Soccer digest

Today's other stories in brief

Burnley braced for Coyle move

BURNLEY are bracing themselves for an approach from Bolton Wanderers for their manager, Owen Coyle, amid a growing sense that he is more intrigued about the possibility of replacing Gary Megson than he let on when appearing to rule himself out of the running, writes Daniel Taylor.

Coyle is the new bookmakers’ favourite to take charge at the Reebok Stadium and move from one Lancashire club to another even though the 44-year-old has publicly stated that he would not be prepared to leave the project he is “privileged to be building” at Turf Moor.

The feeling at Bolton is that Coyle is just trying to play a political game in order not to be seen to be campaigning for the move, but that he is seriously considering asking his current employers for permission to speak about the vacancy if an official approach was made.

Bolton could offer him a considerable pay rise as well as a larger transfer budget and there is a strong emotional pull for Coyle after playing for the club from 1993 to 1995. Coyle guided Burnley to promotion last season and is renowned for making his team play with a passing style that was seldom evident at the Reebok during Megson’s time in charge. He was prominently linked with the manager’s job at Celtic before Tony Mowbray replaced Gordon Strachan.

Peter Reid, assistant manager at Stoke City, also features in Bolton’s thoughts, as do Alan Shearer and Gary Speed. But the club are likely to make their first move for Coyle after Burnley’s FA Cup third-round tie at Milton Keynes Dons today.

O'Neill plays speculation

ASTON VILLA manager Martin O’Neill has played down speculation linking Emile Heskey with a move away from Villa Park this month.

The England striker has been tipped as a potential target for his former club, Liverpool.

However, O’Neill takes such speculation in his stride and puts it down to the time of year now the transfer window is open again.

He said: “It isn’t of any concern to me at all. It is just the nature of the business.

“Things have been bubbling up because January is the only opportunity that clubs can bring in players or move players out during the season.

“It doesn’t bother me one jot. I cannot go on confirming or denying stories. It just happens.

“We will be linked with a lot of players in January and a lot of clubs will be linked with some of our players.

“My own particular view is that in a general sense agents want to satisfy their players and you are going to get a lot of that in the January window.”

Jo suspended by Everton

Everton have suspended on-loan Brazilian forward Jo for returning to his homeland without permission, manager David Moyes said yesterday.

Jo, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, was already sidelined with a knee injury and has not played since December 12th.

“Jo went back to Brazil without permission from the football club. He is now back but is suspended at the present time, Moyes said.

“I am disappointed. We like Jo, he has been a really good lad and we have enjoyed having him. But there has to be discipline at all football clubs. He left over a busy period when we were short of players.”

Redknapp open to offers for Russian

TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp is willing to sell disenchanted striker Roman Pavlyuchenko if the club receive a suitable offer for the Russian.

The 28-year-old Russian international has started just one League game this season as well as one League Cup tie.

“If he wants to leave and somebody wants to come in and pay the money for him that he’s worth we would have to look at it, said Redknapp. “I had a chat with him a couple of weeks ago and he said he felt he wanted a move.”

Ghana captain to miss Africa cup

GHANA captain John Mensah will miss this month’s African Nations Cup finals after picking up a hamstring injury, the Ghana Football Association said yesterday.

Mensah, who suffered the injury playing for Sunderland joins fellow defender John Paintsil on the sidelines after the Fulham player twisted his knee last weekend. Ghana have named Jonathan Mensah, who has just moved to Italian side Udinese from Free State Stars in South Africa, as a replacement for Mensah, while Paintsil will be replaced by Twente Enschedes Ransford Osei.Ghana are in Group B with Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo for the tournament which starts on January 10th.

Aguero denies Chelsea move

ATLETICO Madrid forward Sergio Aguero and defender Pablo Ibanez will miss today’s match at home to third-placed Sevilla due to injury.

“Pablo won’t make it as he has been suffering from stiffness all week and (Aguero) would have only made it just in time and we are not going to force things,” coach Quique Sanchez Flores said yesterday.

Aguero, meanwhile, has reiterated his commitment to the La Liga club, playing down media reports that he might move to English Premier League side Chelsea in the January transfer window.

“I have always made my commitment to Atletico clear and the whole world knows it,” the 21-year-old Argentina international said on Atleticos website (www.clubatleticodemadrid.com). “One shouldn’t pay too much attention to everything that comes out.”

Flores is boosted by the return to fitness of Maxi Rodriguez, who had been struggling with an injury over the Christmas period. Jose Reyes missed the final match of 2009 against Tenerife due to a neck problem, but is fully recovered and is in contention to face his former club. Reyes spent a decade with Sevilla, coming through the youth ranks and then spending five years in the first team before joining Arsenal in 2004.