Hot Football Transfer Window Gossip: PSG urge Sanchez to stall on new Arsenal deal, Everton want Schneiderlin

Sanchez, Badstuber and Schneiderlin all make the news

Stanley Accrington scours the sports pages for football tittle-tattle so you don’t have to … 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will not make any signings in January and instead try and resolve new contracts for Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin, Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla. (Sun)

 

Football: 'Hopefully I'll be on my own soon!' - Rooney wants United history after equalling Charlton record

Equalling Bobby Charlton's Manchester United goalscoring record was an honour for Wayne Rooney - but now he wants it all to himself.

Wayne Rooney has now set his sights on breaking Manchester United's goalscoring record after drawing level with Bobby Charlton in Saturday's FA Cup third-round win over Reading.

Rooney equals Charlton's Man Utd all-time goalscoring record

FA Cup: The longest third round ever: 66 days, 261 postponements and 15-foot snowdrifts

It took 66 days to complete the third round of the FA Cup in 1962/63. The chaos, hardship and forlorn hopes that afflicted British football in the coldest winter since 1740 are captured in the stamp on the cover of Sheffield United’s third-round tie against Bolton Wanderers, due to take place on January 5 1963, which read: “After many postponements due to unprecedented winter conditions, match finally played 20th February 1963, kick-off 7.15pm (or so we thought until one hour beforehand!) AT LAST! 6th March 1963, kick-off 7.15pm.”

That heartfelt, triumphant 'AT LAST!' was very nearly the final word on the longest round in the cup’s history. The third round suffered 261 postponements (Lincoln City vs Coventry City was called off 15 times) as 15-foot snowdrifts, gale force winds, freezing fog, three months of frost, and temperatures sinking as low as -20.6C, made it nigh-on impossible to play football. A round that started on January 5 – when just three matches were played – finally staggered to a conclusion when Middlesbrough beat Blackburn Rovers 3-1 at Ayresome Park on March 11. 

 

Alternative FA Cup third round preview: Get West Ham a player, any player, now.

Slaven Bilic to stand outside the Man City dressing room with a big bin bag

West Ham are desperate to make a signing this January. Any signing, they’re not fussy. Indeed, the Hammers have adopted the transfer strategy of a Football Manager player setting the search filter to ‘anyone’ over the past week. First they made a bid for Jermain Defoe. Then Scott Hogan. Then Moussa Dembele.

 

Italian Businessman Buys 50% Stake in Leeds to Become Joint Owner With Massimo Cellino

​Leeds have officially confirmed the completion of a partial takeover that will see Aser Group Holding, founded and chaired by Andrea Radrizzani, control a 50% stake in the club after agreeing a deal to become joint owner with Massimo Cellino.