Wednesday's Footy Gossip

[Biff]

TRANSFER GOSSIP

West Ham's new owners could try to lure Fulham striker Bobby Zamora back to Upton Park, 18 months after he left the club.
Full story: Daily Mirror

And Tottenham full-back Alan Hutton could also be on his way to West Ham, with Bordeaux's Mathieu Chalme his replacement in the Spurs defence.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Portsmouth defender Younes Kaboul could be in line for a return to Tottenham as Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate's injury troubles continue.
Full story: The Guardian

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will move for Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy - but only if he can offload misfit Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Chelsea could be forced to go back on their "no transfer window signings" pledge if midfielder Michael Essien's knee injury rules him out for an extended period of time.
Full story: The Independent

Manchester United and Chelsea are battling it out to sign 18-year-old Spanish attacking midfielder Sergio Canales, who can leave Racing Santander in the summer when his contract runs out.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Blackburn want to take Uruguay international midfielder Sebastian Eguren on loan from Spanish club Villarreal, where he has fallen out of favour.
Full story: Daily Mirror

But striker Benni McCarthy could be heading out of Blackburn, with Turkish side Galatasaray keen to sign him.
Full story: Daily Mail

Galatasaray are also monitoring Ryan Babel's situation at Liverpool after the winger fell out with manager Rafael Benitez.
Full story: The Times

Liverpool's Fernando Torres has urged Benitez to sign either of the striker's international colleagues David Villa or David Silva from Valencia to partner him in attack.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Midfielder Mathieu Flamini could become yet another ex-Arsenal player to join Manchester City - on loan from AC Milan.
Full story: Daily Mirror

AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar could also be heading to England in a bid to get regular first-team football ahead of the World Cup, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham likely to be interested.
Full story: Daily Mail

Fulham and Hull are weighing up former Tottenham striker Mido, who is still officially a Middlesbrough player but is on loan at Zamalek where he has been since last summer.
Full story: Daily Mail

Stoke boss Tony Pulis has tabled a £4m bid for Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O'Neil.
Full story: Daily Mail

Middlesbrough may use some of that cash to sign striker Leon Best from Coventry.
Full story: Daily Mail

Bristol City are close to signing Barnsley winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Full story: Daily Mirror


OTHER GOSSIP

West Ham technical director Gianluca Nani will be sacked on Wednesday, only 24 hours after David Sullivan and David Gold took over the club. (Daily Star)

Football Association director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking has warned England does not have enough depth of young talent and he does not know where the next Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard will come from.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Newcastle midfielder Alan Smith has called on owner Mike Ashley to splash the cash this month to bolster the club's promotion bid.
Full story: Daily Star

Brazil legend Pele has tipped Spain to win this year's World Cup, saying they are the best team in the world at the moment, and he predicts that Argentina will struggle.
Full story: Daily Mail

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill says the current crop of players at the club is the best for 20 years.
Full story: The Times


AND FINALLY

Arsenal new boy Samuel Galindo has been caught up in an elaborate spoof, when a Bolivian TV station claimed it had a copy of his passport stating he was 20 years old and not 17 as was said when the midfielder joined the Gunners. (Daily Mirror)

[Wazza]

Brazil legend Pele has tipped Spain to win this year's World Cup, saying they are the best team in the world at the moment, and he predicts that Argentina will struggle.

Some more Pele predictions.

10) China 2002

Pele Prediction: China will qualify for the next round from their 2002 World Cup group.

Outcome: China finish bottom of Group C with no wins, no draws, no points, no goals, as well as -9 in their goal-difference column.

9) Spain 1998

Pele Prediction: Spain are favourites for the 1998 World Cup in France.

Outcome: Spain humiliatingly dumped out in the first round after losing to Nigeria, and drawing with Paraguay.

Colombia To Live American Dream

Pele Prediction: Colombia will win the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Outcome: Colombia exit the competition in the first round, finishing bottom of their group. Their defender Andres Escobar is also tragically shot dead by an angry fan after Colombia return home.

7) Argentina, France & World Cup 2002

Pele Prediction: Argentina & France will both reach the final.

Outcome: Both countries eliminated in the first round, France without even scoring a goal.

6) Escape To Victory

Pele Prediction: During the famous film starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine, Allies star Pele is brutally fouled in the first half by the Nazi opponents. The injured Brazilian claims there is no way he can continue and is carried off. The Allies are 4-0 down, and a recovery is deemed impossible.

Outcome: Pele returns in the second half and inspires his team to an improbable comeback, even scoring a stunning bicycle kick. Even in fiction, Pele's predictions go wrong.

5) Ronaldo Is Finished

Pele Prediction: Ronaldo will never play football again, and his career is over, following a serious injury for Milan in February 2008.

Outcome: Ronaldo returns in March 2009 for Corinthians, scoring 10 goals in his first 14 games to win the Campeonato Paulista. Rumoured to be on the verge of a national team recall.

4) Nii Lamptey – ‘The New Pele’

Pele Prediction: After starring in the 1991 Under-17 World Cup, which also featured Alessandro Del Piero, Pele proclaims Ghana youngster Lamptey as his successor, ‘The New Pele’.

Outcome: What happens next goes down in football infamy. Lamptey spectacularly fails to fulfil his talent, believing himself that he was cursed by dark forces. The midfielder shifts around clubs such as PSV, Aston Villa, Coventry, Venezia and Ankaragucu, without success, and endures tragedy in his personal life, as two of his children die.

3) Nicky Barmby - Up There With Zidane, Maldini & Ronaldo

Pele Prediction: Nicky Barmby will become a world class star.

Outcome: Nicky Barmby becomes nothing more than an average player, winning 23 England caps, and never even appearing in a World Cup.

2) Africa Will Rule

Pele Prediction: An African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000.

Outcome: It is now 2009, and an African country has still yet to get past the quarter-final.

1) Brazil & World Cup 2002

Pele Prediction: Brazil won’t even get past the group stages.

Outcome: Brazil win the World Cup.

[Galea]

im glad he didnt say england will win it then lol

[Rossi]

I'm sure I heard Pele say we would finish anywhere between 2nd and 20th next season.

[Biff]

I'm sure Pele will say we can win it. He usually goes on tour before World Cups and tips the country he is visiting at the time.

[Galea]

by the looks of it, he must just pull a name out of a hat.
imo spain is a good bet atm but you never know what could happen in the world cup.