Football: Sinton opts for northern delights

LIKE Arsenal earlier in the week, Liverpool yesterday discovered that they can no longer call the shots in the transfer market, as Sheffield Wednesday finally won the pounds 2.75m race to sign Andy Sinton in time to make his Hillsborough debut tomorrow - against Arsenal.

The Liverpool manager, Graeme Souness, made a last-minute attempt to take the England international to Anfield, but failed to win backing for the bid from his directors.

Trevor Francis, who has again broken Wednesday's transfer record, had set a 2pm deadline for Sinton to agree a four-year contract. On Tuesday, Arsenal, the first to agree the fee with Queen's Park Rangers, had withdrawn their interest, claiming they had waited long enough for Sinton's decision. 'Andy is an excellent player and a welcome addition to our squad,' Francis said.

Gerry Francis, the Rangers manager who is frustrated with the departure of another of his best players, has called for a transfer embargo during the season with a brief 'window' period around Christmas, to stabilise the smaller clubs. 'It would help managers and put checks on agents,' he said. 'Players would not be distracted by transfer talk or gossip about the big wages to be had elsewhere.'

David Phillips, the Welsh international, at last obtained the move from Norwich he has been seeking all summer when he signed for Nottingham Forest for a fee of around pounds 500,000.

Everton have completed the signing of the Chelsea forward, Graham Stuart. A tribunal will decide the fee next week, while Dundee have agreed to pay Eintracht Frankfurt pounds 500,000 for Dariusz Adamczuk, who scored Poland's goal against England in the 1-1 World Cup draw in May.

Alan Sugar's lawyers are deciding their response to Terry Venables' request for another 21 days to pay the pounds 300,000 demanded by the High Court in advance of the hearing set for November, in which he is claiming the right to buy out the Tottenham chairman.

Nick Hewer, Sugar's spokesman, said: 'This is all very irritating. There have been too many delays and we just want the matter settled. Last week Venables said he had the money and now he is asking for more time. Perhaps he misread his bank statement.'

The Manchester City chairman, Peter Swales, has appointed a general manager: John Maddock, a former sports editor of the Northern edition of the Sunday People. 'I have decided to move away from the day-to-day activities on the field,' Swales said. 'In future, John Maddock and manager Peter Reid will be given a budget and they will decide how the money should be spent.'

Newcastle are considering an official protest after Coventry City published an article in their programme for Wednesday's Premiership match which contained offensive remarks about Peter Beardsley.