Pennant signs for Real Zaragoza

Barton set for Magpies comeback

New Saints 1-2 F Reykjavik (2-4)

Llanelli 0-3 Motherwell (1-3)

Gerrard signs Liverpool contract

Wigan close on Swansea's Scotland

Richardson seals Charlton move

Sturridge targets England call-up

Southampton & Wotte part company

Leeds snub top-flight Delph bids

Benítez accuses Barry of greed for choosing City over Liverpool

• Liverpool manager unhappy at Barry's choice of Man City
• Alonso and Mascherano get tacit warning about loyalty

Rafael Benítez laid bare his anger at the disruption to Liverpool's transfer strategy yesterday when he accused Gareth Barry of joining Manchester City "100% for money" and demanded greater loyalty from two potential departures, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano.

The Liverpool manager remains livid with Barry for favouring City's ambitions above Champions League football at Anfield, having spent 12 months attempting to lure the England international from Aston Villa. Benítez was caught cold by Barry's £12m move to City as soon as the transfer window reopened last month and, despite the midfielder's protestations that he wanted to avoid a repeat of last year's saga with Liverpool, believes the decision was based entirely on the offer of £130,000 a week. City's package is at least £30,000 a week more than Barry would have earned at Anfield and, Benítez argued, tempted the former Villa captain to make the wrong career move.

"Maybe it's just me but in this market, the top level, I don't think money is the most important thing," the Liverpool manager said. "At this level everyone earns big money. The question is do you make the right decisions and do what is best for your career? If it's just for money sometimes you will make mistakes and I've been surprised by some decisions this summer – like Barry. I won't say too much but it was clearly 100% for money. The most important thing for me, though, is the passion of the players."

Barry's transfer was beyond Benítez's control but he is determined to dictate the futures of Alonso and Mascherano, two midfielders under contract at Anfield but coveted by Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Liverpool have not received an offer from either of the Spanish giants for their midfield pair, despite almost daily declarations of intent from the Bernabéu and Camp Nou, and Benítez is adamant he will not be forced into a sale either by his players or their suitors.

Liverpool's hardball stance could change if they receive a staggering offer from Real or Barcelona and a transfer request from Alonso or Mascherano in the coming weeks. Benítez, however, is aggrieved at the uncertainty surrounding two influential players, and the fact it is largely of the midfielders' own making, with his transfer strategy now heavily dependent heavily on whether Alonso and/or Mascherano stay or leave. The Liverpool manager said: "When you are the manager of a top side you can tell players that they are staying. You have to decide about the way to do things but I don't have a problem with that. We have to be strong enough and, if we have to be, we will be. Both players are under contract and we are really pleased about that.

"Don't forget we signed Alonso from Real Sociedad when nobody knew about him and we renewed his contract two years ago, so he was happy then, and you know what happened with Mascherano at West Ham before we brought him here. Both players owe a lot to Liverpool. They owe Liverpool some loyalty and they both know that."

Benítez would not divulge what his response would be should Alonso or Mascherano submit a transfer request, however. "That is not the case at the moment," he added. "At the moment we are pleased with them. I don't know what can happen but both players are under contract."

Ancelotti at ease as Terry begins training

• City have sounded out Chelsea's 28-year-old captain
• Daniel Sturridge hopes City become 'big club' one day

Carlo Ancelotti met John Terry for the first time yesterday and Chelsea's manager suggested it was business as usual as he attempted to brush off the link between his captain and Manchester City and outline his blueprint for the season.

But Chelsea's insistence that Terry had been welcomed back for pre-season training only by Ancelotti and not by any member of the board – to discuss his future – was taken as an encouraging sign at Eastlands, where City executives remain convinced that Terry has his price.

Chelsea's stance is relaxed on an issue that flared once again towards the end of last week, when City made a bid of around £30m for the England captain. As with their offer for him in January, it was rejected out of hand and, in a strongly worded statement, Chelsea said that Terry is not for sale.

Ancelotti and Peter Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive, reinforced that message on Monday, with both also saying that Terry had told them that he wants to stay, yet City do not believe it and until they hear categorically from either Terry or his agent that he has no interest in a move, they will not lose hope.

City are ready to increase their bid and willing to double Terry's weekly wage of £135,000 to make him the highest paid player in world football. They feel that his head has been turned. Chelsea, meanwhile, continue to seek a marquee signing. Terry has stated that it is vital they close such a deal.

