The Sun is reporting that Sunderland are closing in on a £1.8million move for Aston Villa’s Habib Beye. Steve Bruce is looking to bolster his defensive options and sees the 32-year-old right-back as a genuine option.

Beye has only been at Villa for half a season but has struggled to make an impact since his move to the Midlands. Carlos Cuellar and Luke Young appear to be ahead of the Senegal international in the pecking order. With his first-team opportunities limited, Beye is open to a move and Martin O’Neill is willing to sanction the move for the right price.

Bruce believes that Beye could help shore up his struggling defence along with new signing Matthew Kilgallon, and that his experience would be invaluable as they seek to rediscover their early season form. Beye would certainly be an upgrade on Sunderland’s current right-back, Phil Bardsley.

A move for Beye would not be without controversy given his past as a Newcastle United player. Beye was something of a cult hero with the Toon Army and was named the Newcastle United Player of the Year in 2008; but a move to Sunderland is likely to harm his legacy on Tyneside significantly. But the player left Newcastle with the intention of saving his career and though Villa have done well this season, he has played little part in their season so far. A move away from the club will be attractive to the player as he approaches the twilight years of his career.

Roberto Mancini is interested in Middlesborough winger Adam Johnson according to a report in The Sun. Mancini is seeking to add more options to his left side as Robinho is short of form and he prefers to use Martin Petrov on the right of midfield.

Johnson has attracted interest from a host of other Premier League clubs in the last few months with the likes of Sunderland, Wolves and Chelsea all watching the player. He his one of the most accomplished players in the Championship and one of the most sought after players in England right now. Sunderland had agreed a deal to bring the player in for £3million but new manager Gordon Strachan blocked the deal. Man City believe that they can get a jump on their rivals by offering £5million for the 22-year-old.

Boro had hoped to keep Johnson but they are struggling to keep up with their promotion challengers and their best hope is now a play-off place. Johnson is out of contract at the end of the season and is unlikely to sign a new one so the club may look to cash in on the player now.

Johnson is likely to have options with so many clubs showing an interest but City are likely to offer the most attractive deal to the youngster. There may also be the option of him being loaned back to Boro for the rest of the season which would certainly interest the club as they feel they can still achieve a play-off place.

Alan Shearer is more than a Newcastle legend; he is a Blackburn legend, a Premier League legend and an England legend. But it is for his time with Newcastle that Shearer will be best remembered and rightly so. One of the greatest strikers in history; he is a true great of the modern game.

Shearer made his debut for Southampton in 1988 against Chelsea; on his full debut two weeks later he made the headlines for the first time when he scored a hat-trick becoming the youngest player to do so in the top division at 17 years, 240 days. Over the next 3 years Shearer would become an important part of the Southampton side and he came to prominence in the 1991/92 season with 13 goals in 41 appearances. He earned an England call-up and scored on his debut.

After an impressive season with Southampton, Shearer was the subject of interest from other clubs and moved for £3.3 million to Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 1992. Despite some injury problems, Shearer experienced great success with Blackburn, he scored 16 goals in 21 games in his first season with the club but much greater accomplishments were to follow. In the 1993/94 season, Shearer was named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year after he scored 31 goals in 40 games and led Blackburn to a second-place finish in the league. The next year, Shearer formed a lethal partnership with Chris Sutton and he scored 34 league goals in a title-winning season. He managed to break the 30 goal barrier again the next season but Blackburn were unable to retain their league title.

After an impressive showing at Euro 96, Manchester United tried for the second time to take Shearer to Old Trafford and though a deal came close to completion; he ended up joining his home-town side Newcastle United for what was a world record fee of £15million. Shearer made a strong start to his Newcastle career and finished as top-scorer in the Premier League for the third year running. The following season however was a disappointment as Shearer missed half them games through injury and Newcastle struggled to a 13th place finish. Shearer was England captain by this point and the next two seasons he rediscovered his form with 14 goals in 30 games and 23 in 37 during the 1999/00 season.

Shearer continued to score goals well into the Noughties until he retired in 2006. He finished as the all-time top goalscorer for Newcastle United and is also the leading scorer in the Premier League with 260 goals.

He was a special striker in that he could score all types of goals. His strength was such that he was used often as target-man but in his earlier years he was a quick player who could run away from defenders. He was powerful in the air; had great long range shooting and had brilliant movement. He is one of the most complete forwards of all time; he was even a great asset when it came to defending corners.

Shearer will forever be cherished by the Newcastle fans; even though he did not manage to deliver the league title that they craved, his commitment and quality will never be forgotten. Even the fact that he failed to stave off relegation last season as manager has done nothing to tarnish his reputation.

