THE ESSENTIAL

Arsenal Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has reiterated his admiration for Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo and admitted he is still tracking the Brazilian.

Aston Villa Habib Beye admits he may have to leave Aston Villa at the end of the season if he is unable to force his way back into Martin O'Neill's team.

Birmingham City Alex McLeish believes Joe Hart's "time will come" with England and says he still hopes to keep the goalkeeper at Birmingham for another season.

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce believes he has laid the foundations for the club's future success by giving youth a chance at Ewood Park.

Bolton Wanderers Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden looks to be facing at least six weeks on the sidelines after fracturing his right fibula on international duty.

Burnley Blackpool boss Ian Holloway admits he is flattered to be linked with Burnley - but insists he has no interest in becoming manager at Turf Moor.

Chelsea Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup with Portugal as he requires more surgery on a knee injury.

Everton Landon Donovan has thanked Everton's fans for their support and revealed he expects to return to the club after his loan expires.

Fulham Roy Hodgson is relishing taking on the challenges which lie ahead for Fulham this season with the Cottagers still alive in three competitions.

Hull City Hull City chairman Adam Pearson fears he may struggle to cut the club's wage bill during next month's transfer window.

Liverpool Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admits his side cannot afford any more mistakes in their battle to secure Champions League football next season.

Manchester City Ian Wright has accused senior Manchester City figures of treating his adopted son Shaun Wright-Phillips "like a youth-team player".

Manchester United Manchester United striker Michael Owen's World Cup dream is over as he has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

Portsmouth Portsmouth boss Avram Grant has been warned about his conduct and fined £1,000, with a further £4,000 fine suspended until the end of the term.

Stoke City Stoke manager Tony Pulis has expressed his delight at the support Ryan Shawcross has received from a number of senior England stars.

Sunderland Sunderland have completed the signing of Benjani from Manchester City. The move had been in doubt as it was not completed before the close of the transfer window at 1700 GMT on Monday.

Tottenham Hotspur Harry Redknapp criticised Tottenham's performance in their 1-0 defeat at Wolves as their worst of the campaign so far. Spurs were beaten by a David Jones goal midway through the first half and Redknapp said: "We had loads of the ball and were camped in their half second half but never really threatened enough to score. They worked hard and closed us down and made it difficult for us and we never overcame that tonight."

West Ham United West Ham co-owner David Sullivan wants Matthew Upson to return a favour by putting pen to paper on a new contract at Upton Park.

Wigan Athletic Notts County produced one of the shocks of the fourth round by beating Wigan 2-0 in their FA Cup replay. Stephen Hunt's 75th minute header and an own goal from Gary Caldwell three minutes later did the damage. County caretaker boss Dave Kevan said: "It's been a very enjoyable evening. Wigan put us under a lot of pressure but we held on and did very well."

Wolverhampton Wanderers Crystal Palace also claimed a giant-killing, seeing off Wolves 3-1 at Selhurst Park. Danny Butterfield scored a hat-trick in six minutes to seal the win and manager Neil Warnock said after the match: "It was a great team performance, epitomised by Danny. He's a full-back playing on the wing. We showed the whole country watching on the TV that we're far from dead."