Paper Talk
Paris St-Germain are poised to offer cash plus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 19, in a bid to sign Roma's defensive midfielder Kevin Strootman, 24, who is also a target for Manchester United.
Manchester United and Manchester City attempted to sign Benfica's highly-rated midfielder Andre Gomes, 21, for £14m during the summer.
Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock will send defenders Paddy McCarthy, 31, and Peter Ramage, 30, and midfielders Jimmy Kebe, 30, and Owen Garvan, 26, out on loan to balance the books.
Former Bolton and Wigan boss Owen Coyle is in line to return to management with Blackpool.
Sheffield United want to sign Blackpool striker Steven Davies is on loan.
Manchester United have rubbished claims that new signing Radamel Falcao, 28, lied about his age, after reports surfaced that the Colombian striker was actually 30.
Wolves, who made a £1.25m bid for Leicester's Premier League striker Chris Wood, 22, last month, are now making a fresh move to sign the striker on loan.
Former Red Devils manager David Moyes says the extra responsibility of captaincy could make Wayne Rooney an even better player.
BBC
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Paris St-Germain are poised to offer cash plus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 19, in a bid to sign Roma's defensive midfielder Kevin Strootman, 24, who is also a target for Manchester United. (Daily Express)
Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock will send defenders Paddy McCarthy, 31, and Peter Ramage, 30, and midfielders Jimmy Kebe, 30, and Owen Garvan, 26, out on loan to balance the books. (Daily Mirror)
Wolves, who made a £1.25m bid for Leicester's Premier League striker Chris Wood, 22, last month, are now making a fresh move to sign the striker on loan. (Daily Mail)
Manchester United and Manchester City attempted to sign Benfica's highly-rated midfielder Andre Gomes, 21, for £14m during the summer. (Daily Express)
GLOBAL GOSSIP (Sourced by BBC Monitoring)
Manchester United have not abandoned the idea of signing Juventus's Arturo Vidal and will make another effort in the winter transfer window for the 27-year-old Chile midfielder. (Tuttosport (in Italian)
Several European clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus are keen to recruit 23 year-old German midfielder Christoph Kramer, currently on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach from Bayer Leverkusen. (Bild (in German)
Sergio Ramos has reminded Cristiano Ronaldo that Real Madrid players must respect the rules of the club, after the Portuguese criticised Real's summer spending. (L'Equipe (in French)
Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is set to start Spain's opening game of Euro 2016 qualification against Macedonia, despite making some high-profile errors during the World Cup. (Marca (in Spanish)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United have rubbished claims that new signing Radamel Falcao, 28, lied about his age, after reports surfaced that the Colombian striker was actually 30. (Daily Mail)
Former Red Devils manager David Moyes says the extra responsibility of captaincy could make Wayne Rooney an even better player. (The Sun - subscription required)
Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic says his side are "level with England" and will have no fear when they take on Roy Hodgson's team in Basel on Monday. (Daily Telegraph)
Meanwhile, Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos says his Aston Villa team-mate Fabian Delph deserves his England chance as the two sides prepare to face one another in Euro 2016 qualification. (Birmingham Mail)
Scotland manager Gordon Strachan says he would love to see referee Svein Oddar Moen's assessment of his own performance after the Norwegian made a number of controversial decisions against Scotland in their 2-1 Euro qualifying defeat to Germany. (Daily Record)
Wales have no fears over playing on Andorra's controversial 3G artificial pitch, according to winger Gareth Bale. (Independent)
Graeme Souness says Manchester United face a "long and painful transition" if manager Louis Van Gaal continues to persist with his favoured 3-5-2 formation. (Daily Express)
But England defender Phil Jones, 22, says Louis van Gaal's three-man defence will prove a success at Manchester United despite a disappointing start to the season. (Manchester Evening News)
Former Blackburn striker DJ Campbell admits he considered quitting football after being charged with match-fixing. (Daily Express)
Captain Wayne Rooney, 28, reveals he showed England team-mate Raheem Sterling, 19, videos of Dutch legend Marc Overmars because the Liverpool player "reminds me of him". (Guardian)
Striker Daniel Sturridge, 25, is facing a race against time to be fit for Liverpool's return to the Champions League next week after sustaining a thigh injury while on England duty. (Liverpool Echo)
Former Tottenham and England star Darren Anderton, 42, has told Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 22, not to let injury ruin his career. (Daily Star)
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, 59, may lose his number two Neil McDonald, who is set to become the new manager at League Two outfit Carlisle. (Daily Star)
Captain Vincent Kompany, 28, believes Manchester City have made a huge statement this summer, both in the transfer market and by agreeing new deals with key players. (Manchester Evening News)
Uefa president Michel Platini has threatened now-retired former France playmaker Franck Ribery, 31, with a suspension if he is selected for his country and refuses to play. (Daily Telegraph)
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, 33, believes his old club have no chance of competing with Chelsea and Manchester City for the Premier League title. (Talksport)
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos, 24, has "no regrets" about joining Real Madrid from Bayern Munich this summer, and says the Spanish club are "a small step ahead". (Sky Sports)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Injured Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass, 27, makes his feelings clear after the narrow Euro 2016 qualifier at the hands of Germany, posting: "Some poor decisions from the ref, but great effort from the lads, ran the World Cup champions close."
