Carlo Cudicini swaps Spurs for the LA Galaxy

Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is set for a fresh start in America after Tottenham announced they have reached an agreement to sell the goalkeeper to Major League Soccer outfit the LA Galaxy.



Cudicini moved to White Hart Lane in 2009 but has found his opportunities limited due to the presence of Heurelho Gomes and the arrivals of Brad Friedel and Hugo Lloris.



Indeed, the Italian is perhaps now fourth choice in manager Andre Villas-Boas' plans so it is perhaps no surprise the north London club were looking to offload.



"We have reached agreement for the transfer of Carlo Cudicini to Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy," said a short statement on Tottenham's official website.



"Carlo joined us from Chelsea in January 2009 and went on to make a total of 37 appearances. We wish Carlo all the best for the future."

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Brad Friedel is ready to give up his battle with Hugo Lloris to be Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper and make a dramatic return to Blackburn Rovers, according to Dailymail.



- Liverpool's interest in Jeffren Suarez has been confirmed by the Sporting Lisbon forward's agent, Jorge Llagostera, who told Portuguese radio station Antena 1: "Liverpool and other Premier League clubs are monitoring the kid."



- Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, is keen on joining Arsenal or Chelsea next year, according to Voetbal International.



- But Huntelaar insists he only wants to concentrate on playing football, telling reporters: "I only concentrate on my games for Schalke."



- Manchester City want Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Alen Halilovic, according to Dailymail.



- Manchester United striker Josh King is set to sign for Blackburn on loan, according to talkSPORT.



- Manchester United are ready to press ahead with a move for Kevin Strootman - and PSV are already planning for his departure.



- Arsenal and Everton are ready to find out whether they will receive the green light to move for Lewis Holtby - with the Schalke star's future set to be concluded next month.



- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out signing Thierry Henry for a third time.



- Arsenal could ramp up their interest in Aymen Abdennour after sending scouts to keep an eye on the defender during Toulouse's 1-0 defeat to Nice on Sunday, according to talkSPORT.



- The agent of Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky claims there is no substance to reports linking his client with a move to Roma.



- Theo Walcott will put no timescale on contract talks with Arsenal and has called for continued patience from the club's supporters.



- Southampton are ready to offer £5.5million to take Blackpool midfielder Matt Phillips in January.



- Sky Sports understands that Christian Atsu is poised to pen a new deal at Porto, forcing Tottenham Hotspur to end their interest in the highly-rated youngster.



- Real Madrid have turned down Everton's bid to sign Russian starlet Denis Cheryshev, according to sources in Spain.



- Marseille forward Andre Ayew admits he could be lured away from France, as speculation linking him with West Ham United mounts.



- Inter Milan want to scupper Manchester City's plans to sign Pedro Obiang and will make their move this January, according to talkSPORT.



- Atletico Madrid are yet to make a move for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, according to the player's agent.



- Radamel Falcao has moved to dampen talk of a January switch to Chelsea by insisting he remains focused on achieving success with Atletico Madrid.



- Hamburg have no plans to sell South Korea international striker Heung-Min Son amid widespread Premier League interest.



- Former Chelsea ace Didier Drogba could be on his way back to the Premier League after asking FIFA for special dispensation to leave Shanghai Shenhua on loan outside of the transfer window.

AVB: Fine won't stop racist chants

Andre Villas-Boas fears Lazio's fine for monkey chanting will not stop their fans doing the same again on Thursday when they host Tottenham at the Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League.



Lazio were last month fined £32,500 after UEFA found their fans guilty of chanting racist abuse towards Jermain Defoe, Andros Townsend and Aaron Lennon in September's 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane.



UEFA have been criticised in the past for their lenient punishments for racism and Villas-Boas told a press conference on Wednesday night: "UEFA decided to punish Lazio and rightly so. It doesn't mean that incidents won't happen again tomorrow."



He added: "I think the players are in the right frame of mind to leave the authorities to deal with those situations in case it happens. That's something that hopefully will not happen tomorrow."



