Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle to sign Villarreal's Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista in a £15million transfer. With the 24-year-old expected to join the club imminently it is likely to mean the saga surrounding Mats Hummels could see the German international move to Old Trafford rather than the Emirates. As reported by Sportsmail, Paulista was withdrawn from his Spanish club’s La Liga match this weekend increasing speculation that the centre-back was closing in on a move to the Emirates. Arsenal are edging closer to a deal for combative Brazilian centre back Gabriel Paulista (front left) Paulista is strong in the air and will strengthen a leaky defence which has shipped 25 Premier League goals . It shows that although Arsenal have strongly been linked with 26-year-old German international Hummels, his £25m-plus fee is regarded as too much by Arsene Wenger. Hummels seemingly keeps changing his mind about leaving Borussia Dortmund. Having suggested he would move on at the start of the window he has now hinted he might stay. But if Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is adamant he wants to play a 3-5-2 system then he needs an experienced centre back who knows how to play in the formation. Hummels would seem the best available, although Van Gaal could yet move for Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar even though he is currently injured. At £25m, Mats Hummels is thought to be outside Arsenal's price range, but he may interest Manchester United . Ron Vlaar, who worked with Van Gaal at the World Cup, could also be a target for the Red Devils . Crystal Palace are considering a move for Dimitar Berbatov. The 33-year-old forward is understood to be unhappy in Monaco despite a reputed £4m-a-year salary. The former Spurs, Manchester United and Fulham player wants a move back to the Premier League because he’s not getting game time he wants. Dimitar Berbatov is said to be unhappy at Monaco, who face Arsenal in the Champions League next month . The mercurial Bulgarian is handsomely paid in the principality but is wanted by a raft of Premier League clubs . Palace boss Alan Pardew is looking for a No 10 type forward who can offer a different dimension to the raw pace Palace have front. Aston Villa, Leicester, Stoke and Hull may also consider a loan deal for the Bulgarian. But the word coming from Monaco was that the French club want to keep Berbatov in their squad given their Champions League involvement. West Ham will use their status on the edge of European football's elite to persuade Darren Fletcher to join them rather than West Brom. Last week figures were released naming the club’s with the biggest turnovers. Real Madrid were followed by Manchester United, with eight Premier League clubs (United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton) in the top 20. Darren Fletcher (left) looks set to leave Old Trafford after 342 appearances for the club . West Ham were ranked 21st and their move to the Olympic stadium in 2016 could move them into the top tier. It is an argument the club are also using to persuade Winston Reid to sign a new deal. Liverpool expect Raheem Sterling to sign a new contract this week. The deal will be in the region of £90,000-a-week. Raheem Sterling is set to put pen to paper on a new Liverpool deal which will stave off the likes of Real Madrid . It has been assumed that if QPR sacked Harry Redknapp then Glenn Hoddle would step into his shoes. But former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood would be a strong contender given his close bond with Les Ferdinand, who is now football advisor to Loftus Road owner Tony Fernandes. 'Sir' Les Ferdinand (left) was Tim Sherwood's No 2 at Spurs and the pair were former team-mates at the Lane . Craig Moore, who is currently part of the Australian backroom staff at the Asian Cup, wants to return to the UK and find a job in management. The 39-year-old former Rangers captain and Crystal Palace and Newcastle centre-half is also on the lookout for any outstanding players at the tournament in his role as an ambassador for Network 90, the new global football networking community, which amongst other things offers a job board for players and other sectors of the football business around the world. Craig Moore, pictured during his Newcastle pomp in 2007, is looking to return to the UK in management . iSay . Arsenal fans, never shy to rant on social media, were up in arms last week after Jamie Carragher castigated Gunners players for their over the top celebrations after winning at Manchester City last Sunday, then sneered at some of them posting selfies as the celebrations went on in the dressing room. I make Carragher right. And let’s be clear. He wasn’t only picking on Arsenal players. He just used the situation at the Ethiad to highlight what has become a growing and vulgar trend of uber-celebration at the end of many Premier League games. As he pointed