City did not put forward last week's bid for Terry without first sounding out people close to him, and they continue to read encouragement into his refusal thus far to kill the story with a public statement. Chelsea, meanwhile, say that there is no need for such a move, given Terry's allegiance in the past.

Ancelotti, the former Milan manager, spoke to Terry on the telephone last month, after he had agreed to move to Stamford Bridge. Apparently, the Italian got Terry's number from David Beckham, who played for him at Milan. Then, as yesterday, Ancelotti spoke to Terry about football matters as he maintains that financial matters are not his domain.

The Italian has remarked that leading players such as Kaka, who turned down City in January and has since moved from Milan to Real Madrid, need to be playing at Champions League-qualified clubs. City cannot yet offer that, or even a place in the new Europa League.

They were reminded of this yesterday by Daniel Sturridge, the striker who ran down his contract at Eastlands and completed a transfer to Chelsea. City are entitled to compensation for the 19-year-old and the fee is to be determined by tribunal, with City demanding £10m and Chelsea prepared to offer somewhat less. A compromise of £5m is expected. "My main motivation was to play in the Champions League," said Sturridge.

"I am very ambitious, I want to push myself to the highest level and play with some of the best players in the world. I am only motivated by doing things in the game, by winning trophies and becoming a great player in football history. Chelsea have been winning trophies for years. The likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka will push me on to become a better player.

"I was at Manchester City since I was 13 and it would have been difficult for anybody to leave a club that they have loved for so long. I wish Manchester City all the best for the future and I hope that they become a big club."

Shearer frustrated over Newcastle future

• Shearer's Newcastle future remains uncertain
• Delays have hampered the club's pre-season plans

Alan Shearer is said to be "tearing his hair out in frustration" as the impasse at Newcastle United continues. Takeover talks remain shrouded in secrecy with the consortiums who have performed due diligence on the Championship club all signing non-disclosure agreements.

It is understood that at least two of three would-be buyers are keen to employ Shearer as manager but the owner, Mike Ashley, has refused to install him while negotiations progress in case a purchaser wanting an alternative manager materialises.

This means that Newcastle have so far made no moves in the transfer market – either in terms of offloading high-earning players or signing others suitable for the Championship – and Chris Hughton, the caretaker coach, is left to put the increasingly disaffected players through their pre-season paces.

"Alan's tearing his hair out," said a source. "The days keep passing and still nothing happens." Interested parties have at least been given guided tours of St James' Park this week but Ananda Krishnan, one of south-east Asia's wealthiest individuals, has denied that he is behind a Malaysian consortium thought to be strong contenders to buy Newcastle.

Meanwhile a group of Austrians taken around the ground earlier this week were from the online gaming company, Bwin. Although there are strong suggestions they inquired about buying Newcastle, their sporting interests have hitherto been confined to sponsorship where, among other deals, they have major tie ups with Real Madrid and Milan.

Indeed their initial contact with Newcastle came when they discussed the possibility of replacing Northern Rock as the newly relegated club's official sponsors next season. Bwin declined to comment on the precise nature of their visit to St James'.

Newcastle's squad are in Ireland preparing for their first pre-season friendly at Shamrock Rovers on Saturday . Controversially Hughton is expected to give Joey Barton a starting place. The midfielder had been suspended indefinitely during Shearer's brief stint as managerat the end of last season and has been made well aware that, if the former England captain returns, his first act will be to get rid of him.

One man keen to leave Tyneside is the centre-half, Sébastien Bassong, who today said he was wanted by Arsenal. Bassong, though, was identified by Shearer, who would make signing Jermaine Beckford from Leeds United a priority, as a player it is imperative Newcastle do everything to keep.

Dave Jones on those false allegations

The Cardiff City manager on those false allegations, pre-season training at Cardiff City and the shocking dishonesty of golfers in the football fraternity

We're not going to lie to you, Dave, Small Talk doesn't often have to broach the issue of false allegations of child abuse with our interviewees, but they feature prominently in your autobiography seeing as you were famously a victim of them before your innocence was proved. At the risk of sounding trite, that must have made it a difficult book to write. Yeah, that's all in the book. When it was completed and I read it, I tried to look at it if I was a neutral, if possible [laughs]. It's an unusual book because it's not just an account of my football career, obviously because of what happened in our lives. That adds a completely different dimension to the book because it involves my wife's feelings, those of my children and what they went through. It is different, it's not your normal footballer's biography.

