Life throws up curious scenarios sometimes. That moment of clarity amongst the hectic bustle of a busy schedule, when you think to yourself; ‘what the hell am I doing?’ This was one of those days. I was on my way to Adel, north Leeds, on a mission, dispatched by Leeds United manager Terry Venables to seek out the illusive and strictly incommunicado midfield enigma that was Olivier Dacourt.

It was November 2002, an unseasonably mild day, it was bright and sunny, but dark clouds were hovering over Elland Road. Well, not so much ‘hovering’, more; getting comfy and settling in for a permanent residence. Terry Venables had waltzed in like a Cruise Ship Entertainer, the lounge-suited crooner that had seen it all and oozed charisma. A flash of his smile hypnotized the media, but beneath the façade was a crumbling relic of a football management career. ‘His’ Leeds United was a decaying mess, and he wasn’t the man to avert it. We knew that, he knew that, Peter Ridsdale knew that. But here we were, together, keeping up pretences, in a big hole on the beach with water crashing in and the sand walls disappearing before we can cling onto them for any semblance of stability.

I arrive at Olivier Dacourt’s house and knock on the door. Nothing happens. I can hear voices inside and the shadows of hurried movement flick around the part of the bay window I can see to my right. At least a minute passes and I knock again. This time a small child who should be at school at this time of day answers the door. It is clearly Junior Dacourt, I can see it in the ears. He opens the door and stares me out. I am temporarily knocked sideways by his lack of welcoming pleasantries, before realizing I should maybe make the opening gambit.

“Errr, Hello. Is your Dad in?” I ask.

Nothing.

“Errr……..Pére………….Papa?”

I found myself making hand gestures to symbolize the welcoming bosom of a Father. I was wracking my brain to think of how to impersonate Olivier Dacourt, and only now did I realize he lacked any discernable mannerisms. I raised my leg and mimicked a studs-up, knee-high lunge on Dietmar Hamann whilst shouting ‘Papa, Papa’ and was just about to cup my hands on my head to suggest I was completely bald, when the man himself appeared at the door and saved me from further ignominy.

“Yes, what is it? What brings you here?” he snapped abruptly in broken English.

“I have come with a message from Terry Vena……err…..I mean Mr. Venables. He needs to speak to you urgently.” I stuttered clumsily.

With this, Dacourt’s eyes widened in shock and he darted back inside without a word. He didn’t acknowledge my comment or offer a response, he just disappeared like a startled rabbit and didn’t return, but he left the door wide open as if he wanted me to enter. So I did.

I crept into the hallway tentatively, not certain whether I was a welcome visitor or an intruder. The first room to my right appeared to be the main living room and I could sense that he was in there. His son had also disappeared.

As I peered around the door into the room I could see a mass of cables and video equipment. The carpet was barely visible, it was a hive of activity, not sure what activity, but it was something. In the far end of the room in front of the bay window was a small construction sat on a square table. It had curtains and elaborate fabric stapled to the front of it. It was a puppet theatre and £7.2million Leeds United record signing and French International midfielder Olivier Dacourt was quite clearly cowering behind it, in a sorry attempt to hide himself.

“Olivier?………….Ollie?………..Errrrrr……..Hello?”

I made discreet enquiries. I didn’t know if he was genuinely trying to hide or just playing some kind of rudimentary game of hide and seek with his child. I walked further into the room, tripping over the miles of cable and discarded video tapes on the floor.

Suddenly the curtains on the puppet theatre opened to reveal two small finger puppets on a stage. One dressed in a White Leeds kit, the other tanned in a suit jacket and a bright pink shirt with out-sized collars. There were muffled voices behind the puppet theatre, barbed squabbling as they prepared, presumably, for some kind of show. I stood still, traumatized by the oddball panorama I was confronted with. After much shuffling and rushed preparation the silence was broken.

“Mr Venables, please be advised that I do not wish to listen to you” said Dacourt from behind the curtain, as the puppet of himself gestured flamboyantly on the stage. “This has gone far enough. I am not happy and I will speak only when I am ready.”

I expected the other finger puppet to now respond, for it was clearly supposed to be Terry Venables, but there was silence. The fear grew upon me that I was thrust into the uncomfortable position of now being Terry Venables.

“Erm, OK Ollie………..I will pass that message on, but clearly it would be easier if you just spoke to him directly. There must be something you want to say.”

There was a moments silence, some consideration, before the ‘puppet’ responded from the stage.

“I am making a video, a video message. I will send this when I am ready. It is taking longer than I expected. I learn many new video editing techniques, but I have lots of time. Because of you, Mr Venables, I have lots of time.”

“OK Ollie, I understand. Why don’t we make this video now, then I can take it back with me?” I suggested, eager to resolve this complex situation. But my attempts at mediation, to rouse Dacourt out from behind the puppet theatre were not well-received.

“No! I am not ready.” He snapped “I will not be controlled by you Venables. I will speak when I am prepared. Pascal and I have lots of rehearsing to do. Tomorrow, maybe next week, we will film, edit and send the tape, not before!”

Dacourt flung the puppet of himself off the stage in a dramatic finale. He would talk no more, it was a clear message, but I had to try. This conflict was ripping the heart out of the club, I had to try.

“Ollie, look. I understand. I come in peace. I am no fan of Venables, he’s lost it. Whatever he had, it’s gone. Everybody knows that, Ridsdale knows it. I am here to help”

Dacourt remained hunched behind the puppet theatre, not willing to show his face and change persona. In muffled tones he whimpered like a wounded foal.

“That man said he would drive me to Roma himself, drive me out of the club and drop me off personally in Italy. But I will not give him the satisfaction. It is not that simple, this is not about a transfer, this is not about now, this goes back a long way.”

