Jordon Mutch has completed his move to Crystal Palace, ending a short, ill-fated stay with QPR.
Just 25 weeks into a four-year deal at Loftus Road, the 23-year-old has moved on after failing to replicate the form which saw the Rs reportedly pay Cardiff £6 million for his services.
Mutch has penned a four-and-a-half year contract at Selhurst Park, where the midfielder becomes the first permanent acquisition of the Alan Pardew era.
He trained with his new team-mates yesterday morning and becomes Pardew’s second signing, following the loan move for Arsenal’s Yaya Sanogo.
Court invalidates Lens promotion
The French football federation (FFF) is appealing against a local court’s decision to invalidate the promotion to Ligue 1 of cash-strapped RC Lens after a complaint from rivals FC Sochaux, the FFF said yesterday.
“The FFF has learned the decision of the Besancon administrative court following FC Sochaux’s complaint after Lens’s promotion to Ligue 1,” the FFF said.
“It has decided to immediately appeal.”
If the decision stands, Lens would be relegated at the end of the season whatever their ranking.
They are currently 19th in the 20-team Ligue 1 table.
Balotelli ‘will stick with Liverpool’
Things have not gone as planned for Mario Balotelli at Liverpool but the Italy international is hopeful of turning things around at Anfield, according to his agent.
Balotelli has failed to score in the Premier League since joining Liverpool from Milan in a £16m transfer deal last summer.
The 24-year-old striker has since been linked with a return to Italy in the January transfer market in a bid to reignite his career. However, Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola has brushed off those rumours and insists the former Manchester City player will stay put.
“Balotelli is very disappointed with himself,” Raiola said. “He’s going through a bad time like he’s never had before.
“But the plan is for him to continue at Anfield.”
Crouch signs new Stoke contract
Former England striker Peter Crouch has settled his immediate future by signing a two-year contract extension with Stoke City.
The news ends speculation that Crouch, who has scored 37 goals in 140 appearance for Stoke, would leave when his current deal expires at the end of the season.
Crouch, who will be 34 today, joined the Midlands club from Tottenham Hotspur in a club record £10 million deal in 2011.
“People will stop talking about my future now , and I can just concentrate on doing well for this club which has always been my objective,” Crouch said.
Mancini hints at Toure summer bid
Inter coach Roberto Mancini has expressed an interest in signing Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure this summer.
Mancini, who managed Toure at City, is a big admirer of the Ivory Coast international and believes the 31-year-old would be a great addition to his squad.
“Yaya is one of the strongest players in the world,” he said.
“He has played in so many teams. He has been in leagues in Belgium, Russia, Spain and England. Italy is the one missing. This could be the right opportunity for him to come and try.
“We are building a team. There are players that change the look of a team, and Yaya is one of them.
“Next year we could try. We need to bring three champions, and we will see that we will be ready to fight for the Scudetto.”
Portugal back Figo’s FIFA campaign
Luis Figo’s decision to enter FIFA’s presidential election has received a positive reaction in his native Portugal even though he faces a seemingly impossible task to unseat Sepp Blatter in May.
Figo, 42, one of the greatest players of his generation in his time with Real Madrid and Barcelona, entered the race on Wednesday saying he had the five nominations from national FAs to launch a challenge.
“This is a great honour for the Portuguese Federation (FPF),” president Fernando Gomes said.
“We stated at the beginning of our mandate we would do our utmost to elevate the FPF’s influence and standing in the decision-making bodies of international football. Luis Figo (is) a person whose tremendous qualities we readily recognise.”
Swans in Cork talks
Swansea are in talks to sign Southampton’s former England Under-21 midfielder Jack Cork.
The 25-year-old former Chelsea youngster is out of contract in the summer and Swansea boss Garry Monk hopes to sign Cork for a reduced price, although Press Association Sport understands no fee has yet been agreed.
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has told Cork that he must decide his future by the end of this week with the transfer deadline looming on Monday.
“I spoke to Jack two weeks ago and we hope he will stay with us,” Koeman said. “But we would like to know very soon, so then we know what will happen with him for next season.”