Football transfer news

West Ham have signed Wolfsburg defender Emanuel Pogatetz on loan until the end of the season.

The 31-year-old is thought to have also attracted interest from Fulham, but will now spend the five months at Upton Park after finding first-team opportunities hard to come by at Die Wolfe.

The former Middlesbrough player has also expressed his delight at returning to England, after spending five years plying his trade in the Premier League and Championship back in 2005 to 2010.

“I feel very good to be here and I am very excited about playing for West Ham,” Pogatetz told the club’s official website.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to play for the club and help it get good results. I will be doing my best to play well and hope I can play a part in the club achieving the targets for this season.”

The Austria international, who has been capped 52 times, added: “First of all when I heard that West Ham wanted me, I thought it was a club I wanted to play for because they are a very traditional club, with passionate supporters.

“Secondly, it was good for to have the opportunity to come back and play in England. This is the football I want to play and I have missed playing here, I want to show what I am still capable of after five years playing in Middlesbrough.”

Manchester City assistant manager David Platt has played down speculation linking Mario Balotelli with a move away from the club, despite reports claiming a deal with AC Milan has been struck.

Goal.com exclusively revealed on Monday that the 22-year-old is set to undergo a medical at Rossoneri this week after saying goodbye to his team-mates following training earlier in the day.

But Platt has moved to quash talk of a move, insisting that he was not aware of negotiations between Milan and City.

“I saw that speculation yesterday but I’ve not heard anything,” he told reporters.

“It’s a shame Robbie’s not here. He might know more than me but as far as we are concerned I think he is still a Manchester City player. I don’t think there is anything is going to happen.”

“I’m not [aware of any negotiations]. I can only go off what you know and I have seen. I know exactly the same as you, which is speculation.

“Fortunately we’ll have a press conference on Friday and we won’t have to talk about speculation – and that is what it is. I literally don’t know anything.”

Platt also iterated that the club are unlikely to add to their ranks during January, citing a lack of quality in the transfer market able to improve the squad.

“We have said before the market in January is very difficult. Even if you are planning to get somebody in it is very difficult to do so,” Platt added.

“With it being such a difficult market, you can’t start stepping into it willy-nilly.

“We are at Manchester City – a top club that competes for top trophies. As a result of that you can’t just go out and get anybody and think they are going to fill the gap that somebody leaves.”

Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton is set to join Real Mallorca on a loan deal until the end of the season, subject to a medical.

The former Tottenham Hotspur right-back has been on loan at Nottingham Forest since November, but his return back to Villa Park will be short-lived.

The Spanish club will also retain an option to agree a permanent transfer for the defender in the summer.

The Bermellones are currently second from bottom in the Spanish top flight, and will be hoping Hutton can provide some much needed defensive cover after losing their last three league games.

The full-back had made 34 appearances for Aston Villa in the 2011/12 season, but the 28-year-old Scotland international does not now appear to be part of Paul Lambert’s future plans.

He has not featured for the Villans since the former Norwich manager took charge.

Isco has committed his future to Malaga by signing a three-year contract extension, which also contains a €35 million buy-out clause.

In recent months the youngster has been linked with a number of clubs, with the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and Bayern Munich reportedly interested in acquiring his services.

However, Isco is happy with his decision and confident that Malaga will continue to blossom over the next three years.

“It’s a big step for me and for Malaga. I’m grateful because they bring me to my city,” the 20-year-old told reporters.

“I have trust in this team and I think we will continue improving this year, and that’s good for me and for the club.

“I’m happy to have renewed. What happens in the future nobody knows. Nobody has contacted with me, these are rumours and run every day. It isn’t the time to talk about it now.”

The club’s sporting director Mario Husillos also expressed his delight at reaching an agreement with the player and his decision to stay at the club.

“The player has always been very clear that the only option was to stay at Malaga. There have been offers from other clubs, but the main thing for me is he continues in Malaga.”

Isco has scored seven goals in 25 appearances in all competitions this season.

‘);
}
});
container.html(‘

‘ + list.join(”) + ‘

‘);
}
else {
// Hack (cross widget JS) to modfy frame tab if there’s no content for most-discussed
var frame = container.parents(‘.widget.frame’);
if (frame.length) {
var content = container.parent(‘.tab-content’);
var tab = $(‘.tab[data-index=”‘ + content.attr(‘data-index’) + ‘”]’, frame);
content.hide();
tab.hide();
}
}
}
});