The Ewood Park outfit are on the look-out for a new man after Steve Kean finally seemed to give in to fans’ pressure, saying his position had become “untenable”.

This time last year Redknapp was nailed on to become Fabio Capello’s eventual successor in the England job but it never materialised, with the post going to Roy Hodgson, and Redknapp eventually then being ousted at White Hart Lane (Spurs 7/4 – Top-Four Finish).

All of which leaves the former Bournemouth, West Ham, Portsmouth, Southampton and Tottenham chief out of work and looking for his next challenge in the game.

However, the 65-year-old has moved to distance himself from reports linking him with a switch to the Championship with Rovers.

He told Sky Sports News: “I woke up and saw the papers and they said I was supposed to be at an interview for the Blackburn job. It’s complete nonsense, obviously.

“It’s a good club and it’s a good job for somebody but it’s not one I’ll be pursuing. When we saw the speculation my representative Paul Stretford spoke with them to clear up where it was coming from but it’s not something I would look to do.

“They’re a good club with a good squad and good support but it’s not for me.”

Redknapp also confirmed he has failed to be seduced by job offers from abroad which is probably explained by his happy family life on the south coast.

A few years back he was thought to be a strong candidate for Newcastle but it seems the thought of uprooting his wife, or being away from home for too long, ultimately meant he was a non-runner to take over from Sam Allardyce.

All of which means Redknapp is likely to stay out of the game until a big club in the south of England comes calling for his services although the options are far from numerous.

The most obvious is rock-bottom Premier League outfit QPR but chairman Tony Fernandes looks set to persevere with Welshman Mark Hughes for a while longer despite the growing pressure at Loftus Road (QPR 15/8 – Relegation).

The likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Fulham also look fairly comfortable with their current managers at the moment which raises the prospect of Redknapp being asked to work his second-tier magic by getting a club up into the promised land of the Premier League.

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The Argentina captain has confirmed that he wants to leave the Anfield club in the current transfer window after becoming disillusioned on Merseyside.

Mascherano has not travelled with his team-mates to their Europa League qualifier against Turkish side Trabzonspor and he could have played his last game for the club.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to follow former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to Inter all summer and according to the club’s sporting director, Marco Branca, the San Siro outfit have made a firm for the player.

He said: “I sent an offer to Liverpool by fax on Tuesday and I am waiting for a reply from them.

“We’re not speaking to the player at the moment because we want to do this in the right way and make sure that Liverpool are happy.

“We’ve made a very good offer, around the amount they are asking for. We have a strong team here, the best in Europe, but we would like to add one or two players to make us even stronger.”

Inter (Evens – Serie A outright) have reported to have made a bid of around £20m for the defensive midfielder as they look to retain their Serie A title.

The blue side of Milan had an outstanding campaign last season, winning the domestic double and the Champions League under former manager Jose Mourinho.

Benitez will be keen to continue that success with Inter and the bid they have put in for Mascherano is understood to be more than a rival offer from Barcelona.

The Catalan club made an offer of around £16m for the midfielder – which Liverpool have rejected – however Barca star Lionel Messi has urged the Premier League club to sell the player this summer.

He said: “Javier won’t play for the club again, I can assure you of that, and I think the Liverpool coach knows that now.

“Javier’s family are unhappy and the pressure of seeing that is making him depressed. Liverpool must act humanely and let him go.”

Mascherano was a favourite of Benitez and he could be persuaded to join the Italian club because he would face a tough challenge to break into Barca’s star-studded midfield, which includes the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

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The 26-year-old was left on the bench when City (8/13 for a top four finish) started their Premier League campaign at Spurs last weekend, and sought out boss Roberto Mancini to discuss his future at the club.

“I had a chat with the manager after the Spurs game which was good. But managers can change,” he told The People.

“Today they love you and then you think you are going to be moving.

“I don’t want to look too far into the future. Who knows? By January maybe the manager will tell me to leave – or maybe I will ask to leave.

“What is important for me is to have clear focus on playing for City and fighting for my place in the team and that is what I intend to do.

“As a footballer you have lots of difficult times. Being sat on the bench for the first game of the season at Tottenham was tough for me and I admit I was a little bit upset.”

Adebayor, capped 38 times by his country, made his name with Metz when he scored 17 goals in 35 games in the 2002-03 season, before a spell with Monaco which saw him help the French club to the Champions League final.

He spent three years at Arsenal, bagging 46 goals in 104 appearances for the Gunners, before City paid a fee of around £25million for him in July 2009, and has since scored 14 goals in 26 games.

Adebayor says his outlook on the game, and life in general, changed after he was involved in a near-death experience when the Togo team bus he was travelling on was ambushed by gunman en route to the African Nations Cup earlier this year.

An assistant coach and the team’s press officer – plus a driver – were killed and Adebayor said he was forced to re-evaluate his life.

“I have the chance to be alive when I could have been dead after what happened at the Cup of Nations,” he added.

“That experience can maybe make me a bit awkward as I know what I want now. My priority from now on is always going to be my family.

“But, you have to fight for your place. I am very happy to be part of this club and I love the challenge of making it at City.

“Now I’m waiting for my chance. I’m playing for one of the big teams in England and all I need now is to be playing games and scoring goals.”

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Germany

The midfielder has highlighted English giants Manchester United and Chelsea as two clubs that he would relish playing for.

Ozil has one year left on his current deal with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, who could be keen on cashing in on the player now before he can walk out on the club on a free next year.

