Help, weâÂÂre in the midst of an all-out transfer frenzy. With two England internationals already on the move and things bound to get busier, this looks like being a credit crunch (and common sense)-defying window packed with big-money moves and muchos, muchos speculation.
Fortunately our sister site FootballTalentspotter.com is on hand to give you the skinny on all the players linked with your club â be they lower-league journeymen being brought in on the cheap or multi-million foreign types your manager is pinning your clubâÂÂs hopes and financial well being on.
Here as a taster are a few unknowns who could be on Match of the Day before the monthâÂÂs out (find more in Talentspotter's Ones To Watch section):
St EtienneâÂÂs Blaise Matuidi is the man Portsmouth are said to be looking to bring in to replace Bernabau-bound Lassana Diarra, and that looks a pretty good shout given that, like his compatriot, Matuidi is an industrious and fearless little chap whoâÂÂd run his jaffers off and allow Richard Hughes the time and space to work his magic...or maybe not.
The sticking point for Pompey is, unsurprisingly, the dollar. St Etienne wonâÂÂt be letting Matuidi go on the cheap (Director of Football Damien Comolli is insistent he wonâÂÂt be sold at all â but we know heâÂÂs all chat) and a price tag of upwards of ã10 million is likely to mean Pompey will need to set their sights a little lower.
Perhaps, then, they should make a move for Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah, who is a free agent having negotiated the termination of his contract with former club Fenerbahce in the summer. TheyâÂÂll need to steal a march on former boss Harry Redknapp, however, as Appiah is this week training with Spurs and could be set to help bring a bit more balance to ArryâÂÂs squad.
Speaking of Tottenham, having already paid way over the odds for Darren Bent and David Bentley in the last 18 months, Daniel Levy is looking to make it a hat-trick of terrible deals for young(ish) English players, with up to ã14.5 million on the table for Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing.
The pursuit of Downing is a flashback to the Martin Jol era â during Juande RamosâÂÂs tenure, SevillawâÂÂs Diego Capel was the man linked with the left-wing vacancy.
That ship has most likely sailed now, not least because Ramos, CapelâÂÂs old boss at Sevilla has bitten the bullet at Levy Towers, but also because Spurs are now pony, and Barca and Real Madrid (yes, Senor Ramos again) are said to be sniffing around the flaxen-haired flyer.
One possible alternative for Redknapp could be CelticâÂÂs Aiden McGeady, who is said to be unsettled at Parkhead having been fined and suspended by the club for âÂÂbreaching club disciplineâ last month.
BLOGS: Ibrox hero Johnston hopes McGeady stays at Celtic
Across North London, Arsenal are strongly considering a move for Russian maverick Andrei Arshavin, ignoring the fact that a second striker is probably the one thing they donâÂÂt need, given their lack of a top goalkeeper, holding midfielder and defensive cover, but still â itâÂÂll be nice to see how he does in the Premier League, wonâÂÂt it?
Another forward heavily linked with old London town is NapoliâÂÂs Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is arousing interest from Chelsea. The Argentine is the latest player to be labelled âÂÂthe next MaradonaâÂÂ, so unsurprisingly his club are keen to hold on to him. WeâÂÂve compiled a little dossier on Lavezzi for your delectation.
Meanwhile Manchester City are on the lookout for a âÂÂnumber 9âÂÂ, and they could do a lot worse than having a long hard look at Zenit St PetersburgâÂÂs Pavel Pogrebnyak, the Russian forward Spurs should have signed in the summer.
Also worth a gander is Robert Lewandowski of Lech Poznan, who is sure to be efficient and cracking value â what with being Polish and all, â and Kris Boyd, although the Rangers forward and all-round âÂÂcharacterâ looks set to become the latest Scottish player to scale HadrianâÂÂs Wall and join Alex McLeish at Birmingham.
Find out more about these and many more players, plus give your ratings on every player in England and Scotland at FootballTalentspotter.com
