Fulham managert Roy Hodgson has spoken of his delight at completing the signings of West Ham duo Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil for a combined fee of £6.3 million.
Striker Zamora, 27, has been at Upton Park since January 2004, but managed just 14 appearances last season, scoring one goal. Zamora said: "I am looking forward to joining up with the rest of the team this week and preparing for the new campaign."
On the pair's arrival, Fulham boss Hodgson added: "Bobby is a talented striker who not only has the desire to score goals, but always looks to involve the rest of the team with his intelligent play.
"John has a versatility that will provide us with more defensive options, which is extremely important to the strength and depth we have in the squad."
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has warned the football world that the days of making 'easy money' have come to an end. He believes the global credit crunch will hit the sport hard and have an impact on high-profile players looking for wage rises and others who have been linked with big-money moves.
Although he admitted that players now have more power, Hill-Wood said: "Well they do and maybe people need to be waking up to the realities of the world, and that the days of easy money have come to a pretty sudden end.
"There is an awful lot of talk about big transfers and major demands of players, but you will find throughout Europe and the UK that money is not quite as easy to obtain as it used to be. It does disappoint me because a lot of people dont seem to realise that – in the long run you must run a football club on a sensible commercial basis."
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has announced he will sell the club this season and quit football next summer. Jordan revealed he has been disillusioned with the sport for months and was recently angered when a Football League transfer tribunal ordered Spurs to pay just £700,000 for highly-rated midfielder John Bostock.
Jordan said: "Without a shadow of doubt, this is my last year. I've taken the club as far as I can. It's my specific intention to find a buyer this season. I am not de-motivated by my team, manager of fans - I'm thoroughly proud of my club.
"But I've been disillusioned with football for a long time. I don't even watch English games. I watch one team and that's Palace – I've missed one league game in eight years."
Finally, the leader of the consortium behind the takeover of troubled Luton Town insists the Football League's rejection of their appeal against a ten-point penalty marks the 'lowest point' in the club's 122-year history.
Mick Harford's side were docked ten points for breaching regulations over the payment to agents and that was followed by a further 20-point deduction after the club exited administration without a Company Voluntary Agreement in place.
Gary Sweet, managing director of the LTFC2020 group, said: "Of course we are devastated once again. We know that all the penalties we face next season are a direct result of the atrocious management of the club from 2003 until November of last year. We are at the lowest point in our history but we will get through this."
