikkson (Mexico)

Departing: Georgios Samaras (Celtic, Werder Bremen or Fenerbahce), Paul Dickov, Richard Dunne (Sunderland, Tottenham, Portsmouth or West Ham), Micah Richards (Manchester United), Joe Hart (Tottenham or Aston Villa), Andreas Isaksson (Galatastaray), Rolando Bianchi (Monaco or Wolfsburg), Javier Garrido, Kasper Schmichael (Coventry), Valeri Bojinov, Sun Jihai, Geovanni, Stephen Ireland (Sunderland or Celtic), Michael Johnson (Liverpool or Everton), Ched Evans (Cardiff), Emile Mpenza (Bolton), Alastair Mackintosh (Liverpool)

Cuckoo Nest: Giovanni Dos Santos (Tottenham)

Manchester United

In: Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff)

Possible: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Dimitar Berbartov (Tottenham), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Daniel Alves (Sevilla), Wilson Palacios, Luis Antonio Valencia (Wigan), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon),Karim Benzema (Lyon), Klaus-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Out: Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

Departing: Louis Saha (Everton), Mikael Silvestre (Bordeaux), Johnny Evans (Sunderland), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Patrice Evra, Tom Heaton (Cardiff), Frazier Campbell (Hull), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff), Manucho Goncalves (Deportivo La Coruna)

Cuckoo Nest: Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)

Middlesbrough

In:

Possible: Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen), Anthony Annan (IF Start), Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon), Ben Watson (Crystal Palace), James Milner (Newcastle), James Beattie (Sheffield United), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Sean Davis (Portsmouth), Nicky Maynard (Crewe Alexandria), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out: Fabio Rochemback, Gaizka Mendieta, Lee Dong-Gook (All Released), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Jason Kennedy (Darlington)

Departing: Gary O’Neil, Chris Riggott (Stoke), George Boateng (Celtic or Rangers), Adam Johnson (Rangers, QPR and Tottenham), Stewart Downing (Liverpool)

Newcastle United

In:

Possible: Johnny Evans (Manchester United), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Ardan Turan (Galatastaray), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Stephane Sessegnon (Le Mans), Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Armara Diane (PSG), Achilles Emana (Toulouse), Carlos Cuellar (Rangers), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo La Coruna), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Kieran Westwood, Gary Madine (Carlisle), Dean Ashton (West Ham), Pablo Aimar (Real Zaragoza), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona), Didier Digard (PSG), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out: Peter Ramage (QPR), Emre (Fenerbahce), Joey Barton (Jailed)

Departing: Michael Owen (Manchester United), Obafemi Martins (Arsenal), Steve Harper (Liverpool), Shola Ameobi (Toronto), Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan), James Milner (Middlesbrough, Aston Villa or Liverpool), Steven Taylor (West Ham, Everton, Portsmouth or Aston Villa), Damien Duff (Sunderland), Jose Enrique (Valencia)

Cuckoo Nest: Luka Modric (Tottenham)

Portsmouth

In:

Possible: Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham), Gael N’Lundulu (PSG), Harry Kewell (Liverpool), John Mensah (Rennes), Emile Heskey (Wigan), Luisao (Benfica), Khaleem Hyland, Sidney Govou (Lyon), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), James McFadden (Birmingham), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Ben Sahar (Chelsea), Marcelo Mattos (Panathinaikos), Zoltan Gera (West Brom), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out:

Departing: David Nugent (Hull), Niko Kranjcar (Arsenal), Sol Campbell (Villarreal), Sean Davis (Middlesbrough), Lassana Diarra (Tottenham)

Stoke City

In:

Possible: Abeslam Quaddou (Valenciennes), Jay Bothroyd (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa) Guiranne N’Daw (Sochaux), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton), Lee McCulloch (Rangers), Daniel Cousin (Rangers), Anthony Gardner (Tottenham), Marton Fulop (Sunderland), Magnus Troest (FC Midtjylland), Jon Walters (Ipswich)

Out: Russell Hoult, Dominic Matteo, Marlon Broomes, Robert Garrett (Released)

Departing: Steve Simonson

Sunderland

In:

Possible: Johnny Evans (Manchester United), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Kevin Doyle, Stephan Hunt (Reading), Richard Dunne, Stephen Ireland (both Manchester City), Michael Tonge (Sheffield United), Damien Duff (Newcastle), Shaun Maloney (Aston Villa), Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), James McFadden (Birmingham), Paul Scharner (Wigan)