out Arsenal's 2-0 win was impressive but was not exactly David going up against Goliath knocking them out of the Cup. In contrast look how Middlesbrough players conducted their celebrations after their FA Cup 2-0 win at City. They were obviously elated but did not (on the pitch at least) make muppets of themselves. Aaron Ramsey shared this image on social media after Arsenal beat Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad . The Gunners players hail the travelling support after an impressive result at the Etihad . Wilfried Zaha has yet to put his foot on the gas since returning to Crystal Palace from Manchester United on loan this season. But he knows about the fast lane when it comes cars. Parked in the driveway of his Surrey commuter belt mansion, which he shares with family members, are three motors right out of Top Gear. Front of the grid is a white Lamborghini, followed by a Porsche Cayenne and a top of the range Mercedes. But new Palace boss Alan Pardew has told Zaha he must prove that as a player he is top marque like those cars. It was not an act of giant killing. Nor was it a result that delivered silverware. It was a case of a team that should be in the title running beating another rival away. A job well done by the Gunners in the middle of a league campaign. It was three points. Yes. Possibly a pivotal three points. But with half the season still to go it defined nothing apart from that despite their extra wealth Manchester City are a long way from being Real Madrid. And Arsenal when they are in the right mood are a top team. Given they are eight in European football’s rich list, compared to City’s sixth they are hardly poor relations either. Yes, they were entitled to feel well satisfied; exhilarated even, but the almost hysterical out pouring of emotion was a joke. As Carragher said, save the high fives and hugs, the photos and the video shoots for a day when a trophy is lifted. And he will say the same about his former team Liverpool and other teams who more and more indulge in celebrating every win as if they have won the World Cup. What is becoming a Self Adulation Society in top level football is embarrassing. Middlesbrough players handled their dramatic FA Cup win at Manchester City with dignity . Liverpool celebrate wrapping up the First Division title at Stamford Bridge in 1986 . BTW . A teeth whitening dentist now makes regular visits to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground. I sense the magic of the FA Cup is coming back and actually the fact that so many matches are screened live over the course of the weekend is helping not hindering. Witness the wild results in the fourth round thus far at Stamford Bridge, the Etihad, St Mary's and White Hart Lane. And wasn’t it great to see humble Cambridge United hold Manchester United to a goalless draw on Friday? And in the third round West Ham and Everton played out a different sort of drama when they went toe-to-toe in their replay with the Hammers winning 9-8 on penalties. Cambridge fans celebrate their magnificent display against United to earn a money-spinning FA Cup replay . Adrian threw his gloves off in the run-up and coolly slotted home to seal West Ham's place in the fourth round . It was made all the more memorable by the fact that the winning penalty was scored by West Ham keeper Adrian after his counterpart Joel Robles had missed. Keepers taking penalties is not that unusual but going head to for the decisive kick did seem rather unique and certainly added a splash of colour to the competition. And by the way the first time a keeper took a penalty in a shoot out in a meaningful match in English football was back in the 1974 Charity Shield when Leeds ran out of players and keeper David Harvey stepped to take one against Liverpool’s Ray Clemence and fired it high and wide. The pair then embraced and Harvey suggested it was now Clem's turn. But the former England keeper declined and so up stepped veteran Ian Callaghan to smash home the winner. iBet . Under the impressive Eddie Howe Bournemouth have been flying in the Championship and could well get promotion to the Premier League. What an achievement that would be. So it would be no surprise if the Cherries win at struggling Aston Villa. But I see Arsenal winning at Brighton and West Ham at Bristol. On Monday Rochdale in the play off places of League One can give Stoke a fright. So iBet Bournemouth Arsenal and West Ham win. Rochdale and Stoke draw.
Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle to sign Villarreal's Gabriel Paulista .
That will end their interest in Mats Hummels, who may or may not want to leave Borussia Dortmund .
His £25m price tag is too high for Arsenal... and Man United could pounce .
Dimitar Berbatov is said to be unhappy at Monaco and Premier League clubs are circling .
Raheem Sterling will sign a bumper new deal to keep him at Liverpool .
West Ham, the world's 21st richest club, hope to lure Darren Fletcher .
Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle to sign Villarreal's Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista in a £15million transfer. With the 24-year-old expected to join the club imminently it is likely to mean the saga surrounding Mats Hummels could see the German international move to Old Trafford rather than the Emirates. As reported by Sportsmail, Paulista was withdrawn from his Spanish club’s La Liga match this weekend increasing speculation that the centre-back was closing in on a move to the Emirates. Arsenal are edging closer to a deal for combative Brazilian centre back Gabriel Paulista (front left) Paulista is strong in the air and will strengthen a leaky defence which has shipped 25 Premier League goals . It shows that although Arsenal have strongly been linked with 26-year-old German international Hummels, his £25m-plus fee is regarded as too much by Arsene Wenger. Hummels seemingly keeps changing his mind about leaving Borussia Dortmund. Having suggested he would move on at the start of the window he has now hinted he might stay. But if Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is adamant he wants to play a 3-5-2 system then he needs an experienced centre back who knows how to play in the formation. Hummels would seem the best available, although Van Gaal could yet move for Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar even though he is currently injured. At £25m, Mats Hummels is thought to be outside Arsenal's price range, but he may interest Manchester United . Ron Vlaar, who worked with Van Gaal at the World Cup, could also be a target for the Red Devils . Crystal Palace are considering a move for Dimitar Berbatov. The 33-year-old forward is understood to be unhappy in Monaco despite a reputed £4m-a-year salary. The former Spurs, Manchester United and Fulham player wants a move back to the Premier League because he’s not getting game time he wants. Dimitar Berbatov is said to be unhappy at Monaco, who face Arsenal in the Champions League next month . The mercurial Bulgarian is handsomely paid in the principality but is wanted by a raft of Premier League clubs . Palace boss Alan Pardew is looking for a No 10 type forward who can offer a different dimension to the raw pace Palace have front. Aston Villa, Leicester, Stoke and Hull may also consider a loan deal for the Bulgarian. But the word coming from Monaco was that the French club want to keep Berbatov in their squad given their Champions League involvement. West Ham will use their status on the edge of European football's elite to persuade Darren Fletcher to join them rather than West Brom. Last week figures were released naming the club’s with the biggest turnovers. Real Madrid were followed by Manchester United, with eight Premier League clubs (United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton) in the top 20. Darren Fletcher (left) looks set to leave Old Trafford after 342 appearances for the club . West Ham were ranked 21st and their move to the Olympic stadium in 2016 could move them into the top tier. It is an argument the club are also using to persuade Winston Reid to sign a new deal. Liverpool expect Raheem Sterling to sign a new contract this week. The deal will be in the region of £90,000-a-week. Raheem Sterling is set to put pen to paper on a new Liverpool deal which will stave off the likes of Real Madrid . It has been assumed that if QPR sacked Harry Redknapp then Glenn Hoddle would step into his shoes. But former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood would be a strong contender given his close bond with Les Ferdinand, who is now football advisor to Loftus Road owner Tony Fernandes. 'Sir' Les Ferdinand (left) was Tim Sherwood's No 2 at Spurs and the pair were former team-mates at the Lane . Craig Moore, who is currently part of the Australian backroom staff at the Asian Cup, wants to return to the UK and find a job in management. The 39-year-old former Rangers captain and Crystal Palace and Newcastle centre-half is also on the lookout for any outstanding players at the tournament in his role as an ambassador for Network 90, the new global football networking community, which amongst other things offers a job board for players and other sectors of the football business around the world. Craig Moore, pictured during his Newcastle pomp in 2007, is looking to return to the UK in management . iSay . Arsenal fans, never shy to rant on social media, were up in arms last week after Jamie Carragher castigated Gunners players for their over the top celebrations after winning at Manchester City last Sunday, then sneered at some of them posting selfies as the celebrations went on in the dressing room. I make Carragher right. And let’s be clear. He wasn’t only picking on Arsenal players. He just used the situation at the Ethiad to highlight what has become a growing and vulgar trend of uber-celebration at the end of many Premier League games. As he pointed out Arsenal's 2-0 win was