Spurs defender Steven Caulker is all too aware of the fact that racism has reared its ugly head in the game once again this season. He played in the controversial goalless draw against the Italians in September and was also on the pitch when the England Under-21 team were subjected to monkey chanting in Serbia four weeks later.



Fans and players of the Rome club have been accused of an affiliation with right-wing politics in Italy in the past, but he hopes there will be no trouble in the Group J match in Rome.



"I'm not worried about the atmosphere - I hope football does the talking," the England centre-half said. "Italy is a great footballing country. Hopefully that will be the talking point tomorrow."



Spurs will progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League if they beat the Italian giants in the Eternal City. The Londoners have struggled so far in the competition, with their only win coming in their last game against Slovenian minnows Maribor.



A draw should still be enough to see Villas-Boas' men through, providing they beat Panathinaikos in the final group game in December. Villas-Boas, who won the Europa League two years ago with Porto, would like to wrap up qualification on Thursday, however.



"It's all about this game," the 35-year-old said. "It will be important for us to win and qualify. It will give the squad an important feeling of beating a great team away from home."

Europa League round-up

• Reigning champions Atletico Madrid are all but through to the knockout stages after a 2-1 win over Academica.
  


• Goals from Diego Costa and Emre saw the Spanish side home despite a late Salim Cisse consolation.
  


• Dnipro also retain a 100% record with a 3-1 win over Napoli, as do Lyon thanks to Jimmy Briand's late goal in their 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao.
  


• But Marseille, who had topped their group, slipped to third after losing 2-0 away to Borussia Monchengladbach.
  


• Watch Europa League highlights HERE.

GROUP A



Liverpool head the group after a crucial 1-0 win over Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, thanks to a Stewart Downing strike after 53 minutes.

Udinese suffered a shock 3-1 defeat away to bottom side Young Boys in Switzerland with Raul Bobadilla grabbing a stunning hat-trick.



GROUP B



Reigning champions Atletico Madrid maintained their 100% record with a 2-1 win over Academica, Diego Costa and Emre Belozoglu netting before Salim Cisse hit a late consolation.

Plzen moved clear in second with a 2-1 win at Hapoel Tel Aviv. Frantisek Rajtoral hit the late winner before home defender I'yad Hutba was sent off.



GROUP C



Egeman Korkmaz scored in the 72nd minute to give Fenerbahce a 1-0 win at AEL Limassol and move them top.

Marseille, who started the night heading the table, lost 2-0 at Borussia Monchengladbach. The result moves the Germans level with their opponents on four points, with the Turkish side now out in front on seven.



GROUP D



Newcastle strengthened their hold on the group, winger Gabriel Obertan giving them a 1-0 win over Club Bruges, while second-placed Bordeaux were held 1-1 at Maritimo.

Yoan Gouffran's opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Roberge Valentin six minutes later.



GROUP E



Steaua Bucharest extended their lead at the top as goals from Vlad Chiriches and Raul Rusescu gave them a 2-0 win over Molde.

Group rivals Stuttgart and FC Copenhagen played out a goalless draw in Germany.



GROUP F



Raul Bobadilla (left) scored an impressive hat-trick as Young Boys overcame Udinese.

Dnipro went five points clear at the top with a 3-1 win over Napoli in Ukraine - Artem Fedetskiy, Matheus and Giuliano scoring before Edinson Cavani replied with a late consolation.

PSV Eindhoven and AIK drew 1-1 in Holland with Kwame Karikari putting the previously pointless Swedes in front on the hour before Jeremain Lens equalised with 10 minutes to go.



GROUP G



Elyaniv Barda headed a late winner as Genk stayed unbeaten at the top of the group after coming from behind to see off Sporting Lisbon 2-1 in Belgium. Barda struck with three minutes to go after Sporting's Khalid Boulahrouz was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Hungarians Videoton beat Basle 2-1 with Fabien Schar atoning for an early own goal by scoring at the right end in injury time.



