Tottenham sporting director Damien Comolli insists Dimitar Berbatov will not be on the move in January following a meeting with the Bulgaria striker's agent.
Berbatov attracted interest from Manchester United over the summer and has only netted twice this term with rumours circulating that he wanted to leave White Hart Lane.
However, Berbatov's agent, Emil Dantchev, travelled to England this weekend to meet Comolli, with Spurs' sporting director assured the £10.9million signing from Bayer Leverkusen was not playing for a transfer.
"It is simply not an issue," said Comolli. "I met with Dimitar's agent and he assured me Dimitar is not looking for a move in January and simply wants to concentrate on helping the team push up the table. He is on a long-term contract with us and Juande (Ramos) sees him as an important part of our plans."
Sir Alex Ferguson says he wants to see more homegrown players at English clubs and has lent his support to FIFA president Sepp Blatter's plans to introduce a quota on foreign players.
"For the good of the game in England, it would be good to see more home-based players at the top clubs," he said. "I totally agree with Blatter, but there would be opposition from clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal."
He added in Inside United magazine: "It's certainly not wrong that clubs should be seen to have a proportion of home-based players. You want to protect your own, and there is nothing wrong with that and that's why Arsenal will protest the loudest.
"United's critics would say 'It's all right for you, you already have English players in your side'. But I think if you asked a neutral, they would rather see more home-based players." Blatter wants clubs to be limited to five foreigners in their starting XI to allow homegrown talent to flourish.
Dropping down two divisions and former Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale is convinced he has been the victim of an Elland Road smear campaign. It is now four and a half years since Ridsdale departed the club he supported as a boy, with many fans believing the £78million debt he left behind is the major reason why Leeds are currently in Coca-Cola League One.
Yet while Ridsdale is now happy to accept his share of the responsibility for Leeds' plight, he feels others, who were equally culpable, have escaped with their reputations intact. He disputes totally the theory that financial troubles triggered their relegation from the Premier League in 2004 - long after he had been succeeded as chairman by Professor John McKenzie.
And he has now decided to speak out against McKenzie's allegations. "To suggest the biggest single mistake I made - and I made plenty - was to have two goldfish tanks, which cost £200 per annum, was just laughable," said Ridsdale. "Yet it became a signal of my extravagance and largesse. I am bemused by it.
"I actually think it was a deliberate part of a strategy to nail me to the floor. To my face, Professor McKenzie was very supportive. Then he started hammering me for the number of company cars we had, when the number he stated was twice what we actually had. I used to drive from home every morning and return every evening, when I wasn't staying overnight, in my own car, and I was driving. Professor McKenzie was being chauffeur-driven to and from home. Nobody says a word about that."
Finally, Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva has dismissed England's chances of reaching Euro 2008. Defeat in Russia last month has left Steve McClaren's men on the brink of missing out on a major tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup.
If Russia beat Israel in Tel Aviv on November 17 and Eduardo's Croatia gain a point in Macedonia on the same night, England will head into their final Group E game against the Croats at Wembley four days later knowing the only thing that could save them would be an Andorra win over Guus Hiddink's Russia.
Da Silva, who scored Croatia's crucial second goal in Zagreb 13 months ago, feels England will miss out on the footballing extravaganza. "Things are looking really complicated for England," he said. "Croatia are not there yet. We still need a draw against Macedonia. But we are definitely in the best position and I reckon it looks like Russia and Croatia will qualify."
Russia's trip to the Ramat Gan Stadium will provide a heavy backdrop to the squad announcement McClaren is due to make on Friday for a friendly against Austria in Vienna 24 hours earlier and the concluding Croatia clash at Wembley.
With the situation completely out of his hands, McClaren can do little more than cross his fingers and hope Israel avoid defeat, as they did in Moscow on their previous encounter with Russia, and also as they did against England on home soil in March.
