The Life’s A Pitch panel loves to get its teeth into the latest transfer rumours, grading them out of 10, based on how likely each transfer is to go through.
This means a 10 for a done deal, 0 for a not-a-cat-in-hell’s chance. Here, the panellists mull over whether Liverpool will replace the injured Lucas with fellow Brazilian Jádson (pictured above) from Shakhtar Donetsk, if André Villas-Boas is hoping Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel will plug Chelsea’s leaky back line, and whether Sunderland is soon to be where Aston Villa misfit Nathan Delfouneso calls home.

With injury ruling Lucas out for the rest of the season, Liverpool could well be in the market for a new midfielder. But Dave Kidd of The People reckons rumours that Shakhtar Donetsk’s Jádson is top of their wanted list to replace Lucas are wide of the mark. “There’s a massive hole for them to fill, and Jádson has been a top player for Shakhtar,” he explains. ”I think Jádson is a five or six [out of 10]. [But] they certainly want to bring someone in in that position.” After some shambolic defensive performances from Chelsea earlier this season, John Terry and co could certainly use some help. Just don’t expect Ajax’s Gregory van der Wiel to provide it, says the Daily Mirror’s Martin Lipton. “Chelsea looked at Van der Wiel throughout the summer,” he says. “And I think they should have bought him, actually, because the other fella, [José] Bosingwa, is useless.” But Martin reckons Valencia is a more likely destination for the Dutch international, and rates the rumour at just three out of 10.

Nathan Delfouneso has only featured twice for Aston Villa all season, and John Cross of the Daily Mirror reckons new Sunderland boss (and former Villa manager) Martin O’Neill is about to hand the bench-warming young striker a chance at the Stadium of Light. “[O'Neill] does have a habit of sometimes working well with younger players and giving them an opportunity,” says John. “He could bring out the best in Delfouneso, who looks like he could benefit from a fresh start. I’d go seven, bordering on eight [out of 10].”

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