The problem for Wigan manager Steve Bruce is that his current first-choice strikeforce of Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki are both likely to playing for different clubs at the start of next season. While Heskey will be available for free on a Bosman, Zaki’s one-year loan from El Zamalek will terminate this summer and it is highly doubtful that the Latics can afford to hold onto either of their prized frontmen past the end of the season.

Looking to head-off a striking headache before the summer comes around, Bruce’s attention has turned to 23-year-old Nexaca striker Hugo Rodallega who is reported to move to the JJB for £4.5m as soon as a work permit can be obtained.

Rodallega, a Colombian international, has to-date remained in his comfort zone of South and Central America where he has proven himself to a be reliable striker bagging 77 goals in 157 club games, whilst netting 6 times in 21 international appearances.

Pessimistically though, South American strikers bought in the winter transfer windows have not always lived up to their promise. Just 12 months ago a similar set of events saw Derby County throw away £2m on the highly-rated talent of Emanuel Villa - another forward offering a fine striking record in South and Central America. But since arriving in Blightly Villa has struggled to settle in at the Rams, hitting his driest goal-scoring spell so far in his career of just 8 goals in 41 appearances

Wigan will be confident however that their scouting network have unearthed yet another unknown gem. Having one of the most multi-cultural squads in the Premier League, with players from Honduras, Ecuador, Barbados, Senegal and Ghana, Steve Bruce has already gelled together a melting pot of world talent, and hopes will be high that Rodallega can prove himself a vital addition to the setup.

Nicknamed “Rodagol,” Steve Bruce is eager to meet up with his latest acquisition. Bruce: “He’s fast, about 6ft 1in, he’s good in the air, rangy rather than thick-set, can score a goal - just a genuine all-round striker.”

Bereft of any searing pace, Hugo Rodallega is a striker who likes to take position in the box, capable of scoring off either foot or his head, and looking to be the focal point of the attacks rather than involving himself too much in the build-up.

Video evidence of Hugo Rodallega can be seen here.

Sevilla striker Freddie Kanoute used last night’s Copa Del Rey match with Deportivo La Coruna as the backdrop to publicise his message of support for the Palestinian people during the current war in Gaza with Israel.

With the Mali striker having scored Sevilla’s second of the night, Kanoute, a devote Muslim, lifted his shirt to reveal his under-shirt which had “Palestine” written across it. As may have been expected Kanoute was shown a yellow card for his behaviour, however it can be assumed that the forward took his booking on the chin for his greater goal of publicising his political message.

Kanoute’s goal celebration can be seen here.

Freddie Kanoute is not the only footballer to have shown public support for the Palestinians in recent days. Egypt and Al-Ahly’s playmaker Mohamed Aboutrika wrote an open letter of support for Palestinian people on his club’s official website.

Aboutrika said: “We are eager to help all Gazans. I suggest that Ahly or Egypt play against a high-profile team, then we could use the amount of money generated to support the families of Palestinian victims. We need Ahly, the Egyptian Football Association or any private foundation to take the initiative of organizing such an event. I would wear that shirt everyday if that was the solution. I call on all Egyptians and Muslims over the world to pray for the Palestinians.”

From the Israeli side, all domestic league matches were postponed by the Football Association on Monday as a consequence of the military operation currently unfolding in Gaza and the rocket-fire against the south of the country.

Israeli sportsman have suffered directly during the current war on Gaza. In the first days of the conflict, Israeli third-division side Hapoel Ashkelon had their training session cancelled after Katyusha rockets landed and exploded in the penalty area at the club’s training ground while players where making their way to the pitch.

While in Turkey on Tuesday, violent scenes erupted against a visiting Israeli basketball team, who were forced to seek refuge in the locker room when locals Turks began rioting in the stands chanting “God is Great” and “Killer Israel.” (Footage here.)

Comment & analysis round-up

Quote of the day: “The difference between us and them is that we played football where as Milan thought they were on a film set as if they were in Hollywood. My job is to run a football club and not to make sure Victoria Beckham has the best suite in the hotel. I don’t know why Milan accepted all these demands. It was all just one big scene. Steven Spielberg was the only one missing.” - Bayern Munich’s general manager Uli Hoeness.

Runner-up: “Arsene Wenger is a cunning fox. In the morning he says Arshavin will play all the time at his club and during the day he says he doubts the capabilities of Andrei to play three games in a row at the highest level. This is a tactic to fool the competition.” - Andrei Arshavin’s agent Dennis Lachter.

Today’s overview: Confusion reigns today over Jermain Defoe’s transfer back to Spurs, with the latest reports casting doubts over whether the transfer has actually been concluded. Outside of that, transfer rumours are rife on day eight of the window, particularly in relation to West Ham and Newcastle, but aside from the speculation there are no concrete deals to speak of.

For the first time in a long time, Derby County are today making the headlines for all the right reasons. Henry Winter commented in his match report, “short of ploughing up the pitch to give it that authentic Baseball Ground feel and getting everyone to wear flares and tank-tops, Derby could not have done more to revive the spirit of the Seventies.” Changing the focus, Daniel Taylor rips into “the abysmal Paul Jewell, a man whose reign was so utterly ­embarrassing that he will surely never manage a decent-sized club again.”

