The witch hunt surrounding Henry was overblown and excitable, the shrugging of shoulders at Defoes crime understated to the point of neglect Steve Wilson

Comment & analysis round-up

Quote of the day: When Benitez left the club he signed an agreement that he would not poach players and I think that still applies. As far as Im concerned the agreement with Moratti [that Inter would not sign Liverpool players] still stands. There is obviously something going on behind the scenes with the agent [of Dirk Kuyt] possibly talking to the manager of Inter. Roy Hodgson.

Runner-up: My future is at Liverpool. I have had four great years at the club. Unfortunately I have not won any trophies but hopefully I will do in the future. The point for me was that Im 30 years old and I wanted to know if any club in the world showed any interest in me. The club spoke to me and explained everything. They said I was really important for Liverpool and that made me a really proud person. At that point I focused my thoughts on Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt.

Bitter quote of the day: I am unhappy because of the way things have happened. As an agent, I expected more from the other agent involved. I know I dont have the contacts at the top clubs because I have only been doing this for a year, but when [Jorge] Mendes arrived, I was out of the transaction No-one told me what was happening [with United], but I do not want to create an obstacle for Bebe. I made a moral compromise because I wanted the best for Bebe. Its very simple. A year ago, he had nothing in football, but then I put him into Guimaraes, he plays two or three games in pre-season and then there is big interest from big clubs. When I discovered Bebe, he was a poor boy with nothing in his life. I supported him as a father and he sometimes called me father. Our relationship was stronger than just a player and his manager In terms of the transfer fee, I have no doubts about Bebes! quality . Sooner or later, he will jump out and show people how good he is. Bebes former agent Goncalo Reis.

How the Eagles signed Davids: Why Palace? Two reasons first, the history. When I was young I used to watch Ian Wright and Mark Bright on television, they always played well and that stuck with me. And second, on my Twitter page there was a guy who talked about Palace and he asked The club has a problem, can you help us out?. I told my followers to support Palace and, after a couple of weeks, I got a tweet from him to say Were saved, thank you. Edgar Davids.

Todays overview: After the excitement f Thursday nights Champions League draw, both Kevin McCarra and James Wrigley talk up Tottenhams chances of progression in the competition.

There are a raft of stand-alone stories including Steve Wilson asking Why isnt Tottenhams Jermain Defoe suffering the Thierry Henry treatment?, Matt Scotts report on why loan deals maybe reigned in, and David Conn on Uefas objective to curb debt in football.

Javier Mascherano is the big transfer news this Friday, while Newcastle are looking to recruit with two striker and an attacking midfielder their radar. Spurs are also rumoured to go Dutch.

Champions League Draw: Kevin McCarra focuses on Tottenhams draw, talking up Spurss chances. When Harry Redknapp does tear his gaze from Inter, he will not be especially pleased to see one of the other adversaries in the group. Werder Bremen eliminated Sampdoria in the qualifiers. Twente Enschede, however, may have peaked by taking their first Eredivisie title and with Steve McClaren having then moved on to Wolfsburg, the side is now under the command of Michel Preudhomme. It is at least feasible that Tottenham can go through to the last 16 as runners-up in their group.

James Wrigley continues to talk up Tottenhams cha! nces of getting out their group. If it is hard to envisage Spurs toppling Internazionale, second place should be within their reach. Werder no longer have Mesut Ozil pulling the strings and only just eclipsed Sampdoria in the qualifying round. Marko Marin needs to be watched, but they are beatable as Manchester United and Fulham proved last season. Twente, like Inter, have lost their coach, in this case Steve McClaren. Unlike Inter they have also lost several players including powerful striker Nkufo Blaise, free-scoring Austrian Marc Janko is his replacement.

Defoes Handball & Hudd: A baffled Steve Wilson asks Why isnt Tottenhams Jermain Defoe suffering the Thierry Henry treatment? Defoe cheated. He looked at the linesman to see if he had been sprung. Yet there are no calls for him to be banned or the match replayed. Just one of those things. Happens all the time While Defoe is generally one of the more honest players in the modern game, much like Henry, the difference in reaction to ostensibly the same offence is telling. The witch hunt surrounding Henry was overblown and excitable, the shrugging of shoulders at Defoes crime understated to the point of neglect. But such is modern football. All or nothing, hero or villain. Perspective has long been lost meaning hypocrisy and double standards pervade unchecked.

More bad news for Defoe arrives in the Independent. Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe could be disqualified from driving for the second time in less than a year. Yesterday he admitted using a hand-held mobile phone while driving a Range Rover in Loughton, Essex, in October 2009. Magistrates in Witham, Essex, adjourned sentencing until 17 September to enable lawyers to check on how many points Defoe had on his driving licence.

Changing the Spurs focus, Jamie Redknapp calls Tom Huddlestone the new Xabi Alonso. Weve all been going crazy about the midfield play of Paul Scholes and rightly so, but Tottenhams Tom Huddlestone can d! o all of that, too. Hes the English Xabi Alonso, who will pass a team to death with his daisy cutters, those drilled passes that skip off the grass when he pings the ball so effortlessly with either foot.

Fernando Torres: Arguably the best striker in the Premier League, Rory Smith wonders how Liverpool can get Torres back to top form. Torres is still not fully fit in truth, he is some way short of full fitness as he recovers from the World Cup. The World Cup in which he was not fully fit. The one which followed a season in which he spent large swathes of time not being fully fit. Torres has not been in peak physical condition for at least a year, perhaps more. The question which needs to be asked is when maybe even if -he will reach that stage again. The question Liverpool need to answer is how they get him back to fitness Torres is a priceless artefact to possess, even if his contribution to the clubs pride is greater than his goal return.

