I NEED TO WIN A TROPHY SOON ,SAYS DAVID MOYES

As Manchester United prepare to launch their assault on both domestic cups, David Moyes admits he desperately needs to
win a trophy.

Sir Alex Ferguson said that a season at Manchester United was not a success unless it contained silverware. Realistically, 11 points adrift of the leaders Arsenal, the Premier League will not be retained. This afternoon United
begin their quest for their 12th FA cup at home to Swansea while on Tuesday they face Sunderland in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final.

"My record in the FA Cup is not too bad," said Moyes. "But it's not enough. I need a trophy. With Everton, I lost to Chelsea in the final and Liverpool in the semis. I
would like that record to be better."
In the last half century, United have only twice been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round at home – Tottenham in 1980 and Leeds in 2010. Today Swansea
will be encouraged by the absence of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. The Dutchman is a long-term absentee but Rooney, who is suffering from a strained abductor muscle, may be back for Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final
against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the middle of what Moyes referred to as "another Christmas period" that sees
them play three times in six days.

Moyes admitted to trying to sign the veteran Roma midfielder, Daniele de Rossi.
"We certainly did think about bringing De Rossi in during the summer,"
he said.

LEWANDOWSKY AGREES 5-YEAR DEAL WITH BAYERN MUNICH

Robert Lewandowski has agreed
to terms on a 5-year deal to join
European champions Bayern
Munich » es.pn/1lGTMgk

FA CUP: DANN EARNS ROVERS REPLAY AGAINST CITY

Scott Dann's second-half equaliser earned Blackburn Rovers an FA Cup third round replay against 10-man
Manchester City as Saturday's Ewood Park encounter finished 1-1.

Rovers captain Dann earned his side a deserved draw, albeit courtesy of a mistake from Costel Pantilimon, after City had gone ahead through Alvaro Negredo
on the stroke of half-time. The Citizens made seven changes from
the team that beat Swansea last time out, but it was still a very strong line-up against a Blackburn side who had top scorer Jordan Rhodes starting on the bench.
The game struggled to entertain as a spectacle in the opening stages, with City's first real attempt coming when Fernandinho fired straight at Paul Robinson from outside the area.

On 35 minutes, David Silva managed to scoop a good chance over the bar from close range as neither goalkeeper was truly tested during the opening 45 minutes.
However, with 60 seconds of two first-half stoppage minutes gone City took the lead just when a corner from Silva was glanced
on by Edin Dzeko, and Negredo was awake at the far post to turn the ball in to give the Premier League side the lead. However, the visitors weren't in front for long as just 10 minutes into the second
half Blackburn got their equaliser, with Rudy Gestede's header from a corner going straight to Pantilimon, although the keeper inexplicably dropped the ball straight to Dann who would make no mistake to tap home from close range.

City should have re-taken the lead eight minutes later when Robinson palmed Dzeko's curling effort into the path of Negredo, but the striker could only head the rebound wide with the goal at his
mercy. Blackburn managed to cope reasonably well with everything City threw at them, though, while also causing the Premier League giants a few problems of their
own. However, the visitors were still creating opportunities and stepped things up as the game entered the closing stages.

Dzeko and Jesus Navas both tested
Robinson with fierce long-range drives, while substitute Yaya Toure blasted a volley narrowly over the bar from inside the area.
Manuel Pellegrini continued to throw men forward and Navas wasted a good chance when he dragged a shot wide of the
target, but as City continued their
barrage, gaps began to open at the back, although DJ Campbell, having come on as a substitute along with Rhodes, was unable to take advantage of a quick counter attack as he headed wide from
his fellow forward's pin-point delivery.

As the match entered a frantic ending, Boyata was sent off for a second yellow card for a completely unnecessary challenge, while Tom Cairney almost took
advantage of the numbers but could only curl a fantastic effort wide of the target.

FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS FOR 2014

Luis Suarez will get banned, Clint Dempsey will need a hand and the
team that will win the league is...
Doesn't it seem like only yesterday that Sir Alex was prowling the
technical area, furiously chewing his magic gum and pointing to his
watch as Manchester United applied a sleeper hold on the rest of the
league? How boring was that?
There was no point making predictions in January 2013because everyone
knew what would happen: United would win, City and Chelsea would fight
it out for second and Arsenal would pip Spurs for whatever passed for
a trophy at the Emirates. (Which I think might be Fergie's old chewing
gum wrappers.) Yawn.
Well, what a difference a year and one fewer puce-faced manager makes.
Everything is in play in this crazy, up-is-down, blue-is-red, Arsenal
is in first place, no, wait,Arsenal is in first place-season. From the
Prem title to Champions League places to relegation to Vincent Tan's
high-waisted pants and black gloves, it's all up for grabs as we head
into the second half.
It takes a brave man -- and many commenters often use more colorful
adjectives -- to attempt to impose order on all that chaos, but then
if Jose Mourinho can take a pay cut and proclaim a 12-year plan for
Chelsea, I can venture out on a wobbly limb and try to divine the rest
of this rollicking season. Just don't hold me to these fearless
predictions when Sir Alex has returned from retirement and United is
12 points clear in April.
Teams that haven't got a prayer
Let's just get this out of the way...
Everton
While the Toffees will finish ahead of Liverpool for the third
straight season, Roberto Martinez will continue to burnish his resume
with an overachieving and surprisingly entertaining Everton side.
Expect neither Martinez nor Romelu Lukaku to be there next season.
Liverpool
Oh how delicious Christmas dinner must have tasted for Liverpool fans,
what with the Reds being top of the league for the first time since
2008. Of course, they made history that year by becoming the last team
not to win the title from that perch and there's no reason to think
things will be any different this time around.
Although they've technically signed Luis Suarez through the next two
U.S. presidencies, expect Real Madrid to trigger the $150 million
buyout clause about 20 minutes after Liverpool is eliminated from
Champions League contention. When your best defender is Martin Skrtel,
the only thing you'll lead the league in is the number of torn
opponents' jerseys.
Manchester United
By this time last year, the Red Devils had all but engraved their name
on the EPL trophy. It was a farewell tour-de-force for the imperious
Sir Alex, who was smart enough to realize that he had bled every last
ounce of talent and mental toughness out of his players.
Andrew Yates/Getty ImagesCan David Moyes' men maintain their upward trajectory?
That same unbreachable defense now creaks with antiquity and Jonny
Evans, the midfield wouldn't look out of place wearing a Newcastle kit
and they've become overly reliant on the mood swings of Wayne Rooney
and the fitness issues of my former man crush, Robin van Persie.
Still, United are United and any other team that endured such a
harrowing start to the season would be dead and buried by now. Yet
David Moyes has his old Merseyside friends looking over their
shoulders as his new club continues to surge up the table and into a
Champions League place.
Spurs
Oh pipe down. Like that's a surprise.
Luis Suarez will be banned for 20 games
I'm not sure what derogatory jibe or cannibalistic ritual will have
the FA ripping out its single remaining hair, but it's a
Ladbrokes-worthy certainty that the Liverpool Lecter will do something
visibly epic that results in his missing a Marouane Fellaini
hair-sized chunk of the second half of the season.
Now that Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal have shown the league the road
map for shutting off the Uruguayan's supply line, his insane scoring
spree will likely slow, unless he either improves his acrobatic
swimming pool cannonballs in the penalty area or plays against Norwich
City three more times.
Jose Mourinho will guest star on "Law & Order: Special Ones Unit"
Mourinho will be found unconscious in his Istanbul hotel room, lying
next to an empty bottle of 100-proof Snark after watching Didier
Drogba's double for Galatasaray dash Chelsea's Champions League
dreams.
While there is evidence of foul play, prime suspect Juan Mata has the
perfect alibi. "Who me? I never get off the bench."
Arsene Wenger will shop 'til the silverware drops
Despite Olivier Giroud looking like a spent force in the past month,
Arsenal will purchase as many useful strikers as a disgruntled
steel-workers union.
David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesIs this the season that Arsene
Wenger and Arsenal's trophy drought ends?
Wenger will proclaim that the return from long-term injuries of Lukas
Podolski and (hyphenated British nobility-named) Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain are "just like new signings."