Out: Andy Cole (Retired), Stanislav Varga, Ian Harte, Stephen Wright (released)

Departing: Graham Kavanagh (Sheffield Wednesday), Michael Chopra (Cardiff), Ross Wallace, Liam Miller, Roy Keane (Chelsea), Marton Fulop (Stoke or PSV), Roy O'Donovan (Dundee United)

Tottenham Hotspur

In: Luka Modric (Dynamo Zagreb), Giovanni Dos Santos (Barcelona)

Possible: Albert Riera and Carlos Kameni (both Espanyol), Diego Milito (Real Zaragoza), Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nicolas Anelka (both Chelsea), Diego Capel (Sevilla), John Bostock (Crystal Palace), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica), Gregory Coupet (Lyon), Heurelho Gomes (PSV), Giovanni Dos Santos, Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough), David Bentley (Blackburn), Hugo Campagnaro (Sampdoria), Goran Pandev (Lazio), Ruben De la Red (Real Madrid), Alan Mcgregor (Rangers), David Villa (Valencia), Sergio Garcia (Real Zaragoza), Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth)

Out: Radek Cerny (QPR)

Departing: Dimitar Berbartov (Chelsea or Barcelona), Younes Kaboul (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Middlesbrough), Lee Young Pyo (PSV), Danny Murphy (Fulham), Hossam Ghaly (Blackburn, Derby or Feyenoord), Aaron Lennon (Blackburn), Anthony Gardner (QPR, Stoke or Rangers), Chris Gunter (Wolverhampton), Michael Dawson (Bolton, Newcastle or Aston Villa)

Cuckoo Nest: Jaime Moreno (Shaktar)

West Bromich Albion

In: Roman Bednar (Hearts), Kim Do-Heon (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma), Luke Moore (Aston Villa)

Possible: Radoslaw Majewski (Groclin), Marc Antoine-Fortune (Nancy), Ibrahim Sonko (Reading), Kevin McDonald (Dundee), Scott Carson (Liverpool), Graham Dorrans (Motherwell), Kevin Thompson (Rangers)

Out: Curtis Davies (Aston Villa), Kevin Phillips (Leeds, Stoke or QPR)

Departing: Zoltan Gera (Benfica, Bolton, Celtic or Portsmouth), Jonathon Greening (Rangers), Kevin Phillips (Leeds, Stoke or QPR)

West Ham United

In:

Possible: Nicky Shorey (Reading), Steven Carr (Newcastle), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Andy Johnson (Everton), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton), Giles Barnes (Derby), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona)

Out:

Departing: Anton Ferdinand (Tottenham), Dean Ashton (Tottenham or Newcastle), Bobby Zamora (QPR)

Cuckoo Nest: Davide Lanzafame (Palermo)

Wigan Athletic

In:

Possible: Hassan Yebda (Le Mans), Socratis Papastathopoulos (AEK Athens), Charles N’Zogbia (Newcastle), Olivier Kapo (Birmingham), Ross McCormack (Motherwell), Amr Zaki (Zamalek), Carlo Costly (GKS Beltchatow), Hameur Bouazza (Fulham), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out: Salomon Olembe (Kayserispor), Josip Skoko (Released) Julius Aghahowa (Kayserispor)

Departing: Ryan Taylor (Hull), Henri Camera (Marseille), Wilson Palacios, Luis Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Paul Scharner (Fulham or Sunderland)

Atletico Madrid are looking at signing Barcelona’s Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, so the defensive player can join compatriot Javier Aguire and fellow defensive recruitments Johny Heitinga and Thomas Ujfalusi. (Sky Sports News)

The Spanish club have also abandoned plans to sign a host of players, such as Porto’s Lucho Gonzalez, Hamburg’s Rafael Van Der Vaart, Werder Bremen’s Diego and Juventus’ Thiago. This is because the players’ signings would disrupt the wage structure at the Vicente Calderon. (Sky Sports News)

Bristol City have had a bid for Nottingham Forrest striker Nathan Tyson turned down. The offer was believed to be around three quarters of a million. The former Reading player has one year remaining on his current deal, but he has been offered a two-year extension. Forest have also completed the signing of Wales striker Robert Earnshaw from Derby County for two and a half million. (Sky Sports News)

Tottenham are set to sign Crystal Palace’s 16-year-old first team player John Bostock subject to a tribunal agreeing a fee for the England youth International. (The Times)

Finland striker Mikael Forssell has left Birmingham and signed for German Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on a free transfer. (The Times)

Wolves and old firm duo Rangers and Celtic are battling it out for the four million pound signing of Burnley’s Northern Ireland International Kyle Lafferty after the player announced his intention to leave Turf Moor this summer.  

