Round-up: Jota latest and QPR edge closer to signing
Brentford boss Dean Smith says the club have received another offer for Jota.
Championship rivals Middlesbrough have had a £4.5m bid for the Spaniard rejected by the Bees.
Speaking ahead of his side’s home game with Wolves at the weekend, Smith revealed another approach has been made.
Champions League draw
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Chelsea have been drawn to face Atletico Madrid and Roma in the group stage of this season’s Champions League.
The Premier League champions will be in Group C, which will also include Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have been handed an extremely tough draw.
Spurs will face Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in Group H. The other visitors to Wembley will be Cypriot side Apoel.
Wenger ‘highly determined’ to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain
Arsene Wenger has reiterated that he is keen to keep Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Arsenal amid reports the England international could be on his way to Chelsea.
“I want to keep my best players. I have only one target – to keep everybody on board,” Wenger said.
“We have invested a lot of time and confidence and money in players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, who we bought at a very young age, and they have a responsibility to this club.
“I am highly determined to keep him at this club and I hope he will commit.”
Aluko an injury doubt
Sone Aluko is a doubt for Fulham’s trip to Ipswich on Saturday.
The Whites forward is struggling with a hip problem and will be assessed close to kick-off.
Smyth deal agreed
QPR are poised to sign Paul Smyth after agreeing a deal in principle with Linfield.
Rangers recently made an offer for the forward, who turns 20 next month and is under contract until 2019.
Linfield’s directors have discussed the offer and the finer details of the deal are now being ironed out ahead of Smyth’s expected move to Loftus Road.
Meanwhile, QPR are looking to bring in a defender before next Thursday’s transfer deadline following the news that James Perch faces several months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Holloway defiant
Ian Holloway says the cup thrashing against Brentford has not changed his belief that QPR are heading in the right direction.
Statistics show Holloway’s emphasis on pressing the opposition has been successful so far.
And the Rangers boss says his team can surpass expectations this season despite Tuesday’s one-sided derby.
“It hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for what we’re doing in the league,” he said.
“We are the best closing-down team winning it in the opposition’s half out of the top two divisions, which is something to be proud of.
“We haven’t got slaughtered like a lot of people thought we would.”
Carter-Vickers set for loan move
Tottenham youngster Cameron Carter-Vickers is close to joining Sheffield United on loan.
The 19-year-old has made four senior appearances for Spurs and the club are keen for him to pick up more first-team experience.
Winks left out of Under-21 squad
Harry Winks has been left out of the England Under-21 squad because boss Aidy Boothroyd felt the Tottenham midfielder is not yet ready to be selected following injury.
The 21-year-old has played only three minutes of competitive football since suffering ankle ligament damage against Burnley in April.
He came off the bench in the 89th minute of Spurs’ win at Newcastle and was an unused substitute against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kasey Palmer and Fikayo Tomori have been named in Boothroyd’s squad for the games against Netherlands and Latvia.
So too have Winks’ Tottenham team-mates Kyle Walker-Peters and Josh Onomah.