SOME GEMS CLUBS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR THIS WINDOW

Jefferson -- Botafogo
One of Brazil's best goalkeepers of recent years, 30-year-old
Jefferson has spent time in European football previously with Turkish
sides Trabzonspor and Konyaspor. However, there is a genuine sense
that he has improved with age and the Botafogo captain could now be
ready to try his hand at a club toward the upper end of European
competition. Given Bota's ongoing financial concerns, any player who
pulls on the famous black-and-white shirt has to be considered
available, and the dependable club captain will be among the most
sought after. Besides being an excellent organiser, Jefferson is also
famed for his shot-stopping ability, with penalty saves a particular
strong point of his game.
Bruno Ecuele Manga -- Lorient
Gabonese defender Ecuele Manga has been one of the leading
centre-backs in French football for a few years now, and it is
somewhat surprising that he has not yet moved on to a club challenging
for European football on a regular basis. Now 25, only one player has
made more interceptions than the rangy defender this season, while
similarly only one player has made more clearances, according to
Whoscoredstatistics. While he is physically and technically strong, it
is in reading the development of play that Ecuele Manga excels,
leading to his excellent statistics. Ecuele Manga was linked with
Everton in the summer in the Daily Mail, and is a name likely to crop
up once more this January.
Kenneth Omeruo -- Chelsea
Given that he is already contracted to West London giants Chelsea,
Nigeria international Omeruo is highly unlikely to make a permanent
transfer in the near future. However, with little prospect of a
regular starting berth at Chelsea, he should be available for a loan
move in January and would be an important capture for any side across
Europe suffering from defensive frailties at the current time. Already
an important figure for his country, the tall and powerful defender
has shown his ability while on loan with ADO Den Haag and at
international level and was recently described by BBC Sport's John
Bennettas Chelsea's best-kept secret.
Yuya Osako -- Kashima Antlers
Japan has proved adept at producing technically gifted second strikers
and wide forwards in recent years, with Kashima's Osako just another
name off what is proving a rich talent line. Osako had a brilliant
year in 2013, scoring 19 goals in the J.League, opening his account
for his national side and scoring a hat trick against Brazilian side
Sao Paulo in the final of the Suruga Bank trophy in August. Links with
the Bundesliga are obvious, given the number of Japanese talents now
plying their trade in Germany, and there is no doubt that he will be
Europe-bound within the next 12 months.
Alex Sandro -- Porto
Sandro would only fall within the budget of one of Europe's elite
clubs but is regarded as one of the next generation of leading
full-backs in world football. A bundle of energy, he is a typical
modern full-back whose primary emphasis is on attacking and
overlapping down the left flank. With a number of leading sides
currently looking for a high-end option in the left-back position, the
Porto star is undoubtedly a name that will regularly crop up in
conversations. However, the Portuguese side are notorious for driving
a hard bargain, and the Brazilian will not arrive cheap.
GettyImagesAlex Teixeira is now showing his potential for Shakhtar Donetsk.
Alex Teixeira -- Shakhtar Donetsk
One of the few of Shakhtar's older generation of Brazilians still left
at the club, the 23-year-old Teixeira has over the past 12 months made
good on the early promise he showed when first breaking through at
Vasco. Teixeira would be costly but has performed strongly in the
Champions League over the past two years and is one of the most
versatile midfielders around, playing in the No. 10 role, wide
positions and central midfield on a regular basis. With searing pace
off the mark and strong technique, Teixeira adds impetus to attacks
with his surging runs from midfield and has improved greatly on the
timing of his bursts into the box over the past two seasons.
Jefferson Montero -- Morelia
Now 24 years old, Ecuadorian winger Montero came close to returning to
European football with Cardiff during the summer and, with his good
form having continued in Liga MX, speculation is set to resume in
earnest in January. Lightning fast off the mark, two-footed and an
excellent dribbler, the qualities that took Montero to Villarreal as a
teenager have been clear for several years, but his inability to
consistently produce saw his first crack at Europe come to an early
end. In Mexico, though, he has improved his output with regular
first-team football and has become a regular contributor of both goals
and assists for his side.