Everton are seeking to resurrect a move for Arsenal’s Philippe Senderos according to a report in The Times. David Moyes was interested in Senderos over the summer as a replacement for Joleon Lescott but decided against a move on account of the fee. Senderos would now be available for loan and as he in the last year of his contract a free transfer at the end of the season is also a possibility.

Senderos has only been limited to cup appearances for Arsenal this season and has no future in the first-team. He is unlikely to be offered a new deal and the arrival of Sol Campbell as well as the presence of Mikael Silvestre makes his position at the club even more peripheral.

Everton are looking for a centre-back after Lucas Neill’s surprise move to Turkey and with Joseph Yobo away at the African Nations Cup and Jagielka still injured, they are short of players in the centre of defence. Moyes is interested in bringing the Swiss defender to Merseyside on loan for the rest of the season before making a decision on whether to offer a full-time contract in the summer.

Senderos claim to have options in terms of his future; he seems certain to move in this transfer window but there is reportedly interest from a number of German and Italian sides as well as Everton. Celtic have also enquired about his availability as Tony Mowbray seeks to restructure his squad. Senderos has hinted that he would prefer to stay in the Premier League which would put Everton in poll position but an offer from one of the bigger Italian sides may still sway him.

The Daily Mirror is reporting that Derby manager Nigel Clough is in talks with Arsenal about a loan move for young striker Gilles Sunu.

Sunu is unlikely to play for Arsenal again this season as they are out of the Carling Cup and a move to Derby would be a good chance for him to get some first-team football. He has shown some promise for Arsenal in the youth ranks and Clough feels that the player could make a real impact at Championship level.

Derby are looking for possible striking options as DJ Campbell’s loan deal from Leicester City might not be extended past the end of this month. Sunu would be ieal for Derby as he would arrive with a lot to prove and his pace and youthful enthusiasm could reinvigorate the squad.

Any deal could be help up by Sunu’s contract situation at Arsenal. The player’s deal expires at the end of this season and a new deal is yet to be agreed. Arsenal do not want to let the player leave on loan before an extension is agreed. They are concerned that if he moves on loan he may be convinced to leave Arsenal at the end of the season to get more first-team football.

Arsenal have benefitted in the past from allowing players to go out on loan in the Championship. Henri Lansbury is doing well for Watford this season and in the past Nicklas Bendtner made his name as he helped Birmingham City get promoted to the Premier League. Sunu could certainly follow in these footsteps if a deal can be agreed with Derby.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering a shock move for Fulham defender Chris Smalling according to the Daily Mirror. Wenger is still looking for a long-term solution to his centre-back problem as Sol Campbell is only a stop-gap and Philippe Senderos looks set to leave the club in the near future.

Smalling has only made a handful of appearances for Fulham but has earned rave reviews and looks to be a classy player at this level despite turning out for Maidstone as recently as 2008. Wenger is thought to value the player at as much as £7million as he sees Smalling as a possible defensive leader for many years to come.

Smalling made his Premier League debut recently against Chelsea and did very well; he was unfortunate to score an own-goal. He is tall and good on the ball; at 20, he can still be developed by Wenger and adapt to Arsenal’s style of play. With Gallas in his thirties, Wenger is seeking a long-term partner for Vermaelen and sees Smalling as a strong candidate for the role.

Fulham are not looking to sell Smalling but a bid of £7million may be too tempting as they are looking to raise funds to strengthen in other areas. The likes of Senderos may also be offered as part of the deal and the Swiss international did interest Fulham over the summer so a deal could be done.

It is unclear whether a deal will be done this month or not, but Wenger will continue to watch Smalling’s progress and if he continues to impress, a deal could be done over the summer.

Cash-strapped Portsmouth could be about to receive a helping hand from French club Lille according to the Daily Mirror. Lille are reportedly willing to make of £10million for 24-year-old French defender Younes Kaboul.

Portsmouth are desperate to reduce their wage bill and raise funds through player sales as their financial situation worsens. Kaboul has been one of their impressive performers this season and is one of their most valuable player assets. Manchester City and Lyon have also shown an interest in recent weeks though Lyon’s interest may be over now that they have signed Dejen Lovren.

Kaboul had a tough start to his career in England and failed to settle at Tottenham. But since his move to Portsmouth for around £6million in 2008, he has steadily improved and developed into a very decent defender. He is thought to be one high wages at Pompey so the club are keen to offload him quickly but they will not let him go for less than his market value.