I sensed a breakthrough, a slight lessening in Dacourt’s cold, steely resolve. I could see his back from underneath the curtain of the puppet theatre. He began to sit upright, nearly revealing his head. I considered my next move carefully. As conciliatory talks go, we were at a critical stage and one false move could undo some substantial groundwork. I countered with caution.

“Is this…………is this about Paul Okon?”

I was not prepared for the reaction my simple question would provoke. As I stood rooted to the spot Dacourt leapt bolt upright and flung the entire puppet theatre straight at me, all in one movement. I had lit the blue touch paper and provoked his inner rage. I fended off the flying missiles, the armada of felt puppets, and itchy nylon curtain fabric as Dacourt bounced around the room like a rabid dog.

“It has nothing to do with Paul Okon.” He raged “He is nothing. NOTHING!” at least we agreed on something, but my mind was a sea of confusion. I was mulling over people in my mind; Brian Kidd, Peter Ridsdale, Bowyer and Woodgate, when out of the blue Dacourt threw a curveball name into the hat which brought the whole muddled scenario together.

“It is about Imre Varadi!” he proclaimed before falling to the floor exhausted. There was quiet after the storm. We were both breathing heavily, punished by emotions. The words ‘Imre Varadi’ echoed round my head and slowly it all came together.

“I know Ollie, I know what this is about” It was like I had found the holy grail. The clouds had parted, I had the secret. I could resolve this issue and Leeds United could become great again. It was in my hands.

“15^th September 1990.Leeds 0 Tottenham 2. Imre Varadi’s disallowed goal. That’s it isn’t it Ollie?”

Dacourt stayed face down on the carpet. His son Pascal walked over and hugged him. The dust settled in the room, there was calm. Finally, Dacourt moved his head round to face me and spoke.

“Venables cheated Leeds that day.” He said “Robert Hart may have been the ref that disallowed the goal but Venables was in charge, he was pulling the strings.”

“I know, Ollie. Varadi rolled Gary Mabbutt fairly and dispatched a fine equalizer which was disallowed, to the bafflement of everyone, but these things happen mate. We need to move on” I pleaded “for the sake of Leeds United we have to get over this and work with Terry Venables again”

“I can’t, I just can’t. It was just so unfair. Tottenham were the golden boys and they got every decision that day. We were just the upstarts from Yorkshire, newly-promoted and with hooligan fans, we didn’t have a hope against Mr Italia 90 Gary ‘Golden Boot’ Lineker and fucking blubber boy Gazza, and Mr. PFA Gary Fucking Mabbutt. It was ‘1-0 down, disallowed goal a minute later, then, bang, Lineker makes it 2-0’. In the space of three minutes our world is turned upside down. We are there trying to make an impact after 8 fucking years out of the top division, and we get decisions like that. You can’t just say ‘we need to move on’. How can you move on from that?”

I was defeated. He was right. I had no argument. Venables had done us that day, and my doubts about him all stemmed back to those events, I just hadn’t realized it. How this had evolved into using puppet theatre as a communication medium was an outright mystery, but I could understand Ollie’s detachment from the source of his inner angst, and now was not the time to dissect that. I dusted myself down and moved to console him. Pascal smiled at me, finally accepting me as a friendly face.

Ollie sat up and we hugged. He was crying, but they were tears of relief, maybe even joy. His demons had been released, his shoulders felt light again. No burdens, no baggage. It would be easy to think he could now carry on his Leeds career, but with Venables still in situ this would be impossible. A clean break was needed and maybe one day he could come back, when the deck was clear.

“Ollie, come on.” I said helping him to his feet. “I think you need to go to Roma. You need some distance. It’s only a loan, but you need to forget Venables. You don’t need him. I’ll drive you there.”

99. Five feet below the Elland Road centre circle is a time capsule buried in 1979 by kids TV programme Why Don’t You?

98. George McCluskey has a rare allergy that restricts him to eating only fig-based foodstuffs

97. Peter Barnes had a clause in his contract allowing him Monday mornings off for ‘post-match exfoliation’.

A late, 93rd minute goal from Nantes’ Serbian midfielder, Stefan Babović, ended our Ligue 1 unbeaten run tonight & cast a little doubt on our French Cup tie in 2 weeks with Les Canaris.  The loss also drops us to 2nd in the Ligue behind Lyon who won their match.

We had started brightly almost immediately with Landon Donovan helping us take the lead after only 3 minutes.  Jozy Altidore had pulled out wide left (I really like how Altidore’s game has helped us in the respect in the attacking 3rd creating space for guys like Landon & Yohann Hautcœur to make later runs & fill spaces for long shots) & crossed low to the near post & Landon was quick enough to beat his marker to the ball & one-timed a shot inside the near post for the 1-0 lead.

Nantes had equalized in the 26th minute & actually took the lead just before halftime through an Olivier Dacourt long-range effort but we were level at two in the 52nd minute when a Kasey Wehrman shot from the top of the box deflected off Nantes defender Ibrahim Tall & into the net.

We wasted a couple of opportunities to a lead & grab our 3rd but the bar denying Bafétimbi Gomis on a header was the closest we came before Babović’s injury time winner broke our hearts.

So down & into 2nd it is (for only now, I hope) & the almost 2 week break for Christmas/New Year’s/Holidays before our Coupe de France 10th Round tie on January 2nd with the same FC Nantes squad.

Allons Les Verts!

The former France international is available on a free transfer, following his release from his contract with Belgian side Standard Liege earlier this week.

Dacourt has knowledge of the Premier League having previously played for Everton and Leeds United, whilst he appeared nine times on loan at Fulham last season.

The Belgian press claim the 35-year-old is now set for a return to England with the Hammers, who feel his experience could help them in their bid to avoid relegation.

Reid... Leeds boss for just 22 games.

FORMER LEEDS UNITED boss Peter Reid recently reflected on his time at Elland Road.