MAN UTD‘S TROUBLES CONTINUE

Much has changed since the last time Tottenham Hotspur last visited
Old Trafford.
Last time, Andre Villas-Boas looked on as Gareth Bale challenged Rio
Ferdinand to a footrace. Though none of these protagonists was
involved in proceedings this time around, in their absence there were
others to provide compelling drama.
One of these men was Emmanuel Adebayor. Until he was unfortunately
withdrawn through injury, he played as though he was up for a contract
extension. His performance was a near-perfect blend of graft, guile
and opportunism in Tottenham's 2-1 win Wednesday. He opened the
scoring with an excellent angled header from a left-wing Christian
Eriksen cross, supplied a sublime pass that Aaron Lennon drove against
David De Gea's legs from 8 yards out, and then played Lennon in for a
cross that was eventually dispatched by the head of a stooping
Eriksen.
- Crace: Spurs' spirit shines again at Old Trafford
Ah, Lennon. No game between these teams would be complete without his
causing extreme discomfort to Patrice Evra. For both of Lennon's most
dangerous efforts, the France left-back was caught wrong-footed.
For Manchester United, this was something of a game of two flanks, as
they enjoyed much greater happiness on the other wing. There, Chris
Smalling -- particularly in the first half -- gave his most impressive
impersonation yet of a flying full-back, surging forward onto a
volleyed Antonio Valencia pass after only six minutes and drawing a
scrambled save from Hugo Lloris at his near post.
A notable feature of the opening period was the quantity of Valencia's
incursions down the right: Often his movement outwitted Danny Rose.
Frustratingly, though, Valencia's final ball too often failed to match
the high quality of his approach work.
Also, how United have missed Michael Carrick's passing! Looking much
more like his old self, the England midfielder was central to his
team's maintenance of a crisp tempo, and the hopeful long ball was
pleasingly absent from much of the home side's play.
In the end, the Premier League champions will perhaps feel aggrieved
not to have taken anything from this match. After they brought the
game back to 2-1 -- Danny Welbeck continued his excellent scoring form
with a smart chipped finish from an Adnan Januzaj through-ball down
the right -- they mounted an attacking siege well-known to Old
Trafford crowds in recent years.
For the final 20 minutes, they conjured an onslaught: Nemanja Vidic
alone went close on three occasions, twice with a header and once with
a shot; Hugo Lloris came flailing far from his 6-yard box; and Danny
Welbeck, in a moment best not repeated, took a penalty-area tumble
that would have embarrassed an amateur dramatist.
Yet Spurs held out and held on, much to the credit of new manager Tim
Sherwood, and now, David Moyes finds his team 11 points behind league
leaders Arsenal. He was forcibly reminded of what he already knows;
that his side urgently need an extra midfielder for whom Tom Cleverley
can deputise. The Scot may be briefly heartened, though, by his team's
intensity in the closing stages, something which has been
conspicuously absent in some of their other home defeats this season.
Other than that, there will be little lasting comfort to draw from this loss.