GROUP H



Rodrigo Palacio headed home an 88th-minute winner as Inter Milan saw off Partizan Belgrade at the San Siro and all but booked their place in the knockout stages.

Inter are now joint top on seven points with Rubin Kazan. Alan Kasaev's 16th-minute goal proved enough to see off Azerbaijan side Neftci in Russia.



GROUP I



Rodrigo Palacio (left) scored an 88th-minute winner for Inter Milan over Partizan Belgrade.

Lyon maintained their 100% record with a 2-1 win over last year's beaten finalists Athletic Bilbao . A Lisandro Lopez opener was cancelled out by Ibai Gomez before Jimmy Briand struck the winner four minutes from time.

Goals from Ladislav Krejci, Vaclav Kadlec and Ondrej Svejdik helped Sparta Prague to a 3-1 win over Hapoel Kiryat Shmona. Lyon now ead the group on nine points with Sparta clear in second on six.



GROUP J



It took a Jose Toche injury time equaliser for Panathinaikos to draw 1-1 with Lazio in Group J. An earlier own goal from defender Giourkas Seitaridis looked set to give the Italians the points before Toche's final touch.

Gylfi Sigurdsson earned Tottenham a point in a 1-1 draw at Maribor, who led through Robert Beric. Lazio remain unbeaten on five points with Maribor in second, but all four sides in the group are still in the running.



GROUP K



Bonfim Marlos and Cleiton Xavier gave Ukrainians Metalist Kharkiv a 2-1 win at Rosenborg after the Norwegians had led through Tarik Elyounoussi's 46th-minute strike.

But Metalist Kharkiv still conceded top spot in the group to Bayer Leverkusen, whose impressive 4-0 win at Rapid Vienna took them first on goal difference.



GROUP L



Hannover stay top after a 2-1 win at Helsingborg. Mame Biram Diouf opened the scoring for the Germans with Alvaro Santos equalising in injury time, only for Didier Ya Konan to restore Hannover's advantage in the third minute of added time.

Levante moved clear in second place with a 3-0 win over Twente, a Michel penalty followed by Pedro Rios adding a late double.

Villas-Boas content with draw

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas was happy to settle for a Europa League point from the 1-1 draw at Maribor.

Group J remains wide open after Gylfi Sigurdsson's second-half strike cancelled out Robert Beric's opener for the Slovenians shortly before the break.

Villas-Boas said: "The second half was extremely good, the first half was not so good.

"We came back into the game, which is pleasant to see again and it is good for us to bounce back.

"It is obviously not the full result we wanted bearing in mind the draw between Lazio and Panathinaikos, but certainly we will take a point.

"The group is completely open. What we face now is two games at home and I think we are in a good position in the group.

"We are in third position. We have three games to play, there are nine points to play for.

"You see the group - it is very tight. It is not a group where the leader has run off with points."



Maribor manager Darko Milanic said: "We should have stopped the goal, but I'm very happy for my team. It's an important point that keeps us alive to advance to the next stage."

Modric valuation still not met

Andre Villas-Boas says Tottenham are still waiting for an acceptable offer for Luka Modric and he expects the midfielder to return to first-team training if the asking price is not met.

Modric has been training separately as he waits to resolve his future, having made it clear to Spurs that he would like to leave this summer.



Real Madrid have been linked with a swoop for the Croatian but still nothing has been finalised, several weeks after Villas-Boas admitted talks had been held with several clubs about a move.



Chairman Daniel Levy is not prepared to sell such an important player on the cheap and Villas-Boas believes Modric must accept that Tottenham are not to blame.



The head coach says he can then start to work with the rest of the group as normal, but it looks doubtful that he will be ready for the start of the season.



"He has been training separately. Now it is important for Luka to feel mentally ready to come back to first-team training," Villas-Boas told Sky Sports News after Sunday's 1-0 friendly victory over Watford, which Modric missed.



"These boys are at a different level in terms of their preparation, concentration and commitment.



"I think the player has to understand that the club cannot do anything about other clubs' offers.