impressive but was not exactly David going up against Goliath knocking them out of the Cup. In contrast look how Middlesbrough players conducted their celebrations after their FA Cup 2-0 win at City. They were obviously elated but did not (on the pitch at least) make muppets of themselves. Aaron Ramsey shared this image on social media after Arsenal beat Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad . The Gunners players hail the travelling support after an impressive result at the Etihad . Wilfried Zaha has yet to put his foot on the gas since returning to Crystal Palace from Manchester United on loan this season. But he knows about the fast lane when it comes cars. Parked in the driveway of his Surrey commuter belt mansion, which he shares with family members, are three motors right out of Top Gear. Front of the grid is a white Lamborghini, followed by a Porsche Cayenne and a top of the range Mercedes. But new Palace boss Alan Pardew has told Zaha he must prove that as a player he is top marque like those cars. It was not an act of giant killing. Nor was it a result that delivered silverware. It was a case of a team that should be in the title running beating another rival away. A job well done by the Gunners in the middle of a league campaign. It was three points. Yes. Possibly a pivotal three points. But with half the season still to go it defined nothing apart from that despite their extra wealth Manchester City are a long way from being Real Madrid. And Arsenal when they are in the right mood are a top team. Given they are eight in European football’s rich list, compared to City’s sixth they are hardly poor relations either. Yes, they were entitled to feel well satisfied; exhilarated even, but the almost hysterical out pouring of emotion was a joke. As Carragher said, save the high fives and hugs, the photos and the video shoots for a day when a trophy is lifted. And he will say the same about his former team Liverpool and other teams who more and more indulge in celebrating every win as if they have won the World Cup. What is becoming a Self Adulation Society in top level football is embarrassing. Middlesbrough players handled their dramatic FA Cup win at Manchester City with dignity . Liverpool celebrate wrapping up the First Division title at Stamford Bridge in 1986 . BTW . A teeth whitening dentist now makes regular visits to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground. I sense the magic of the FA Cup is coming back and actually the fact that so many matches are screened live over the course of the weekend is helping not hindering. Witness the wild results in the fourth round thus far at Stamford Bridge, the Etihad, St Mary's and White Hart Lane. And wasn’t it great to see humble Cambridge United hold Manchester United to a goalless draw on Friday? And in the third round West Ham and Everton played out a different sort of drama when they went toe-to-toe in their replay with the Hammers winning 9-8 on penalties. Cambridge fans celebrate their magnificent display against United to earn a money-spinning FA Cup replay . Adrian threw his gloves off in the run-up and coolly slotted home to seal West Ham's place in the fourth round . It was made all the more memorable by the fact that the winning penalty was scored by West Ham keeper Adrian after his counterpart Joel Robles had missed. Keepers taking penalties is not that unusual but going head to for the decisive kick did seem rather unique and certainly added a splash of colour to the competition. And by the way the first time a keeper took a penalty in a shoot out in a meaningful match in English football was back in the 1974 Charity Shield when Leeds ran out of players and keeper David Harvey stepped to take one against Liverpool’s Ray Clemence and fired it high and wide. The pair then embraced and Harvey suggested it was now Clem's turn. But the former England keeper declined and so up stepped veteran Ian Callaghan to smash home the winner. iBet . Under the impressive Eddie Howe Bournemouth have been flying in the Championship and could well get promotion to the Premier League. What an achievement that would be. So it would be no surprise if the Cherries win at struggling Aston Villa. But I see Arsenal winning at Brighton and West Ham at Bristol. On Monday Rochdale in the play off places of League One can give Stoke a fright. So iBet Bournemouth Arsenal and West Ham win. Rochdale and Stoke draw.
Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle to sign Villarreal's Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista to mean the saga surrounding Mats Hummels could about leaving Borussia Dortmund. Having suggested interest Manchester United . Ron Vlaar, who Dimitar Berbatov is said to be unhappy at Monaco, of Premier League clubs . Palace boss Alan Pardew club want to keep Berbatov in their squad given football's elite to persuade Darren Fletcher to deal. Liverpool expect Raheem Sterling to sign a fright. So iBet Bournemouth Arsenal and West Ham