PREMIER LEAGUE UNDERPERFORMERS...PART 2

Liverpool: Iago Aspas
It is just as well for Liverpool that Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge
have proved so prolific. The other two senior strikers on their books
are Fabio Borini, on loan at Sunderland, and Iago Aspas, who arrived
with the tag of "the new Michu" after a breakthrough season in La Liga
but has resembled some of Liverpool's past forward failures rather
more. It hasn't helped that he has had to operate as a winger, and has
been less versatile than they expected, but a lightweight player seems
to lack the power required and the sense was that Brendan Rodgers
persevered with the 7.7 million-pound man for too long before dropping
him.
Manchester City: Joe Hart
The time came for Manuel Pellegrini to recall Joe Hart but memories of
his early-season errors are slow to fade. His mistakes came at a cost,
with City's defeats to Cardiff, Aston Villa and Chelsea -- all by one
goal -- including a Hart blunder. Fernando Torres' last-minute goal at
Stamford Bridge, which was Hart's fault, was a three-point swing in
the title race in itself. And while Pellegrini's faulty maths was a
factor as Bayern Munich won their Champions League group-stage tie, it
is worth remembering that the goalkeeper was culpable when Franck
Ribery and Arjen Robben scored at the Etihad Stadium.
PA PhotosMarouane Fellaini has proved a major disappointment since his
switch from Everton on deadline day.
Manchester United: Marouane Fellaini
Even without the burden of a sizeable price tag and commensurate
expectations, it would have been a season to forget for Marouane
Fellaini. Factor in a 27.5 million-pound fee that makes him one of the
most expensive players in Manchester United's history and it is both
disastrous and damning for David Moyes, who signed one of his former
Everton players and saw him flounder. The nadir for Fellaini came in
the Manchester derby demolition when Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, both
quicker than him, highlighted his shortcomings, and both Tom Cleverley
and Phil Jones leapfrogged him in the queue for midfield places even
before wrist and back injuries compounded a difficult start to life at
Old Trafford.
Newcastle: Papiss Cisse
It was a question of which Papiss Cisse Newcastle would see this
season: the goal machine who propelled them to fifth place in 2011-12
or the goal-shy striker whose struggles helped explain their
16th-place finish in May. The answer, sadly for United, has been the
latter. A forward who scored in both predatory and spectacular style
immediately after his arrival is still awaiting his first league goal
of the campaign and Cisse has deservedly lost his place in the team.
He has had a bit-part role at most in their memorable wins over
Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Norwich: Sebastien Bassong
Norwich's defensive record was a major reason they survived last
season. It is also why they are imperilled in the current campaign.
Sebastien Bassong had a terrific debut campaign at Carrow Road but the
centre-back has failed to replicate that form. He was especially awful
in the 7-0 defeat at Manchester City but, as Norwich have been
subjected to several hammerings, Bassong has been found fallible more
generally. The hope must be that their recent improvement at the back
continues.
Southampton: Gaston Ramirez
Strange as it sounds now, when Mauricio Pochettino was appointed in
January, Gaston Ramirez was expected to be the beneficiary. The
ambitious, attacking style of one South American could have suited
another. Instead, the Uruguayan is yet to start a league game this
season and Adam Lallana, James Ward-Prowse and Steven Davis all seem
preferred in the No. 10 position now. Others are better suited to
Pochettino's high-energy pressing game but, when Ramirez has been
involved, he hasn't been as inventive or incisive as was expected.
Stoke: Kenwyne Jones
There can be few more frustrating footballers than Kenwyne Jones.
Compared to Didier Drogba on his emergence but lacking the same
significance to Stoke than the less gifted but more reliable Jonathan
Walters, the target man has spent far too much time flattering to
deceive. A hat trick -- albeit against Walsall in the Capital One Cup
-- was an indication of his ability but a subsequent spell in the team
was fruitless as Jones reverted to underachievement.
Sunderland: Emanuele Giaccherini
There is no shortage of disappointments at Sunderland, many of them
players recruited in the summer. Yet while Cabral represents
Wearside's vanishing man and Charis Mavrias, Valentin Roberge and
Modibo Diakite have been poor, little was expected of them. Emanuele
Giaccherini, in contrast, was the flagship signing, an Italy
international who had won back-to-back Serie A titles with Juventus.
Yet Sunderland's best result of a sorry season -- the Wear-Tyne derby
win over Newcastle -- occurred with him on the bench. A particularly
poor display in August's defeat at Crystal Palace set the tone as
Paolo Di Canio's regime unravelled.

