Tottenham have turned down an offer from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for defender Younes Kaboul.

Anzhi restart their season next month and have been struggling to find a replacement for Chris Samba who left for QPR in January. They were hoping that they could strike a loan deal with Spurs for Kaboul but the offer was refused first in January and then when the transfer window in Russia closed on Wednesday night.

The North London club want to keep Kaboul and Villas-Boas personally indicated that he very much features in his future plans, according to The Guardian

Kaboul has been out since the first game of the season with a knee injury that required surgery but he has just returned to training. The defender was impressive last season for Spurs and there is a good chance he might return to fitness in time to play in the remainder of their chase for a Champions League place.

The Frenchman, who earns around £35,000 a week, has a contract with Spurs until 2014 and he will most likely be offered an extension to stay at the club if he can manage to stay fit until the end of the season.

Anzhi resume their domestic season next month after the winter break and are currently in second place behind CSKA Moscow. They are in pursuit of top place and have signed Brazilian winger Willian and  left-back Andrey Yeschenko to aid them in their chase.

Meanwhile Gylfi Sigurdsson has warned his Spurs team mates that even if they beat rivals Arsenal this weekend then they will still have to perform to qualify for the Champions League.

“It is going to be a massive game for us,” said the Iceland international.

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“However, anything is possible in football. The league was won in the last minute on the last day [last time], so even if we beat them it is not finished. We want to get in to the Champions League, that is our aim. If we achieve that, we want to finish as high as we can.”

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Sometimes here at the Football Transfer Tavern we think it can be a bit of a challenge to compile top ten lists – for example if we had to make a list of Fernando Torres misses, we would not know where to start there is simply so many of them.

Struggle and debate as we may there has not been a more difficult one than this – ugliest Liverpool players of all time. Quite frankly a top ten is not enough we think a top one hundred may just about cover it as all we need to do is go through their current starting eleven which has some absolute draw droppers in it. In fact some in the tavern even quip it may be a Howard Webb conspiracy that the side have such a disproportionate amount of ugly players in it.

As it is we have done our best to narrow the list down and get some crackers on here – there is still debate that we have not picked the right ones but when you know the rest of a side makes Jamie Carragher look like the next pin up for the club it is over before it has even begun. Here are our top ten ugliest Liverpool players of all time.

Click on Anfield to reveal the top ten ugliest Liverpol players of all-time.

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Reading striker Adam Le Fondre has refused to concede defeat in the Royals’ quest to avoid relegation, despite Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Southampton.

The result leaves the Berkshire outfit eight points adrift of safety, with only six games to play.

But Le Fondre, who featured for the full 90 minutes against the Saints, believes that the fight is not over yet and insists that the whole squad will keep going:

“We’ll pick ourselves up and go again. It’s not in our make-up to give in.” He told Sky Sports.

“Never say never and until it’s mathematically impossible, we still believe.

“We’ll always battle to the end – that’s what the fans expect from us and it’s what we expect from ourselves.”

Reading’s next fixture will see them play host to Liverpool, a side who have been playing attractive football since the turn of the year.

Although the Reds pose a difficult challenge, Le Fondre feels that his side have a chance and will give Brendan Rodgers’ men a tough time at the Madejski Stadium:

“We’ve got Liverpool here next weekend and we love games like that, so we’ll welcome the challenge and try to make it horrible for them.”

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Le Fondre has enjoyed a relatively successful first season in the top flight, managing ten goals in 29 appearances.

He has often played back-up to Pavel Pogrebnyak, bagging the majority of his tally from the substitutes bench.

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Sunderland will be able to handle the mental pressure of a relegation battle, according to keeper Simon Mignolet.

Defeat at Aston Villa drew the club back into the scrap at the bottom of the table, although Wigan’s home defeat to Swansea on Tuesday night has eased the worries, but Mignolet says they can cope.

The keeper claims that as well as the physical battle they face, there is a mental one as well that takes its toll but the players are ready for the final two weeks of the season.

Mignolet told the Journal: “It’s tough for us mentally at the moment. If you’re a goalkeeper it’s already mentally a very tough job, I’ve played 35 times during the season.

“After every game you have to mentally refocus and prepare yourself fully for the upcoming game.

“When you’re in the position we’re in, it’s even tougher.

“However, we’re all professional football players and we should be able to deal with those kind of things. I think we have proved that.

“When you’re 1-0 down with 10 men then you have to have the courage and mentality in the second half to come out and press and push on, which we did – and we deserved credit for that.

“We have to do it again on Sunday. Of course, we all care and we’re all up for it.

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“We’re all trying our very best in every game and it’s imperative we do it again on Sunday.”

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that the club are likely to make a bid for Lyon’s Clement Grenier in the summer.