Derby County have completed a double raid on championship rivals Watford, by signing striker Nathan Ellington for one million and full back Jordan Stewart on a free transfer. (Sky Sports News)

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will get a four million pound pay raise to his current contract to stop interest in the Spain International from Chelsea. (The Sun)

Everton will bid eight million for Manchester City’s England International Michael Johnson this summer. (The Sun)

Wolsburg and Monaco are keen to take Manchester City’s Italian striker Rolando Bianchi away from Eastlands this summer. (The Sun)

Another striker on the brink of leaving Eastlands is Belgium International Emile Mpenza, who is being chased by Bolton, Leicester, Reading and Ipswich. (The Sun)

West Ham could be on the verge of signing Reading’s England left back Nicky Shorey, after five million was quoted by the royals. (The Times)

Sunderland hope to pip rivals Portsmouth and Aston Villa to the signing of Reading’s Ireland winger Stephen Hunt for five million pounds.  This is despite fact that the former Brentford is currently on his honeymoon, and negotiations not expected to be completed until mid-June. (The Times)

West Ham are willing to listen to offers of around five million for centre half Anton Ferdinand. Tottenham are rumoured to be readying a bid. (Daily Mirror)

Crystal Palace will make a third bid for Sheffield United striker Danny Webber, after having two bids for the former Manchester United and Watford striker turned down in January. (Daily Mirror)

Former Scotland cap Kevin Kyle could be set to sign for Southend United to try to resurrect his fledging career. (Daily Mirror)

The old firm are both interested in Middlesbrough’s captain and Dutch International George Boateng. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa and Tottenham will go head to head with eight million pound bids for Manchester City’s England keeper Joe Hart. (Daily Star)

Juventus have signed Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo for around 18 million, with Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino going the other way. (The Guardian)

Wigan will sign Zamalek attacking midfielder Amr Zaki on loan if the Egyptian club can find a replacement. (The Guardian)

Southampton will try and resign Chris Baird from Fulham. The Northern Ireland right back would be available for a knock down price. (The Guardian)

Barcelona may seek out Inter Milan with a trade; The Catalans want to exchange their player Samuel Eto’o for Inter striker Zlatan Ibramovich in a straight swap. (Various)

Although apparently Barcelona are lining up a move for Thierry Henry’s International strike partner David Trezequet from Juventus. (L’Equipe)

Rangers want to sign Juventus’ Italian winger Raffaele Palladino for five million. (Daily Star)

Manchester United will allow reserve keeper Tom Heaton to join Cardiff City on loan in the hope of stealing a march on their rivals in the race to sign teenage prospect Aaron Ramsey. (Daily Mail)

Espanyol have turned down a 9.5 million pound bid from Liverpool for their former Manchester City and Spain winger Albert Riera. (Various)

Werder Bremen, Villarreal, Valencia and Bayern Munich are all interested in signing out-of-favour Peru striker Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea. (Bild)

Tottenham could sign both Giovanni Dos Santos and Richard Dunne in a 17 million pound deal, five million for Dunne and 12 million pounds for Dos Santos. (Various)

• Brazilian defender Edmilson has left Barcelona and joined Villarreal on a free transfer; the player turned down advances from Newcastle to say in Spain.

• Wolverhampton Wanderers have signed Bournemouth’s teenage striker Sam Vokes for an undisclosed fee.

• Leeds United have signed Wales international Andy Robinson from Swansea City on a free transfer. The Swans have signed Stockport County defender Ashley Williams for a club record fee of 400,000 pounds.

