It was the win in San Siro which Manchester United had been striving for since 1958 but there was so nearly a sense of deja vu about the club's fifth meeting with Milan in the stadium.

Sir Alex Ferguson is banking on Wayne Rooney to smash through the 30-goal barrier this season.

David Beckham is fully focused on helping AC Milan beat Manchester United tomorrow night, even though he admits it will not be easy to put his own emotions to one side.

Defiant Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas maintains his side can prove their doubters wrong and become worthy challengers for the Barclays Premier League title.

Holland striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar is to stay at AC Milan for the rest of the season.

The quietest transfer window in memory finally slams shut at 5pm tomorrow. Doubtless there will be a last-minute rush, but when one eight-figure fee was finally agreed, with Manchester United shelling out £10m for the young Fulham defender Chris Smalling, it outweighed all the others put together at that point. Even then, United agreed that Smalling could stay with the London club until the end of the season. Birmingham, as expected, had been as busy as anyone with their purchase of Michel and Craig Gardner at a joint cost of £6m. Tottenham's Harry Redknapp just could not resist adding to it, but two clubs with money to spend, West Ham and Sunderland, have found it difficult to get the players they want.

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has confirmed the club's interest in the Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. "He is a great player," McLeish said. "If the wages were not too outrageous, that would be something that would be reasonably attractive." McLeish hopes to build on the Blues' fine recent form and is also monitoring the Lens forward Aruna Dindane, currently on loan at Portsmouth, although reports of a £4m bid are premature.

The Fulham defender Chris Smalling's £10m transfer to Manchester United has gone through after the player made the definitive decision to sign for them yesterday after a medical. Arsenal attempted to change his mind but were rebuffed. He will join United in the summer.

Arsene Wenger has not given up hope of completing a deal for promising Fulham defender Chris Smalling, despite battling Manchester United in the hunt for the England Under-21 international.

The Lens striker Toifilou Maoulida could join the Upton Park revolution after hinting he could be on the verge of leaving the French side. The 30-year-old, who has also been linked with Stoke and Wigan, has been confined to the substitutes' bench for most of the campaign. "I'm waiting to see," he said. "If an English club give me this opportunity, then why not? The English league has always interested me. It's 50/50 at the moment."

As we go into what is effectively the final week before the winter transfer deadline, the window is still barely ajar. It will have to be flung wide open in the next few days to match even the comparatively low spending of 2004 and 2005 (£50m each), and is clearly going to finish nowhere near last year's £180m. With 31 January falling on a Sunday, the deadline is extended until 5pm tomorrow week.

Veteran Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo is content to see out the remainder of the season with Genoa, despite rumours linking him with a January move away from the club.

Stoke City Manager Tony Pulis has dismissed reports linking James Beattie with a £3m move from the Britannia Stadium. Reports linked the former England international with a move to Wolves, but Pulis says there has been no contact: "I would expect Mick [McCarthy, Wolves manager] to ring me if they were interested, and he hasn't."