The shock move of the month so far was completed on Tuesday when Darren Bent joined Aston Villa in a record £18million switch from Sunderland as Gerard Houllier attempts to put the brakes on his side’s slide into a relegation battle.

No doubt Bent will find the goals Villa have been missing and, although he is possibly a tad over-priced, it seems like good business by Randy Lerner.

Villa’s aim will not only be to avoid the drop but to also push on and look for European qualification now that Bent is on board. They are a much better side than their current position of 17th suggests and don’t bet against them securing a top-six finish (16/1) if the likes of Marc Albrighton, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor all gel in what’s left of the campaign.

Man City’s huge £27m purchase of Edin Dzeko should again ensure the Eastlands outfit are the biggest spenders of the month. No surprise there, then.

But what may come as a surprise to some is just how well-placed Roberto Mancini’s side are in the title race heading into February. City are level on points with local rivals United at the top – albeit after playing two games more – but may just have the squad now to go on and win the Premier League (6/1), with a fearsome collection of attacking talent that includes David Silva, Mario Balotelli, Dzeko, James Milner, Adam Johnson and Carlos Tevez.

Spurs fans will be looking forward to the rest of the season, too, following the capture of Steven Pienaar from Everton – an astute £3million purchase by Harry Redknapp as he looks to keep his squad ticking over into the final months of the season.

A second-successive top-four finish looks nigh-on nailed on (13/8) for the north Londoners now, with the possibility of a few more quality arrivals, knowing Harry, in the days that remain this month that would surely only add to their chances of sneaking into the title race.

Liverpool interim boss Kenny Dalglish has identified targets to bolster his underperforming squad this month but time appears to be running out at Anfield as the Reds seem no closer to tying up any deals of note this month.

A serious injection of top-class talent is required at Anfield and, if Kenny can lure striker Luis Suarez from Ajax, a decent winger and a couple of defenders, then maybe Liverpool can push for a Euro berth as well (Top 6 Finish – 2/1). If not, a top-ten finish  is about the best Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and co can hope for.

Elsewhere, there have been some minor, if no less astute, deals done by clubs hoping to preserve their top-flight status in 2011. Birmingham are no strangers to splashing the cash and expect Alex McLeish to bring in at least one major signing to add to the loan capture of David Bentley from Spurs, while Stoke and Newcastle have tied up permanent deals for impressive on-loan pair Jermain Pennant and Hatem Ben Arfa respectively.

Blackburn have money to spend as their ambitious owners want to lure more big names, to follow Roque Santa Cruz, over to Ewood Park while Fulham boss Mark Hughes believes winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is the man to get the Cottagers moving up the table.

The speculation rumour mill is gearing itself up for overdrive in the next fortnight so expect more deals, some shocks and some wholly predicted transfers to keep you ‘entertained’ throughout the rest of the month as teams look for that added bit of spark or quality to give them a chance to dream of fourth – or maybe just 17th – in the Premier League. Just don’t expect too much from Keane, wherever he goes!

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Wins for both Roma and Inter Milan on Sunday means the Scudetto will have to be won on the last day of the season.

Inter Milan 4 – Chievo 3

The Serie A leaders conceded a goal after just 12 minutes at home to Chievo when a right wing cross was pushed into his own net by Thiago Motta. Jose Mourinho’s side were behind for no more than a minute when an Eto’o pass into the Chievo box was turned into an own goal by Chievo player Andrea Mantovani.

Just after 30 minutes Inter took the lead, with Esteban Cambiasso scoring. Inter extended their lead in the 39th minute when Diego Milito netted his 21st goal in the league with a chip from 15-yards out. The final result seemed to be a foregone conclusion at the start of the second half after Maicon’s ball over the top was collected by Mario Balotelli who led Inter into a 4-1 lead.

But Chievo managed to put themselves back in the running soon after when Pablo Granoche was able to put one past Julio Cesar. Amazingly Chievo scored again to make the score 4-3 when Zanetti played ball across the backline and Sergio Pellisier nipped in and scored a third for the visitors.

Roma 2 – Cagliari 1

Roma, needed to win to keep alive any chances of claiming the Scudetto, and missed numerous early chances to take the lead against Cagliari, and with under 20 minutes to go the Giallorossi’s were punished when Andrea Lazzari brought home a beauty from a free-kick.

Roma’s woes looked certain after PartyPoker.it ambassador Francesco Totti lifted a chip over the bar from mere yards out, but only minutes later Totti was able to score the leveller and restore hope once again for Raneri’s men. Roma then took the lead to breathe life back into the race for the title, Riise’s cross was cut short by a stray hand and Francesco Totti converted the critical second goal.

This means if Inter Milan win their final game of the season, away to relegated Siena, they will retain the Scudetto – and complete the second part of an historic treble which is looking more and more likely.

Related posts:

1. Serie A Predictions: Home Wins For Inter And Roma
2. Roma face tough Sampdoria Serie A Title Test
3. Roma Must Beat Parma to Keep Scuddeto Dream Alive

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