ELSEWHERE

Paul Merson has been told he has no first-team future at Aston Villa, reports
the Guardian. He is in the last 12 months of his contract at Villa Park and
Graham Taylor, who gave him his England debut, has made it clear that the
34-year-old is no longer part of his plans.

"I've been told I'm not going to play a major part in his plans and won't be in
the starting line-up," Merson said yesterday. "I might not even be on the
substitutes' bench. The only chance I've got of that is if we're thin on the
ground. Obviously I'm very disappointed but I'm going to fight it. And I'm going
to do so without wanting a shoulder to lean on. I believe I'm among the best
11 players at Aston Villa and intend to prove it. This is not the end of the Paul
Merson story."

Jari Litmanen can leave Liverpool on a free transfer. The club have told the
Finnish forward that there is no longer a place for him at Anfield. Since he
moved to Liverpool from Barcelona in January 2001, Litmanen has only
played 26 league matches for the English club (14 of which as a substitute).

Dennis Wise faces having his contract cancelled by Leicester City after his
part in a brawl with his team-mate Callum Davidson that resulted in the
Scotland defender sustaining a double fracture of his cheekbone. Wise has
been told he can have a free transfer along with the captain Matt Elliott and
the former England goalkeeper Tim Flowers.

Arsenal are looking to sign the Uruguay goalkeeper Fabian Carini on a
season's loan from Juventus if Richard Wright completes his œ5m move to
Everton as expected.

Carini will arrive for a downpayment of œ1m-plus with an option to make the
transfer permanent next summer. The 22-year-old played in all three of
Uruguay's games at the World Cup and has almost 40 caps. He is available
as he cannot get past Gianliugi Buffon at Juventus.

Wright is said to have accepted a œ250,000-a-year pay cut to join a club
where he can expect to be first choice and only needs to pass today's medical
to secure his transfer to Goodison Park.

By selling Wright and paying only about a quarter of that to take Carini, the
Guardian speculates that Wenger has raised the first portion of the money he
wants for the purchase of PSV Eindhoven's Mark van Bommel.

Brazilian football legend Zico Monday became Japan's new national coach
vowing to build on the team's promising performance on home soil at the 2002
World Cup.