Czech international midfielder Radoslav Kovac has joined English Premier League club West Ham United from Spartak Moscow on a permanent basis, the Russian Premier League side said today.

Zenit St Petersburg have sacked the club's Dutch coach Dick Advocaat because of a run of poor form since he announced he was going to become Belgium's national coach next year, the club said today.

Tony Mowbray insists that his Celtic players are well aware of the importance of beating Dynamo Moscow in their Champions League third qualifying round match tonight.

Former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been named coach of Bunyodkor, the Uzbek champions said on Tuesday.

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko admits he would welcome the arrival of Russia team-mate Andrei Arshavin at White Hart Lane.

Roman Abramovich is considering exploiting his links with Russian football by taking the Brazilian striker Wagner Love on loan in an attempt to bolster Chelsea's attacking options in the January transfer window.

Michael Laudrup, who had been linked with the managerial vacancy at West Ham, is set to take over as coach of Spartak Moscow within the next 48 hours, according to the club's director of sport.

It should have been one of those nights when Sir Alex Ferguson basked in the glory of his team being European champions and mopped up another early-season trophy, but it ended as a bit of a disaster. Ambushed by the daring, attacking football of Zenit St Petersburg the embarrassment was compounded when Paul Scholes was sent off for a daft handball which earns him a Champions League suspension.

Tottenham Hotspur have told Dimitar Berbatov that he can leave only if they sign two strikers before the transfer deadline on Monday and they hope that the second, after Roman Pavlyuchenko, will be Andrei Arshavin. Spurs have revived their interest in Arshavin, whom they now believe they can sign for less than £20m.

Manchester United's defender Nemanja Vidic insists he is enjoying his stay at Old Trafford and life in the North-west.

For a man who cannot even get into the Spain team, Cesc Fabregas is nevertheless doing a good job of winning Euro 2008 on his own. The Arsenal midfielder might not start matches but, as Russia found out last night, he knows exactly how to finish them off and it was his influence that guided Spain into the Euro 2008 final against Germany.