And for that we should all be very grateful, Dave. [Laughs] Well I don't want to say that, but it's definitely something different. It's got a bit of everything: some humour, my football life and then the trauma of going through what we went through. My wife, Ann, speaks in the book as well – they cut to her on numerous occasions, which makes it interesting for women to read, because anyone who's had a trauma in their life will identify with my wife and what she was feeling because I was wrapped up in my football and everything else.

You suffered an ordeal that's probably every man's worst nightmare, so the temptation to leave it behind you rather than revisit it in excruciating detail must have been strong. Well, full credit to Andrew Warshaw who wrote the book and Simon Lowe who published it, because they said that if I was going to do my autobiography I couldn't skip 18 months of my life because what went on is a big part of my life. There were words and phrases in the book that I never wanted to be associated with or use again, but I've always been honest all through my life and so has my wife, so if I was going to do the book I couldn't just use different phrases to the ones the police used when they were accusing me. I couldn't skirt around it, so we decided as a family – me, my wife and my children – that if I was going to do it, it would be done properly and if that meant dragging up things that we weren't happy about, then that's what we'd do. The book's more closure for my family, not for me, because I got my closure the day the judge said what he said and then I moved back into work two days later. So I got my closure, but I don't think my wife did and I don't think my children did. One of my daughters is still quite traumatised by it and can't bring herself to read the book or articles about the case in the paper.

It must have been a horrific time for your family. They went through a lot, and probably a lot that I didn't know about because they kept it to themselves.

As unpleasant as it must have been, did anything positive come out of the whole experience, apart from the outcome? No, I wouldn't say anything positive came out of it. You find out who your friends are, I will say that. I certainly found out who my friends are and they were absolutely magnificent. The support I got from within the game, not just from other managers, coaches and players, but the majority of supporters, was amazing. I think people saw through it and the idiots who didn't, or who chose not to see through it ... well, they're just morons who think it's "football banter" to shout vile things at me. I ain't got the time of day for them, but the majority of people were right behind me and that gives you something to cling on to. These people who accused me crawled out of their holes to try to extort money from me, then crawled back in to look for another scam to move on to. It was totally wrong and I think the police department that ran this case was an absolute disgrace. That's basically what the judge told them, that my case should never even have got to court. Unfortunately, in this country, the accused is named but the accusers aren't and I think that's wrong.

You were let go by Southampton while this was going on ... [Interrupting] Well I wasn't let go by Southampton. What happened there was that Rupert [Lowe], the chairman, decided he'd put me on gardening leave with full pay, but I didn't want that. I wanted him to release me and he didn't. That's where I felt he was letting 12 people decide my future and I didn't think that was right. So I fought him to get out of my contract because I didn't feel what he was doing was right. It was an unusual step for a manager, fighting to try and get out of a contract instead of fighting to stay in one [laughs], but he made a decision, I didn't think it was right and I never will. But I have no problem with that – we all have to make decisions in life and Rupert made his, but I didn't agree with it.

Did you derive any pleasure from Southampton's recent woes? No, I didn't. I'm not that type of person. The only people I have no time for are the people who accused me and the department within the police force who decided they'd try to run this action against me.

You're managing Cardiff City now. Have you started pre-season training yet? Yeah, we've been back just over a week. We play our first game tonight in the new stadium, then we go off to Lisbon on Sunday, come back and play Celtic at home ... we're well into it now and in between, on my days off and in my free time, I'm doing my book launch. So it's pretty hectic at the moment.

Did all your players come back from their holidays looking fat, bleary-eyed and hung-over? [Laughs] No, those days are long gone. Because of the shape our lot have come back in we've actually been able to move on a few days from where we thought we would be. We give them a close-season programme which they adhere to and they look in great shape at the moment.

So they're all champing at the bit, then? Well, they hate this part of the pre-season because they know they've got to run hard and build up endurance, but it's just one of those things that has to be done to put them in good stead for the long, long season ahead.

You missed out on the play-offs last season by one goal – that must have been a sickener. Yeah, that was hard to swallow. It was our own fault, so we're not making any excuses and we want to try to put it right this season. We've got a great bunch of lads here with a great work ethic and they're determined to put things right for the supporters.

