As per usual the standard crazy transfer talk is in full swing in line with the opening of the January transfer window.

Demba Ba has been linked with Man United, with his agent claiming that this is complete rubbish. Interestingly, there is a release fee in his contract and so if a club bids this amount then Ba is allowed to begin talks regarding a move.. so perhaps his time at Newcastle may be short-lived. Personally, I think Newcastle would be crazy to sell.

Theres only one thing in the entire world which would be crazy then selling Demba Ba… and that would be re-signing Andy Carroll… which apparently, they’re interested in doing. There has been no bid from Newcastle so far, but reports state that Liverpool are willing to make a £15 million loss on Carroll and sell him on for £20 million. Again, I think this is about £10 million too much, and thats being very generous. Liverpool have been linked with Ba and Darren Bent, which doesn’t help to extinguish this rumour one bit. Carroll’s been a flop at Liverpool, he’s highly over-rated and can’t really fit in to a side that plays decent football (that’s not to say Newcastle don’t, I just think they’re more direct).

Mark Hughes’ first signing as manager of QPR may be that of Brazilian defender Alex from Chelsea. Alex looks set to move on with the impending arrival of Gary Cahill, so QPR seems a logical decision, and he’ll probably do a good job their too. Also its not far for Alex to move, so I’d be surprised if this transfer didn’t happen now. Another central defender that may be on the move is Chris Samba of Blackburn, who is wanted by Spurs. Blackburn would be mad to sell, I think this would pretty much seal their fate at the bottom of the table if the move went through.