Euro jackpot for Toon stars

Congratulations to HBA and Dreamboat, who've both made it into the French squad for Euro 2012. The latter would have been miffed to have been excluded, but the call-up may well have come as a surprise to HBA, given that he hasn't turned out for Les Bleus since August 2010, shortly before Nigel de Jong intervened to rearrange the bones in his leg. Laurent Blanc or his scouts must have been impressed by his form in the second half of the season - and, in view of some of the goals he's scored, that's hardly a revelation.

While our French duo could well face England in Poland and the Ukraine, there's a good chance that on 26th July Old Trafford will witness Team GB's defence attempting to do what many Premier League back fours haven't been able to manage - namely, contain our Senegalese strike pair Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba. Tediously enough, the Cisse-to-leave rumours have already begun, with the player quoted as saying that, while he's "happy for now" at St James' Park, his dream is to play for Real Madrid. It's since been claimed that this is just media shit-stirring, apparently - not the first time comments supposedly made by a Newcastle player in an interview given or at least reported in France have been rubbished.

With the season soon to be over, thoughts are inevitably turning to where the next value-for-money gems are to be unearthed. Stade de Reims midfielder Romain Amalfitano is rumoured to have already signed, and we've looked to France again in bringing Marseille's young defender Christophe Lowinsky in on trial. Perhaps mindful of the fact that Mr T came from Dutch football, we also seem to be scrutinising opportunities in the Netherlands, with talk of moves for FC Twente defender Douglas and his striker team-mate Luuk de Jong persisting alongside a claim that we're among a clutch of clubs keen to clip the wings of Heerenveen by poaching Luciano Narsingh and Oussama Assaidi (though Fulham are apparently in pole position).