Liking Man City: Somewhat wasting his time playing a futile popularity contest, Steven Howard explains why Manchester city are more likeable than Chelsea. Mansour, with his wide-eyed enthusiasm, seemed almost a proper football fan, while there has always been something a little sinister about Abramovich and his Russian coterie. We did not like the whole idea of Chelsea. Yet they have probably done City a massive favour, as our natural antipathy towards the new northern giants has been diluted by the fact Chelsea got there first. Much of our spleen, sadly, has been vented. City also appear to be learning from what Chelsea did. They saw how the London club, despite everything, got it right on the pitch.

Hating Avram Grant: In a personal attack stinking of a personal gripe mixed with a sprinkling of knee-jerking, Danny Fullbrook calls for W! est Ham to sack manager Avram Grant. West Ham should bite the bullet, act now and sack Avram Grant. The longer that David Gold and David Sullivan wait around to see how Grant will take their club towards the gutter, the harder it will be to drag it back. In two games time the Hammers will have played four games in the Premier League and could be sat rock-bottom with no points at all.

Limiting Loans: Mega-bucks Manchester City are painted as being the bad guys in Matt Scotts announcement that loan deals may be curbed. Suspicions that Manchester City might be stockpiling players in order to prevent them signing for rivals could lead to the Premier League reviving attempts to outlaw player loans. Digger can reveal that Richard Scudamore has twice made efforts to introduce rules preventing players from being loaned between top-flight clubs. The Premier League chief executive believes they are unnecessary since clubs domestic-broadcast incomes, amounting to a minimum of 50m each from this season, mean there is plenty of cash to pay for outright transfers.

Dealing With Debt: In a second financial story this Friday, David Conn reports on how Michel Platini is set to get tough with clubs that flounder the new financial guidelines in football. Michel Platini delivered an uncompromising message yesterday to clubs in the Premier League and around Europe that continue to overspend in the chase for footballs top prizes. If they fail to live within their means, beginning next season under Uefas newly-introduced financial fair play rules, they will be excluded from the Champions League and Europa League.

Heading off on a Platini tangent, Roddy Forsyth grumbles about the financial disparity between the Champions and Europa Leagues before coming up with his own solutions. Michel Platini insisted that under his presidency European football would become fairer. Instead, the divisions have widened into chasms. So, Michel, here are a few suggestions. Unify the two club competitions! into th e Uefa Super League. Pay prize money purely for performance and impose a wage cap on squads, forcing clubs to think about who exactly they should sign and why. Play the group stages on a regional basis it will produce more international derbies like England v Scotland and the Germans v the Dutch and it will be good for the environment by reducing flight times. Separate the knockout stage into Gold, Silver and Bronze categories, play the semi-finals and finals of all categories in one week in one country small countries could host them, too culminating in Soccers Super Sunday. Put your hand on your heart, Michel, and tell us why that wouldnt be an immeasurably fairer and more attractive way for Uefa to run its club competitions. Bet you cant.

Done Deal: Javier Mascheranos days at Liverpool look numbered. The Guardian reports Javier Mascheranos long-awaited transfer to Barcelona is set to be completed this weekend after Liverpool accepted a bid from the Catalans After rejecting an initial bid of 16m from Barcelona last weekend an offer has now been forthcoming which comes close to their valuation of 25m.

The Mirror flesh out the numbers. Liverpool have refused to disclose the amount [of the deal], but it is believed to be in the region of 18million with another 4million in add-ons Barcelona have already indicated they are prepared to pay the Argentina skipper 85,000-a-week.

The Gossip: Andy Hunter reports on a left-back merry-go-round. Liverpool hope to complete the signing of Paul Konchesky from Fulham once Hodgsons former club have installed a replacement, understood to be PSV Eindhovens Mexico international Carlos Salcido, a player the Anfield club have also considered. Staying with the left-footers, the Telegraph announce that Wigans Charles NZogbia is available for 10 million.

The Independent report on Michael Manciennes loan move to Wolves (again), as well as discussing Asmir Begovics attempt to force his way out of Stoke while the! Potters prepare to sell Dave Kitson while Portsmouths Marc Wilson is set for the Britannia Stadium. In a bumper transfer day in the Independent we also learn that Robinho will be a target for Milan should the Italian team fail in their efforts to bring Zlatan Ibrahimovic to San Siro, plus Blackburn have reportedly made a bid for the Elfsborg forward Denni Avdic.

The Daily Mail then fart out a host long long-shot stories. Newcastle are said to want Robbie Keane on loan, Arsenal are eyeing France keeper Mickael Landreau, Fulham want Roque Santa Cruz and Shay Given, Hamburg right-back Guy Demel is a West Ham target and Newcastle, Sunderland and Wigan are vying to sign John Utaka.

The Mirror splash with the big transfer scoop of the day. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is in talks with AC Milan officials over bringing Dutch striker Klaas-Jan-Huntelaar to White Hart Lane in a season-long loan deal. The deal will include the option to buy at the end of the spell, with the sum of 12 million thought to be the asking price. (But whats happened the Luis Fabiano?)

Lastly, The Sun also report the Robbie Keane-Magpies rumour adding that Hatem Ben Arfa is also set to move to the Toon on a year-long loan.

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