Football: Houston heads north out of Highbury

Stewart Houston was last night reported to be leaving Arsenal in order to renew his partnership with George Graham, the new manager of Leeds United.

Houston was Graham's assistant at Highbury until taking over running the team when Graham was banned from the game for a year because of the transfer "bungs" affair. However, he was not appointed as manager on a permanent basis, a role that is likely to be assumed by Arsene Wenger if the Frenchman is released by his Japanese club, Grampus Eight.

Manchester United are apparently on the point of signing the tough Spanish defender Miguel Angel Nadal, a Barcelona player valued at pounds 3.25m who they have pursued since the summer. United's chairman, Martin Edwards, said last night a deal was possible. He said he understood Nadal, at first reluctant to leave Spain, had now changed his mind and Barcelona's coach, Bobby Robson, was happy to release him.

Chris Waddle, who once commanded a pounds 4.25m transfer fee, is poised to join Falkirk, who are third from bottom of the Scottish First Division, while Ray Wilkins, a fellow former England international, is also set for a move north of the border - to Premier Division Hibernian.

The 35-year-old Waddle was released by Sheffield Wednesday last week and could make his Falkirk debut in tomorrow's home game against Clydebank. "I don't want to say too much at this stage because Chris has not yet signed the deal," Eamonn Bannon, the Falkirk manager, said, " but he is coming here tonight to dot the i's and cross the t's on a short-term contract."

The move has been brokered and financed by the Falkirk director, Neil Binnie, who has business interests in Sheffield. Tottenham paid pounds 590,000 for Waddle in 1985 and four years later he made a pounds 4.25m move to Marseille. Wednesday paid pounds 1m to bring him back to England in 1992.

Wilkins, who left his job as player-manager of Queen's Park Rangers last week, is expected to sign for Hibernian this morning, and celebrate his 40th birthday by playing against Raith Rovers at Easter Road tomorrow.

Wilkins, who had a previous spell in Scottish football with Rangers, turned out for Wycombe Wanderers in the Nationwide League Second Division last Saturday and then played for Coventry against Hibernian in a testimonial on Monday.

Slaven Bilic, West Ham's Croatian international defender, has been offered pounds 10,000 per week to stay at Upton Park and not succumb to the advances of Tottenham or Manchester United. "It is too early to say what the conclusion will be, but I think and hope I will stay," the 28-year-old said.