Hull City transfer talk: Jermain Defoe latest, Nice move for Hatem Ben Arfa and a great Paul McShane lookalike

OUR daily blog with the latest news, transfer rumours and gossip about Hull City in the Premier League.

HDM Sport on FacebookDefoe suitors dwindle but City still linked IT'S almost inevitable that Jermain Defoe will be a Premier League player come the end of the January transfer window, but his destination is still anyone's guess. Steve Bruce has recently played down Hull City's chances of signing the Toronto FC striker, citing the player's wages as the main sticking point for any deal. And the Daily Telegraph has also suggested his salary has priced Queens Park Rangers out of a move, with Harry Redknapp more than happy to pursue the loan signing of Mauro Zarate from West Ham instead. However, the Daily Mirror reports that there is still interest from Hull in the former England forward, although they suggest Leicester City are the front runners.Fresh faces for Baggies ahead of City clash TOM Huddlestone has described this weekend's showdown with West Brom as a 'six-pointer' and both sides will see it as a must-win encounter to ease relegation fears. And new Baggies boss Tony Pulis looks set to have a newly-revamped backroom team behind him ahead of Saturday's match at the Hawthorns. The Daily Telegraph and the majority of national papers are reporting that Pulis is likely to offer Paul Jewell a return to Premier League football, with a senior position on the table for the former Wigan and Derby boss. Pulis has already let three of the current backroom staff at West Brom go since he was given the managerial hotseat at the end of last week, and City will face a side buoyed by their 7-0 FA Cup demolition of Conference side Gateshead.Ben Arfa in Nice to have 'fun' HATEM Ben Arfa finally brought an end to his turbulent time in England by signing for French Ligue 1 side OGC Nice. The Frenchman, who had a dreadful loan spell at the KC cut short at the end of December, was quoted in the French press as saying he made the move because he wanted to have fun, and it seems his new club were more than happy to accommodate his wishes with immediate effect, sending the attacking midfielder on a ferris wheel to celebrate his contract signing.

Découverte de la ville de nuit pour terminer la journée #BienvenueHatem#Nice06@VilledeNicehttps://t.co/6aQZnT1U5u

— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) January 5, 2015

And while having fun seems to be high on the agenda, it's good to see Ben Arfa still has a sense of humour (we hope). The Daily Mirror reports that the 27-year-old suggested he would have turned down Real Madrid to join Nice if they had come in for him. Whether this suggestion was sincere or not, as is always the case with Ben Arfa, is difficult to predict. And finally... A HAPPY Birthday to City's defender Paul McShane. The Republic of Ireland international turns 29 today and celebrated at the weekend by being reinstated into Steve Bruce's side. And as if we even need an excuse, the people at Joe.ie have marked the occasions by posting one of the best lookalike photos of the centre-back you are likely to see. As the tweet suggests, two McShanes are always better than one.

Because one Paul McShane isn't enough @pmacca15pic.twitter.com/e9wa8CYkqa

— Kevin Brannigan (@KevinBrannigans) January 5, 2015