Transfer Gossip

DAILY MAIL CONTINUES ITS BEBE 'ATTACK
Remember Sir Alex's thunderous response to what he perceived as a "vicious" and "bitter" attack on Manchester United new boy Bebe at the end of last month?

Nobody dared asked to confirm which article had so enraged him, but it was generally accepted that the source of his considerable ire was an article in The Daily Mail by Ian Ladyman that questioned whether Ferguson had signed 'a dud'.

Now Ladyman - who confirmed on twitter a day after Ferguson's response that he is 'one of three daily journos and five sunday journos now banned' from the United boss' press conference - has gone on the attack again.

'Bebe blunder! Manchester United could have had £7.4m signing for £125k' reads the headline of his back-page lead.

'Bebe has not played competitive football at a level higher than the Portuguese third division and Sportsmail can now reveal that his former club Estrela da Amadora touted him around Europe for just 150,000 euros as they desperately sought cash to stave off a winding-up order,' Ladyman reports.

Oh to be a fly on the wall when Fergie has a read...


VAN DER VAART DEAL STILL BEING QUERIED
Questions just are still being asked about precisely when Tottenham 'signed' Rafael van der Vaart on Tuesday and the basis of the Premier League's decision to approve the deal.

The Independent is adamant that, with the window closing at 6pm, the required 'paperwork was lodged late'.

The paper reports that 'The Premier League could not confirm last night suggestions in the Netherlands that papers had reached the League two hours late but a three-man League committee accepted Spurs' claim that technical difficulties relating to a computer used in the transaction between the two clubs had hampered efforts to complete the administration in time.'

The committee, made up of chief executive Richard Scudamore, chairman Sir Dave Richards and secretary Mike Foster, is described as being 'satisfied that club-to-club negotiations between Spurs and Real had been concluded before Tuesday's 6pm cut-off'.


STILL NO SIGN - OR DATE - FOR HARGREAVES' RETURN
Don't be fooled into reading anything of significance by Owen Hargreaves' inclusion in the Man United squad for this season.

Given that United only filled 24 of their alloted 25 places even with Hargreaves' inclusion, this amounted to nothing more than quota-filling. United have an abundance of players aged under 21 who don't need to be registering (although not as many as Arsenal, who have apparently listed 50 youngsters on their squad sheet).

Alas, there's still no indication that Hargreaves will be returning any time soon and the Telegraph talks of his 'future remaining in doubt with senior figures at United still unclear about the England player's likely return date from the United States'.


CURBISHLEY THE NEW FRONTRUNNER AT VILLA?
The Daily Mirror reckon that Alan Curbishley is now at the front of the queue to be the next Villa manager.

The paper 'believes' that the new Roy Evans has met with Villa owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner for talks.

There's little else to the story, however, other than the description of caretaker Kevin MacDonald as 'not their preferred option' and the admission that neither Everton's David Moyes nor Fulham's Mark Hughes are 'in a rush to quit'.


WRIGHT MAN FOR BLACKPOOL AND ANOTHER KID FOR ARSENAL
The window might have shut but there are still deals brewing.

According to the Mirror, 'Blackpool boss Ian Holloway is trying to push through a deal for former England keeper Richard Wright - and talk him into a short-term contract'.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans are bound to be persuaded from raging at the failure to sign a goalkeeper by the news that the club are 'considering a deal for Japanese strike prodigy Ryo Miyaichi'.

The following sentence is verbatim from the Daily Mail's report:

'Sources at the 17-year-old's Chukyodai Chuyko High School said Arsenal officials are due to fly out to agree a preliminary contract with him in the next few days.'

Perhaps they'll find a replacement for Manuel in the kindergarten?