• Celtic’s Japanese winger Shunsuke Nakamara has denied he is about to leave Parkhead for the J league to sign for Yokohama Marinos. (Kyoda News)

• World cup-winning fullback Gianluca Zambrotta could to set to finalise his switch from Barcelona to AC Milan, if the Catalan’s valuation of 7 million euro is met by the San Siro club. (tribalfootball.com)

• Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested in signing Deportivo La Coruna’s Argentinian defender Fabricio Coloccini. The former AC Milan player had a move to River Plate fall through last summer. (Marca)

• Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers, and Aston Villa are all fighting it out for Tottenham’s English goalkeeper Paul Robinson in a 5 million pound deal. (Daily Star)

• Fulham have signed Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer on a free transfer. The Australian international turned down moves from European giants Bayern Munich and Juventus. (Sky Sports News)

• Everton are the latest club to be interested in Birmingham City keeper Maik Taylor. The toffees want the former Farnborough man to be a reliable backup to first choice, Tim Howard. (The Times)

• Chelsea will beat Manchester City to the signature of Barcelona’s Mexico International whiz kid Giovanni Dos Santos, by offering Florent Malouda in exchange. (Daily telegraph)

• Manchester City will use the sale of Ireland internationals Richard Dunne and Stephen Ireland to fund a move for Zenit St. Petersburg captain Andrei Arshavin. Roy Keane’s Sunderland are interested in the pair as well as Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

• Chelsea are prepared to sell Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba after the forwards petulant display in the Champions League Final. (Daily mail)

• Cardiff City are set to release veteran strikers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank and Robbie Fowler in the summer. (Daily Telegraph)

• Manchester City are also on the verge of signing CSKA Moscow’s Brazilian striker Jo, despite reported interest from Everton. (Daily Mail)

• Liverpool have upped their bid for Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry by 2 million to 12 million pounds. (The Sun)

• Tottenham have reportively made a 2.5 million pound bid for Lyon’s France keeper Gregory Coupet. (The Sun)

• Derby County have signed Nottingham Forrest winger Kris Commons on a free transfer from the City Ground.

• It’s reported that Real Madrid will use Robinho as a make-weight in a 64 million pound move for Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. (Daily Mail)

• Mark Hudson is set to leave Crystal Palace and sign for former boss Iain Dowie at QPR, after the former Fulham player turned down a new contract. (Sky Sports News)

• Newly Promoted Premier league side Stoke City are interested in Senegalese midfielder Guirane N'Daw. The player currently plays for Sochaux in France. (Sky Sports News)

• Celtic is interested in Croatian International Ognjen Vukojevic. The Hoops are preparing a four million pound bid for the Dinamo Zagreb player. (Sky Sports News)

• Gretna keeper Craig Fleming is set to snub Crewe Alexandria and sign for Oldham Athletic instead. (Sky Sports News)

• Aston Villa will come back in for Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan, after the Villains were priced out of a move for England captain Scott Carson. (The Sun)

• Lewes manager Steven King was sacked after getting the team promoted to the Blue Square Premier. (The Guardian)  

• Tottenham has registered an interest in Valencia striker David Villa and Real Zaragoza Striker Diego Milito, although moves for the players depend on whether the club sells Dimitar Berbartov. (The Guardian)

• Barcelona wants Sevilla players Seydou Keita, Christian Poulsen and Daniel Alves for next season, and are prepared to spend big to get them. (ATP)

• Thierry Henry may be ready to leave Barcelona for the MLS and sign for the Seattle Sounders. The Frenchman would be entitled to a $5.2 million per year salary. (Various)

• Newcastle is close to signing Turkish winger Arda Turan from Galasteray, right under the nose of arch-rival Middlesbrough. But any deal for the winger could result in the departure of Damien Duff from St. James’ Park. (Sunday Star)

• Arsene Wenger is keen on replacing Mathieu Flamini with any of his fellow countrymen; high on the list are Marseille’s Samir Nasri, Lille’s Jean Makoun and St. Etienne right-back Mahamadou Dabo. (Sunday Telegraph)

• Liverpool’s John Arne Riise will snub a move to Newcastle for Champions League football with Schalke 04 next season. (News of the World)

• Everton are tempted to bid 11 million pounds for Spanish winger Joaquin Sanchez, after news of Valencia’s financial problems hit the continent. (News of the World)

• Tottenham will declare their interest in West Ham striker Dean Ashton or Newcastle Striker Michael Owen if their bid for Barcelona’s Cameroon International Samuel Eto’o fails. (The People and the News of the World)

• Spurs boss Juande Ramos is close to tying up an eight million pound deal for one of his former charges at Sevilla, defender Adriano Correira. (News of the World)