Reid was initially appointed as manager on 21st March 2003 with the task of keeping Leeds United in the Premiership – a task in which he succeeded.

Two remarkable away results, a 6-1 triumph over Charlton at the Valley and a thrilling 3-2 victory over Arsenal at Highbury, helped keep Leeds in the top flight as they eventually finished six points clear of the drop zone.

“We managed to stay up and I think a lot of people forget that we got some great results”, said Reid.

After minor speculation linking the then Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, Reid with the Elland Road hotseat, Reid was then given a one-year rolling contract with the club for upcoming 2003-2004 season. However with the club in financial turmoil, Leeds were forced to sell their best players Reid explains:

“Harry Kewell went and we didn’t get enough money for him. It was a very  difficult time for the football club.”

Not only did Kewell sign for Liverpool for just £5 million, £2 million of that was rumoured to have gone to his agent. Olivier Dacourt’s loan move to Roma was made permanent for £3.5 million and Paul Robinson looked set for a move to Aston Villa to join up with David O’Leary.

Reid also loaned out Danny Mills (Middlesbrough), Stephen McPhail (Nottingham Forest), Matthew Kilgallon (West Ham) and James Milner (Swindon). Replacements were lined up.

“I tried to get Paolo Di Canio off West Ham but he went to Charlton and Patrick Berger off Liverpool but he went to Portsmouth. I panicked a bit and brought about eight players in on loan because there was not substance to the club.”

Di Canio... was Leeds target.

Jermaine Pennant, Didier Domi, Lamine Sakho, Zoumana Camara, Cyril Chapuis, Salomon Olembe and Roque Junior were all brought into the club on loan deals.

However having won just two games by early November, Reid was sacked.

“I was there at the wrong time. When I went in I didn’t realise that they were going to financially implode.

“Leeds is a fantastic club and I’m delighted that they’re doing well. I just want them to go up. It’s a club with a great tradition and a great support and I hope to see them back up there.”

After a stint as manager of Thailand, Reid is now assistant manager at Premiership club Stoke City.

The French midfielder has signed for the Belgian club.

Champions League hopefuls Standard Liege have confirmed the signing of highly-rated midfielder Olivier Dacourt in an official statement on their website on Wednesday evening.

The 34-year-old midfielder has been a free agent ever since Inter released him on a free transfer this summer. Dacourt has signed a one-year deal at the Belgian club.

Standard were keen to add some more depth to their midfield due to the absence of skipper Steven Defour, who will be sidelined for three more months due to a foot injury.

The former French international will not be available for Standard’s Champions League matches however. Dacourt could make his official debut for the Rouches in this weekend’s league match against Kortrijk.

Goal

Bye bye Volzy:(

Fulham annoncerede i dag, at Moritz Volz, Collins John, Olivier Dacourt, Julian Gray, Giles Barnes, Karim Laribi og Hannover-bundne Leon Andreasen alle har forladt klubben.

Jeg begræder især tabet af Volz, som jeg så som en god all-round spiller og en solid backup til Johnny Paintsil på højreback pladsen.

Den sympatiske tysker har opnået kult-status i sin tid på Craven Cottage pga. hans jordbundne natur og ikke mindst det faktum, at han cyklede rundt i London på en folding bike i stedet for at køre rundt i en luksuriøs Benz.

Den tidligere Arsenal-spiller kom til Fulham tilbage i 2004 og var i sidste sæson udlejet til Ipswich.

Både Dacourt og Barnes var i Fulham på leje-aftaler, og mens Dacourt fik en smule spilletid, blev det ikke til et eneste minut for talentfulde Barnes, der var skadet gennem det halvår, han tilbragte hos The Cottagers.

Ingen af de to vil dog blive synderligt savnet, da Dacourts bidrag også har været til at overse!

Julian Grays skifte til Fulham ved årsskiftet var det mest mærkværdige ved denne sæson, da kantspilleren havde tilbragt et halvår på lån inden da uden at få en eneste kamp.

Derfor blev Gray overraskende tilbudt en kontrakt ved nytår, men må nu ud og lede efter en ny klub, da kontrakten kun gjaldt til sommerpausen.

Unge Laribi lignede et solidt talent, men klubben har heller ikke valgt at forlænge med forsvarsspilleren, der nu formodentlig må ned på et lavere niveau.

Sidste mand (Udover Andreasen) og indbegrebet af en nedtur er Collins John, der var U21-landsholdsspiller for Holland, da han ankom til Craven Cottage.

Under opholdet i det sydvestlige London opnåede John også to landskampe, men mistede derefter fuldstændigt formen og har i de seneste par sæsoner haft usuccesfulde lejemål hos Leicester, Watford og NEC.

I en alder af bare 23 ser karrieren ud til at have ramt en mur, og hollænderen må formodentlig et par niveauer ned for igen at få den selvtillid, der gjorde ham til en regulær målscorer tilbage i starten af Fulham-karrieren.