"We have a value and an interest that we have to defend, and we are waiting to reintegrate the player if the offer is not matched."



It was a similar tale for Modric last summer when he had set his heart on a move away from the club but ended up staying and playing an important part in Tottenham's season.



Villas-Boas has no doubt that he would again get his head down and commit to Spurs if there is no move during the current transfer window, but he admits the uncertainty is not ideal.



"We will try to solve it as soon as possible," he said. "It is the second time we have been through this situation.



"It is obviously difficult for him, but the chairman is defending the club's interests and the player has to understand that, and the fact that the offer does not meet the chairman's demands means we can't do anything.



"The player is a good professional and hopefully he will return to the team."



Asked if Modric could be involved at the start of the season, Villas-Boas added: "Obviously he will have to raise his fitness level, and the sooner that we can have him reintegrated mentally and then physically, we will then see how things go."

Bale nets as Spurs trump New York

Gareth Bale was on the scoresheet as Tottenham completed their USA pre-season tour with a comeback victory over the New York Red Bulls on Tuesday.

Bale, who was left on crutches following a challenge from Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam in Saturday's goalless draw against their Premier League rivals, started the friendly and headed home a 58th-minute equaliser to cancel out Kenny Cooper's early penalty for the hosts.



New signing Gylfi Sigurdsson then curled in a superb match-winning strike seven minutes after Bale's goal to give Andre Villas-Boas' men a 2-1 win at Red Bull Arena.



The Red Bulls took the lead in the eighth minute when Tim Cahill, making his debut for the Major League Soccer side following his move from Everton, went crashing in the box under a challenge from new Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen and Cooper slotted home the resulting spot-kick.



Spurs went in search of an equaliser before the break and Bale and Tom Huddlestone both drew fine saves from New York goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, who then produced a brilliant one-handed stop to tip over Aaron Lennon's effort in the 53rd minute.



Gaudette was helpless to prevent Bale drawing the teams level five minutes later though as the Wales winger climbed high above his marker to glance Sigurdsson's corner into the back of the net.



Sigurdsson then sealed the win with a fine effort, the Iceland international working his way into the box before cutting inside Markus Holgersson and curling an unstoppable shot into the far top corner.



Spurs also hit the crossbar through Michael Dawson following another Sigurdsson corner soon after as Villas-Boas men signed off their US tour with a deserved victory.



New York Red Bulls 1 –2 Tottenham Longer highlights

Blanc quits as France coach

Laurent Blanc has opened the door to Tottenham after leaving his position as France coach following the expiry of his contract.



The Frenchman, who has been linked with Spurs following Harry Redknapp's departure, has turned down the offer of a new contract with the French Football Federation.



Blanc, who took charge of the national side after the disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, led Les Bleus to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, where they lost 2-0 to Spain.



The former Bordeaux boss held talks with FFF president Noel le Graet on Thursday and had been offered a new two-year contract, but he was told that he would have to reduce his coaching staff. On Saturday it emerged that he had decided to walk away from the position.



A statement on the FFF website read: "Within the period provided for reflection, Laurent Blanc, on Saturday contacted the President of the FFF, Noel Le Graet, to indicate his decision not to seek the renewal of his contract of national coach.



"Mr Le Graet has acknowledged and applauded the work of Laurent Blanc at the head of the France team since August 2010. The executive committee of the federation is meeting on Tuesday but no comments will be made by the FFF and its president before the press conference scheduled at the conclusion of this work session.''



Blanc, a World Cup and European Championship winner during his playing career, had overseen a 23-game unbeaten run that ended with a surprise 2-0 defeat to Sweden in the final group game of this summer's tournament.



Marseille coach Didier Deschamps, who captained France to glory in 1998 and 2000, is believed to be the leading contender for the position. UEFA president Michel Platini said on Saturday afternoon that he welcomed Deschamps' candidature.



"If Laurent Blanc [leaves] it is a shame because he had indicated his wish to continue, but Didier Deschamps is among the very good coaches," Platini said.



