BBC
Roma are considering offering England striker Tammy Abraham, 26, to former club Chelsea in a swap deal for 30-year-old Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan at the Italian club. (Mirror)
Real Madrid plan to sign Paris St-Germain's France forward Kylian Mbappe, 24, and Manchester City's 23-year-old Norway striker Erling Haaland. (El Chiringuito via 90min)
Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in Crystal Palace's 23-year-oldEngland defender Marc Guehi. (Goal)
Arsenal are prepared to sell 24-year-old England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale next summer. (Football Insider)
Real Sociedad and Spain defender Robin le Normand, 26, is being monitored by Manchester United and Real Madrid.(Fichajes - in Spanish)
Arsenal may reassess a January move for Wolves' Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 23, because of concerns over his fitness. (Express)
Real Madrid,Arsenal and Chelsea want Shamrock Rovers' 17-year-old attacking midfielder Naj Razi, who is a Republic of Ireland youth international. (Irish Mirror)
Fluminense's 22-year-old Brazil midfielder Andre Trindade rejected a summer move amid interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.(90min)
Liverpool are considering a move for Bayern Munich's 20-year-old Germany forward Jamal Musiala, who is unhappy with his playing time. (Mirror)
Aston Villa are preparing to open contract talks with 25-year-old Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, who is admired by Arsenal. (Football Insider)
Manchester United are interested in Nice's 23-year-old France defender Jean-Clair Todibo. (Fabrizio Romano)
Arsenal and Tottenham want England striker Ivan Toney, 27, but are not willing to meet Brentford's £61m asking price. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
England forward Jesse Lingard is searching for a new club because Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq do not have room for him in their squad. (Star)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MIRROR
Romelu Lukaku looks certain to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis next summer with Roma keen to secure him without a transfer fee by offering Tammy Abraham in a swap move.
Tyson Fury could be forced to wait until February for his undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk after surviving an almighty scare against Francis Ngannou.
Arsene Wenger believes Mikel Arteta's plan of having two first-choice goalkeepers in his Arsenal squad "doesn't work".
Ajax have now lost five Eredivisie matches in a row for the first time in their history after they were humiliated at rivals PSV Eindhoven with the reverse leaving them bottom of the table.
Mikel Arteta prepared to sign 'another David Raya' as Arsenal transfer plans emerge.
THE SUN
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk on December 23 officially off as Gypsy King targets new date after Francis Ngannou flop..
Vinicius Jr calls Jude Bellingham Real Madrid's new Cristiano Ronaldo… but stats show English wonderkid is even better.
Lewis Hamilton says he feels Sergio Perez has been put in a "difficult environment" because he does not have the full backing of everyone in his team.
DAILY MAIL
Daniel Ricciardo has piled more pressure on Sergio Perez for the second Red Bull seat after scoring his first points since returning to Formula One with a seventh-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix.
NEC Nijmegen striker Bas Dost says he's 'doing well' after collapsing during Eredivisie clash as he thanks fans and team-mates for their support from hospital.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Police investigate Nottingham Panthers ice hockey player's death after throat cut by opponent's blade.
DAILY STAR
Tommy Fury's next fight has potentially been agreed with boxing legend Roy Jones Jr - who is 30 years his senior - after they crossed paths in Saudi Arabia.
SCOTTISH SUN
Masked man Danilo insists he's left injury fears behind after claiming Rangers winner versus Hearts.
DAILY RECORD
Greg Taylor plays down Celtic 'injustice' narrative but delivers honest verdict on nightmare away run.
Guardian
Calvert-Lewin makes the difference as Everton claim three points at West Ham
Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium
The trick for Everton was finding the edge to go with their organisation. This was a resilient away performance, the kind to evoke memories of Sean Dyche’s best days at Burnley, but it might have gone unrewarded without a finisher in the team. West Ham, who are in danger of drifting into troubled waters after one win in six league matches, might have stolen something had Dominic Calvert‑Lewin not punished their lethargy with a clinical winning goal.
This was proof that Everton, who moved five points clear of the bottom three with this deserved win, are a different proposition when Calvert-Lewin is fit and confident. The England international has had a horrible time with injuries but his importance shone brightly when he drove in his fourth goal of the season. Calvert-Lewin occupied his markers, linked the play and finished superbly when his chance arrived in the 51st minute; he did for Everton what Michail Antonio failed to provide for West Ham.