The midfielder came through the ranks at the Stade de Gerland and after a couple of seasons on the fringes of the first team, has now established himself as a regular in Remi Garde’s line-up.

His form has drawn comparisons with Lyon legend Juninho but with chairman Jean Michel-Aulas recently admitting that he could sell a number of the club’s players to help balance the books, it now looks likely that he will leave in the summer.

Arsenal are apparently winning the race to secure his signature and Wenger admits they are interested in him, comparing the 22-year-old to a young Samir Nasri.

“We are following him,” he told Telefoot. “His intelligence of play pleases me. He has interesting qualities. He reminds me of Nasri.”

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When the manager merry-go-round displayed its entirety earlier on this summer, it was clear that some transfers between the teams would follow.

David Moyes had been the Premier League’s third longest serving manager at Everton. Yet, he took up the once in a lifetime opportunity to replace Britain’s longest serving manager- Sir Alex Ferguson who was in charge for an incredible 26 years at Old Trafford in a feat unlikely to ever be seen again. When two of the league’s longest serving managers move on from their respective clubs, you have to expect a degree of player upheaval. Exacerbating this was the fact that Roberto Martinez stepped up to the challenge at Everton after several years defying the odds by keeping probably the Premier League’s smallest club Wigan in the top flight.

Cue the speculation over which loyal players would be following their trusted managers in transferring teams between Wigan and Everton, and Everton and Manchester United. Much of the media’s attention focused on two players- in most people’s eyes Everton’s two prized assets. Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines had proved in 2012-2013 that they were a cut above a team jostling for a European squad. Baines’ form had led many to believe he was more worthy of a starting berth for England than a stalwart of the team like Ashley Cole- a high proportion of Everton’s goals came through him or were affected by him bombing down the left side or taking some of the most ferocious set pieces the league saw last season. Yet, in a huge boost to the Toffees, Baines stayed put at Goodison Park. There is no doubt that Manchester United expressed a huge interest in bringing the England man to Old Trafford but Everton displayed the best quality stiff upper lip to avoid selling him.

It was Fellaini who was looking the more likely to move on, and move on he did- in dying embers of the transfer window. In a move that could be indicative of a panic buy, United purchased the 25 year old for around £27 million. Adding to the chaotic nature of the transaction, Fellaini reportedly put in a last minute transfer request to Roberto Martinez to force through a move as well as agreeing to funding £4 million of United’s transfer fee himself. This ensured Everton received above their minimum fee release clause for their midfielder- something which would not have happened had United acted quicker in their pursuit.

Despite the loss of Fellaini, the retention of Baines is arguably an even bigger feat for Martinez and Chairman Bill Kenwright. If you had to ask them who they would rather have sold out of the two, it’s pretty certain they would have given you Fellaini every time. Crucially, Everton put at least some of the transfer fee to good use. Martinezs had already gone back to former club Wigan to sign three players- goalkeeper Joel, defender and former captain Antolin Alcaraz and Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone. All displayed last season that their natural level is probably above that of the Championship. All added depth to the blue side of Merseyside’s squad but their addition can hardly be described as ground breaking.

Everton saved their key business for the last day of the window with good incisiveness in replacing Fellaini. Martinez went back to his regular hunting ground to sign Republic of Ireland man James McCarthy. A younger player than Felllaini with the potential to be as good. Former England man Gareth Barry also headed through the doors. He is keen to re-establish himself in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup in 2014. Again this, adds experience to the ranks at Everton- big game experience. The third acquisition is probably the most impressive. Many people were tipping Romelu Lukaku for a regular spot in the Chelsea team this season, but Jose Mourinho’s decision that he is not ready represents a clear gain for Everton who beat Lukaku’s former loan club West Brom to his signing.

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All three give Everton depth that they haven’t really enjoyed for the past few seasons. Often the pundit’s line with Everton has dubbed their starting XI as capable of beating anyone on their day. Yet, a statement that often follows is ‘they’ll have a good season if they get no injuries’. This is because (often due to lack of funding) their squad has an alarming lack of depth. This is not the case this season.

With youngsters like Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman getting better and better every game, experienced heads like Leon Osman and Sylvain Distin as strong as ever, and new additions like McCarthy, Barry and Lukaku giving Everton a genuinely strong spine, Martinez can be commended for making Everton stronger in the wake of losing one of their star players. Good management has resulted in Everton becoming stronger. No one will surprised if they are up there challenging the elite for a top four finish as the end of the season approaches.

Andre Villas-Boas had momentarily stepped back into that unusual space where things made sense to him but left almost everyone else scratching their heads. He did it on more than one occasion in the first few months of his current spell at Tottenham, receiving criticism for what seemed like his avoidance of reality. This time, he’s criticised the apparent lack of support from Tottenham fans.