PREMIER LEAGUE UNDERPERFORMERS...PART 1

As 2013 draws to a close and the Premier League approaches its halfway
point, ESPN FC picks out each team's most disappointing player so far.
Arsenal: Thomas Vermaelen
Dropping a player apparently wanted by Barcelona isn't the obvious
path to improvement, especially when he is the captain, but the seeds
of Arsenal's revival lay in Arsene Wenger's decision to pair Per
Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny in the centre of defence. Thomas
Vermaelen was the odd man out and the Belgian's few first-team starts
have been unhappy. He deputised for Mertesacker in the 1-0 defeat at
Manchester United and came on for Koscielny in the 6-3 thrashing at
Manchester City, when four goals were scored during his time on the
pitch as Arsenal descended into disarray. While that was not purely
Vermaelen's fault, he has an uphill task to ensure he stays in the
team when the Frenchman is fit again.
Aston Villa: Christian Benteke
The first month of the campaign rather resembled last season. Then
Christian Benteke went from flood to drought with no warning. The man
who couldn't stop scoring now can't start again. He has gone three
months, 10 games and 719 minutes of first-team football without
finding the net. The Belgian battering ram is no longer the destroyer
of defences and isn't playing with the same sense of bullishness and
bravado. Instead, there are some Aston Villa supporters who prefer to
see Libor Kozak in the side as Paul Lambert's team, like their star
striker, are finding goals a rarity.
Cardiff: Peter Odemwingie
On the plus side, Peter Odemwingie completed a transfer without
turning up in the car park of a club he wanted to sign before a deal
had been agreed. On the negative, a man who delivered 15 Premier
League goals in a season for West Bromwich Albion has mustered just
one so far for his new employers. Odemwingie has not been threatening
enough and, while he has mainly operated on the flanks, Cardiff are
likely to need more goals from their wingers if they are to survive.
Chelsea: Ashley Cole
A byword for consistency for many a year, Ashley Cole has had an
in-and-out season. Unusually, he has spent some of it out of the
Chelsea team. The left-back was dropped after the defeat at Newcastle
and has not been seen in the Premier League since, with the
right-footed Cesar Azpilicueta playing out of position in his stead.
It followed some indifferent performances from Cole and, while the
Chelsea strikers have come in for more criticism this season, it was
telling that the ever-analytical Jose Mourinho axed a man he bought
during his first spell in charge.
Crystal Palace: Adrian Mariappa
Adrian Mariappa's two previous seasons of Premier League football,
with Watford and Reading, culminated in relegation. Should he complete
an unfortunate hat trick, his early difficulties in a Crystal Palace
shirt will be a contributing factor. Mariappa was a particular culprit
for the dodgy defending in the defeats to Liverpool and Fulham. It was
unsurprising when Tony Pulis began his reign without Mariappa in the
side and, while an injury to Dean Moxey has handed him another chance,
it will be a feather in the new manager's cap if he can turn Mariappa
into a Premier League footballer. And not just for this season.
Fulham: Bryan Ruiz
Perhaps Fulham's failings under Martin Jol were encapsulated by one
man: Bryan Ruiz was one of the flair players the Dutchman favoured but
who neither used his quality to win enough games nor tracked back
enough to help the more prosaic talents. The familiar criticism of
Ruiz is that he doesn't score enough goals and, although the one he
has got, against Cardiff, was superb, the quality cannot compensate
for the shortfall in quantity. It was telling that Rene Meulensteen
began his reign by dropping the Costa Rican and bringing in the more
industrious and effective Giorgos Karagounis.
Everton: Nikica Jelavic
It is tempting to wonder how Everton's season would have developed had
they not signed Romelu Lukaku on deadline day. It is likely, given
that Arouna Kone has been first out of form and then injured, that
Nikica Jelavic would have been seen rather more often. And if the
Croatian seemed to suffer an acute case of second-season syndrome in
the previous campaign, there have been few signs of recovery in his
third year at Goodison Park. His goal drought has continued and he has
shown few signs of recapturing the sharpness he displayed immediately
after signing from Rangers.
Hull: Danny Graham
The punchline to many a bad joke, it is hard to question Danny
Graham's effort but easy to criticise him for his inability to do a
forward's principal job and put the ball in the back of the net. When
Graham finally scored to end a 342-day wait for a league goal, he
didn't celebrate, as it came against his former club Swansea, so Hull
still haven't seen him wheel away in delight. It isn't Graham's fault
that Steve Bruce's main striking targets eluded him in the summer but
the inability to find a goal scorer has been the difference

THURSDAY TRANSFER GOSSIP COLUMN

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Here are the latest transfer news for today,check'em out...

