Todays rumours, gossip and damned lies

According to the Daily Mirror, Inter Milan have agreed a fee of £7 million to finally separate Lamps’ lips from his beloved Chelsea badge and bring him to the San Siro. For those of you wondering, that’s approximately 39 per cent of a Gareth Barry at today’s market value…

The Gareth Barry saga latest
Martin O’Neill has asked for a whopping £18 million, but Liverpool insist they won’t go beyond a pathetic £17 million. (That would be the same Liverpool who reportedly rejected a £9 million offer for Peter Crouch from Portsmouth as it was a million short of their demand.)

The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: If you’re willing to pay 17, why not go one more? It’s not like there’s a recession at the moment or anything…

Ronaldinho to Chelsea
If Lampard leaves then Chelsea will have to move quickly to fill their tubby quota. They will be delighted to hear that podgy Barca man Ronaldinho wants to work with Scolari again.

The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: He wants to go, but do Chelsea want him?

Robert Green to Aston Villa
Villa are moving lower down the

If Wenger doesn’t need new defenders, then what does he need?

While Tottenham have got to work early and spent big on Luka Modric and Giovani dos Santos, Arsenal are still on the starting blocks, with the first sign of any transfer activity at the Emirates being quickly shot down by Arsene Wenger:

“I have been interested in Vincent Kompany ever since he was 16, but I am not interested in him this year. There is nobody I need for my team’s defensive department.”

Which of course prompts the question: what’s the point of tracking someone for six years if you have no intention to signing them? By acting much like a flirtatious girl who makes you believe she’s the one but who will quickly break your heart, perhaps Arsene is telling us he simply enjoys the thrill of the chase.

Anyway, Arsenal’s reticence to invest has spurred The Spoiler to consider where each London club needs to improve next season.

So we did a think and then gone wrote it down:

Chelsea

Top priority:
Flair players - Big Phil hasn’t just been brought to Chelsea to win trophies, he’s expected to bring some Brazilian flair to the job and make the Blues exciting to watch as well as being scarily efficient.

Fitting the bill: Ronaldinho, Kaka, Franck Ribery

Arsenal

Top priority:
Depth in midfield - Diarra then Flamini have gone, Hleb’s inconsistent, Rosicky’s injured, Gilberto’s past his best and Fabregas got tired last year so it’s clear that Arsenal need to bolster their midfield, and potentially bring in a new keeper.

Fitting the bill: Gareth Barry, Samir Nasri, Hatem Ben Arfa, Bastian Schweinsteiger

West Ham

Top priority:
New medical team/left-winger - Take away the dozen injuries West Ham had for most of last season and they’ve got perhaps the biggest squad in the league.

The left wing is a problem though: the fans turned on Boa Morte and he wants out while Etherington is always injured.

Fitting the bill: Stephen Hunt, Damien Duff, Pablo Aimar

Tottenham

Top priority:
New goalkeeper and striker