Soccer news: Everton in talks with Smith

The former Rangers manager Walter Smith may be named as the manager of Everton before the weekend. Last night he was talking with the Merseyside club's chairman Peter Johnson, only hours after he had been expected to confirm he was taking charge at Sheffield Wednesday.

Wednesday had gone so far as to announce a press conference for yesterday afternoon when they planned to unveil him as the successor to Ron Atkinson, whose contract was not renewed at the end of last season. But less than three hours after releasing details of Smith's imminent arrival at Hillsborough they unexpectedly cancelled their press conference, declining to give a reason.

Although it is believed that Smith had verbally agreed to join Wednesday, he had not formally committed himself to a contract and he accepted Everton's invitation to discuss the managerial vacancy at Goodison Park.

Smith stepped down as the Rangers manager in May after seven years in charge at Ibrox during which they won seven league championships - they were pipped by Celtic this year - two Scottish Cups and the Scottish League Cup. He insisted he needed a fresh challenge, preferably in the Premiership.

Chelsea's Mark Hughes may be on his travels again to Southampton, whose manager Dave Jones is awaiting talks with the Stamford Bridge club over a fee for the 35year-old former Wales international. Hughes has a year of his contract to run but may move to The Dell in a deal worth £1 million as Jones is desperate to boost his squad after the sale of the England Under-21 forward Kevin Davies to Blackburn for a club record £7.25 million.

Chelsea have told Hughes he can leave if the price is right and Jones wants him to increase competition for places alongside David Hirst and the Norwegian Egil Ostenstad.

Swansea have parted company with their manager Alan Cork after a difference of opinion over the former Wimbledon player's "style of management". Cork, 39, an FA Cup winner with Wimbledon in 1988, only took over last season.

Huddersfield's secretary Alan Sykes has called Manchester United's postponement of a Football League transfer tribunal to fix a fee for the winger Ben Thornley "an absolute disgrace". United claim they need more time to prepare their case and the meeting has been put back to July 14th.