N'Zogbia Adds to Keegan's Woes By Looking for a London Move

Kevin Keegan has admitted he faces a struggle to keep Charles N'Zogbia at Newcastle United. Tottenham Hotspur inquired about the unsettled France Under-21 international's availability last month and, although Keegan told them N'Zogbia was not for sale, Newcastle's manager is aware the player is unhappy and hankering after a move to London.

N'Zogbia wanted to leave Tyneside last summer but the then manager, Sam Allardyce, persuaded him to stay and sign an improved five-year contract. Yesterday Keegan said: "Charles came to see me about all the speculation [linking him with Tottenham]. He's just signed a new contract here but it's something we'll have to revisit in the summer because the signs are that he is not happy here. But this is a big club and we've got two to three months to work with him."

Quite apart from craving the lifestyle on offer in London, where his mother and sister live, N'Zogbia has not been pleased at being deployed at left-back rather than in his preferred left-wing or central midfield roles in recent months at Newcastle.

Allardyce, who like Glenn Roeder before him, did not always see eye to eye with the confident young Frenchman, believed N'Zogbia's best position was left-back but his successor disagrees and has played him there only as an emergency measure because José Enrique is injured.

"Charles can play in central midfield or at left-back but his best position is definitely on the left of a midfield four and bombing on," said Keegan. "I think Charles has done very well playing at left-back recently but I'm definitely not saying it's his best position. He's a gem of a lad, though, and he's made no complaints at all about playing left-back." N'Zogbia will not be playing anywhere at Aston Villa on Saturday as he is suspended.

Meanwhile there was mixed news for Middlesbrough yesterday. They will be without their midfielder Lee Cattermole for about a month after scans confirmed that he sustained knee-ligament damage during last Sunday's 1-1 draw at Newcastle. But Afonso Alves finally secured a work permit from the British embassy in Holland, leaving Middlesbrough's record signing from Heerenveen free to fly to England today.

The Brazilian striker, who has not played since early January, will undergo a fitness assessment before it is determined whether he will start against Fulham on Saturday at the Riverside.

Gareth Southgate's delight at Alves' imminent arrival was amplified by confirmation that David Wheater, Boro's England Under-21 centre-half who was considered for the senior squad by Fabio Capello, is close to signing an improved contract. The latest product of the club's academy to shine in the first team, Wheater is much admired and several Premiership clubs have been alerted to the fact that his existing deal expires in June.

Southgate said the defender, who left Jonathan Woodgate effectively surplus to requirements on Teesside, was going nowhere. "David wants to be here, he's made that clear, and it's just a case of finalizing things," the manager said.