Not that ruthlessness was the deciding factor. West Ham’s first shot on target arriving deep into added time summed up a lack of bite, but there was also casual defending and an approach in possession that stifled their creative talents, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paquetá.
The sense is of a team in need of a manager capable of implementing an attacking philosophy. Unambitious football is the accusation aimed at David Moyes and, after a decent start to the season, the Scot will be concerned about his side’s dip. With his contract up at the end of the season, this lifelessness will do little for his hopes of earning a new deal.
“Probably not as good as we liked,” Moyes said. “Everton defended the box really well. That’s the first game we’ve not scored a goal in this season. We might have had more of the ball today but that doesn’t matter. We weren’t able to open it up.”
It had not been an easy week for Everton, who mourned the death of their chairman, Bill Kenwright, and heard suggestions they could be docked 12 points if found guilty of breaching financial fair play rules. However, their focus was unaffected. With their back four sitting back, the visitors clearly knew how to play West Ham.
“It’s befitting to win after the sad loss of the chairman,” Dyche said. “It’s a very good performance. Dom’s a very good player and has had a tough couple of years. We’re improving from last season. There’s clear signs of that.”
The London Stadium grew frustrated as West Ham huffed and puffed. Before kick-off there was excitement at a bolder selection from Moyes, Tomas Soucek making way for Kudus to play as the No 10, but the optimism quickly faded. Jordan Pickford did not make a first-half save.
Dominating possession did not suit West Ham, who prefer to counterattack. Everton were only opened up when Paquetá flickered into view. The moment of the half was undoubtedly when Paquetá lobbed Everton’s right-back, Nathan Patterson, and crossed for Jarrod Bowen to scuff wide.
It was flat. There were a few flourishes from Kudus, but West Ham were reliant on individual improvisation. Vitalii Mykolenko shackled Bowen, and Antonio never stretched James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite.
Everton grew in belief, particularly with James Garner, Abdoulaye Doucouré and Amadou Onana overpowering Edson Álvarez and James Ward- Prowse in midfield. They should have led when Paquetá lost possession, only for Jack Harrison to shoot selfishly at Alphonse Areola.
West Ham, who will be without the suspended Paquetá and Álvarez against Brentford this Saturday, needed more intensity. Part of the problem was that they were without Emerson Palmieri, whose adventurousness from left-back gives the side more dynamism. Aaron Cresswell was nowhere near as effective.
At least Cresswell offered a threat over set pieces, delivering one for Bowen to head over at the start of the second half. Yet West Ham were edgy. That was evident in the defensive miscommunication that saw Kurt Zouma ignore a shout from Areola when the goalkeeper came to claim a cross.
West Ham were also loose. They suffered because of Antonio repeatedly losing out to Branthwaite, a theme that continued when the young centre-back dispossessed the forward before Everton’s goal.
There was no resistance as Branthwaite strode forward and found Calvert-Lewin. An exchange of passes with Harrison followed while West Ham stood and watched. Then Nayef Aguerd and Zouma were beaten by a beautiful turn from Calvert-Lewin, who drilled in a wonderful low shot from 18 yards. That was pretty much that. Everton chased a second, Doucouré and Dwight McNeil drawing fine saves from Areola, and held out with ease. With Paquetá short of conviction and Saïd Benrahma ineffective after replacing Antonio, West Ham remained insipid. Bowen had a chance and Pickford saved Benrahma’s volley in stoppage time but an equaliser was never on the cards. These are worrying times for Moyes.
The Athletic
West Ham are not exciting to watch – and they should be
By Roshane Thomas
The loud boos on the final whistle and the undercurrent of frustration were rather telling.
Alarm bells are starting to ring following losses to Aston Villa, Olympiacos and now Everton. West Ham have been second best, poor offensively and monotonous to watch. The performances mirror the struggles of last season in the Premier League and a lack of urgency has been evident.