• Liverpool will turn to Middlesbrough’s English winger Stewart Downing, if Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry doesn’t sign. While the reds are also preparing the finishing touches to a combined thirteen million pound deal for Espanyol winger Albert Riera and Udinese full-back Andrea Dossena. (The Liverpool Echo)

• Celtic, Portsmouth, and Sunderland are all interested in signing Birmingham’s Scottish striker James McFadden, despite his insistence that he’ll stay at St. Andrews and help with promotion back to the Premier League. (Sunday Express)

• Aston Villa are back in the hunt for Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte, after a 4.5 million pound bid was rejected by the full-back last summer. The Villains are also keen on wrapping up a seven million pound deal for Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell. (News of the World)

• Roy Keane will try and take advantage of the unrest at the City of Manchester Stadium with an eight million pound bid for Ireland native Steven Ireland. (News of the World)

• Chelsea has already had enough of former Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka and are prepared to cut their losses with the Frenchman this summer. Anelka just signed with the Reebok in January for 15 million. (Sunday Mirror)

• Inter Milan Coach Roberto Mancini is desperate to become the new Chelsea manager this summer. (Various)

• Manchester City could perform a U-turn and ask Sven Goran Erikkson to stay at Eastlands. But the former England manager has already started talking to Benfica and Mexico about their managerial vacancies. (Sunday Express)

Coventry City, Norwich City and Leicester City are all interested in signing Luton Town midfielder David Bell. The versatile midfielder spent the end of last season on loan at Leicester City.

(Sky Sports News)

Coventry are also on the verge of signing Hibernian’s French midfielder Guillaume Beuzelin on a free transfer. (Sky Sports News)

Crystal Palace are prepared to take Tottenham to a tribunal over their attempted signing of sixteen year old prodigy John Bostock. The eagles are looking for a bigger financial package for the England U-17s captain, than the White Heart Lane club are offering. (The Metro)

Manchester United are preparing a thirty million pound offer for Seville’s Brazilian duo Daniel Alves and Luis Fabiano (The Sun)

Stoke City are to offer recently released Aston Villa midfielder Patrick Berger a twelve month contract to stay in the premier league instead of moving back to his native Czech Republic. (The Mirror)

Steve Bruce is chasing nineteen year old Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulosfrom AEK Athens for Wigan Athletic (The Mirror)

Derby County will ask for either Jon Stead or Rob Hulse as part of any deal involving taking Robert Earnshaw to Bramall Lane (The Sheffield Star)

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has finally lost the plot and put the entire City squad up for sale. (The Guardian)

AC Milan have released BothCafu andSerginhofor the summer and both are free to move on Bosmans (Sky Sports News)

Valencia have agreed to rescind the rest of Jose Santiago Canizares’contract at the Mestalla meaning he is another high profile free agent (Sky Sports News)

If Gary O’Neilleaves Middlesbrough, then boss Gareth Southgate will turn to Newcastle winger James Milner, with a five million pound offer. (The Sun)

Sevilla and Galatasaray have been put on alert with the news that Michael Landrupwill quit Getafe this Summer (The Mirror)

Manchester City could have to start their UEFA Cup campaign at Hudderfield’s Galpharm arena after a Bon Jovi concert interrupted plans for the pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium to be relayed. (The Guardian)

Marseille coach Eric Gerets admits that both Samir Nasri and Djibril Cisse could both leave if the club receive favourable offers for the pair. (BBC Sport)

Former Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong Gook has offers from five different Japanese clubs, all vying for his services  after he was released from the Riverside (Press Association)

Tottenham Hotspurs may be forced to sell Dimitar Berbartov to balance the books after Darren Bent’s lack of impact on the team and his crippling wages (The Times)

Bolton have released Andranik Teymourian, Ivan Campo and Stelios Giannakopoulos, but the whites hope that Ricardo Gardner and Jussi Jaaskelainen will sign new deals. (Sky Sports News)

Tottenham could face competition from AS Roma in the race to sign Bolivia Striker Marcelo Moreno.

Lee Carsleycould leave Everton and rejoin Birmingham City on a two year deal (The Sun)

Motherwell Striker Ross Mccormackhas put English clubs Wigan and Middlesborough on alert after admitting that he wants to move to England. (Daily Express)

AC Milan will turn there attention to Celtic’s Polish International keep Artur Boruc with a ten million pound bid. (Daily Record)

Rangers want to swap Northern Island International Steven Davis for Gabon International Daniel Cousinwith Fulham. (Daily Mail)

Derby County Striker Kenny Miller is on the verge of a return to Rangers. (Scottish Sun)

The Daily telegraph say that Samuel Eto’o no longer wants to leave Barcelona but the Sun say that AC Milan still snatch Eto’o from under Spurs’ noses.