January 1

Jermain Defoe signed for Spurs

Lassana Diarra – Portsmouth to Real Madrid, £20millionNadir Belhadj, Lens to Portsmouth, £4.4millionGavin Hoyte – Arsenal to Watford, (loan)Jay Simpson – Arsenal to West Brom (loan)Jack Cork – Chelsea to Watford (loan)David Gray – Manchester United to Plymouth (loan)

January 2

Zoran Tosic – Partizan Belgrade to Manchester United (undisclosed)Adem Ljajic – Partizan Belgrade to Manchester United (undisclosed, player loaned back to Partizan for 12 months)Heidar Helguson – Bolton to QPR (undisclosed)Sergio Peter – Blackburn to Sparta Prague (undisclosed)Andy Barcham – Tottenham to Gillingham (undisclosed)Sam Williamson – Manchester City to Wrexham (free)Joe Widdowson – West Ham to Grimsby (loan)Wayne Routledge – Aston Villa to QPR (undisclosed)Eddie Nolan – Blackburn to Preston (undisclosed)TJ Moncur – Fulham to Wycombe (free)Lee Molyneux – Everton to Southampton (free)

January 3

Wayne Bridge – Chelsea to Manchester City (undisclosed)

January 5

Lewis Montrose – Wigan to Cheltenham (loan)Seb Hines – Middlesbrough to Derby (loan)Sam Hewson – Manchester United to Hereford (loan)

January 6

Scott Sinclair – Chelsea to Birmingham (loan)Frank Fielding – Blackburn to Rochdale (loan)Charlie Daniels – Tottenham to Leyton Orient (free)

January 7

Jonathan Grounds – Middlesbrough to Norwich (loan) January 8Graeme Owens – Middlesbrough to Blackpool (loan)Ritchie de Laet – Stoke to Manchester United (undisclosed)Matthew Etherington – West Ham to Stoke (undisclosed)

January 9

Sebastien Puygrenier – Zenit St Petersburg to Bolton (loan)Dean Windass – Hull to Oldham (loan)Nathaniel Wedderburn – Stoke to Notts County (loan)Roy O’Donovan – Sunderland to Blackpool (loan)Graham Kavanagh – Sunderland to Carlisle (free)Jermain Defoe – Portsmouth to Tottenham (£15million)Lee Bowyer – West Ham to Birmingham (loan)

January 11

Kevin-Prince Boateng – Tottenham to Borussia Dortmund (loan)

January 12

James Beattie – Sheffield United to Stoke (up to £3.5million)

January 14

Seol Ki-Hyeon – Fulham to Al-Hilal (loan)

January 15

Kevin Kilbane – Wigan to Hull (undisclosed fee)Gael Givet – Marseille to Blackburn (loan until end of season)Marc-Antoine Fortune – Nancy to West Brom (loan until end of season)Kyel Reid – West Ham to Wolves (loan until May)Liam Miller – Sunderland to QPR (undisclosed fee)Tom Soares – Stoke to Charlton (loan)

January 16

Manucho – Manchester United to Hull (loan until end of season)Ariza Makukula – Benfica to Bolton (loan until end of season)Ryan Shotton – Stoke to Tranmere (loan until end of season)Javan Vidal – Manchester City to Aberdeen (loan until end of season)David Button – Tottenham to Bournemouth (month’s loan)

January 19

Craig Bellamy – West Ham to Manchester City (£10million)

January 20

Jermaine Pennant – Liverpool to Portsmouth (loan until the end of the season)

January 21

Wilson Palacios – Wigan to Tottenham (undisclosed).Nigel de Jong – Hamburg to Manchester City (undisclosed).

January 22Stelios Giannakopoulos – Hull to Larissa (free)Marlon King – Wigan to Middlesbrough (six months’ loan)Nigel Quashie – West Ham to Wolves (loan until end of season)Hossam Ghaly – Tottenham to Al Nasar (undisclosed) January 23Kamil Zayatte – Young Boys to Hull (undisclosed)Peter Lovenkrands – Unattached to Newcastle (free)Emile Heskey – Wigan to Aston Villa (£3.5million)Jimmy Bullard – Fulham to Hull (£5million)Mido – Middlesbrough to Wigan (loan)Cesar – Tottenham to Valencia (free)

January 26Ben Watson – Crystal Palace to Wigan (£2million)Hugo Rodallega – Necaxa to Wigan (undisclosed)Hayden Mullins – West Ham to Portsmouth (undisclosed)Pele – Porto to Portsmouth (loan)Carlo Cudicini – Chelsea to Tottenham (free)Pascal Chimbonda – Sunderland to Tottenham (undisclosed)Mark Davies – Wolves to Bolton (undisclosed)Ben Wright – Hampton & Richmond Borough to Fulham (undisclosed)

January 27

Savio Nsereko – Brescia to West Ham (undisclosed)

January 29Dorian Dervite – Tottenham to Southend (loan until end of season)Alan Judge – Blackburn to Plymouth (loan until end of season)Matt Derbyshire – Blackburn to Olympiakos (loan until end of season)

January 30

Kevin Nolan – Bolton to Newcastle (£4million)El-Hadji Diouf – Sunderland to Blackburn (£2million).Leon Andreasen – Fulham to Hannover (loan).Radoslav Kovac – Spartak Moscow to West Ham (loan until the end of season).Wayne Brown – Hull to Leicester (loan)

Jan 31

Julien Faubert – West Ham to Real Madrid (loan)Giles Barnes – Derby to Fulham (loan)

Feb 1

Shay Given – Newcastle to Man City (undisclosed)Tal Ben Haim – Man City to Sunderland (loan until end of season)Theofanis Gekas – Bayer Leverkusen to Portsmouth (loan until end of season)

Feb 2

Angelos Basinas – AEK Athens to Portsmouth (undisclosed)Andranik Teymourian – Fulham to Barnsley (loan until end of season)Adam Hammill – Liverpool to Barnsley (loan until end of season)Henri Camara – Wigan to Stoke (loan until end of season)Jo – Manchester City to Everton (loan until end of season)Ryan Taylor – Wigan to Newcastle (undisclosed)Charles N’Zogbia – Newcastle to Wigan (undisclosed)Olivier Dacourt – Inter Milan to Fulham (loan until end of season)Youssouf Mulumbu – Paris St Germain to West Brom (loan until end of season)Yann Ekra – Hull to Panionios (loan until end of season)Michael Chopra – Sunderland to Cardiff (loan until end of season)Robbie Keane – Liverpool to Tottenham (undisclosed)Juan Carlos Menseguez – San Lorenzo to West Brom (loan until end of season)Ricardo Quaresma – Inter Milan to Chelsea (loan until end of season)Sergio Tejera – Chelsea to Real Mallorca (loan until end of season)Calum Davenport – West Ham to Sunderland (loan until end of season)

Andranik på farten

Den sidste dag af transfervinduet, som jeg i første omgang troede lukkede natten til den første, blev en smule hektisk for vores venner ved Motspur Parks kontorer.

