Sliding Players

Have you ever seen that film Sliding Doors? In it, we see how the life of Gwyneth Paltrow's character would have differed if she'd have caught a train on the London Underground, and if she hadn't. The film splits off into two different stories, one following the Paltrow who caught the train, and one following the Paltrow who just missed running through the sliding doors (see, clever eh?).

We could be about to see the same thing in the football transfer market. The big moves of the last few days could be about to set off a huge chain of transfers that wouldn't otherwise have happened.

Thierry Henry's decision to wave goodbye to Arsenal has left Arsene Wenger searching for a new striker. Reports suggest Wenger is looking at Newcastle's Obafemi Martins, who Sam Allardyce says he is powerless to keep at the club due to a clause in the Nigerian's contract. Should Martins leave, Allardyce is rumoured to be keen on recruiting Eidur Gudjohnsen to replace him, with the ex-Chelsea man now out of favour at Barcelona due to the arrival of, you guessed it, Thierry Henry. And there's more.

Tottenham have bought Darren Bent from Charlton. That arrival has placed doubt on the future of Jermain Defoe at Spurs, with reports linking him to Manchester United. United could sell Alan Smith to, oh let's say Middlesbrough, to raise funds for Defoe. Smith's arrival at Boro could allow the unhappy Yakubu to move back to Portsmouth, who would love to team him up with Djibril Cisse of Liverpool, except the Frenchman seems destined for a move to Marseille. Another club who wanted Cisse were West Ham. Their failure to get him could prompt a move for Craig Bellamy, with Rafa Benitez likely to sell him to raise money for Fernando Torres. Atletico Madrid want Luis Garcia as part of that deal, if Benitez sells him he could move for Barca's Deco, with the Catalans happy to let him go to provide room for Frank Lampard. Confused? You will be.

The transfer rush is about to start, so make sure you're ready for a hectic couple of months.

Gwyneth Paltrow has got a lot to answer for...