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Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle is confident that in-form striker Johan Elmander will only leave the club if an offer from a much bigger club comes in.

The 29-year-old Sweden international has already scored eight Premier League goals this term and is out of contract at the end of the campaign.

However, Coyle is hopeful that the Trotters can agree a new deal with Elmander and convince him to stay put.

He commented:"If players are playing well it is only natural bigger clubs will cast an eye on them. That is the nature of football and I am relaxed about it.

"Until those bids come in, it is all hypothetical. When they do we will give them respect and make a decision.

"I do not get caught up in it too much and beat myself up. Johan knows that.

"If it was a club of a similar size to Bolton I believe he would stay here. If an elite club came in Johan would be crazy not to think about it.

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"I have no problems with that. Johan is well within his rights to do what is right for himself and his family. What I will do game by game is try to get the best out of him.

"Johan has been terrific from day one and if they decide they want it to run its course into January, then so be it."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

It was this fixture last season that first alerted football fans that all was not well for Liverpool’s future attempts to end their years without a title. Villa have hardly hit the heights either over the last 18 months, and from being outside bets for the title themselves the season before last, Gerard Houllier may have to re-adjust his aims this season to merely keeping inside the top ten, such is the high number of well matched sides in the division.

The one hope for silverware this year evaporated with a very disappointing defeat at St Andrews on Wednesday night. Villa had a large chunk of the possession and will be angry that they were unable to convert this into goals.

Defeats such as the late one experienced by Roy Hodgson and his men last weekend at Tottenham are inevitably disheartening; however throughout this poor start to the season, performances at Anfield this season have been strong.

Jamie Carragher will be missing from the heart of the Liverpool defence, as he begins a three-month rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. Whilst Carragher is not the player he was, his absence will be felt and I fancy it may stop the Reds capturing all three points this weekend.

Prediction: 1-1

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***Click HERE for a FREE £20 Bet – 3/1 for penalty to be scored***

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is ready to make to make a £15 million bid for Bolton defender Gary Cahill.

Bolton are reluctant to let the England international leave, but with debts of around £40 million they could find it difficult to turn down such a large offer.

Chelsea have been struggling defensively of late and with Brazilian defender Alex still out of action with a knee injury, Ancelotti could be tempted to add defensive reinforcements to his squad in January.

Speaking of possible January moves, Ancelotti said: “By January 31, if we are sure that Alex will have resolved his problem, we won’t need another defender. We have to wait and see his condition.

“But we can think about things, a new defender, towards the end of January. That would be the only position.”

Gary Cahill’s nationality would also be attractive for Ancelotti who has recently spoken of the advantage of signing English players:

“And obviously, if you take an English player, you don’t have a problem to adapt to things here.

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“They know the culture, the language and don’t have problems. Maybe English players have advantages for this reason.”

Cahill moved from Aston Villa to Bolton in 2008 and he quickly became a favorite amongst fans at the Reebok Stadium. He has scored eight goals in around 100 games for the Trotters but has recently hinted that he may be interested in a move to a bigger club.

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Manchester City spoiled the return of Sven-Goran Eriksson to defeat Leicester City 4-2 in their FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday.The English Premier League title-challengers were held 2-2 by the Championship club at the Walkers Stadium on January 9, in a reunion between Mancini and Leicester manager Eriksson.

Mancini was a player and assistant under Eriksson at Serie A side Lazio, and also had a five-match cameo as a player with Leicester in 2001.

Former England manager Eriksson served as manager of Manchester City for a single season in 2007/08, with the cup replay his first match back at Eastlands on the opposition bench.

Argentina international Carlos Tevez put the hosts in front after 15 minutes, but Leicester levelled just three minutes later through striker Paul Gallagher.

French veteran Patrick Vieira restored Manchester City’s lead in the 37th minute and winger Adam Johnson made it 3-1 less than 60 seconds later.

Tevez could have put the match beyond doubt from the penalty spot in the 59th minute, but the skipper hit a tame effort directly at Leicester goalkeeper Chris Weale.

The underdogs threatened to mount a comeback when frontman Lloyd Dyer pulled a goal back to make it 3-2 with seven minutes remaining.

But an equaliser never arrived and defender Aleksandar Kolarov’s 90th-minute goal booked the home side a fourth-round tie away to League One Notts County.

Fellow Premier League club Stoke City needed extra-time to overcome second-tier high-flyers Cardiff in their third-round replay.

After securing a 1-1 draw in the first instalment at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium, Dave Jones’ team – third in the Championship and challenging for promotion – held the visitors goalless throughout the regulation 90 minutes at the Cardiff City Stadium.

But two extra-time strikes from John Walters sealed the win for the Stoke.

