No sooner has Gerard Houllier departed Liverpool than the speculation about his successor has intensified to a ridiculous degree. But Charlton Athletic have been quick to squash any suggestion that Alan Curbishley will be on his way from The Valley to Anfield, although the manager himself has hinted that if the offer came along it would be tempting.
Addicks chairman Richard Murray though says: "Alan has signed a new deal. He has more money than ever to spend in the summer, more than any other Charlton manager has ever had, and has led the club to our highest finish. I don't know where this talk comes from but it happens every time there is a managerial vacancy."
Liverpool have already been linked with a move to install Porto coach Jose Mourinho, who has also been lined up as a replacement for Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea, but the coach has more pressing matters to attend to, until Thursday at least, as his team has the little matter of the Champions League final against Monaco to think about.
Meanwhile Houllier has confirmed he intends making a quick return to the game. The former Liverpool manager, who will be at Euro 2004 as a member of UEFA's Technical Committee, admitted his hunger was still there, saying: "I am in good shape and my leaving of Liverpool was not health related. I will have a rest then we will see."
He also paid tribute to the players and fans for their backing, adding: "I want to thank the players, who have achieved so much, and also fans for their support. Thanks to them we have won six trophies, among them the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup. The team and I have a great relationship despite some of the mischief going about."
Chelsea are on the verge of signing Roberto Carlos in a £20 million transfer from Real Madrid, in the next few days, according to Real's director of football, Jorge Valdano. The Brazilian World Cup full back has long been a target for Chelsea is reported to have agreed a move and Valdano says: "We're waiting for a fax confirming they will pay the £20 million fee in order to complete the deal."
Carlos himself, having initially declared at the weekend 'I'm leaving Madrid', is now reported as saying: "saying: "I want to stay at Real Madrid and I think my situation will be sorted out in the next 20 days. I am certain I will be here next season. I need a rest now, because I have had a lot of years playing a lot of games. I will go home to Brazil on Tuesday, my lawyer will call the club and he will sort things out."
News of yet another twist in the managerial not-so-merry-go-round, as applicable to Elland Road. It seems the club may be changing its mind after seemingly going back on their announcement that Kevin Blackwell is the new manager, with suggestions that they might now be targeting Iain Dowie instead.
The appointment of a manager at the newly-relegated Leeds United has been put back a week, adding fuel to the speculation that a decision has been put on hold until after Crystal Palace contest the First Division play-off final against West Ham.
The move of Alan Smith from Leeds to Manchester United seems to be a step closer with news that Leeds are set to get Danny Pugh from United as part of the deal, said to be worth around £7 million. Full back Pugh made seven appearances for the Old Trafford club, but only two in the campaign just ended. The transfer should be concluded as soon as Smith completes a medical this week.
Newcastle United have confirmed a tour to Thailand and Hong Kong as part of their pre-season build-up in the summer. The tour will comprise two games, as part of the club's attempts to tap-in to the lucrative Far East market, and the team will then return home for a tournament they are hosting that includes Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon and Glasgow Rangers, at the end of July.
Norwich boss Nigel Worthington has been trying to play-down speculation that the First Division champions are set to sign Martin Keown from Arsenal, saying: "There's nothing in that one. There has been no contact and even if there had I should imagine Martin would want a lot more money than we could afford. It is just wild speculation."
