The prospect of Luka Modric joining Chelsea has increased and there are plenty of betting opportunities to be had. Chelsea have tabled a £22million bid for the pint-sized midfielder, while cash-strapped Everton have bid a pint-sized table.

Chelsea have been told by Spurs “Up your bid” and Everton have been told “Up yours.”

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has warned Chelsea that Modric is not for sale at any price, not unless they increase their offer by £5m, and has branded the mercurial Croat irreplaceable – easy for him to say, but not so easy for Roy Hodgson.

Joey Barton is expected to join Sunderland and the odds of it have been severely slashed by the bookmakers. The Toon hardman has proved a hit with team-mates and fans this season. Previously, he’s just hit them.

Barton’s quick temper can be attributed to his troubled upbringing. He hails from a rough neighbourhood in Huyton. He went grouse shooting there once and the grouse returned fire.

Barton has now learned to control his temper and is ­concentrating on trying to control the ball.

Alan Dudman has spoken about the best betting options in League One this weekend beginning with the Bournemouth match. (Bet here) My Anchor Text

Bournemouth 1.90 v Oldham Athletic 4.50, the draw 3.65

Leyton Orient will be hosting Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round later today. Regardless of the outcome, Sunday’s Fifth Round date with Arsenal is a dream tie. The club will pick up a hefty some of money for their troubles while the players will never forget the time they came face-to-face with Arsenal side who last time out despatched with the team widely recognised as the best there is. It all sounds a little daunting if you ask me, however some of the fear factor diminishes ever so slightly with one look at the Gunners’ unconvincing passage through to the Fifth Round.

Inter Milan have signed Striker Giampaolo Pazzini from Sampdoria in the transfer window. The price tag for the deal (a contract until 2015) is €13 million. The deal was made possible after sending forward Jonathan Biabany to UC Sampdoria.

The deal comes in time for the upcoming match between FC Inter Milan and FC Bayern Munchen in the UEFA Champions League.

Giampaolo Pazzini was born in Pescia, Italy on August 2, 1984 and started his football career with Atalanta.

Preston North end take on Leicester City this weekend and there are many betting reviews available for this match. Take a look at the strikers each respective team has brought in this week – Sven has persuaded Yakubu to drop down to play for Leicester, while Brown has got Nathan Ellington from Greek side Skoda Xanthi.

Arsenal vs Chelsea is the massively anticipated game and there are already number of odds available. Following the recent spate of abandonment's, not much has changed at the top of the Premier League over the past fortnight but three huge points are at stake at the Emirates Stadium and it is a match neither team can really afford to lose.

Arsenal are the favourites to win the Carling cup this year according to various bookmakers. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger used the Carling Cup as training for his younger players in the past and had some success, reaching two semi-finals in the last five years. But, after five seasons without a trophy, Arsene Wenger no doubt played his best lineup against Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Wigan to get here. With a somewhat easy road ahead, the Gunners should go all the way to Wembley and win the Carling Cup for third time in club history.

The betting for the Carling Cup third round has started. A quick look at the free bets market for which team will lift the trophy shows Chelsea and Manchester United heading the way at 9/2. Both sides have managed to achieve success in this competition despite having much bigger fish to fry elsewhere.

Football betting has Arsenal at 4 to 6 to win the match against Tottenham in the English Premier league. The first match of this weekend’s Premier League action just so happens to be the best one with Arsenal taking on Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon. The stakes are high in this North London Derby as the Gunners will be looking to take the top spot in the Premiership if Chelsea falter against Birmingham City. The Spurs can gain a lot of ground into the top four clubs in the league table with a win as well.