Først og fremmest røg McBride handlen i vasken, da Fulham var for sent ude efter den legendariske amerikaner og den eneste der så tjekkede sine kufferter ind på Craven Cottage var franske Olivier Dacourt, der er lejet i Inter.

Den tidligere franske landsholdsspiller havde fået at vide, han ingen fremtid havde på Giuseppe Meazza og dermed var der åbnet op for et comeback i den engelske Premier League, hvor han tidligere har huseret hos Leeds og Everton.

Selv om jeg er ganske skeptisk overfor midtbanemanden, kan det kun blive bedre end Dickson Etuhu…

Selvom Dacourt var det eneste nye ansigt, blev en lejeaftale også permanent, da vi har skrevet en ½ årig kontrakt med vores lejede kantspiller Julian Gray fra Coventry, som har fået en enkelt cup kamp på et halvt år hos The Cottagers…

Logikken i den handel må være, at vi styrker bredden (!) eller??

Imens har endnu en central midtbanespiller forladt os i form af det iranske flop Andranik, der er røget til Barnsley på en lejeaftale (Men gudskelov var han da gratis…).

Australske Adrian Leijer har også forladt The Cottagers og er stødt til Norwich truppen på en lejeaftale, som til gengæld sender Elliott Omozusi retur efter et nogenlunde succesfuldt ophold under tidligere manager Glenn Roeder.

Den nye Canaries manager, Bryan Gunn, har valgt ikke at gøre brug af den talentfulde Omozusi, der vender tilbage til en hård kamp om pladsen i højre forsvarsside (Og såmænd også det centrale forsvar, hvor han også kan gøre sig bevendt).

Som en lille afrundingsnyhed på en travl dag, kan det nævnes, at Captain Danny har skrevet under på en ny aftale, så den løber til sommeren næste år. Rutinerede Danny-boy er en vigtig faktor i det centrale maskinrum, hvor han nu skal agere kreativt midtpunkt efter Greedy Bullards afsked.

Andre nævneværdige klubskifter i Premier League på denne sidste dag af transfervinduet:

Robbie Keane fra Liverpool til Tottenham – £12 mio. plus addons
Ricardo Quaresma fra Inter til Chelsea – Leje
Charles N’Zogbia fra Newcastle til Wigan – £5 mio. plus Ryan Taylor
Jo fra Man City til Everton – Leje
Calum Davenport fra West Ham til Sunderland – Leje
Juan Carlos Menseguez fra San Lorenzo til West Brom – Leje
Youssouf Mulumbu fra PSG til West Brom – Leje

Dacourt, who is already familiar with English football from spells at Everton and Leeds, has found himself out of favour since the arrival of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho at the San Siro.

Olivier Dacourt

That led to speculation about a possible third stint in the Barclays Premier League, and former Inter boss Roy Hodgson has moved quickly to tie up a short-term deal for the 34-year-old.

The club have also agreed a contract extension with skipper Danny Murphy on a busy deadline day at Craven Cottage.

The former Liverpool midfielder, whose goal on the final day of last season ensured the Cottagers retained their Premier League status, is now tied to the club until the end of next summer.

The Cottagers have also agreed a deal to keep Coventry winger Julian Gray at the club until the end of the season.

Gray, a former Crystal Palace and Birmingham player, initially joined the club in September and made his Cottagers debut in the FA Cup third-round victory over Sheffield Wednesday on January 3.

Meanwhile, defender Elliot Omozusi has been recalled to Craven Cottage from Coca-Cola Championship side Norwich.

The clubs came to a mutual agreement over Omozusi’s return to Fulham, who have agreed to let Australian centre-half Adrian Leijer move to Carrow Road until the end of the current campaign. Leijer is the second player to leave Fulham for the Championship on Monday, with former Bolton player Andranik Teymourian joining Barnsley.

Leon Andreasen will spend the rest of the season in the German Bundesliga, having agreed to join Hannover 96 on loan.

Tottenham are planning a cheeky bid to sign Andrei Arshavin after his move to Arsenal broke down this morning.

If successful it would be a major coup for Spurs and would be a sensational move resembling Emmanuel Petit’s decision to join the Gunners rather than Tottenham from Monaco 12 years ago.

Arsenal officials have baulked at having to fork out Zenit St Petersburg’s demands for the £15m fee to be paid in one lump sum.

But Tottenham, who were close to capturing the left-sided attacking midfielder in the summer, could fund the move by selling Darren Bent to Sunderland for around £12m.

Arshavin is at a Hertfordshire hotel waiting for news but when he answers his mobile it may be sending him to the white half of North London – not that he will be able to tell the difference in these snow covered times.

The Lilywhites will be major players in today’s dealings but they won’t follow up their interest in taking Robbie Keane back to White Hart Lane if Jermain Defoe’s foot injury is not as bad as first thought.

If the former Portsmouth striker is only ruled out for three weeks, the plug will be pulled on Keane’s £15m switch.

Tottenham also insist Aaron Lennon will not be heading in the opposite direction.

If a deal does go ahead it will be on cash only terms and at a severe discount from the £20m Liverpool splashed out in the summer.

Harry Redknapp will make a late bid to sign Reading’s Stephen Hunt as the Irishman has a £5m get-out clause in his contract and may even try for Royals striker Kevin Doyle.

And Real Madrid’s Javier Saviola has been offered on loan to the Londoners, who have also been linked with Inter teenager Mario Balotelli.

