Championship sides progress into Saturday’s fourth round draw.

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St James’ Park boss looks to spend Mike Ashley’s money wisely.

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Emirates and Anfield boss’s want Southampton wonderkid.

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This youngster has been a Premier League target for some time but it finally looks like he may well be moving upwards in the summer.
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With rumours of an imminent move to Portsmouth/Aston Villa on the cards for Peter Crouch, COS looks at the career of Liverpool’s lankiest striker and asks, is Rafa an idiot to let such a prolific goalscorer leave?
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Kenwyne Jones may have only scored eight goals for the Black Cats last season, yet he was worth his weight in gold when it came to unsettling opposition defences and holding the ball up. Indeed, many have referred to the Sunderland forward as ‘the new Drogba’ which may be a touch premature and is also slightly offensive in that Jones doesn’t appear to have an attitude problem or link his future away from the Stadium of Light every other day. [Read the rest of this entry »]

Some might argue that Theo Walcott hasn’t made a great deal of progress since leaving Southampton for Arsenal, although there are countless examples of Arsene Wenger signing a player and helping them progress into a world-class talent. Take Cesc Fabregas for example, or Kolo Toure. Maybe Thierry Henry instead, or Emmanuel Adebayor. Will Aaron Ramsey be a star of the future, or even next season, after agreeing terms with the Gunners according to the BBC?

Aaron Ramsey has joined Arsenal from FA Cup finalists Cardiff City in a £5m deal, BBC Sport understands.

Champions League winners Manchester United and Premier League giants Everton were also fighting to sign the 17-year-old Welsh wonderkid.

But Ramsey has chosen Arsenal after the Gunners flew him out to Switzerland for face-to-face talks with boss Arsene Wenger, who is at Euro 2008.

Cardiff confirmed that Arsenal was the “best cash offer” for the young star.

Once the midfielder was on that plane, Arsenal moved firmly into the driving seat to sign him, although it remains to be seen as to whether he plays much of a role next season or instead farmed out on loan to glean some Premier League first-team experience.

But will one of the ‘Big Four’ make an offer that Cardiff City just can’t refuse? It’s clear that Aaron Ramsey is a star in the making, with the 17-year-old having already featured in an FA Cup final during his short career to date. However, despite potential overtures from Old Trafford, Anfield and The Emirates, the midfielder has told BBC that he’s happy to stay put for the time being.

“I don’t take much notice to be honest, I just ignore the speculation.

“I will do what I want to at the end of the day, but I am happy at Cardiff.”

The Welshman will be looking to avoid the path of Theo Walcott, who has only had limited first-team opportunities with Arsenal since signing from Southampton. There is the possibility that he will be snapped up in the summer, only to be loaned back out to a Championship club, even Cardiff. However, it seems as though there’s a wise head on those young shoulders.

Should your team be bidding for Peter Crouch this summer? It’s clear that if the former QPR hitman gets a regular run of games for most Premier League clubs, he’ll score a fair few, both on the floor and in the air. It’s just a shame that Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benitez seems intent on persisting with a formation that includes just one forward, and that Crouch has to compete with the goal machine that is Fernando Torres.

While there’s been a whole heap of speculation surrounding Crouch all season, most of which has been rebuffed by the striker, it now appears as though the talented forward is moving to pastures new. Sky Sports report that Rafael Benitez has slapped a £15million price tag on his head (after getting a ladder out to reach that far), which is the equivalent of one-and-a-half Gareth Barry’s if Liverpool’s economics are anything to go by.

“Crouch wants to play every week but knows he must fight it out with Fernando Torres,” Benitez said.

“We keep seeing Portsmouth linked with the player but we have had no offer as yet.

“A £15m price tag would not be unreasonable.”

Which is basically the Spaniard’s way of saying ‘show me the money’ to potential buyers. Harry Redknapp is clearly a fan of Crouchaldinho, having been his manager when the pair were at Southampton. Will there be a little and large act at Pompey next season, with Crouch and Defoe wreaking havoc amongst opposition defences?

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Not the greatest of times to be a Southampton supporter. Last season, they were knocking on the door of the Premier League, demanding to be let in. This time round, they could be heading in the opposite direction, teetering on the brink of relegation to League One. Add into the melting pot that two prodigiously talented but essentially stupid players were arrested yesterday and you have yourselves an ugly mess. The Times reports:

Bradley Wright-Phillips and Nathan Dyer, the Southampton players, were arrested and questioned yesterday in connection with an alleged theft at a nightclub. It has been alleged that Dyer, a midfield player, was pictured rifling through handbags in a cloakroom, while Wright-Phillips, a forward, stood watch after the pair broke a club curfew last month to visit Bar Bluu in Southsea, Hampshire.

Presumably they didn’t need the cash and were only doing it for a ‘buzz’, something that footballers seem to require given they have a lot of spare time on their hands. It will be interested to hear what their explanation was, if indeed they supply one. It would also be interesting to hear what Arsenal legend Ian Wright had to say about his son’s misdemeanour. Should the pair be sacked by Southampton or do they deserve a second chance?