Say, for the sake of argument, you had gone up, Cardiff would have immediately been installed as favourites to be relegated. A few poor results against the Premier League's finest and people would be calling for your head. Are young British managers making rods for their own backs by doing well in the Championship? Well, I got promoted at Wolves, the next season we got relegated and at Christmas the season after they'd got rid of me. So, you know, sometimes the demand and expectation levels are too high. But here at Cardiff City we've got a fantastic training facility, a fantastic new stadium, we've had to sell our best players every year and yet we keep knocking on the door.

Is that enough to keep the fans happy? Well the fans' expectations are that we should be there and we should be winning. But because of the stability at the football club, we've been able to grow and get stronger and when we do lose our best players, we have a good stability about the football club that lets us go out, bring in some more players and make ourselves stronger each season. That's basically what we've been doing, but some people want instant success yesterday and I'm no different to them. But sometimes you've got to realise how far this club's come in the last two years. We were selling everything that wasn't nailed down at one stage, just to survive.

Where do your personal ambitions lie? Well, I want to do well and I want to be the best. You know, every manager is waiting for the opportunity to get the money to get the players and get that warm feeling in your belly, but there's only a few managers who ever get that feeling and they're at Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United at the moment. We could all be good managers if we were given £100m to spend, it's when you have £100,000 to spend that you have to show your mettle. I don't think British managers get the credit they deserve in this country sometimes. There are lots of good British managers working very hard in the league, putting out good teams that play good football, but somehow chairmen always seem to think that foreign is best and it's not.

Roy Keane named you as one of very few gentlemen he had the pleasure of working with when he brought Sunderland out of the Championship. Were you surprised or flattered? No, it's very nice of Roy to say that about me but I just treat people as I would like them to treat me and I have no animosity towards any manager. I do battle with them for 90 minutes, we will kick lumps out of each other, we'll square up on the touchline, but once the game's over that's it for me because the battle's done.

OK, Dave, time for some serious questions now that we've got all that, er, frivolous stuff out of the way. What's your favourite TV show? My wife will say anything that has guns and fights ... but I don't know. I don't get much time to watch television because I've mostly got football on. My missus would probably tell you my favourite TV show is Stargate.

Very highbrow, Dave. The last CD you bought? I'm old school. I like Rod Stewart and I think the last CD I got was one of his albums that my kids bought me.

What would you like to put in Room 101? Jack Straw. Get him in there!

What's your favourite sport apart from football? Golf.

What handicap do you play off? I can't tell you that, to be honest, because if my players get to see what my official handicap is I won't win all their money off them.

So, you're a bandit? Every footballer is a bandit and every manager's a bandit ... don't worry about that.

Small Talk reckons you're an eight handicapper playing off 18. No comment. [Laughs] Next question, please.

Will you be watching the Ashes? The first Test is on down your neck of the woods. No, I won't. I love playing cricket, but I'm not the best watcher of other sports. I've been invited to go along to the first Test but I declined on the grounds that I was busy, because I thought it would be rude to say that I didn't want to go.

Do you know how much a pint of milk costs? Oh, don't be stupid [laughs].

What was the last book you read? The dictionary.

The whole thing? Nah, somebody called me something in the press and I didn't know what they meant so I had to look it up.

It wasn't anything too derogatory, we hope. Nah, it was all right.

Do you live in a mock Tudor mansion? [Laughs] No I do not.

We're out on the town and Small Talk's getting the drinks in, what are you having? I'll have a glass of wine, please. A nice red.

So we've just sat down with our nice bottle of house plonk and the lion and tiger sitting at the next table start having a drunken bar-room brawl. Who do you think will win? Being a Leo, I'd have to root for the lion.

Thanks very much for your time, Dave. No problem, Small Talk, my pleasure.

Dave Jones's autobiography No Smoke, No Fire is available now from www.knowthescorebooks.com

Boro fine Mido and Alves for late return

• Gareth Southgate comes down hard on errant players
• Manager expects Tuncay to seek Premier League football

Gareth Southgate has fined both Mido and Afonso Alves two weeks' wages for failing to report for Middlesbrough's pre-season training. The Egyptian striker, who spent the latter part of last season on loan at Wigan Athletic after a bitter fall-out with Southgate, has been ordered to return to Teesside and severely reprimanded for his conduct after going awol for four days.