It’s reported that an offer of around £12m could take the Turkish born midfielder away from the German club, a valuation that both United and Chelsea (13/8 to win the Premier League) can easily afford.

Ozil believes that there are five clubs from around Europe that he would love to play for.

He said: “There are four or five clubs in Europe that you would have to say as a player would be a dream to play for.

“When you are looking at moving clubs it’s impossible not to pay attention to the Premier League and even more impossible not to pay attention to Manchester United and Chelsea.

“I am a winner and, when I am looking for a new club, I simply look at where I can be the most successful and where I can win the most trophies,” he added.

Ozil came to prominence following the World Cup in South Africa this summer where he helped Germany reach the semi-final of the tournament.

The 21-year-old put in some strong performances on the biggest stage of world football and this has attracted the eye of some of Europe’s top clubs.

Ozil also mentioned Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona as two of the clubs he would look to play for in the future if he has the opportunity.

However, the Germany international understands that he is still contracted to Werder Bremen and that he may have to wait to make a move to a bigger club.

He said: “I am under contract with Werder for another year and it is impossible for me to say if a deal will be done this summer.

“They may decide that they want to keep me for another season or they may decide to sell me this summer so they can get some money for me. That is up to the club.”

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Barcelona

Fabregas, 23, famously came through the youth system at Barca before making the move to the Gunners as a teenager where he has established himself in the Premier League.

But now Barcelona want the midfielder back in their fold and have already seen a £25m bid rejected by Arsenal who are thought to want closer to the £40m mark for the Spain international.

And Villa, who arrived from Valencia earlier in the summer, admits it is a no-brainer.

“I am not the Barcelona coach, nor the person responsible for reinforcements, but personally I will do the maximum to get Cesc here,” he told The Sun.

“He wants to play here and it will be quite normal if Arsenal finally do a deal.

“That would be great. A player of his ability will only increase our power and his presence will be great for all the forwards.

“He’ll help Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta, and I’ll score more goals with him in the side.”

As with Spain, quite where Fabregas would fit into the Barcelona XI remains to be seen , although Andres Iniesta’s trouble with injuries over the last 12 months means he would be a valuable addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Barcelona are bidding for their third La Liga title on the bounce this season – a feat that has not been achieved in Spain since 1992/93 when Barca themselves secured a hat-trick on their way to four consecutive championships.

La Liga is again widely expected to be a two-horse race, with Barcelona and Real Madrid (evens) neck and neck in the betting.

A club outside the ‘Big Two’ has won the Spanish title on just four occasions over the last 25 years and Sevilla at 28/1 are the shortest price from the chasing pack.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are being tipped to offer defender Nemanja Vidic a new four-year deal worth around £90,000 a week to keep him out of the clutches of new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese will be expected to make a serious title challenge in his first season at the Bernabeu while the Champions League is also a top priority, as always, for Los Blancos (Real Madrid 4/1 – Champions League 2010/11 Outright).

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Everton

Arteta has been strongly linked with a move away from Goodison Park this summer, with both Arsenal and Manchester City said to be keen, but Everton will do everything they can to keep hold of him.

City almost have a blank cheque book while the Gunners could also have plenty to spend if Barcelona come in and pay big money for Cesc Fabregas this summer.

Arsene Wenger sees Arteta as the perfect replacement should Fabregas head back to Spain and Blues boss David Moyes will be hoping the Gunners captain stays at the Emirates Stadium.

Just to make matters worse for Everton, La Liga outfit Sevilla are also in the hunt for a new midfielder and reports claim they would be ready to offer £12million for the player.

It would take double that to even tempt Everton and the player’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, says the kind of money the Blues are asking for will price most clubs out.

“Everton are asking for a lot of money, so it is difficult for Mikel to exit the club,” he confirmed.

Now everything hinges on whether someone comes in with a bid Everton cannot refuse. Moyes fought hard to keep Joleon Lescott at Goodison Park before losing him to City and history could repeat itself if City decide to get the cheque book out again.

Everton kick off the season away at Blackburn (Everton 8/5 to win) on August 14 and all Blues supporters will be praying Arteta takes to the pitch at Ewood Park.

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The former England and Manchester City boss has been mooted as the man to takeover at Craven Cottage as his future with the Ivory Coast national team is in doubt after he failed to guide them beyond the group stage at the World Cup in South Africa.

However, the Swede’s return to English football will hinge on current Fulham boss Hodgson’s future given that he remains hot favourite at 4/7 to be Next Permanent Liverpool Manager.

The Merseyside giants are thought to be close to agreeing a compensation package with the Cottagers for Hodgson’s services. But it is being reported that he wants some guarantees about the club’s financial future and his possible transfer funds before he agrees to replace the outgoing Rafael Benitez.

Another potential obstacle to a deal going through to take Hodgson to Anfield is the prospect of the England manager’s position becoming vacant in the very near future.

Current Three Lions coach Fabio Capello insisted that he has no plans to resign following the side’s humiliating World Cup last-16 exit at the hands of Germany on Sunday afternoon in Bloemfontein.

However, the Italian will speak with FA chairman Sir Dave Richards on his return and could be relieved of his duties if the decision-makers feel he is no longer capable of bringing success to the national team.

It is thought that Hodgson will be amongst the frontrunners to replace Capello if he does depart as England boss and they will look for a quick appointment as the bid to qualify for Euro 2012 (England 2/7 group G Winner) starts this autumn.

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