"It is the FFF president who chooses. I do not think we have bad players. Progress has been made. We have potential but it is our place in the quarter-finals. Anyway, Didier Deschamps does know the team."

Spurs poised to make Blanc move

Tottenham have reportedly begun preliminary negotiations with Laurent Blanc regarding the vacant manager's position at White Hart Lane.



The former Manchester United defender is currently managing France at Euro 2012 but is believed to have moved to the top Tottenham's shortlist.



With Les Bleus currently top of their group and poised to make it through to the quarter-finals, any detailed negotiations are likely to take place after the tournament's conclusion in a fortnight's time.



Blanc has been in charge of the French national side for two years and prior to that managed Bordeaux, his first managerial position, winning the French title in 2009.



Everton manager David Moyes and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez were the early frontrunners to replace Harry Redknapp but interest in both is believed to have cooled.



Former Porto and Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is also believed to be in contention for the role.

Mido set to sign

It is understood that former Tottenham striker Mido is set to complete his move to Championship outfit Barnsley, subject to a medical.



The Egyptian forward became a free agent earlier this year when his contract at Zamalek was not renewed.



It was revealed earlier this week that the South Yorkshire side had approached Mido about a possible move to Oakwell and the player and club have now agreed personal terms.



The 29-year-old was first introduced to the English game by Premier League outfit Tottenham, before moving north to join Middlesbrough.



During his two-year stay in the top-flight with Spurs, Mido bagged 20 goals in 63 appearances.



The deal is expect to be completed early next week with the striker scheduled to undergo a medical with the Tykes on Monday.

Barca 'can't afford' Bale

Barcelona will be priced out of a move for Gareth Bale, according to his agent.

Speculation over the Tottenham winger's future has intensified in the hours since Harry Redknapp's exit from White Hart Lane.

But the good news for Spurs supporters is that a £40m asking price will force Barca to look elsewhere for a left-sided player.

Agent Jonathan Barnett said: "I think it's too expensive for the club. To my knowledge, Barcelona have not made any offer for him.

"If interested, they would have to put money on the table and then start talking. But it seems that the club is working on the signing of Jordi Alba, a cheaper option."



Bale signed a long-term deal earlier this year, but Barnett reckons the lure of Champions League football away from Spurs may prove too strong.

He said: "Yes, it is clear that this is a problem."

Former Spurs boss believes he would have been sacked even if Spurs were in the Champions League

Harry Redknapp feels he would have been sacked even if Tottenham had qualified for the Champions League.



Spurs confirmed the 65-year-old's departure in the early hours of this morning after negotiations over a contract extension with chairman Daniel Levy broke down.



Redknapp believes this outcome was inevitable, regardless of what happened on the pitch - with Spurs losing out on Champions League football again despite finishing fourth in the Barclays Premier League, because of Chelsea's Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich last month.



"We finished fourth and were unlucky at the end, but I think the same outcome would have happened," Redknapp said on BBC Radio Five Live.



"Even if we had finished fourth, the chairman would have gone down the same road. But that is football.



"I had four great years at Spurs. All you can do is leave the club in a better state than you found it and I did that, for sure."



In his first full season in charge Redknapp guided Spurs to fourth position, taking them into the Champions League for the first time.



Spurs played some exhilarating football on their way to the quarter-finals, before being knocked out by Real Madrid.



Since then Redknapp has twice failed to secure Champions League football at White Hart Lane, albeit with a touch of misfortune this season as Chelsea snatched the last available place away from them.



That capped a dramatic season for Redknapp, who underwent a heart procedure in November, was cleared of tax evasion in February and missed out on the England job in May.



In the past week Redknapp made it known he would be uncomfortable heading into the new season without a longer deal while also defending his relationship with Levy.



It has been claimed, however, that Levy was only willing to offer Redknapp a rolling 12-month contract whereas the former Portsmouth manager is thought to have wanted a longer deal that would have made the London club his last job in management.



Redknapp's future remains uncertain, but the former West Ham boss could now be set for a move overseas, with a long-standing offer of a coaching role in Dubai said to be on the table.