Alves, who failed to appear for the team's first two days' training on Monday and Tuesday, has received the same punishment. It is understood that Alves, a £13m Brazilian striker, offered the somewhat lame excuse that he had struggled to book a seat on a flight back from Holland where he had spent the latter part of his summer break. "Both players have been disciplined," said Southgate. "They've been dealt with internally but are under no illusions as to what's expected of them in the future."It disappoints me that this has become public but I expect every professional footballer here to conduct themselves in the right way, simple as that. We train to the level of the strongest in the group and set our standards to the highest level so people either come with us or they don't."While Southgate proved typically eloquent Alves and, particularly, Mido have hardly enhanced his authority. "Mido isn't back yet," he admitted. "But he's our player and he's got to be back in training. Alves is in training now. We know when we're expecting Mido back. He should have been back on Monday, he's not, we've disciplined both players and that's the end of the matter as far as I'm concerned."

Ideally Southgate would sell the pair but as each commands around £50,000 a week, has a history of under-performance and, in Mido's case, disruptive behaviour, that may be easier said than done.

Although no formal bids have been received for any players, firm contact has been made with Aston Villa, who are keen to sign Tuncay, the Turkey international. Martin O'Neill, Villa's manager, may also recruit Stewart Downing, even though the winger will not have recovered from a fractured foot until October at the earliest and could be sidelined until December. "I'd like to retain everybody who is ready for the challenge of taking us back to the Premier League," said Southgate as he introduced his summer signings, the former Colchester United winger Mark Yeates and the former Tranmere goalkeeper Danny Coyne. "If players don't want to be here, fine. We wish them luck."

As Downing hopped around the training ground on crutches, Southgate conceded: "I've no idea if Stewart will still be here at the end of August. It depends whether someone wants to take him now or wait until January. But in January they could be competing with four or five other clubs to get him."

Boro's manager expects shortly to be bidding Tuncay farewell, though. "I wouldn't think we'll be able to hang on to a player of his talent, quality and character," he reflected. "Tuncay's a top-end Premier League player."Meanwhile Alan Smith, the former Crystal Palace manager, has joined Boro in a consultancy capacity.

Barcelona president takes swipe at rivals Real Madrid

• Laporta calm as Real Madrid keep spending
• Samuel Eto'o not returning calls as Manchester City make bid

The Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has taken a swipe at arch-rivals Real Madrid for their multimillion-pound spending spree that has dominated the headlines and the transfer market across Europe this summer.

The return of Florentino Pérez to the Real presidency has sparked a flurry of activity in Madrid with over €200m spent on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, while Barça's summer strengthening plans appear stalled.

"We make Ballon d'Or winners and others have to buy them. It's fine by me that Real have bought Cristiano Ronaldo but at present Barcelona are the point of reference for everyone," Laporta told Spanish state television.

"Real have erupted aggressively into the transfer market and distorted reality. We could go into debt like Madrid but it isn't our way of operating. We already have a competitive team and all we want to do is to make some prudent investments."

He said the coach, Pep Guardiola, has asked for reinforcements at full-back, centre-back, in midfield and a striker, and admitted the club were no nearer to resolving the future of Samuel Eto'o.

The Cameroon striker has been offered a two-year contract extension but has yet to respond, while Manchester City have put in an offer for him.

"I have called him a couple of times but he hasn't answered his mobile," Laporta said. "I don't know if he has changed the number or whether he's lost it, but I would like to speak to him."

Barça have also been trying to sign the Spain striker David Villa from debt-ridden Valencia, who are distracted by a boardroom battle for control of the club. "There have been negotiations to find out his availability but we haven't stated a time or money limit," Laporta said. "We have made an offer to [Valencia president] Manuel Llorente that is closer to €40m than €50m."

Rosicky close to Arsenal return as injuries subside

• Czech midfielder back in training after 18-month absence
• Arsenal 'capable of moving mountains in all competitions'

The Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky hopes to be back in action during the opening weeks of the new campaign after almost 18 months out with injury.

The Czech last played against Newcastle in the FA Cup in January 2008. Since then a combination of niggling injuries in his hamstring and knee tendons, which proved difficult to isolate and treat with surgery, have restricted Rosicky's rehabilitation programme.

The 28-year-old, signed from Borussia Dortmund in a £6.8m deal three years ago, resumed light training in May and has now rejoined the rest of the Arsenal first-team group as they prepare for the new season.