Tony Pulis team will now face fellow top-flight club Wolverhampton Wanderers after they demolished Championship outfit Doncaster Rovers 5-0 at Molineux.

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Steven Fletcher opened the scoring for Wolves with six minutes gone on the clock but the visitors remained in contention until just after the hour mark, when Geoffrey Mujangi Bia made it 2-0.

Kevin Doyle netted a third goal to put the match beyond doubt just five minutes later, before Matthew Jarvis got in on the act in the 74th minute.

Former Manchester United midfielder David Jones completed the rout three minutes into injury time.

Tottenham will turn to Jonathan Woodgate after revealing injury stricken captain Ledley King is set for more surgery.

Woodgate has not played first-team football for English Premier League outfit Spurs since November 2009, but could be rushed back into the side because of injuries to King and Younes Kaboul and the suspension of Michael Dawson.

Woodgate, 31, has featured in two practice games for Spurs in his latest comeback but has yet to put in a 90-minute shift.

The former Leeds, Real Madrid and Middlesbrough central defender is nonetheless under consideration by Harry Redknapp for a start at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday, although his manager has pledged not to take the decision lightly.

“He’s not played a game of any note but he’s in my mind because he’s such a fantastic player,” Redknapp said.

“I’m dreaming he can come in and be somewhere near what he was straight away, but it’s not going to be easy and I’ll have to think about that one today.”

“He’ll be involved in some way but I’ve got a mind to throw him in at the deep end. I’ll think about it (starting him) today and see how he looks this morning, but it’s a big ask for him.”

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The news gets no better for captain King, who has made just four Premier League appearances this season and has not seen action since Spurs’ 2-1 win over Fulham in October.

Having been ailed by a degenerative knee injury in recent seasons, it is now King’s groin that will need attention from the surgeon’s knife.

New West Brom boss Roy Hodgson says although he did not intend on returning to the Premier League so soon, he simply could not refuse the offer.

Just over a month after the 63-year-old was sacked from English giants Liverpool, the former Inter Milan and Fulham manager has arrived at The Hawthorns with one aim only: to steer West Brom clear of the relegation zone.

Hodgson admitted he was blown away by the presentation given to him by club chairman Jeremy Peace and sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth and said it played a big part in his decision.

“It was not my intention to return to Barclays Premier League football this quickly,” Hodgson said.

“But I was so impressed by the way the chairman and Dan Ashworth sold the project to me that I was very happy to accept the offer.”

“I am delighted that a club of West Bromwich Albion’s stature has given me the opportunity to help them in their quest to retain their Premier League status and to build for the future.”

Despite his new side featuring in a relegation six-pointer at home to West Ham on Saturday, Hodgson will not take control of first-team affairs, preferring to leave first-team coach and caretaker manager Michael Appleton in charge.

“I hear that Michael has done a terrific job looking after the players this week and preparing them for tomorrow’s game,” said Hodgson, who has signed a contract until June 2012.

“I know from my previous visits to The Hawthorns the kind of atmosphere the fans can generate and I am sure they will get right behind Michael and the team.”

Peace was delighted to have appointed Hodgson and was pleased the matter was sorted so quickly, with so much at stake.

“I am delighted to welcome Roy as our new head coach,” Peace said.

“At such a vital stage of the season, we felt it was important we identified and appointed the right man as quickly as possible. Roy emerged as the outstanding and unanimous choice of the football club board and we are delighted to have appointed our number one target.”

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“We believe his vast experience and knowledge of the game is exactly what we need for the challenge we face, both in the short and long-term.”

Peace also praised Appleton for his involvement in the lead-up to Saturday’s big match, which could send West Brom as high as 14th or as low as the bottom of the table.

“However, as Roy has stated, the club’s immediate focus is offering Michael, Keith Downing, Dean Kiely and the players all the support they need as they prepare to face West Ham,” he said.

“We are very grateful for the way Michael has taken over the reins this week. He has fully justified our faith in him.”

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is watching Fenerbahce right back Gokhan Gonul, who has stalled on a new deal which would make him a free agent in the summer – according to a report in The Mirror.

The 26-year-old has 23 international senior caps for Turkey and has made over 150 appearances for Fenerbahce boasting seven goals since joining back in 2007, but his failure to secure a new deal with the Turkish giants has alerted the North Londoners, as well as both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Tottenham’s current right-back, Alan Hutton, has today been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane following a dramatic dressing room bust-up with Redknapp following a below-par performance in Spurs’ FA Cup 4-0 thrashing against rivals Fulham, according to Goal.com UK.

“Harry had a pop after Fulham because he felt Hutton had a poor game and Hutton stood his ground because he felt he was being unfairly treated,” said a source to Goal.com UK.