Sunderland have joined the race for Manchester City captain Richard Dunne. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal will join Aston Villa in the race for Werder Bremen playmaker Diego if Alexsander Hleb leaves. (Daily Mail)

Preston North end are interested in Gretna keeper Greg Fleming (Daily Record)

Nervous nail biting, constant checking of the cell phone for the latest updates around the league, and hundreds of questions waiting to be answered: it's all a part of the process when entering the final day of what many refer to as the best league in the world.

And for Ryan Giggs, the scene couldn't have been more perfect when he came on as a substitute for his 758th appearance in the United shirt, a record that ties him with Sir Bobby Charlton, to record the game clinching goal that sent a travelling mob of United supporters into delirious celebration as they watched their side clinch their 17th domestic league title.

Cristiano Ronaldo added to his tremendous goal total of 31 on the season with another successfully converted spot-kick in the 33rd minute when he sent Latics goalkeeper Chris Kirkland diving the wrong way.

Sprinkled in with the Wigan fans across the JJB Stadium, the day wasn't filled with the type of comfort that you would have expected from a team destined to lock up another title. Andriy Shevchenko stuffed the ball into the back of the net in the 62nd minute to give the London club some hope of clinching a Premier League title of their own.

However, it was not to be for Chelsea, as Manchester United already held the tie-breaker based on goal difference heading into the final day of the season. Needing a United slip-up and a Chelsea win, the Blues' supporters at Stamford Bridge fell to complete silence, almost in complete resignation that Chelsea would still be without a trophy in the 2007/2008 season.

With a Chelsea side already dejected, Bolton's Matt Taylor equalized through a weak shot between the legs of goalkeeper Petr Cech in injury time to leave Avram Grant's men two point behind United.

Chelsea's problems could stem even further after John Terry had to be withdrawn from the match after he was involved in a collision earlier in the game with Petr Cech. The Blues' skipper is rumored to have a partial dislocation of the shoulder, but could still be making an appearance in Moscow for Chelsea's Champions League final clash with their English rivals Manchester United.

In the battle for fifth place and the final UEFA Cup spot, Everton clinched a 3-1 win over Newcastle at Goodison Park to finish five points ahead of Aston Villa, who drew 2-2 against West Ham.

Yakubu rediscovered his mid-season form as he ensured that David Moyes' men would be in Europe for next season. Moyes' record signing of £11.5 million from Middlesbrough has paid dividends as his 21 goals on the year have made him the first Everton player since Peter Beardsley to top 20 goals on the season—a feat that hasn't been achieved for 26 years.

Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry appeared to have fired in what should have been a sure game-winning goal until Dean Ashton destroyed Martin O'Neill's hopes of participating in European football for next season.

The season ends with a disappointing 2-2 result away from home, considering that Villa had a realistic chance of leapfrogging Everton to 5th place. Regardless of the match itself, Villa's efforts would have proven to be meaningless as Everton had already secured victory against Newcastle. 

In what should prove to be Sven Goran Eriksson's last match in charge of Manchester City, the Blues of Manchester were spanked in humiliating fashion as their 10-man side fell to Middlesbrough 8-1.

Although City are most likely to be awarded a UEFA Cup spot via the Fair Play League, Eriksson's future as manager looks even gloomier after such a result.

Led by a hat-trick from record signing Afonso Alves and two goals tallied in by Stuart Downing, Boro finished out their season on a high-note as they look to build towards gaining mid-table status for next season. 

At the bottom half of the table, Fulham's Danny Murphy converted the goal of the season for his side when he headed in a Jimmy Bullard free-kick in the 76th minute to lift his side towards retaining their Premier League status.

Despite next week's crucial FA Cup final match against Cardiff, Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp still elected to field a full strength squad—only to no avail as the travelling Fulham supporters at Fratton Park were signing in jubilation.

Danny Murphy's critical goal spelled the end for Reading and Birmingham as they get set to join Derby County back down to the second tier of English football.

In spite of the fact that Steve Coppell's men hit four past Derby goalkeeper Roy Carroll, Reading was left to rue the questionable goals given up earlier in the season as they were eliminated based on goal difference with Fulham. Defensive lapses and questionable performances at the back have proven costly to Reading as they look to regroup for another run back with the Premier League big-boys. 

