What the papers said

If all he wants for Christmas is a new football club Phil Babb would want to get a move on. Last week The Daily Mirror and The Star, among others, reported that he had turned down a loan move to QPR because they wouldn't match his £18,000-a-week salary at Liverpool. Yesterday The Sunday Mirror claimed that Spanish side Racing Santander would like to sign him too but wouldn't mind seeing him kicking a first-team ball this season before making up their minds.

The Daily Express, meanwhile, reckons that West Brom's Irish winger Kevin Kilbane is on his way to Sunderland in a £2.5 million deal and dismissed rumours that he was Liverpool-bound.

And Liverpool was where Stoke's young Irish full-back Clive Clarke was supposed to be heading, according to The Sunday People a fortnight ago. Not so, says The Scottish Daily Record, who report that Celtic have had him watched in his last three games and that manager John Barnes is keen to sign him up.

Another young Irish prospect, Middlesbrough defender Jason Gavin, attracted the interest of Huddersfield manager Steve Bruce last week (copyright: TeamTalk), but was rebuffed by Bryan Robson who wouldn't even countenance a loan deal, while Gareth Farrelly's move from Everton to Bolton, where he is currently on loan, has hit the rocks because the two clubs cannot agree a fee.

Elsewhere . . . Paul Gascoigne is thinking about finishing his career in Malaysia (the mind boggles) . . . having been turned down by Arsene Wenger, the Japanese FA want Glenn Hoddle to take over the running of the national team . . . Lazio want Chelsea's Marcel Desailly, if not now then at the end of the season . . . Inter Milan, bizarrely enough, like the look of Everton's Don Hutchison . . . George Graham wants to sign (don't laugh) Blackburn Rovers striker Ashley Ward, having had his £9 million offer for Sunderland's Kevin Phillips turned down.