IN A WEEK which saw Paul Scholes don a Manchester United shirt once more and Thierry Henry score at the Emirates, it is fitting that we open with a player possibly returning to his old stomping ground.
Andy Carroll showed the kind of form which suggested he could be a top Premier League striker during his time with Newcastle United.
And reports emerged last night that the Magpies had lodged a cheeky €18m bid with Liverpool after receiving €42m for the 23-year-old in the summer.
It didn’t take long for the claims to be dismissed, however, as sources from Newcastle revealed that no contact had been made while Carroll’s agent was adamant that he is “happy at Liverpool”.
Another player who might enjoy life on Merseyside is Inter Milan’s Luc Castaignos.
With Lucas Leiva sidelined, a defensive midfielder is the main priority for Kenny Dalglish but he is believed to be keen on some back-up in attack and is interested in taking Dutchman Castaignos on loan from the Serie A side.
Over at Arsenal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wants to leave the club temporarily in a bid to gain more first-team experience.
The 18-year-old has has looked bright when he’s been given a chance by Arsene Wenger but Monday’s FA Cup game with Leeds was only his seventh appearance for the club since joining from Southampton six months ago.
Oxlade-Chamberlain believes he can still force his way into the England squad for Euro 2012 and feels he needs to go out on loan in order to show Fabio Capello what he can do on a regular basis.
Another Saints teenager, Luke Shaw, could soon be lining out for the Gunners but Wenger faces stiff competition from Manchester City and Chelsea for the 16-year-old full-back.
Ravel Morrison has been touted as the ‘next big thing’ by Manchester United fans for some time now but they are in danger of losing the 18-year-old in the summer as recent contact talks have stalled.
The forward has already made headlines for the wrong reasons during his short career in football but United will be desperate not to lose a player they hold high hopes for to one of their rivals.
Carlo Ancelotti took over at Paris Saint-Germain last week and his first game in charge saw them go down to an Alexandre Pato goal during a friendly with AC Milan in Dubai.
The Italian, who managed Pato at Milan, wants to make the forward his first signing but has had a €21m bid turned down.
Norwich and Wigan will battle it out to take Egyptian goal-getter Mohamed Nagy until May. The Al Ahly striker, whose nickname is Gedo, has played his entire career in Egypt and scored 11 times in 18 appearances for his country.
Finally, after securing the services of Sean St Ledger, Ipswich Town boss is hoping to bring Keith Andrews back to the club.