Football managers can die by the sword, but they’re not really in a position to tell the wielder how to swing. Fans have a right to be as muted or vocal as they wish.

It’s as if Villas-Boas has found a get-out clause for some very forgettable performances so far this season. Whose expectation levels wouldn’t be raised tenfold off the back of the summer Spurs had? They picked up some of the best talents in European football, forcing the case for a top four Premier League finish come May.

The product has been far from befitting, though. A string of one-nil results, a set of performances that haven’t so much been bland as rigid, failing to coherently put together to pieces added over the summer. It’s October, the club have spent close to £30 million on an established striker. Why shouldn’t fans be a little concerned that 75 per cent of his league tally has come from the penalty spot?

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It’s not the fans’ problem or responsibility to get the best out of this team. I don’t see how Villas-Boas could have found any logic in pointing the finger at the home support, not just in saying that they create a muted atmosphere but then going on to hand out instructions on how they should behave throughout the ninety minutes.

Villas-Boas spoke to his players at half time against Hull and said, “We’ll have to do this on our own.” Well that’s generally the case. Fans observe and react to what’s happening on the pitch; they don’t conduct the manner in which a team performs. Noise generated from the home support is one thing to sway a result, but this whole issue smacks of a manager who is trying to force the responsibility onto someone else. If Tottenham aren’t producing results or performances that match the ambitious spend of the summer, it’s in no way due to the “unwelcoming atmosphere” at White Hart Lane.

There was a lot said about Spurs having the best midfield in the league. Well I don’t see it. I didn’t see it at the start of the season, when giants with limited creative nous made up the midfield two, and I don’t see it now, when these midfielders are failing to turn possession into goals.

And why would anyone be overly excited about that? As painful as it may be to admit, football does have an element of theatre about it. Sports can occasionally step over the boundary into entertainment. If you’re not entertained, why should you applaud? If supporters believe the product on the pitch to be below their expectations, why shouldn’t they feel some form of aggravation?

It’s down to the manager to work this out. That’s largely what he’s paid for. He sets the team up and he’s trusted with putting the pieces together. Why, at this point of the season, does Erik Lamela remain quite firmly out of the spotlight? What about Soldado?

The rising and falling of noise levels don’t have a direct influence on tactics. It would be wrong to say Villas-Boas is feeling any kind of pressure – after all, the team are fourth on 19 points. But there isn’t anything right or justified about his criticism of the support.

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Was criticising Tottenham fans a bad move by AVB?

Join the debate below

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It was only this summer gone that Arsenal were a club in disarray, a failure to spend and with it a perceived lack of ambition left many Gunners fans on the cusp of revolution.

How then only a couple of months on have the fortunes of the Premier League club changed so remarkably, where have the ‘Wenger out’ banners gone or the hordes marching on the boardroom?

Many Arsenal fans will harp on about how the Mesut Ozil transfer deal was enough to convince them of the club’s new level of ambition, in reality though very little has changed. A single marquee signing doesn’t change the habit of a lifetime, and fans would do well to realise that.

I don’t condemn Arsenal fans for holding their club to account this summer, in all honesty more fans should act upon their beliefs if they feel passionately about them. The problem as I see it is with those that are as quick to take up arms as they are to fall silent as soon as results start becoming more appetising.

By spending the money on Ozil, Gazidis and his cronies have clearly got away with it, the heat is off and they will live to fight another day.

So were Arsenal fans ever really that concerned with the conduct of both manager and board, or was the main issue just over the disappointing results on the pitch?

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I would be naïve to suggest that football wasn’t a results-based business, clearly everyone is judged on their performances on the pitch and everything else comes as something as afterthought. That said I cannot help but think Arsenal fans are suffering a case of horrible short-termism, caught up in their own impressive start to date they have been all too quick to forget the endemic problems that still exist.

Arsene Wenger is still the same stubborn dinosaur that is so set in his ways that he is unlikely to bow down to anyone, Gazidis still remains the money spinning tycoon that is all too happy to drain fans own pockets but seemingly averse to spending any of his own.

Arsenal have one of the toughest months imaginable coming up, a double header against Borussia Dortmund as well as encounters with Chelsea, Liverpool and United; it is unlikely to be quite as smooth sailing as before. My worry is that the only thing this early season form has done is simply mask the many shortcomings that are still readily concerning at Arsenal, a slump in form and who knows we could go full circle back to where we were back in August.

Wenger sees things differently. At odds with many peoples urge to spend, he thinks Arsenal are a stronger team because they have matured over the past couple of seasons where other sides have undergone vast changes. Speaking ahead of the Champions League tie with Dortmund he had the following to say:

“I believe we are much better. Our young players have gained experience and maturity,” Wenger said.

“The consistency of our results since January shows that. We are capable to be consistent and that is always a sign of quality, especially in the Premier League.”

