LATEST FOOTBALL GISTS Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal wants to sign Porto centre-back Bruno Martins Indi for £10m in January to bolster his flagging defence. Arsenal and Costa Rica striker Joel Campbell is furious with Arsene Wenger for leaving him out in the cold since his return to the Emirates. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has accused referee Daniele Orsato of robbing his side from a “deserved victory” following their 1-1 away draw against Maribor in the Champions League last night. Leicester centre-back Liam Moore has insisted the England U21s will not be Euro flops with Gareth Southgate in charge. Aston Villa and Spurs have been charged by the FA over the bust-up which saw Christian Benteke sent off on Sunday. Manchester United officials will be in Rome this weekend to scout £30m-rated Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman’s comeback from knee injury. The Serie A club have said they will not sell the 24-year- old for less than £100m. MLS side Toronto have told QPR they want £10m for former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe. Barcelona ace Luis Suarez has said he cannot believe former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard can continue to play after his slip against Chelsea last season – which led to a Chelsea Demba Ba goal and crushed Liverpool’s title hopes. West Ham may lose starlet Reece Oxford in the summer after professional contract talks reached stalemate – with several top clubs ready to sign the 16-year-old. Crystal Palace outcast Barry Bannan wants to go out on loan – with Bolton and Forest interested in the 24-year-old. Gerard Pique was left out of the starting line-up for the second successive game amid reports that Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have submitted offers for the Barcelona defender. Nottingham Forest owner Fawz Al Hasawl hinted at discontent with manager Stuart Pearce in the programme for yesterday’s 1-3 defeat to Brentford after Forest’s winless run of nine games – which became 10 at the final whistle. UEFA president Michel Platini and FA chairman Greg Dyke have joked about the ongoing ‘Watchgate’ scandal on a train to St George’s Park. Watches were given as gifts by Brazil’s football federation to delegates but FIFA ruled they should be returned by October 24 – there is no indication how many watches were returned. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino regards the number 17 unlucky – so he has erased the number from the squad sheet and an executive box at Elland Road. Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has told teammates to raise their game after the Gunners lost a 0-3 lead to draw 3-3 with Anderlecht in the Champions League on Tuesday. UEFA are prepared to move the Champions League semi-finals and final to June in 2022 to accommodate a winter World Cup in Qatar. Real Sociedad have confirmed they are in talks with former Manchester United boss David Moyes regarding the vacant manager position at the La Liga club. Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has been fined £9,000 for his comments about referee Craig Pawson following the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on October 18. Celtic will appeal to the Scottish FA over Aleksander Tonev’s seven-match ban for using racist language. Rio Ferdinand has said he no longer wants to be involved in any FA initiatives after the FA served him a three-match ban, £25,000 fine and educational programme for using a slang word for ‘promiscuous female’ on Twitter. Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has confessed his side are suffering from a crisis of confidence in the Champions League following their shock home 1-2 defeat to CSKA last night. West Brom striker Saido Berahino is hopeful of getting an England call-up when Roy Hodgson announces his squad today for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia on November 15 and a friendly with Scotland four days later. Manchester United striker Robin van Persie’s first- team place is under increasing pressure from 18- year-old James Wilson – who could replace the Dutchman in the starting line-up against Crystal Palace on Saturday. West Ham target man Andy Carroll could make his long-awaited comeback from injury against Aston Villa on Saturday. Everton defender Antolin Alcaraz could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Louis van Gaal is not planning to strengthen his Manchester United squad in January unless a key target becomes available, with the manager focusing instead on next summer. Liverpools principal owner, John W Henry, has travelled to Dubai for meetings that could open up sponsorship or naming rights deals between the Anfield club and businesses in the Middle East. Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman could return to action for Roma reserves at the weekend, alerting long-term suitors Manchester United anew.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:25:52 +0000
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