Avram Grant, Capello and Lineker all talk money

Today's Papers / Top Dog / 14 December 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Betfair's top dog sniffs around the truth behind the latest tabloid tales

Top Dog

Betfair's top dog sniffs around the truth behind the latest tabloid tales.

• Cruft's champion - Top stories that can dominate the news agenda
• Pedigree chum - Insights that tell you something you don't know
• Dog's dinner - Speculation, guesswork, or ideas that just don't come off.

Top Dog says:

Money, money, money. Pick up the papers this morning and you'll feel poor. Fabio Capello's sorted out his own £6million a year but is still haggling over how many of his mates sign up too. Avram Grant has put pen to paper on four more years at Chelsea on £2million a year. Even Gary Lineker's on the gravy train with a £2million a year deal from the BBC to run until the 2012 Olympics.

Cruft's:

The Sun - Please make it Fab to be a Lion again - Fantastic, honest interview with Blackburn's David Bentley about what's been wrong with England. "We need a new attitude because whatever has happened in the past hasn't worked."

Daily Mail - I'm not doing cartwheels and his wife won't like it, either - Neil Ashton's trip to Fabio Capello's home village of Pieris produces more good background copy - this time from his 85-year-old Mum.

Pedigree Chum:

Daily Mail -- Get out of Toon - Newcastle are ready to release Michael Owen if they can find anybody to buy him and pay his £105,000 a week wages. But Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson has gone cool on the deal because his owner is worried about Owen's injury record. Bad news if you backed him to be top English goalscorer. He's already drifted to [16.5]

Daily Mail - We must halt Eagle Torres - Manchester United's coach Carlos Queiroz tells Ian Ladyman that Fernando Torres will be Liverpool's big danger man. "He is like an eagle, he can see short spaces that others can't". Liverpool are [2.76] favourites to win at Anfield.

Daily Mail - City life a breeze for Elano - Good piece with the Brazilian who is making Manchester City tick, and encouraging news for their fans that he's not bothered by the cold. He played in Ukraine for three years where it was minus 25! City [1.92] to beat Bolton at Eastlands tomorrow

Daily Mirror - Claud and clear - The Mirror's Neil McLeman gets two days in the paper for the price of one from his trip to Turin to ask Claudio Ranieri about Capello. Today the former Chelsea boss names Liverpool as his favourites to win the Premier League. They are the [8.6] outsiders of the big four

Daily Express - Gallas providing the roar power - William Gallas talks about the influence of Marcel Desailly and John Terry on how he captains Arsenal. Many Chelsea fans still think letting the big defender go to The Emirates was a huge mistake. Arsenal are [2.64] favourites for a win to stay top on Sunday

Daily Star - Van man fears United - Arsenal's Robin Van Persie says win, lose or draw on Sunday it will be Manchester United who will be the biggest threat to Arsenal's Premier League title dreams. Fergie's lot are [2.28] favourites, Arsenal have drifted to [4.2]

Dog' s dinner:

The Sun - It has to be Stu - Ian McGarry is guessing in a back page lead that Stuart Pearce will be the token Englishman that Fabio Capello has apparently been told he must take in his England management team. Other papers name Alan Shearer, Tony Adams and David Platt as possibilities.

Today's other stories:

The Sun - Backlash at Fab - Rafa's plans for owner showdown - Michael Carrick on Liverpool - Sven 'No' to Owen - You can Av a pay rise - United are our threat says Robin Van Persie

Daily Express - Team Fabio - Grant's Chelsea jackpot - Is Fabio good for English football - Capello's plans - Rafa expects stamp of approval - O'Brien blast for Redknapp - Barnes taught an expensive lesson

Daily Star - Go and rule the World FA tell Capello - I'm staying insists Rafa - Av's staying too - We've got a winner at last - We're up for Kop cracker

Daily Mirror - The Italian mob - D-day for Rafa - Fergie's war cry - The Fabio revolution - Yule blow it warns Fergie - Brrrr-azil - I was treated like a mug by Redknapp says Bolton's Andy O'Brien

Daily Mail - Italian mob - Ciao, meet my Fab Four - Everton revel in Moyes revival - Magnusson frozen out in West Ham coup - Rafa keeps transfer heat on bosses - Grant's deal doubled to £3m a year

Tags: Avram Grant, Fabio Capello contract, Michael Owen