The team are most vulnerable moments after half time and there was a familiar theme about Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 51st-minute winner for Everton. In the 3-1 loss to Manchester City, winger Jeremy Doku scored in the 46th minute. Against Serbian side TSC Backa Topola, West Ham conceded two minutes after the restart. Against German side Freiburg, they conceded four minutes after the interval. Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz scored a penalty in the 52nd minute, while Konstantinos Fortounis of Olympiacos found the back of the net in first-half stoppage time.
This team has a short attention span but isn’t the most pressing issue.
With the attacking riches of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus complemented by the defensive steel of Edson Alvarez, plus the passing ability of James Ward-Prowse, West Ham have talent and the orchestrator to conduct it all. But this team is perennially playing with the handbrake on. They are not exciting to watch.
This team is capable of so much more, and Bowen’s goal in the 3-1 loss away to Liverpool showed they have it in them to play an attractive style of football — but we rarely see it.
Moyes’ side are at their best when the opposition has more possession, which allows them to sit deep and break. They did this in wins against Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion. The victories over Luton Town and Sheffield Town this season are the only time West Ham have won with more possession.
Moyes is capable of having an alternative system, and a 4-1-4-1 contributed towards the promising start to the season. Alvarez played the anchor role well, Ward-Prowse was in an advanced position and the team was much more organised. But reverting to 4-2-3-1 has yielded mixed results. Ward-Prowse is struggling when situated deeper in midfield, Michail Antonio’s form has tailed off and Paqueta is ineffective as a left-winger.
“Today (against Everton), we might have had more of the ball (64 per cent) but that doesn’t matter,” said Moyes. “We didn’t have more of the ball when we beat Chelsea or when we beat Brighton. Today, we did have more of the ball and it felt like we couldn’t open it up and make chances.
“This season in the early games, we played on the counter-attack. I think our play has got better, we built quite well and played out from the back. It was when we got to the final third we ran aground in terms of creating really good chances.”
West Ham have upcoming fixtures against Arsenal, Brentford and Olympiacos and face an uphill battle to rekindle their form and top-six aspirations.
Another glaring takeaway, pertinently over the past week, is how a lack of a focal point hinders West Ham. Watkins and Calvert-Lewin led the line well for Villa and Everton respectively, displaying the classic attributes of a centre-forward and exhibiting everything Moyes’ side lack.
When Calvert-Lewin wheeled away celebrating his goal yesterday, Antonio was on the ground holding his face having been dispossessed by defender Jarrad Branthwaite in the build-up. And while Calvert-Lewin — as well as Watkins — was greeted to a standing ovation by his supporters, there was sarcastic applause when Antonio was substituted in the 57th minute yesterday afternoon.
The 33-year-old has not scored since August, and Moyes has tinkered with playing Bowen, Kudus and Paqueta as forwards but a striker remains the missing piece of the jigsaw.
Everton’s average positions showed how high Calvert-Lewin (9) was placed, with the team playing to his strengths; Dwight McNeil (7), who played on the flank, and Abdoulaye Doucoure (16), who operated as a No 10, were closest to him.
For comparison, West Ham’s average-position map shows it is not clear who the focal point is. Said Benrahma (22), the second-half substitute, is the furthest forward, but he isn’t a striker.
Moyes is now entering the final year of his deal and the board will review his future near the end of the season. But the manager could find himself under pressure, should these poor performances continue.
Sport Witness
West Ham player wants to make ‘radical decision’ over future – Entourage opens transfer door
Last season, Saïd Benrahma starred for West Ham United, managing 12 goals and five assists from 50 games. That included a goal in the Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina.
The Algeria international has failed to replicate the same form this season, and has an assist from 12 games. In addition to this, he has been reduced to substitute’s role in the league, clocking in just 88 minutes from the last six games.
According to Algeria’s Fennec Football, the winger is not pleased with his current situation at West Ham.
It’s claimed the 28-year-old ‘intends to make a radical decision’ over his future given he’s not had a prominent role under David Moyes in the last two months.
Although he has a deal lasting until 2026, the report states the current situation has made the player ‘seriously consider changing’ clubs in January.
Despite his recent dip in form, Fennec Football have found out from sources close to the former Brentford man’s entourage that he could leave West Ham in a few months for a club that can offer him more playing time.
It’ll be interesting to know West Ham’s stance on the possibility of letting Benrahma leave, either in January or next summer.
