Football news

Udinese defender Marco Motta is being mentioned in the Italian media as a possible replacement for want-away Christian Panucci.

Veteran Panucci wants to leave Roma after refusing to take a seat on the bench against Napoli last Sunday. A serious injury to Marco Cassetti added more woes in defence for Roma and it seems they may turn to former U-21 international Motta.

"The situation is developing," Motta's agent Beppe Bozzo said.

"This weekend we will talk to the two clubs. We have an agreement with Udinese and now we must discuss things with Roma. A loan deal could be in the offing."

Panucci could end up playing in the Primera Liga following interest from Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.

Arshavin granted UK work permit

Russian Andrei Arshavin moved a step closer to joining Arsenal in the English Premier League after being granted a work permit ahead of his protracted move from Zenit St Petersburg.

The Londoners are still engaged in talks with the Russian international and Zenit SP directors as a deal is yet to be agreed. However, a deal looks to be in prospect as Arsenal applied for a permit indicating they appear to be closing on a move.

Arsenal have until Monday to finalise the move. Manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday he wanted the deal done within 24 hours.

Blame Berbatov for Spurs' woes - Comolli

Damien Comolli, the former Director of Football at Tottenham, said Dimitar Berbatov is to blame for the Londoners' poor showing this season.

Berbatov left Tottenham to join Manchester United on the final day of last summer's transfer window.

Comolli claims the Bulgarian forced his way out. The lack of time to find an adequate replacement, he said, was a major reason for the club's poor show so far.

"I think the fact that Berbatov stayed so long, until the last day, made life for the coaching staff difficult," Comolli said.

"What can you do if a player tells you, 'I'll never play for you any more'?"

Frenchman Comolli was fired by Spurs, along with manager Juande Ramos, last October after a series of negative results.

Nolan leaves Bolton for Newcastle

Kevin Nolan has joined Newcastle United from Bolton for a £4m fee.

The midfielder, who signed a four-and-a-half year contract, was signed as a replacement for Joey Barton, who faces a long spell on the sidelines after breaking his foot.

Nolan spent 12 years at Bolton, scoring 50 goals in 345 first-team appearances. He has featured in all of Bolton's 23 matches so far this season, scoring six times.

Magpies manager Joe Kinnear said: "He's a player I think our fans will love. He's a real inspirational player. I think he is going to be a very valuable player for us.

This week, Bolton signed midfielder Mark Davies from Wolves.

Inter match-fixing reports denied

Il Giornale published a report yesterday claiming the Public Prosecutors Office in Milan was investigating Inter for allegations of match-fixing during the course of last season's run-in for the league title.

The Milan-based newspaper speculated that Inter threw away matches in 2008 to favour betting odds on the scudetto.

However, the Prosecutors Office was quick to deny the newspaper's claims. A statement said: "The Office would like to precise that no enquiry was ever made regarding the 2007/08 season and, in particular, Inter."

Il Giornale alleged a number of matches were thrown away towards the end of the season to favour gambling odds. One game in particular was the 2-2 draw between Inter and Siena on the penultimate day of the season.

N'Zogbia hurt by Kinnear 'insult'

Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia said he would never play for the club again while Joe Kinnear is in charge. In a statement sent to Sky Sports News, the French midfielder said Kinnear had insulted him, although he did not elaborate on how.

Kinnear responded by accusing N'Zogbia of trying to engineer a move away from the struggling club.

"First of all I wish to apologise to the fans for wanting to leave the club," N'Zogbia's statement read.

"However, having been insulted by Joe Kinnear, I will never play for him again while he remains Newcastle manager.

"The club are aware there are offers on the table and they should accept one of them."

Man. City bid for Santa Cruz rejected

Another bid from Manchester City to lure Roque Santa Cruz to their fold from Blackburn was rejected.

It seems, City boss Mark Hughes, a former Blackburn manager, wants the Paraguayan at Eastlands as he looks to assemble a squad to challenge for the honours.

Santa Cruz wants to link up with Hughes but Blackburn are determined to keep hold of their star forward and turned down an increased City bid.

"On Thursday, we put an improved bid to Blackburn for Roque Santa Cruz but it was rejected," said Hughes.