Tottenham have yet to confirm any details of the compensation package agreed or whether any of Redknapp's backroom staff, including Joe Jordan and Kevin Bond, will remain at the club.

Hodgson takes England reins

The Football Association have confirmed the appointment of Roy Hodgson as the new England manager on a four-year deal.

Joining from West Brom, Hodgson finalised terms on Tuesday afternoon after four hours of talks on Monday.



The 64-year-old - the only man approached by the FA - will be officially unveiled at a Wembley press conference at 4pm.



Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp had long been the fans' favourite but Soho Square chiefs have turned to a man with considerable international experience to succeed Fabio Capello.



In a 36-year career, Hodgson has coached in England, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Italy, where he was twice in charge of Internazionale.



He has also managed in Finland, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, who he guided to the 1994 World Cup finals in the United States.



Hodgson will take charge of Albion's final two games of the Premier League season against Bolton and Arsenal before taking up his new role on 14 May.



West Brom chairman Jeremy Pearce said: "We did not want Roy to leave and he will be a tough act to follow.



"But we understand Roy's desire to take the England job and he will leave us after the Arsenal game on 13 May with our best wishes.



"The board will now concentrate on the important task of appointing a new head coach. I want to reassure our supporters that we will do everything possible to identify and appoint the right man."

Redknapp expresses Drogba admiration

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he is a huge admirer of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, but has also said that the Ivorian's wage demands would prove to be a stumbling block to any potential move for the player in the summer.



Drogba's contract with the Blues is up at the end of the current season and he has been heavily linked with a big-money move to Chinese side Shanghai Shenua, where his former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka is now in charge.



The 34-year-old produced a timely reminder of his value over the past week with impressive goalscoring displays against Spurs in the FA Cup and Barcelona in the Champions League, and Redknapp believes he could still do an excellent job for Chelsea or any other club which can afford him.



"He is a free but I was just reading in the paper about him going to China," said Redknapp. "It seems the money in China at the moment is incredible. Players can go there and make a fortune.



"He would be a great player for Chelsea to keep or for somebody else to take. Anyone would be interested but you would have to be able to afford his wages. That is going to be the key. If he is on a free you are going to have to pay him a fortune.



"But he is a powerhouse when he is on his game. He is strong and almost unplayable when he is really at it. It was an amazing goal he scored against us. He smashed it from an angle.



"His strength in holding [Spurs defender William] Gallas off and then hitting the ball from where he did, there aren't too many players who could have done that."



Another running theme is Redknapp's constant link to the England position, something which was stirred up again this week when FA board member and Bolton chairman Phil Gartside said the 65-year-old would do an 'outstanding' job.



There have been suggestions that the continuous speculation has contributed to Spurs' slump in form, but Redknapp refuses to pay any credence to such an idea.



"Other people talk about [England] but I don't talk about it," he said. "I just concentrate on my job here and never look beyond Tottenham. "Recently it was only the Norwich game really (where Spurs played poorly).



"Arsenal did not lose to Wigan and QPR because they were concentrating on Arsene Wenger going to manage France, were they?"

Knee surgery for Spurs keeper

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes will miss four weeks after having knee surgery.



The Brazilian has fallen out of favour under Spurs boss Harry Redknapp following the arrival of Brad Friedel and the promotion of former Chelsea stopper Carlo Cudicini as back-up.



A statement on Spurs official website read: "Heurelho Gomes has today (Tuesday) undergone surgery on his left knee after a scan revealed a tear of his medial meniscus."



"Following consultation with a specialist, it is expected that the Brazil goalkeeper will return to training in four weeks."



The 31-year-old has failed to appear in the Premier League this season with his four appearances for the club coming in the early stages of the League Cup and Europa League.



Gomes moved to White Hart Lane in 2008 from PSV and reportedly came close to rejoining the Dutch giants during last January’s transfer window.



However, despite making 95 appearances for the club, he appears set for a move away in the summer as he looks for regular first-team action.