LOTS AND LOTS OF PLAYERS LEAVING SPURS
At least three Tottenham players who started the Carling Cup final win over Chelski are being linked with a move out of White Hart Lane in the summer.
The first is Sunday's number one Paul Robinson. Despite being restored to the team, The Guardian says his long-term future at the club 'remains in considerable doubt'. Not blinded by this weekend's success, Juande Ramos is said to be 'intent upon recruiting a new goalkeeper at the end of the campaign'.
Among the contenders to replace the Weakest Link are Ajax's Maarten Stekelenburg, Brescia's Emiliano Viviano and Carlos Kameni of Espanyol.
The second player moving out is Pascal Chimbonda.
The full-back is understood to have been fined a week's wages for his petulant reaction to being subbed during the final. And despite his reported apology, The Guardian says that 'Ramos's desire to sell him, however, has hardly been weakened.'
And the third? Dimi Berbatov.
'The pin-up boy of Bulgarian football has expressed a desire to extend that fame by joining a side playing Champions League football,' speculates The Times. 'Tottenham's first piece of silverware in nine years is unlikely to be enough to alter Berbatov's urge to take the biggest stage, but the presence of Ramos might.'
According to the newspaper, Ramos' 'biggest job at the end of the season will be to clear out about eight to ten players'.
SO LOTS AND LOTS OF PLAYERS WILL BE SIGNED
But what goes out must be replaced. There's talk in The Daily Mail that Ramos will be given £40m to spend in the summer - and presumably he'll have even more once those eight to ten players have been offloaded.
Aside from the recruitment of a new goalie, the paper claims that 'Ramos is also keen to strengthen central midfield and will hope to revive January's move for Juventus's Tiago after the Portugal international's £50,000-a-week wage demands scuppered a £9m transfer. Ramos has also inquired about Valencia's out-of-favour midfielder David Albelda.
'Skipper Ledley King was outstanding at Wembley in his first match back since the 5-1 semi-final win over Arsenal. But with questions remaining over his long-term fitness, Ramos could yet revive his interest in Racing Santander's £13.5m-rated Argentina international Ezequiel Garay or Espanyol's Daniel Jarque, who is available at a more modest £6.8m.'
BENZEMA TO REJECT MANYOO AND ENGLAND
Not only has ManYoo target Karim Benzema insisted that he has no intention of leaving Lyon at the end of the season, he has also claimed that when he does leave France it will be for Spain or Italy rather than England.
The naïve 20-year-old clearly hasn't heard about the wages available in the Premier League.
Benzema, said to be Sir Alex's top target this summer, told StarAfric.com: "I have a contract with Lyon until 2012. I signed an extension last June.
"There will be plenty of time for me to think about other clubs in the future. I don't know when I will take a decision, but one thing that is certain is that it will not be at the end of this season.
"I will still be playing for Lyon next year. I am just 20 years old, and I have my future in front of me. My style of play would fit in best with the game in Spain, then Italy, and then England - in that order."
He must be bitter about the rugby.
SHOCKING ARSENAL NEWS
Here's a thing. Apparently Arsenal are looking at a couple of youngsters that nobody has ever heard of.
Who knew?
Just so you can remember your names and sound knowledgable, the chaps in question are goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero, who The Independent reports has been scoped out while playing for Elche in Spain, and Rosenborg midfielder Per Ciljan Skjelbred, who is apparently valued at £5million.
'ONCE THEIR PREMIER LEAGUE STATUS IS SECURED'
Remember Bobby Zamora? No? Bald chap, played up front for West Ham in days of yore.
Well Birmingham apparently do. The Sun reckons that Brum will bid £4million for Zamora in the summer, which presumably West Ham will accept without blinking, if they have any sense.
The significant caveat to this one is that the bid will only be made when/if Brum secure their Premier League status.
So file that one in the 'maybe' pile then.
AND THE REST...
Tugay is set to be offered a new one-year deal by Blackburn...Charlton boss Alan Pardew wants to sign Manchester United's highly rated striker Fraizer Campbell in a £2million deal...Leeds want to sign Crystal Palace striker Dougie Freedman on loan...Sheffield Wednesday want to sign Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson on loan...Nottingham Forest are lining up a loan move for Leicester striker Matty Fryatt...Paul Jewell has told his Derby flops to leave in the summer if they are not prepared to scrap in the Championship...Morten Gamst Pedersen is the latest Blackburn player to open talks over a new contract...Manchester City are unlikely to be rushed into offering Darius Vassell a new contract...Fulham are interested in signing Elche defender Samuel Llorca.