Lille would be an attractive proposition for Kaboul as they sit second in Ligue 1 and offer the possibility of Champions League football next season while Portsmouth can only offer the relative certainty of Championship football next season.

With Manchester City still to confirm their interest in Kaboul, a move is not likely to happen till the last week of the transfer window, but with Pompey’s financial plight it will be a surprise if Kaboul and the other high earners are still at the club in February.

The Daily Mirror is reporting that Tottenham have renewed their interest in Portsmouth’s David James. Their initial offer will be a loan deal for the England keeper but Pompey are likely to ask for a cash sum on top of his wages. Tottenham are short of cover in the goalkeeping position after Carlo Cudicini’s accident and after assessing his options Redknapp still feels that James is the best option.

James is now fully fit after missing a number of games with injury this season. However he is unlikely to feature again for Portsmouth as this would trigger a clause in his contract that would force the club to extend his deal on ages that they just could not afford. This leaves James in limbo as he needs to be playing first-team football to ensure a place in Capello’s World Cup squad so he is seeking a move away from the club.

Stoke were believed to be close to a deal last week but it broke down over Pompey’s wage contribution demands; Tony Pulis may yet renew his interest. Redknapp worked with James at Portsmouth and though Gomes has been in good form for Spurs, he is keen to bring in experienced coved for the Brazilian.

Daniel Levy has told Redknapp that he must sell before he can but with a deal to take Pavlyuchenko to Russia imminent, he is likely to have some money t o spend. Levy prefers signing players with a significant resale value but a loan deal for James or a permanent deal for a nominal fee could still happen with his permission.

Manchester City’s record signing Robinho could well be on his way out of the club according to the Daily Mail. The Brazilian has been woefully short of form this season and things came to a head on Saturday after he was taken off after 51 minutes in the match against Everton after he had been brought on in place of the injured Roque Santa Cruz.

Mancini’s decision to replace Robinho with Shaun Wright-Phillips was fully justified as he had offered nothing on the pitch, but he has certainly raised question marks over the player’s future at the club. After the match Mancini said:

‘I thought Robinho could have been a big player for us here, but sometimes a player is on form and sometimes he is off.

‘I wanted to change the situation in the second half and if that means taking him off, then I will. I cannot worry about him, only about the result.’

Whereas previous manager Mark Hughes may have felt an obligation to play the Brazilian, Mancini clearly feels no such pressure. Robinho was strongly linked with Barcelona earlier this season, but the Catalan club ended their interest in the player and have switched their attention to other targets as they look for a long-term replacement for Thierry Henry. While Robinho is still a popular player on the continent, City may struggle to find a buyer for him given the price-tag and the massive wage demands.

Robinho has claimed to want to stay at City for the next 5 years, but this most recent embarrassing episode will surely test his resolve to stay as well as Manchester City’s desire to keep him. Their success under Mancini in recent weeks has been based on hard work and Robinho just doesn’t seem to fit the Italian’s blueprint.

When football players retire, they are often left in a state of emptiness. Throughout their playing careers, all they know is football, it provides structure to their lives and losing it can have a profound effect on some individuals. For Gavin Peacock, this was never an issue, for as much as he loved football he understood it was just a game and he had something more overwhelming in his life. Peacock has been a Christian from the age of 18 onwards; so whilst his teammates may have spent Sundays celebrating a win or relaxing; Peacock was at church.

Peacock had a fairly distinguished footballing career; though he was never capped by the senior England side, he played for the likes of QPR, Chelsea and Newcastle United with some success.

After retiring from the game in 2002, Peacock went on to start a career as a football pundit working for the BBC. He appeared on Football Focus, Match of the Day 2 and Final Score. A sensible pundit, he offered intelligent insights into the game and was a natural in front of the camera. Peacock then began to take a greater interest in his own faith and presented a Football Focus feature about the role of religion in football; he also presented an episode of Songs of Praise in 2008. Peacock also began to give talks and lectures about his faith in conjunction with the Alpha courses which are aimed at introducing young people to Christianity

In September 2006, Peacock began a course in Theology at Ridley Hall College. After Euro 2008 it was announced that Peacock was leaving his position at the BBC and was moving to Canada for a three-year masters course in Divinity at Ambrose Seminary. He is still completing the course and hopes to join the Church in an official capacity upon completion.

Peacock is not alone as a footballer who had strong religious convictions; Real Madrid star Kaka has made it known that he wishes to become a preacher one day. Peacock’s life after football is quite different to many players who focus on media work or management and that is what makes him an interesting case study.