Fergie will help choose successor
Sir Alex Ferguson will help Manchester United to plan for his succession, according to the club's chief executive David Gill. “The owners and myself and people involved will obviously get his views. Somebody who has managed the club for so many years," says Gill in the Times, "who knows it inside out and who knows what is required would be invaluable. It would be remiss of us not to have a discussion with him and involve him and get his views. He will be a key part of the process.” Ferguson himself has recently said that he will have retired from the managership by the summer of 2010, giving him just two more seasons at Old Trafford. (Times)
"You don't work here for 20-odd years without falling in love with the club and he would like to make sure he does what he can to make sure it is successful after he has gone" David Gill talks for Sir Alex Ferguson
Capello laments English scarcity
Fabio Capello spoke out yesterday about the lack of English players appearing in their own top flight football, and how it was hampering his job as manager. "Talking about the scarcity of home-grown players in the top division, and comparing his situation with that of the new Italy coach, Marcello Lippi, the England head coach said: 'I'm worse off than Lippi, than everyone. I have Welsh players, Scottish, Irish,' he said. 'In the Premier League only 35 per cent of the players are English. In Italy it's about 72 per cent'," reports the Guardian. Despite this, Capello spoke of his hopes for making an impact with England at the 2010 World Cup, and also of his desire for Frank Lampard to continue playing his football in the Premier League. (Guardian)
£18m Keane set for Liverpool
Robbie Keane's £18m move to Liverpool looks to be closer after he was left out of the Spurs squad for a friendly game in Spain... Portsmouth's Sulley Muntari is likely to seal a £11.2m move from the south-coasters to Inter Milan today, in a deal that likely signifies the end of Inter's interest in Frank Lampard... Chelsea have confirmed that they are still in the chase for Real Madrid's Brazilian playmaker Robinho. "We have confirmed we are interested in Robinho and have had some conversations with the club," said chief executive Peter Kenyon... Long-term Portsmouth target Shaun Wright-Phillips finally looks like moving to Fratton Park when he return from Chelsea's pre-season tour of the Far East and Russia. Harry Redknapp will pay £11m to bring the nimble winger to the south coast...
Transfer Talk: all the comings and goings of the close season 
Cav could ride individual pursuit
Mark Cavendish, British cycling's sprint sensation who is basking in the glory after a remarkable Tour de France in which he won four stages, could be a surprise pick for the Individual Pursuit at the Beijing Olympics next month. "Cavendish - under the direction of the GB coaches - is currently enjoying a week doing absolutely nothing at his home in Italy resting up after his exertions on the Tour but will travel to Manchester next week to start his track preparations," reports the Daily Telegraph. "At the Velodrome in Manchester he will ride a trial 4km at some stage next week to assess his general track fitness and, more importantly, he will ride a full trial when he arrives in Beijing a few days after the main GB party. 'Anything around 4min 20 or under and Cav would very much come into the equation,' said head coach Shane Sutton yesterday." (Daily Telegraph)
Murray through to quarter finals
While Andy Murray will be happy with the ultimate result in yesterday's Master Series event in Canada, beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, the young Scot will be acutely aware that his next opponent, Novak Djokovic, will not let Murray come back from such capitulation in the second set. "Murray lost seven games in a row and some of his composure in a rocky mid-match period before improving his chances of climbing into the top eight by winning the match," reports the Guardian. Murray is on a five-game losing streak against Djokovic, the tournament's reigning champion, and will have to substantially up his game to challenge the Serbian player. (Guardian)
"I played really well at the start and I felt like I was hitting the ball great. In the second set he started to pick his game up and it got very windy" Andy Murray after his win over Stanislas Wawrinka
Twenty20 confusion reigns
Even while England's four Twenty20 finals day participants are preparing for tomorrow's jamboree of the short game, there was fresh confusion as to whether the winners of the event would have a Champions League tournament to go through to as reports emerged that this year's inaugural event would be postponed. "Lalit Modi, the Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner, denies stories that the original version of the Champions League, seen as his brainchild, has stalled," reports the Times, "even though [that paper] understands that at least one of the IPL finalists was told last week that the tournament will not go ahead. Other officials within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have briefed media networks that the eight-team competition will be postponed, at best, because the four participating countries - Australia, South Africa, England and India - are struggling to agree terms." (Times)
Powell: jail drug abusers
Jamaica's former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell has called for athletes who take drugs to better their performances to be thrown into jail. "Drugs have been in the sport since before I was born and I can't change it. But athletes who take drugs know it is illegal and they are competing against other athletes who are working very hard. "They are pretty much robbing the other athletes and if I go out there and someone comes out and they are taking drugs and they win the gold, they are robbing me of my gold medal. When people do things like that, they should be punished. They should be given the impression that they could go to jail if they use drugs. It would really let them know that we are serious about this." Powell races tonight at Crystal Palace in the Aviva London Grand Prix. (Daily Telegraph)
Transfer talk: The latest football transfer news and transfer rumours 