I am actually inclined to agree with Wenger, I think the club’s stability over their nearest rivals is a definite reason why they have started so quickly this term. Yet this wasn’t the kind of rhetoric being used the many aggravated Arsenal fans last summer, instead it was the cries of ‘spend, spend, spend’.

I’m not having a dig at Arsenal fans for thinking that way, people are entitled to their opinions, the issue is that too many have begun to believe their own hype and been too quick to throw down arms.

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If football really has become this solely results based game then I think it is really sad. Who cares if a drug lord or shady dictatorial power runs your club, it is points on the board that matter right?

Buoyant Arsenal fans have been caught up in the moment, they have lost all sight of what they stood for only last summer. Football is a game with short-horizons on the pitch, but that doesn’t mean that fans who spend their whole lives following one club should be so flippant in the way that they view things.

A couple of defeats and we will see if this apparent Wenger revolution is quite as marked as so many Arsenal fans would have you believe.

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Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho says that he is happy with life at the Etihad Stadium and that he is looking to enjoy a long spell at the club.

The Brazilian international became a Sky Blues player last year, arriving from Eastern European giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

Despite making an unspectacular start to life in the Premier League, he has now settled and formed a formidable central pairing with Yaya Toure.

The 28-year-old has played a key role in both the club’s domestic and continental pursuits, and helped them to lift the Capital One Cup last weekend.

Fernandinho says that he is happy to have joined City, that he is hopeful of making his nation’s World Cup squad and that he may well finish his career in the sky blue jersey:

“I settled very quickly in Manchester, but in the beginning I had to overcome many difficulties,” he is quoted by The Express.

“People were not looking at me favourably because other Brazilians at City had not done so well. Also, Ukrainian football is not rated very highly in Europe.

“But now I have shown that I deserve to be a regular for City. The World Cup is my big goal. I want to convince Luiz Felipe Scolari by continuing to play well here and by winning trophies with City.

“I am fine in Manchester, it is a very quiet city. City were not the only club interested in me last summer, but they were the only one who made an offer.

“Finish my career in Manchester? Yes, anything is possible. I am fine here, I have a four-year contract and I have no reason to think about anything else.

“I believe in this project and I believe that we will win important trophies.”

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City are still in the hunt for another three trophies this term, and could end the season by claiming a fantastic quadruple.

Click below for great Mercedes offers!

It’s often a mystery as to what goes on in the minds of many football managers.

The words that cascade from their lips during interviews and press conferences at times don’t necessarily reflect their mood or their true feelings. So here’s an idiot’s guide to translating football talk.

1. “This club has a great tradition” – We don’t want to separate the past from present because we’re rubbish nowadays

2. “I have a philosophy and I won’t change it” – Philosophy. Hmm, I sound clever. I also have no ‘Plan B’

3. “The atmosphere was incredible” – I’ve never heard so many people swear so many times in such a short space of time

4. “Every game is a cup final from here” – Do I get a trophy if I win?

5. “He was absolutely unplayable” – My name is Paul Lambert and Christian Benteke scored today

6. “The ref has had an absolute shocker” – We lost

7. “The ref has had a good game” – We won

8. “I retain the board’s full support” – Maybe this will divert their attention while I sneak out the backdoor

9. “It’s a must-win game” – As opposed to last week’s must-draw game

10.“I don’t want to comment” – I’m happy with my bank account as it is thank you

11. “It was a game of two halves” – According to my observations

12. “It’s a transitional period. It will take time” – I’ve inherited a bunch of losers

13. “We’re just taking it one game at a time” – Last season we took it two games at a time and it didn’t work

14. “I don’t know what we’ve got to do to win.” – No seriously, I don’t know what we’ve got to do to win

15. “I didn’t see it” – I saw it

16. “It was a game full of passion” – It was one of the most violent games I’ve witnessed

17. “We’re now just focusing on the next game” – We want to forget about this one

18. “In football you never know” – I would like to announce my departure from (insert club here)

19. “There’s never an easy game in this league” – Forgive me if we lose

20. “There’s never an easy game at this level” – We’re really looking forward to this week’s home game against Hyde FC

21. “It wasn’t as easy as it looked” – I could have played my Nan in goal

22. “The scoreline flatters them” – The scoreline flattered us

23. “We could have had double figures” – We could have had triple figures

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24. “He worked his socks off tonight” – He was terrible

25. “He’s a passionate lad” – He’s a bit of a thug

26. “He’s experienced” – He hacked their striker down deliberately, good decision

27. “He’s inexperienced” – He hacked their striker down deliberately, bad decision

28. “The lads are really fired up for this one” – They’re ready to go out there and smash it

29. “He’s a real character” – He’s an idiot

30. “We’ll just keep on fighting” – All hope is lost

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