Greek striker Theofanis Gekas has joined Portsmouth from Bayer Leverkusen on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent switch.

The Greece international joined Leverkusen after a spell at VfL Bochum and scored 11 goals in 29 appearances in his first season there.

Pompey, meanwhile, have rejected a £2m bid for Sean Davis from Bolton but are bracing themselves for a fresh bid.

Wanderers boss Gary Megson was prepared to offer the midfielder a three-and-a-half-year deal to move to the Reebok Stadium.

Megson is also interested in Rangers midfielder Pedro Mendes and is trying to revive his efforts to sign Miguel Veloso from Sporting Lisbon.

Can you imagine Chelsea going through a transfer window without making a significant signing? It may well happen although they have been linked with a move for Robinho with Didier Drogba, centre-half Alex plus £20m heading to Manchester City.

Italy and Roma defender Christian Panucci, 35, is on the verge of signing for Hull while Fulham hope to tie up a move for Inter Milan midfielder Olivier Dacourt and sign their former Brian McBride on loan from Chicago Fire in the MLS.

Celtic are keen to take West Brom left-back Marek Cech, who is also being trailed by Cologne and Napoli, on loan while Wolves boss Mick McCarthy will plead with Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari to loan him defender Michael Mancienne for the rest of the season.

Dropping down a division and Billy Davies has made a £400,000 bid for Norwich winger Lee Croft and the Nottingham Forest boss is also out to land Blackburn keeper Mark Bunn on loan.

Follow all the latest transfer news live below or for an alternative look at transfer deadline day check out METRO’S chief sportswriter Danny Griffiths’ blog here

Will Andrei Arshavin become an Arsenal player today?

17.00:Thats it. The transfer deadline has passed, well sort of. It still appearsRobbie KeaneandAndrei Arshavinare heading to north London but the deal has yet to officially be announced.

16.45:It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for… Watford have completed the signing of Inverness midfielderDon Cowiefor a nominal fee.

16.40:Only 20 minutes to go. Cracking rumour this – Liverpool haveDavid Villalined up! Surely not..

16.30:Fulham have signed French midfielderOlivier Dacourton loan until the end of the season from Inter Milan.

West Brom have signed defensive midfielderYoussouf Mulumbuon loan from Paris St Germain until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal.

16.20:Arshavinhas passed his medical – the deal must be close now…

16.05:In the other big deal of the day, it appears Arsenal have agreed a fee with Zenit St Petersburg forAndrei Arshavin. Personal terms have also been agreed with the player but Zenit want half of the player’s signing-on-fee. More here.

16.00:Robbie Keaneis heading back to Spurs. Who would have thought that when he signed for Liverpool last summer! Read more here.

15.30:Newcastle have signed defenderRyan Taylorfrom Wigan, withCharles N’Zogbiamoving in the opposite direction in an exchange deal.

Dundee United have signed Celtic full-backPaul Caddison loan for the rest of the season.

15.15:Its all gone very quiet. One of the more outlandish stories doing the rounds is the possibility of Spurs’Darren Bentand Newcastle’sObafemi Martinsswapping clubs. Seems Spurs turned down the Magpies offer.

14.45:Calum Davenportis on his way out of West Ham. The defender is due to have a medical at Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have signed American strikerMike Grella, who is meant to be a bit special.

Remember as well to check out all of today’s transfer rumours here.

14.30:Everton have agreed to sign strikerJoon loan from Manchester City until the end of the season.

14.20:The transfer deadline has been extended past 5pm if clubs prove the weather condions prevented the deal going through before 5pm. More here.

14.15:Spurs teenagerGiovani Dos Santoson his way to Pompey according to reports.

AndHenri Camarasigns on loan for Stoke from Wigan until the end of the season.

13.45:Our chief sportswriter Danny Griffiths reckons Quaresma is on his way to Spurs. More here.

13.40:Gone a bit quiet.Dean Shielshas joined Doncaster on loan.

13.20:It’s official -Keanehas been given permission to talk to Spurs about a possible return. More here.

13.15:Looks likeKeaneis going to have a medical at Spurs. Deal would be for £15m – but that will include the £11m Liverpool still owe the White Hart Lane club.

Charles N’Zogbialooks set to leave Newcastle and sign for Wigan this afternoon.

13.00:Portsmouth have signedAngelos Basinason an 18-month contract from from AEK Athens.

12.45:Will theArshavinsaga ever end? Now it is reported the two clubs are still negotiation and the deal is not quite dead yet.

Barnsley have signedAndranik Teymourianon loan from Fulham and wingerAdam Hammillon loan from Liverpool.

12.30:Arsenal bossArsene Wengerhas spoken out over the Arshavin deal. ‘We don’t need an instant saviour. I don’t believe in them. If he doesn’t join us I am not more pessimistic.’ Hmm….

Wolves signed defenderChristophe Berrafrom Hearts. Thats worth about £3m to the Edinburgh club.

12.00:Former Leeds midfielderOliver Dacourtcould be heading to Fulham. He is currently having a medical at Craven Cottage.

11.30:Not a deal as such but the Premier League have confirmed they are in talks with the FA and FIFA over whether an extension to the transfer window deadline can be given to allow time for medicals and personal terms to be agreed. Details here.

11.20:IsRobbie Keaneheading back to Spurs? Reports suggest Tottenham have tabled a straight cash offer.

Sheffield Wednesday have signed Michael Gray from Wolves.

11.00:The rumour Spurs will swap Jenas for Quaresma might have legs. The Portugal winger has been left out of Inter’s Champions League side.

10.50:Official. TheArshavindeal is off. Who is he going to be linked with in the summer?

10.35:This could be a sensational story. Rumours Spurs could try and signArshavinnow his move to Arsenal has broken down. More transfer rumours here.

