A further helping of transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies

Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City
Mark Hughes has confirmed holding talks with Arsenal over signing the Togolese striker and Sky Sports sources - which proved accurate yesterday - believe he will have a work permit hearing in Manchester tomorrow.

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: If the reported £25 million fee is correct then Arsenal couldn’t really turn it down. It will be interesting to see if the majority of the money gets spent on a striker, a holding midfielder or nobody.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar to Spurs
Real Madrid say that talks to sell Huntelaar to Stuttgart are at an “advanced stage” but The Daily Mail fancy Spurs to make an eleventh hour bid.

A further helping of transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies

Andriy Shevchenko to Dynamo Kiev
Shevchenko could be set for a return to Dynamo Kiev, the club where he established himself as one of the best strikers in Europe. President Ihor Surkis claims that the 32-year-old was very interested in the Ukrainian club’s proposal, which would would see him offered a coaching role when he retires.

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: It looks like even Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t want Shevchenko to extend his stay in England and with AC Milan looking elsewhere, a return home seems plausible.

Jose Bosingwa to Bayern Munich
Another player still linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge is Bosingwa, with Bayern Munich confirming that they have no intention of

The latest transfer news, gossip and damned lies

Robinho to Barcelona
The Brazilian forward has responded to speculation that the treble winners could be interested in signing him by telling Spanish newspaper Sport: “Barcelona are a great team and everybody would love to play for them.”

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Financially, there is no pressure on Manchester City to sell so Robinho is only likely to leave if Mark Hughes feels he can get someone better in.

Heurelho Gomes to PSV
In 90% of Spurs’ games last season, Gomes was one of Spurs’ best players and a vital part of the best home defence in the Premier League. However, The Mirror only remember the mistakes and expect him to be offloaded to fund a

German midfielder ruffles a few feathers

Michael Ballack may have been on top form in Saturday’s FA Cup game with Ipswich, but he may also have joined the ever-growing list of footballers who have committed bird murder (birdricide?).

During the warm up, the confident German pelted one a flying rat, which proceeded to shed a large proportion of its plumage in the penalty area. The pigeon managed to fly away, but if it doesn’t survive the cruel London winter without half of its feathers, Ballack will surely have to attend Pigeon Killers Anonymous meetings with Lucas Neill and Gastón Aguirre.

Spoiler bonus: Ballack’s deadly aim may also stop this chap having children.

[Video: Dirty Tackle]

Aston Villa’s fortuitous streak continues against Sunderland

While The Spoiler are big Martin O’Neill fans and acknowledge that Aston Villa’s performance has been one of many factors that have made this season so exciting, it would be wrong not to highlight one of the most remarkable runs of luck in recent memory:

Everton 2-3 Aston Villa
Villa were outplayed but snatched victory with a goal scored after the alotted amount of injury time had been played.

Aston Villa 4-2 Bolton
This was one game where O’Neill’s men fully deserved victory after coming from behind.

West Ham 0-1 Aston Villa
Villa’s late winner comes courtesy of the flukiest of own goals by Lucas Neill.

Aston Villa 2-2 Arsenal

Australian demonstrates lack of tolerance…

Go anywhere on the planet, and you’ll see that animals are treated differently. In areas of the North Pole some of them are given jobs, and even in this country we build them little houses - or “hutches”, if you will. In Australia, however, it seems people are less tolerant of anything furry or feathered. Lucas Neill proved as much against Uzbekistan last night, when an innocent young owl/dove/crow wandered mindlessly onto a football pitch, only to find the burly West Ham man in no mood for inter-species relations.

He kicked the ball right at it.

For another take on things, go to Off The Post.

Liverpool defender wanted revenge for broken leg

Jamie Carragher clearly doesn’t understand the art of releasing a football autobiography. Wayne Rooney was 20 when he released his so at 30, Carragher has left it far too late. He should be on his third or fourth instalment by now.

Secondly, you’re not supposed to reveal anything interesting. The footballer is supposed to bore the reader with stories about their greatest games and the amazing “banter” with teammates. Under no circumstances should you reveal that you didn’t care as much about losing in an England shirt or that you hate the Everton fanbase that you were once a part of.

Carragher obviously thought he hadn’t been controversial enough so in today’s Daily Mirror serialisation he admits that after having his leg broken in a challenge by Lucas Neill, he seriously considered allowing his mates to assault the Australian defender:

The worst players currently plying their trade in the top flight

A survey of the worst Premier League players of all time as conducted by Top-Up TV arrived at Spoiler Towers this morning, and their ‘Relegation Utd’ looked a little something like this:

Massimo Taibi; Titus Bramble; Jean-Alain Boumsong; Abel Xavier; and Darren Peacock; Eric Djemba Djemba; Luke Chadwick; Carlton Palmer; Lee Dong Gook; Thomas Brolin; Diego Forlan; and manager Sammy Lee.

After wondering how the Top-Up TV team that didn’t include the man who Alan Mullery declared as the worst player ever to grace the top flight, Carl Leaburn, we decided that there are eleven men currently earning their keep in the Prem who would lose to this motley lot…

Paul Robinson, Blackburn
Proved that he didn’t leave his catalogue of errors at White Hart Lane when Mikel Arteta’s free-kick from a ridiculous angle caught him out on the opening day of the season.

Jlloyd Samuel, Bolton
Graduated from the same “I-may-have-a-great-name-but-I’m-not-a-great-footballer” club as Eric Djemba-Djemba and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.

Titus Bramble, Wigan
Alright, so there was one player on their