“It was a stand-up row and serious enough for Harry to call him in the next day and freeze him out ever since.”

With Alan Hutton seemingly heading for the Tottenham exit, a transfer to the Premier League may persuade Gonul over other interest from the likes of Barcelona.

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League leaders Borussia Dortmund maintained their winning form with a 1-0 victory over visiting Cologne in Friday’s lone Bundesliga fixture.Polish striker Robert Lewandowksi ensured the hosts came away with all three points at Signal Iduna Park, capitalising on an extended period of dominance by scoring for the hosts in the shadows of half-time.And the result could have been even worse for Cologne were it not for the efforts of goalkeeper Michael Rensing, who pulled out several acrobatic saves to keep the visitors in the contest in the second half.Dortmund nearly took the lead in the 18th minute through Lucas Barrios, who managed to squirt a shot from a goalmouth scramble only for the ball to be cleared off the line by Kevin Pezzoni.But the hosts kept pressing and eventually found a goal through Lewandowski, who thumped a left-footed volley inside the right post after being played in to the area by Sven Bender in the 41st minute.Milivoje Novakovic could have levelled for Cologne when he raced in alone on a through ball soon after the break, but the Slovenian striker tucked his shot just wide of the right post.The win sees Dortmund extend their unbeaten run to seven games and increase their lead above second-placed Bayer Leverkusen to 15 points, though the latter hold a game in hand.Cologne stay 11th on the table, but could fall as far as 14th when the rest of the weekend’s matches are settled.

It’s been a momentous week for Tottenham. While their north London rivals Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League by Barcelona, Spurs managed to make it through to the quarter finals by holding AC Milan to a goalless draw at White Hart Lane. Harry Redknapp’s men will now be looking forward to the next round and the continuation of their European adventure. One man who has been central to Tottenham’s progress in Europe this season has been Peter Crouch. The England striker failed to find the back of the net on Wednesday night, but he still gave the Milan defence a tough time and the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and co won’t be given a comfortable ride with Crouchy around. Here is Crouch in a state of disbelief / glee / contemplation (delete as appropriate) but what is going through the Tottenham striker’s mind?

Leave your suggestions below…

This week you can win a copy of The Ghost of White Hart Lane

When John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. White was just 27 years of age.

Nicknamed the ‘Ghost’ for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played inside-forward for the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early sixties. British football was entering a golden period and Bill Nicholson’s free-flowing Spurs side was right at the forefront. White himself was on the cusp of greatness. Even alongside giants of the game like Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, he stood out as a playmaker with incredible vision and touch.

 

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Last week’s winner: Aleck Kit – click here to see all entries

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Italy will be hoping to seal up their trip to the 2012 European Championships with victory on Friday, but Slovenia have other ideas.The Italians, desperate to restore themselves as a force to be reckoned with after their World Cup defence ended in the group stages, have settled into a comfortable three-point lead on top of Group C following three Euro 2012 qualifiers.

But their form has been patchy at best. Discounting a 5-0 thrashing of group minnows the Faroe Islands, Italy have limped their way to a 2-1 win at Estonia, drew 0-0 at Northern Ireland and been awarded a 3-0 win over Serbia after Serbian fans rioted in Genoa.

Slovenia are second in the group with seven points, with a 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland the only stain on their otherwise spotless record, and will fancy themselves a chance of at least taking a point when Italy visit Celje.

No team has yet managed to keep a clean sheet against Slovenia, with Tim Matavz the form goal-scorer after the Groningen striker piled a hat-trick past the Faroe Islands.

That means Italy could require two goals to win, a task which seems difficult given Cesare Prandelli’s side have only managed a pair of 1-1 friendly draws with Romania and at Germany this year.

Prandelli has also sprung a selection surprise by including 31-year-old Lazio forward Stefano Mauri ahead of Alessandro del Piero and Francesco Totti.

Mauri, who has earned only 10 caps since debuting for his country in 2004, could find himself thrust into the action at the Petrol Arena should Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini fail to find the net.

Italy will be buoyed by the fact that they have conceded just one goal so far in their qualifying campaign, as well as reports Matavz is carrying an injury and could be a game-time decision.

But in a blow to the Azzurri’s defence, Inter Milan’s Andrea Ranocchia has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Slovenian legend Zlatko Zahovic predicted earlier this week his countrymen would carve up the ‘too slow’ Ranocchia, so perhaps his absence will hurt the hosts as much as the visitors.

While a win will not guarantee Italy a trip to the finals in Poland and Ukraine next year, a six-point lead on the table will prove difficult for their group opponents to overhaul.

A win for Slovenia will leave both teams on 10 points and the group evenly poised.