Speaking to the Czech newspaper Sport, Rosicky said: "I think I will be back in the autumn. According to my fitness coach, Tony Colbert, I could have been playing at the end of the [last] season as he thought my fitness was OK.

"I think it was obvious from the training that I was ready to play, if not for 90 minutes. But the club decided not to play me. They saw that I was OK, but maybe they just did not want to take the gamble. Until I play in a league match I will not be able to tell what my chances are, but when it comes to fitness alone I am in better shape than when I came to Arsenal."

Rosicky is set to battle it out with Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott for a place on Arsenal's wings. The Czech midfielder added: "I am missing the competition. Playing alongside Cesc Fábregas and Theo Walcott makes you feel comfortable and I think that I will quickly forget that I have been out for a while. Now that I have recovered, I am a new option for the manager. We have a strong team capable of moving mountains in all competitions."

United announce signing of Gabriel Obertan

• France Under-21 star signs from Bordeaux on four-year deal
• 'He is an exciting prospect,' says Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United have completed their third piece of summer transfer business in the pace of eight days with the £3m arrival of Gabriel Obertan, the France Under-21 international, from Bordeaux.

"Gabriel is a player we have tracked for a few years now, but our efforts to get him here have always been delayed," Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, said.

"We are delighted to get him now as he is an exciting prospect. We like to get young players and develop them, and we will see that in Gabriel over the next two years."

Obertan's debut is likely to be delayed, however, with the 20-year-old attacker suffering an injury that could rule him out of the club's pre-season tour of south-east Asia.

"I am very happy to join Manchester United," he said. "This is a big opportunity for me to play at such a great club. I am very excited to be here and I look forward to proving what I can do."

Celtic confirm signing of Marc-Antoine Fortuné

• Striker renews happy relationship with Tony Mowbray
• Three-year contract and a fee around £3.8m

Celtic tonight confirmed the signing of Marc-Antoine Fortuné from Nancy on a three-year contract. The 28-year-old French Guiana-born striker joins for an undisclosed fee, reportedly in the region of £3.8m.

Fortuné is Tony Mowbray's first signing since he became Celtic manager, with the pair reunited after the forward spent the second half of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion. Fortuné passed a medical yesterday before completing the formalities of his deal today.

The Frenchman told his new club's website: "This is where I want to be. Having met the people at the club and knowing all about the club's fantastic pedigree and support, this is where I saw my future. I am looking forward to the challenge of winning the league title, competing for the cups and playing in Europe, in front of the Celtic supporters.

"I am also looking forward to working with my manager, Tony Mowbray, once again. I had a great experience with him, Mark Venus and Peter Grant in the Premiership last season and I am looking forward to now working with him at one of Europe's biggest football clubs."

Mowbray was equally delighted to be resuming the pair's relationship. "Marc is a quality player and, at West Brom, he was a privilege to work with. Some of his play in the second half of the season was phenomenal and, if you look at our goals ratio as a team after he joined, you can see the impact he made.

"He is a team player, we were delighted with the way he performed in the Premiership and are looking forward to working with him at Celtic."

Fortuné joined up with the first-team squad today and will be officially unveiled tomorrow before Celtic's trip to Australia for Sunday's opening pre-season friendly against Brisbane Roar.

Southampton sack manager Mark Wotte

• New owner wants to install fresh management faces
• Stewart Henderson in temporary charge of first team

Southampton have parted company with their manager Mark Wotte. Saints' new owner Markus Liebherr had indicated yesterday he would be looking to install a new management team at St Mary's, and the south coast club have now confirmed the Dutchman's departure. Stewart Henderson has been placed in temporary charge of the first team.

"We wish to recognise Mr Wotte's efforts during a difficult period for all associated with the club," Southampton said in a statement. "We wish him well for the future. Our decision is part of a wider strategic plan being implemented to improve all aspects of the club's operations, both on and off the field.

"In keeping with this plan we can confirm that the search for a new manager has already begun. Our search will be conducted in a systematic and professional manner. We will find the right candidate, who will fulfil the criteria necessary to move the club forward. We will update fans on the appointment process as soon as possible."

Saints' goalkeeper Kelvin Davis has rejected a move to the Premier League with West Ham in favour of signing a new three-year deal at Southampton.

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