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Just like John, Paul, George and Ringo, there will be a lot of Championship managers hoping for a little help from their friends over the next few weeks.

Glenn Roeder is one such blood-sucker; the Norwich City boss has been linked with a loan move for Arsenal's teenage French defender Armand Traore. "All I know is that as and when, if Arsene can ever help Norwich and me I think he will," said Roeder. He should be careful: Franklin Roosevelt promised not to take America into World War II, and look what happened there.

Cardiff City manager Dave Jones has admitted he could be powerless to hold on to midfielder Joe Ledley, with Premier League scouts sniffing around Ninian Park like a mangy urban fox around a bin-bag full of leftover chicken tikka masala. The club, who recently lost another home-grown starlet when Chris Gunter moved to Spurs, have already turned down a bid from Wolves but Jones said he would not stand in Ledley's way should a club from the top league come a' callin'.

Meanwhile, QPR manager Luigi De Canio has confirmed that he is keen to sign Rowan Vine on a permanent transfer after the striker's successful loan spell from Birmingham. "Anyone who can be beneficial to QPR will be taken into consideration," De Canio added, presumably pre-empting bids for Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco.

Bristol City have agreed a deal to sign Australian international midfielder Nick Carle from Turkish club Genclerbirligi. "I applied for a working visa on December 27. If all goes to plan, I could be in England in 10 days," said the 26-year-old, a statement clearly made in ignorance of the sometime Kafka-esque British immigration service.

Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock is being linked with a move for striker Colin Kazim-Richards, who has failed to impress Fenerbahce since his shock move to Turkey in the summer.

Laurent Robert could be set to make a triumphant return to English football. The mercurial winger could be smacking 40-yarders into the crowd at a Championship ground with you if talk of a move to Ipswich has any truth in it.

Blackpool are so close to signing Hull striker Stephen McPhee they can literally smell him. The Tangerines have had a £250,000 bid accepted - a sum that nudges them agonisingly into a higher stamp duty band.

If you could have two players to spearhead a promotion push, who would they be? Kaka and Messi? Ronaldo and Ronaldinho? Or Simon Whaley and Neil Danns? In Crystal Palace's case, it is the latter of the three options.

Probably for the best - it's the hardest league in the world to get out of, we are constantly told, and you get nothing for fancy-dan flair football.

Eurosport