Over at St. Andrews, fans were turning on co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan after their side failed to stay up despite a convincing 4-1 victory over Blackburn. 

Cameron Jerome's double proved to be pointless as Alex McLeish was forced to suffer another injustice as he joins Steve Coppell and Paul Jewell in their quest to bounce back to the Premier League. 

Uncertainty with Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung's proposed takeover with Birmingham City could ultimately be looked as a key reason behind Birmingham's overall failure.

With Steve Bruce leaving due to constant instability regarding his status as Birmingham's manager, the points lost during that time have Birmingham fans ruing their status as England's "yo-yo" club.

Birmingham vs. Blackburn

It all comes down to the wire for relegation threatened Birmingham, but with Blackburn still within a shout for a place in Europe next season, Alex McCleish won’t be expecting an easy game. A win may not even be enough for the Blues if Fulham or Reading pick up three points in their final league matches. I wouldn’t be shocked if Blackburn condemns Birmingham to the drop. Birmingham 1 Blackburn 2.

Chelsea vs. Bolton

It’s do or die for Chelsea but the Blues know that even a win may not be enough to grant them the chance to lift the Premier League crown. Nonetheless, a win and any slip-up by United will see Chelsea crowned champions. Only a dramatic twist of fate will see Bolton lose their Premiership status so consequently I don’t fancy Gary Megson’s side will be putting up much of a fight against Avram Grant’s title chasers. Chelsea’s home record speaks for itself and I don’t see them stumbling at home. Chelsea 3 Bolton 0.

Derby vs. Reading

Derby has long been relegated but Reading know a win could secure safety, depending on Fulham’s result. Steve Coppell’s side has struggled recently but I anticipate them snatching the win at Pride Park. But the question is, will it be good enough? Reading 1 Derby 0.

Everton vs. Newcastle

Everton has already secured a place in the UEFA Cup for next season and Newcastle aren’t playing for anything more than pride so there isn’t much riding on this fixture. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this game ended in a draw. Everton 2 Newcastle 2.

Middlesbrough vs. Man City

It’s been a roller coaster season for Gareth Southgate but he will certainly be the more relaxed of the two managers on Sunday. Sven Erickson’s future at Eastlands is looking rather bleak and the Swede is being linked with the vacancy at Benfica. Expect Erickson to conclude his short era at City with a win. Middlesbrough 0 Man City 2.

Portsmouth vs. Fulham

 Portsmouth’s players will have the FA Cup final on their minds but Harry Redknapp knows a place in Europe is still up for grabs. Fulham meanwhile will have their eyes fixed firmly on securing a place in England’s top flight next season. Roy Hodgson’s side looked dead and buried but have produced an improbable comeback in recent weeks. They’ve come too far to throw it away now. Portsmouth 0 Fulham 1.

Sunderland vs. Arsenal

The Gunners have already secured third place while Sunderland could jump as high as 13th place by winning at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. But the Gunners will be hoping to send out a message to the rest of the big four next season with a persuasive win against Roy Kean’s side. Sunderland 0 Arsenal 3.

Tottenham vs. Liverpool

Very little is riding on this fixture but it won’t change the fact both sides will be hoping to finish the season on a high. Nothing could separate the sides in their previous meeting this season and I’m envisaging another draw. Tottenham 2 Liverpool 2.

West Ham vs. Aston Villa

 Aston Villa will be anxious to secure a place in the UEFA Cup final next season and a win over the Hammers could even see them rise to 5th place. A loss on the other hand, could see them slip as far 8th. But I can’t see Martin O’Neil’s side succumbing to defeat at Upton Park in the final game of the season. West Ham 1 Aston Villa 2.

Wigan vs. Man United

Manchester United is 90 minutes away from retaining their title and I imagine Sir Alex Ferguson will do whatever it takes to make sure his side secure the title by winning against the Lactics. But it will be far from easy for the Red Devils against former United captain Steve Bruce. United may even be in for one of their toughest games of the season, but in the end I think they will prevail and clinch their tenth Premier League crown. Wigan 1 Man United 2.

No matter if my predictions come true this weekend or not, the only thing for certain is that it will be an absolutely thrilling finale to what has already been a fantastic season.

But until then there’s plenty of time for you to give your own predictions below.