Chopra set to return to Cardiff on loan deal

OUT-OF-FAVOUR Sunderland striker Michael Chopra is set to join former club Cardiff on a two-month loan deal.

The 24-year-old joined Sunderland from the Welsh club in a €6.1 million in July last year but has since fallen down the pecking order and has made only one start in his five Premier League appearances this season.

Championship club Cardiff are desperate for reinforcements up front after injuries to Ross McCormack and Jay Bothroyd and Chopra represents the ideal cover.

Chopra, who was also linked with QPR, is expected to finalise his move today.

Meanwhile, the England FA was last night forced to abandon its investigation into allegations that Newcastle United's Joey Barton racially abused Gabriel Agbonlahor on Monday after Aston Villa chose not to respond to a request for their version of events at St James' Park.

The FA said yesterday morning that it was launching an inquiry into Barton's behaviour even though Agbonlahor decided against issuing a formal complaint regarding a comment made by the Newcastle midfielder during that game.

The governing body said it had written to Villa and Agbonlahor asking for their remarks and said it would study television footage of the set-to between Barton and the England Under-21 striker during Newcastle's 2-0 victory.

However it announced last night that the investigation was over effectively before it had begun. "The FA wrote to Aston Villa this morning to ask for any information the club could provide regarding allegations reported in today's media of remarks made by Joey Barton to Gabriel Agbonlahor during Villa's match against Newcastle on Monday," the FA said.

"The club has responded to inform us that they have no complaints to make. On this basis, the FA will not be pursuing this matter."

Harry Redknapp is in talks with Les Ferdinand about coaching Tottenham's strikers on a part-time basis, joining Tim Sherwood as young coaching talent at the club. And Manchester City winger Martin Petrov could be sidelined for up to four months as he is facing a knee operation.