Jermain Defoe’s transfer to Tottenham could be the subject of a bitter dispute according to David Hytner, with the striker’s former agent, Sky Andrew, ready to litigate over the role Defoe’s mother played as an unregistered adviser in the deal. And it gets worse for Spurs according to Neil Ashton, reporting “Pompey officials were stunned when Spurs went ahead with the ostentatious entrance just minutes before the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Championship side Burnley. The two clubs have yet to reach an agreement over the size of the transfer fee and negotiations will continue today. Defoe’s contract has not yet been signed and the Barclays Premier League have not received the appropriate documentation.”

In other Tottenham news, the Mirror link Spurs with a £4.5m bid for Lyon striker Fred, while in a separate article it is said that Tal Ben Haim wants to move to White Hart Lane.

Amy Lawrence grapples with the rumours linking Jermaine Pennant with AC Milan. “How can it be right that a player who specialises in disappointing top-grade employers in England supposedly rejected the advances of Real Madrid and is now set to join Milan? If it were true, you would have to wonder if an exotic virus which football scouts are particularly susceptible to had spread from the Spanish capital to northern Italy.”

In other transfer news, Simon Williams reports that Rangers are prepared to sell Barry Ferguson to Newcastle for £3m, while Rob Stewart claims the Toon could be set to sell Joey Barton to Portsmouth. The exodus from Upton Park appears to be underway with Jeremy Wilson claiming “[Lee] Bowyer [is] holding talks with Birmingham to join on a nominal fee, while fees of £4 million from Stoke for Etherington and £3 million from Bolton for Davenport have also been agreed.” In a separate report, Michael Walker added that Luis Boa Morte is set to join Hull for £2m.

And the transfer speculation continues. Jon Ley links Spurs with Polonia Warsaw keeper Sebastian Przyrowski, the Daily Mail claim Everton and Middlesbrough are both chasing Newcastle’s Alan Smith although Shaun Custis announced that “Newcastle agreed to swap [Alan Smith] for Middlesbrough striker Mido.” Colin Young suggests the El-Hadji Diouf’s misery at the Stadium of Light could finally be ending with a £2m move to Blackburn.

Chelsea’s financial belt-tightening continues to be the order of the day, as Matt Hughes reports on Michael Ballack’s new contract negoatitions in which it is thought the German will received a “much lower basic salary, but with large bonuses based on the 32-year-old’s number of appearances, goals and the performance of the team.”

After thousands of column inches and all the media hype, David Beckham’s debut for AC Milan was always likely to be anticlimactic. And so it proved, with Goldenballs contributing just 45 minutes in the goalless first half with Hamburg yesterday, with the number 32 having a steady rather than spectacular match.

But such trivialities including actual impact on game were generally overlooked by most pundits, with the interest in Italy so fierce that local analysts actually counted every time Beckham kicked ball, today revealing that El Becks had a total of 38 touches during his first outing for the Rossoneri.

CNN also took the opportunity to do a special report on Beckham’s debut and how the superstar is settling in at his new club.

The CNN report can be seen here.

A report in the Daily Mirror this morning claims that Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill is tracking Sporting de Gijon left back, 20-year-old Roberto Canella.

Having come through the youth system at Gijon, Canella is known for his pace and his attacking instincts down the left hand side. And having secured his place in the side following his debut back in 2006, Canella has since also gone on to develop his game on the international stage, having represented Spain at both Under-19 and Under-21 level.

The 5.9ft left-sided defender, who can also play in midfield, however is far from the finished product. Nicknamed “El pipiolo” or “the rookie,” Canella may have started his journey to a blossoming career, but he needs to gain more experience and improve his physical condition. But with that being said, scouts in Spain claim that he has a brilliant future ahead of him.

From Villa’s point of view, interest in Canella has grown at a time when rumours suggest that Nicky Shorey is set leave Villa Park. Reports have also claimed that the Midlands’ club have already had their scouts view the 20-year-old’s development, and a bid may soon be in the offing.

Video evidence of Roberto Canella can be seen here.

The transfer window has come to life with Tottenham’s (re)purchase of Jermain Defoe. Defoe has the distinct honour of being loved and missed by both Tottenham fans and manager Harry Redknapp. Ever since Juande Ramos sold Defoe in January 2008 Spurs fans have been chanting his name at both home and away games whilst ‘appy Harry has now managed the striker at three different clubs.

Despite the fans and the manager’s delight with their acquisition, the one man who must surely be pulling his hair out is Mr Prudence himself, Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy. How he likes to crow about his brilliant negotiating skills. Levy always takes the time to remind us all of how he eked out £32 million from Manchester United for Berbatov and £20 million from Liverpool for Robbie Keane.

Well Mr Prudence, originally you bought Defoe for £7 million then he was sold for £7.5 million and now you have got him back for the princely sum of £15.75 million. I’m no mathematician or accountant but I think that totals a loss of £15.25 million; it’s just unbelievable.

You also have Darren Bent who was purchased for £16.5 million and Pavlyuchenko who came in for £14 million. It’s back to the same old problem for Tottenham, three strikers who consider themselves first choice and only two starting spots. How on earth will you make a profit on either of those two?

What is even crazier is that Defoe’s value has doubled in one year. We are in the midst of a credit crunch, the world’s economies are suffering from deflationary pressures and yet we have found an asset that will double in value in these tough times.

I am sure that someone will remind me that Defoe’s scoring average for Portsmouth was almost one goal in every two games, but were his displays really worth a £8.25 million mark up?

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