Newcastle, Everton, Stoke, West Brom, West Ham, Aston Villa, Swansea and Cardiff are monitoring the situation of
Wilfried Zaha, 21, at Manchester United.
(Daily Telegraph)

Chelsea join Manchester United,
Tottenham and Arsenal in pursuit of Inter Milan centre-back Andrea Ranocchi, 25.
(Daily Star)

Diego Costa has scored 22 goals in 21 games this season for Atletico Madrid Arsenal are tracking Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa, 25, who has a £32m
release clause in his contract with the Spanish club.
(Daily Mail)

Real Madrid want to make a bid for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, next summer.
(Daily Star)

Manchester City and Arsenal have been sounded out by agents regarding Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, 32
(Daily Mirror)

Swansea, Reading and QPR are
monitoring Manchester City midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim, 22.
(Daily Mirror)

Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey, 30 is lining up a loan return to Fulham during the Major League Soccer off-season
(Daily Mail)

Swansea's Michu has called on his club to sign Liverpool's Spanish forward Iago Aspas, 26, on loan in January.
(Daily Mirror)

Other gossip

Former Tottenham boss Andre Villas- Boas, 36, did not approve four of Spurs' seven summer  signings and asked chairman  Daniel Levy not to buy them.
(Daily Mail)

Villas-Boas has emerged as a
contender for the vacant West
Bromwich Albion job, along with
former Liverpool coach Mauricio
Pellegrino and Martin Jol.
(Express and Star)

Ajax manager Frank de Boer, 43, is top of Tottenham's wanted list to become their next head coach.
Tottenham want Frank de Boer who has led Ajax to the Dutch title, to replace Andre Villas-Boas
(Daily Mirror)

Former Manchester United, Real
Madrid and LA Galaxy midfielder
David Beckham, 38, is making progress in his attempt to establish a new MLS team after Miami-Dade county commissioners voted unanimously in support of a new, privately funded stadium.
(ESPN)

Former Tottenham midfielder David Ginola has accused his old club's players of failing to understand the history of the club
(Talksport)

Manchester United should have signed Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, 20, rather than Marouane Fellaini, 26, this summer, according to the club's former striker Michael Owen.
(Metro)

Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 42, has dismissed reports ex-manager Andre Villas-Boas lost the dressing room, insisting none of the players wanted to see him leave.
(Fox Sports)

And finally
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, 23, posted a video of Arsenal's fancy dress Christmas party, where midfielder Santi Cazorla, 29 came as video game character Mario and forward Lukas Podolski, 28 turned up as the Incredible Hulk. Szczesny went
as Robocop.
(Metro)

GUS POYET HAILS TROOP AFTER CHELSEA WIN

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet was left
delighted with his side's battling
qualities after they fought back to
beat Chelsea on Tuesday.

The Black Cats went a goal down and looked to be on the way out of the Capital One Cup but Fabio Borini fired home late on and then Ki Sung-Yueng scored in extra-time when it looked as though penalties were the answer. Poyet's men are now through to the last four of the competition and the Uruguayan was left delighted with his
players.

"I'm pleased for the players and I'm delighted for the fans," said Poyet. "This has been a very hard season for the fans, but when you find yourselves in the semi-finals, that's something to enjoy.
"It's a victory in a special manner, scoring right at the end of the game and right at the end of extra-time. It's for them, for the players and for the fans."

Poyet believes the win over the  Blues shows his players are  buying into his philosophy as he battles to save the Wearsiders from relegation.

He said: 

"That's the way we are going to do it. It's important I can see that the players are doing it all the time.
"Even in extra time, even in the last two or three minutes, they were not trying just to go crazy.
"We are trying to play a game because I believe it works, and now [we have to do that] very week, every game.
"It doesn't matter who you play against at every level, if it's Norwich or if it's Carlisle in the [FA] cup, every single day, and the more we do it, the more difficult we are going to become to play against, I am sure."