ON a busy day of recruiting, contract signing and manoeuvring, Glenn Hoddle was appointed to Queens Park Rangers' coaching staff and Marcos Rojo, the Argentina and Sporting Lisbon defender who starred at the World Cup, handed in a transfer request to smooth his passage to Manchester United.
Liverpool also agreed a fee of around £12m for Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno, Southampton bought Shane Long, also for £12m, David Silva signed a five-year deal at Manchester City - though Javi Garcia is on his way out, to Zenit St Petersburg - and Everton also agreed a deal to take Chelsea winger Christian Atsu on a season-long loan.
Hoddle will join coaches Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan in working under Harry Redknapp in what will be his first tracksuit role since stepping down as Wolves manager in 2006. "After winning promotion last season, the first aim at QPR is to stay in the Premier League and I'm looking forward to helping play my part as we try to achieve that," the former England manager said.
Hoddle - who also works as a media pundit - has been seeking a return to football and was linked with a second spell at Tottenham when Andre Villas-Boas was axed last season, only to lose out to Tim Sherwood.
Rojo, a left-back who can also play in central defence, is reportedly the subject of an £16m offer from United - the 24-year-old was named in the team of the World Cup - and he has now told Sporting that he wants to leave for Old Trafford. Louis van Gaal, the manager, is also believed to have been eyeing up a move for Rojo's international team-mate, Angel di Maria, after the Real Madrid winger's proposal move to Paris St-Germain apparently broke down. Just across the road, Silva has committed to City until the end of the 2018-19 season. The 28-year-old has been a key figure at the Etihad Stadium since his arrival from Valencia in 2010. Midfielder Garcia, though, is on his way out - sold to Zenit for a fee believed to be around £13m.
Meanwhile, Southampton signed Long for £12m from Hull City, less than nine months after he moved to the KC Stadium from West Bromwich Albion for £5m. He scored just four goals in the interim.
Elsewhere, Liverpool expect to sign Spanish left-back Moreno, who will undergo a medical at Anfield later this week - he was withdrawn from last night's Super Cup against Real Madrid - and Everton have reached an "agreement in principle" to sign Chelsea winger Christian Atsu on a season-long loan.
And FIFA has received a complaint from FC Utrecht, who allege that Swansea have not paid them a 30% sell-on fee they believe they are due after goalkeeper Michel Vorm was sold to Tottenham this summer.
n Hundreds of football fans are set to march on Premier League and Football League headquarters on Thursday to demand cheaper tickets, the Football Supporters' Federation has announced. The national fans' group and supporters believe that clubs should use the multi-billion pound media deals to lower ticket prices for both home and away fans.
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