With David Beckham apparently not too happy with his new Real Madrid position (left back, in the dressing room) why not indulge ourselves in some groundless speculation.

As I see it, Beckham's next destination needs to have the following:

1. Money for big wages

2. A certain prestige (eg he's not going to Scunthorpe)

3. At least some chance of trophies

4. A first team shirt

Number four rules out a lot of big clubs, I don't see a place for him in the current Manchester United or Chelsea line ups for example. His Man Utd past rules out a move to Liverpool, which is otherwise the most suitable destination in terms of prestige and first team opportunities.

Another Spanish club (except Barcelona) would be a step down, as would a move to MLS (which would be construed as semi-retirement and an acceptance of failure).

So, the most likely destinations are decent, fairly wealthy English teams, leaving us with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa. That last one would have sounded silly a few months ago but with new owner Randy Lerner ready to invest and top manager Martin O'Neill at the helm, it's not impossible.