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Arsene Wenger, clearly buoyed by his playground superstars and their bravura performance against the doddering duffers at the San Siro – is plumbing even further to find young starlets he can mould. Arsene is scouring the world like a crazed Hollywood agent, the latest young sprite to show the requisite talent is 12 (yes, t-w-e-l-v-e) year-old Ryan Gates, who has hit the back of the net 95 times for Havant and Waterlooville Under-12s this season.
It looks like Arsene will blaze in with the glitz and glamour of the bright lights and the big city and bag wide eyed Ryan from under the noses of fellow admirers Portsmouth, Reading and Southampton.

Elsewhere in slightly less mind-blowing Gooner transfer news:

Arsenal and Man Utd were both having a hearty sniff around top transfer totty, Lyon striker Karim Benzema but he has stuck two fingers up at them and will sign a new contract with the French club. (The Sun)

Juventus are glancing coquettishly at Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy, and may ask him for a dance. (Daily Mail)

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has followed on from where Arsene’s knee jerk reaction to Taylor’s tackle left off by claiming that players found guilty of reckless horror tackles should be banned for life. (The Times)

And last but not least…Arsene has shrugged off claims from Arsenal old-boy David Bentley that little Theo Walcott will have to leave the Emirates in order to progress as a player. (Various)

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Wednesday’s piping hot transfer rumours…

Manchester United are ready to bag Sporting Lisbon’s defender Miguel Veloso for £15m. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth gaffer ‘Arry Redknapp is after Crystal Palace left-back Lee Hills. (Daily Mirror)
…But Lee Hills himself reckons that he isn’t leaving Selhurst Park anytime soon. (Daily Star)

Sunderland are ready to swoop for Southampton’s 21-year-old midfielder Andrew Surman in the summer transfer window. (The Daily Mail)

Chelsea are sniffing around FC Brno’s Czech midfielder Luboš Kalouda, but will have to beat off interest from CSKA Moscow to sign the 20-year-old. (The Independent)

Coventry’s new boss Chris Coleman is to make his first move in the transfer market by bringing Fulham defender Ian Pearce in on loan. (The Times)

Supreme Goodison baldie, Lee Carsley will be gifted a new contract because of his barnstorming form. (The Sun)

Spurs boss Juande Ramos will recall England’s number 1 (in terms of gaffes) Paul Robinson, for Uefa Cup tie with Slavia Prague. (Daily Mail)

The Daily Mail reckons (three words that will have readers wincing) that there is still a chance that Alan Shearer could still come to Newcastle United and work under Kevin Keegan. According to the Daily Mail Keegan has left the door wide open for Al, Keegan said:

‘I’ve definitely not given up on it, what we have agreed is that he is going to come in training with us to start off with and then we are going to revisit it later when the commitments that he’s made to other people are no longer in place.

‘The door is left absolutely wide open. It’s up to Alan and me to come up with the right solution for him coming in here. I’ve left the door wide open because I respect him and know that he would bring something to the party.

‘He’s now got a bit of time to think about it and he will think about it deeply. As he always has done in his life, he will come up with the right decision. I’ve definitely not given up on it and Alan’s not said anything to my knowledge that suggests he doesn’t want to do it. I think deep down he does.’

As for one-handed celebration-meister Alan Shearer, he is leaving things wide open after turning down the opportunity to go to Southampton, Shearer said:

‘I’m going to be very busy for the next six or seven months. I’ve got my BBC commitments and my charity work. I’m also working on getting my Uefa Pro licence. I wish Southampton all the best.’

So will recruiting Alan Shearer mark an upsurge in Newcastle’s fortunes?

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Upsets left right and centre in today’s FA Cup action. But what was the biggest shock?Coventry somehow managed to obliterate Blackburn 4-1, whilst League One Huddersfield beat Birmingham 2-1. Special mention should also go to Sheffield United who booted out Bolton with a 1-0 win lowly and injury ravaged Oldham, who beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park.

So what was your upset of the day?

Here are today’s 3rd round results in full:

Barnsley 2-1 Blackpool
Blackburn 1-4 Coventry
Bolton 0-1 Sheff Utd
Brighton 1-2 Mansfield
Bristol City 1-2 Middlesbrough
Charlton 1-1 West Brom
Chasetown 1-3 Cardiff
Chelsea 1-0 Qpr
Colchester 1-3 Peterborough
Everton 0-1 Oldham
Huddersfield 2-1 Birmingham
Ipswich 0-1 Portsmouth
Norwich 1-1 Bury
Plymouth 3-2 Hull
Preston 1-0 Scunthorpe
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
Southend 5-2 Dag & Red
Sunderland 0-3 Wigan
Swansea 1-1 Havant and W
Swindon 1-1 Barnet
Tottenham 2-2 Reading
Tranmere 2-2 Hereford
Walsall 0-0 Millwall
Watford 2-0 Crystal Palace
West Ham 0-0 Man City
Wolverhampton 2-1 Cambridge Utd
Manchester United LATE KICK OFF Aston Villa

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