Peterborough have signed Manchester United defenderJames Chesteron loan whileMichael Mifsudlooks set to join Barnsley from Coventry on loan. Coventry have also signed defenderJames McPakefrom Livingstone.

10.25:Another big name that was lined up to move was Manchester City’sJo, with Everton ready to take the Brazilian striker on loan to Goodison Park.

Newcastle midfielderCharles N’Zogbiawas poised to join Wigan, while Portsmouth have been linked with Spurs youngsterGiovani dos Santosafter signingTheofanis Gekason loan from Bayer Leverkusen.

10.15:Arshavindeal off according to reports! Can you believe it. He won’t accept a wage cut and the deal is apparently dead! Read more here.

10.10:Arshavinflew in on a private jet to make sure the deal goes through, apparently. That is dedication for you.

9.50:First deal of the day. Rangers strikerAlan Gowhas joined Norwich on loan.

9.40:Interesting rumour from Italy here . Spurs will swapJermaine Jenasfor Inter’sRicardo Quaresmain a loan deal until the end of the season.

9.30:Morning, should be a busy day, although the snow could hamper a few deals.

Bit of news already,Andrei Arshavinis in London and looks set to sign for Arsenal. See more here.

Mr. USA is baaaaaack

Ud af det blå er der i dag opstået nyheder om, at gode gamle Brian McBride kan være tilbage på Craven Cottage inden transfer deadlinen ved midnat(!)

Legenden McBride, der forlod klubben sidste sommer, vil tiltræde på en lejeaftale frem til sommer og bliver helt sikkert hilst velkommen af Fulhams fans, der ikke kan sætte deres lid til målsky Bobby Zamora!

Udover McBrides overraskende comeback, kan Inters franske midtbanespiller Olivier Dacourt også være tæt på en lejeaftale med Fulham.

Den handel er jeg noget mere skeptisk overfor, da jeg aldrig har set det helt store lys i franskmanden, men jeg håber da, jeg bliver positivt overrasket…

I det mindste udnyttede Roy Hodgson sin italienske forbindelse, men det var ikke lige Dacourt, jeg havde udset mig som forstærkning.

Avisen The Daily Mail rapporterer også, at Hodgson skulle have været ude efter den serbiske hitman Marco Pantelic fra Hertha Berlin, men serberen foretrækker at vente til sommer, hvilket kan være det samme, da han fik en potentiel alvorlig skade i forårspremieren på den tyske Bundesliga.

Af andre nyheder kan det nævnes, at Greedy Bullard har afsløret, at han ligefrem truede med at strejke for at komme væk fra Fulham, der ikke ville opfylde hans latterligt høje lønkrav.

Respekten for den tidligere publikumsyndling er på minus blandt Fulhams fans og jeg kan kun erklære mig enig! What a greedy bastard!

For all the confirmed transfers involving Premier League clubs click on the name of your team below.

Metro’s transfer centre brings you the latest January deals

Arsenal ¦ Aston Villa ¦ Blackburn Rovers ¦ Bolton Wanderers ¦ Chelsea ¦ Everton ¦ Fulham ¦ Hull City ¦ Liverpool ¦ Manchester City ¦ Manchester United ¦ Middlesbrough ¦ Newcastle United ¦ Portsmouth ¦ Sunderland ¦ Stoke City ¦ Tottenham Hotspur ¦ West Bromwich Albion ¦ West Ham ¦ Wigan

Arsenal

TRANSFERS OUT: Paul Rodgers – to Northampton – loan Jay Simpson – to West Brom – loan Gavin Hoyte – to Watford – loanRene Steer – to Gillingham – loanHenri Lansbury – to Scunthorpe – loanRui Fonte – to Crystal Palace – loan

Arsenal’s official website *****

Aston Villa

TRANSFERS IN: Emile Heskey – from Wigan – £3.5m

TRANSFERS OUT: Wayne Routledge – to QPR – undisclosed

Aston Villa’s official website *****

Blackburn Rovers

TRANSFERS IN: Gael Givet – from Marseille – loan El Hadj Diouf – from Sunderland – £2m

TRANSFERS OUT: Alan Judge – to Plymouth – loanMatt Derbyshire – to Olympiakos – loan

Eddie Nolan – to Preston – undisclosedFrank Fielding – to Rochdale – loan

Blackburn’s official website *****

Bolton Wanderers

TRANSFERS IN: Sebastien Puygrenier – from Zenit St Petersburg – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Kevin Nolan – to Newcastle – £4.5m Heidar Helguson – to QPR – undisclosed

Bolton’s official website *****

Chelsea

TRANSFERS IN: Ricardo Quaresma – from Inter Milan – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Wayne Bridge – to Man City – £10m Carlo Cudicini – to Tottenham – free Sergio Tejera – to Real Mallorca – loanScott Sinclair – to Birmingham – loanLee Sawyer – Coventry – loanJack Cork – to Watford – loan

Chelsea’s official website *****

Everton

TRANSFERS IN: Jo – from Manchester City – to loan

TRANSFERS OUT : Lee Molyneux – to Southampton – freeJohn Ruddy – to Crewe – loan

Everton’s official website *****

Fulham

TRANSFERS IN: Giles Barnes – from Derby – loanOlivier Dacourt – from Inter Milan – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Jimmy Bullard – to Hull – £5m Leon Andreasen – to Hannover – loanAndranik Teymourian – to Barnsley – loanT J Moncur – to Wycombe – freeLee Cook – to QPR – undisclosed Seol Ki-Hyeon – to Al-Hilal – loan Hameur Bouzza – to Birmingham – loan

Fulham’s official website *****

Hull City

TRANSFERS IN: Jimmy Bullard – from Fulham – £5m Kevin Kilbane – from Wigan – undisclosed Manucho – from Manchester United – loan Kamil Zayatte – from Young Boys Berne – £2.5m

