TRANSFER GOSSIP
Inter Milan manager Rafael Benitez is planning to raid former club Liverpool for Danish centre-back Daniel Agger as a replacement for Walter Samuel, who is out for the season with knee ligament damage.Full story: Daily Mirror
Liverpool are ready to take on AC Milan in the race to sign Japan star Keisuke Honda from CSKA Moscow.
Full story: Talksport
Arsenal are pondering a move for Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic. The Serbian has helped the team rise to top of the Bundesliga and has been rated at £20m.
Full story: caughtoffside.com
Manchester City have sent scouts to watch Porto's Brazilian striker Hulk, who has scored nine goals this season.
Full story: Daily Mirror
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez could miss Wednesday's derby against Manchester United. The Argentine will have a late fitness test on his injured thigh and rates his chances of playing as "50-50 at best".Full story: Daily Mail
Newcastle right-back Danny Simpson is in line for a surprise England call-up as cover for the injury-prone Glen Johnson.
Full story: Talksport
MALARIA MPAKA MAJUU!
Didier Drogba has been suffering from malaria for at least a month.
The 32-year-old Chelsea striker first complained of feeling unwell before the October international break but the illness was only diagnosed on Monday. He did not start at Liverpool on Sunday after suffering a fever but played the second half of the 2-0 defeat.
Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti said he was unsure how Drogba picked up the tropical disease, but is now fine and will start against Fulham on Wednesday.
"We found out [on Monday] when tests showed he had malaria," Ancelotti stated.
"He has this virus and, obviously, he lost power and training.
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"He lost his condition. He's had treatment and now he's OK. He'll come back immediately in the best condition.
"He had malaria. He had the tests in the last day, and they showed this kind of virus. Now he's good.
"I don't know where he got it from. I gave him a few days off and he went on holiday for a few days, and then he has malaria. But it's over now. He's OK.
"It was serious once. Now it's a bit different and you can treat it well and move on very quickly."
Chelsea said they cannot pin down where and when Ivory Coast international Drogba became infected.
He was already feeling unwell before flying to Africa to watch his country take on Burundi on 9 October.
A fever then ruled him out of the 0-0 Premier League draw at Aston Villa on 16 October and the following week's Champions League trip to Spartak Moscow.
Drogba has played four times for the Blues since then but has not scored from open play.
Having finally diagnosed the problem, Chelsea have insisted the striker will be firing on all cylinders within days.
"The course of medication he is on now will clear it up in three days," a club spokesman commented. "This type of malaria will not come back.
"It can lie dormant in the body for a long time. He is safe to play with malaria.
"When he first fell ill, we treated him symptomatically. He had a virus and it has come up and gone down, and then come up again.
"We ran tests on all the tropical diseases and viruses but because it was dormant, there was not enough parasitic activity in his blood to pick up malaria in the initial tests.
"You re-test and re-test and when the results came back last night the parasitic activity in his blood had reached a level where it showed up."
Drogba will lead the attack when Fulham visit Stamford Bridge with Michael Essien also returning in midfield.
"We have to take a decision on Alex and Anelka," Ancelotti added. "Anelka has a little problem on his back and Alex has a little swelling on his knee.
"We'll take a decision tomorrow. The other players are in good condition."
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW
Stoke survived another impressive comeback by Birmingham to bring their losing run to an end in a dramatic game at the Britannia Stadium.
• Whitehead relieved with winner
The Potters, who had been defeated in their last four Barclays Premier League fixtures, took a deserved first-half lead through Robert Huth and looked home and dry when Ricardo Fuller made it 2-0 in the 71st minute.
The Blues, as they had done on Saturday against West Ham, swiftly erased the deficit thanks to Keith Fahey and Cameron Jerome, but Dean Whitehead netted five minutes from time to win the contest.
The much-needed victory lifted Stoke above Birmingham in the table to 15th, with the Blues sliding down to 17th.
It had appeared the three points would be secured in a comfortable manner by the mid-point of the match after an opening period the hosts had dominated.