TRANSFERS OUT: Marlon King – loan ended Stelios Giannakopoulos – to Larissa – free Dean Windass – to Oldham – loanWayne Brown – to Leicester – loanYann Ekra – to Panionios – loan

Hull’s official website *****

Liverpool

TRANSFERS OUT:Robbie Keane – to Tottenham – £12mAdam Hammill – to Barnsley – loanCraig Lindfield – Accrington – loanKrisztian Nemeth – Blackpool – loan

Liverpool’s official website *****

Manchester City

TRANSFERS IN: Nigel De Jong – from Hamburg – up to £18m Craig Bellamy – from West Ham – £14m Wayne Bridge – from Chelsea – £10m Shay Given – from Newcastle – £7.5m

TRANSFERS OUT: Jo – to Everton – loanTal Ben Haim – to Sunderland – loanSam Williamson – to Wrexham – freePaul Marshall – to Blackpool – loanJavan Vidal – to Aberdeen – loan

Man City’s official website *****

Manchester United

TRANSFERS IN: Toran Tosic and Adem Ljajic – from Partizan Belgrade – combined fee of about £17m Ritchie De Laet – from Stoke – undisclosed

TRANSFERS OUT: Manucho – to Hull City – loan James Chester – to Peterborough – loanTom Cleverley – to Leicester City – loanDavid Gray – to Plymouth – loanSam Hewson – to Hereford – loan

Man United’s official website *****

Middlesbrough TRANSFERS IN: Marlon King – from Wigan – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Mido – to Wigan – loanJonathan Grounds – to Norwich – loanGraeme Owens – to Blackpool – loan

Boro’s official website *****

Newcastle United

TRANSFERS IN: Kevin Nolan – from Bolton – £4.5m Peter Lovenkrands – from Schalke – freeRyan Taylor – from Wigan – swap deal

TRANSFERS OUT:Shay Given – to Man City – £7.5mCharles N’Zogbia – to Wigan – swap deal

Newcastle’s official website *****

Portsmouth

TRANSFERS IN: Nadir Belhadj – from Lens – £4.4m Hayden Mullins – from West Ham – about £2m Pele – on Porto – loan Theofanis Gekas – from Bayer Leverkusen – loanAngelos Basinas – from AEK Athens – undisclosed

TRANSFERS OUT: Lassana Diarra – to Real Madrid – £20m Jermain Defoe – to Tottenham – appx £15m Khaleem Hyland – to Zulte Waregem – loan

Pompey’s official website *****

Sunderland

TRANSFERS IN: Tal Ben Haim – from Man City – loanCalum Davenport – from West Ham – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: El Hadj Diouf – to Blackburn – £2m Pascal Chimbonda – to Tottenham – undisclosed Michael Chopra – to Cardiff – loan Ross Wallace – to Preston – loan made permanent Graham Kavanagh – to Carlisle – freeRoy O’Donovan – to Blackpool – loan

Sunderland’s official website *****

Stoke City

TRANSFERS IN: Matthew Etherington – from West Ham – £2m James Beattie – from Sheff United – up to £3.5m Henri Camara – from Wigan – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Ritchie De Laet – to Man Utd – undisclosedLewis Buxton – Sheff Wed – to nominalRyan Shotton – to Tranmere – loanCarl Dickinson – to Leeds – loan

Tom Soares – to Charlton – loanNathaniel Wedderburn – to Notts County – loan

Stoke’s official website *****

Tottenham Hotspur

TRANSFERS IN: Robbie Keane – from Liverpool – £12m Wilson Palacios – from Wigan – £14m Jermain Defoe – from Portsmouth – appx £15m Pascal Chimbonda – from Sunderland – undisclosed Carlo Cudicini – from Chelsea – free

TRANSFERS OUT: Kevin Prince-Boateng – to Dortmund – loan Hossam Ghaly to – Nassr Saudi Club – undisclosed Troy Archibald-Henville – to Exeter City – loan

David Button – to Bournemouth – loan

Charlie Daniels – to Leyton Orient – free

Spurs’s official website *****

West Bromwich Albion

TRANSFERS IN: Marc-Antoine Fortune – from Nancy – loan Jay Simpson – from Arsenal – loan Youssouf Mulumbu – from Paris St Germain – loanJuan Carlos Menseguez – from San Lorenzo – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Bartosz Slusarski – released Sherjill MacDonald – to Roeselare – loan Lee Baker – to Kidderminster – loanJoss Labadie – to Shrewsbury – loan

Baggies official website *****

West Ham

TRANSFERS IN: Savio Nsereko – from Brescia – undisclosed Radoslav Kovac – from Spartak Moscow – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Craig Bellamy – to Man City – £14m Hayden Mullins – to Portsmouth – about £2m Matthew Etherington – to Stoke – £2m Lee Bowyer – to Birmingham – loan Joe Widdowson – to Grimsby – loanKyel Reid – to Wolves – loanJulien Faubert – to Real Madrid – loanCalum Davenport – to Sunderland – loan

Hammers official website *****

Wigan Athletic

TRANSFERS IN: Charles N’Zogbia – from Newcastle – swap deal Hugo Rodallega – from Necaxa – £4.5m Ben Watson – from Crystal Palace – £2m Maynor Figueroa from Deportivo Olimpia – loan made permanent Mido – from Middlesbrough – loan

TRANSFERS OUT: Emile Heskey – to Aston Villa – £3.5m Kevin Kilbane – to Hull – undisclosed Henri Camara – to Stoke – loanRyan Taylor – to Newcastle – swap deal Luke Ashworth – to Leyton Orient – free Lewis Montrose – to Cheltenham – loan

Wigan’s official website *****