Stoke were soon on the front foot as their wingers began to impose themselves, Matthew Etherington aiming a cross at Kenwyne Jones' head and the ball falling to Jermaine Pennant, who produced an even better delivery that the Trinidad and Tobago striker nodded wide.
SPURS HELD
They may be taking the Champions League by storm, but Tottenham face a real battle to qualify for next year's competition after extending their winless run in the Premier League to four games.
• Harry slams Howard Webb
Rafael van der Vaart looked to have come to Spurs' rescue when he kept up his remarkable record of scoring in every home appearance since joining the club.
But a horrible mix-up between William Gallas and Younes Kaboul gifted the visitors an immediate equaliser, Asamoah Gyan taking full advantage with his third goal in two games.
Tottenham have now taken just two points from a possible 12 and are four adrift of the top four, all of whom have a game in hand.
MANU VS MAN CITY
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted head to head meetings with Manchester City have intensified, but Manchester United clashes with Liverpool remain the dominant fixture.
The two Manchester clubs face off on Wednesday at Eastlands, however the importance of the Premier League meeting has arguably received more build up than ever before.
"There is an incredible intensity in this derby game now, which was not there 10 or 15 years ago," Ferguson said according to BBC Sport.
The United boss considers that due to the fact City have huge amounts of money since being taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, the media have propelled them into the spotlight.
He added: "Now the meetings with City are ones of great intensity, which is built up by the media explosion around what they are doing and what they are trying to achieve.
"It is difficult to say whether it is inevitable they are eventually going to win the league.
"Obviously, in many people's eyes, having the money is a lot better than not, but this is still a difficult league to win. City recognise that themselves.
"[But] there is nothing more satisfying than winning a derby game. It doesn't matter what year it is or when it is."
Despite the Manchester derby carrying more importance than in recent years, Ferguson still believes the traditional rivalry between United and Liverpool will always carry a special significance.
“The Liverpool game is one of honour in terms of trophies won,” Ferguson said according to The Telegraph.
“Liverpool edge it in European Cups, we edge it in FA Cups and World Championships.
“We are undoubtedly the two most successful clubs in British football.”
NEW WONDERKID FOR MANU
'Outstanding' youngster has already been guaranteed professional contract when he turns 17
*Teenager trained five times with United before being offered a deal last week
*He has joined United for nominal fee and will link up with Academy on February 1 before finishing studies
*Stabaek coach describes him as "complete footballer" who is "best player I have ever seen at his age"
Manchester United have agreed terms to sign an "outstanding" 15-year-old Norwegian midfielder who is a combination of Lionel Messi and Xavi, a club official has told Goal.com UK.
Mats Moller Daehli told Norwegian Premier League club Stabaek on Monday that he will join United in the next few days for a nominal fee and link up with their academy on February 1.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were so keen to sign a player rated as one of the best in his age-group in Europe that, in a rare move, he has already been guaranteed a professional contract by the Premier League giants when he turns 17.
United beat off competition from Bayern Munich, Ajax and a number of Premier League clubs to capture Daehli, who had five trials in Manchester before he was offered a deal last week.
“He has not signed yet but he gave Manchester United the answer a couple of days ago and gave our club the news today,” Stabaek reserve and academy team head coach Morten Tveit told Goal.com UK on Monday night. “He goes into the Academy on 1 February. They wanted him as soon as possible but February was chosen because of his schooling. He will go back to Norway in May/June to finish his studies and return to United in July.
“He has in his contract that he will automatically get a professional contract when he is 17. That is unusual.”
Because Daehli has not yet turned professional, United will not pay a fee for the teenager but have agreed to pay Stabaek €10,000 (£8,626) a year for the entirety of the player’s career and may also contribute funds to the Norwegian club’s academy and that of his previous club, FC Lyn.
“We have done our best to keep him and give him the best project here. But it has been talked about for a long time and I’m not that surprised," Tveit added.
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