Hull and Republic of Ireland midfielder David Meyler, 25, was smiling after the 2-1 win in Georgia and paid tribute to the man who secured it, tweeting: "Fantastic three points away in Georgia. Took a moment of magic from McGeady to win it but fully deserved!"
AND FINALLY
Fantasy football managers have been spooked by Wayne Rooney's loss of form - with more players of the Sun's Dream Team game picking Stoke's Mame Biram Diouf than the Manchester United captain. (The Sun - subscription required)
Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, 27, has beaten arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo to another coveted prize ... this time in the new Fifa 15 game. (Metro)
Chelsea's 2014 calendar is starting to look a bit out of date - Mr October is Juan Mata (now at Manchester United), Mr November is Fernando Torres (AC Milan), while Mr December is Manchester City's Frank Lampard. (Daily Mirror)
Gibraltar's starting XI against Poland boasted two policemen, a fireman, an admin clerk and just two pro footballers. (Daily Mail)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Barry Glendenning
A week after transfer deadline day and the speculation rumbles on. Juan Mata, who may have been a mite perturbed to hear that Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao were joining the Manchester United ranks, could be even more put out to learn that Louis van Gaal is ready to ship him out to Atlético Madrid, Roma, Juventus or any other interested party with £20m to spend, in order to make room for Arturo Vidal or Sami Khedira. Van Gaal’s well documented admiration for Kevin Strootman shows no sign of abating, if speculation linking the sidelined Roma and Netherlands midfielder with a move to Old Trafford is anything to go by. Strootman is currently recovering from a serious knee injury but could move to England in January, although Paris Saint-Germain may attempt to ruin Van Gaal’s fun.
The exodus of talent from Saint Mary’s has been temporarily halted by the closure of the transfer window, although Jay Rodriguez might scarper for Manchester City once it opens again in January. With players such as Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry, Jack Rodwell and Micah Richards all having departed from the Etihad, City need some more home-grown players in their squad, in a state of affairs that could prove beneficial to the Burnley-born Rodriguez, who, like Strootman, is also recovering from a nasty dose of knee-knack.
Manchester City skipper Yaya Touré is wanted by Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who has the thick end of £60m worth of Angel Di Maria wedge burning a hole in his pocket. The Ivorian’s £220,000-per-week (birthday cakes optional) contract expires in two years and City chose not to improve or extend it during the summer, so it won’t be a huge surprise if his agent agitates for a move in January.
In the wake of Danny Welbeck’s decision to sign for Arsenal, the big and fickle finger of transfer window blame is circling above White Hart Lane and looks likely to end up pointing at technical director Franco Baldini, who may pay for Tottenham’s failure to sign the £16m striker with his job. This day last week, Spurs thought they’d secured a loan deal for Welbeck, only for their good chums at Arsenal to torpedo the deal with a big cash offer. Still in need of a striker, Spurs have now turned their attention to 30-year-old Brazilian striker Jonas, who is a free agent after negotiating a release from his contract with Spanish side Valencia. Sunderland, Benfica and the player’s former club Gremio are also interested in securing his scrawl. Neil Warnock is ready to trim the fat at Crystal Palace in a bid to reduce the Premier League club’s wage bill and will hawk the likes of Owen Garvan, Jimmy Kebe, Peter Ramage, Paddy McCarthy and Jonny Williams out on loan to any lower tier clubs who are prepared to give them a good home.
And finally, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus are all interested in signing German midfielder Christoph Kramer, who famously can’t remember playing 31 minutes of a World Cup final after shipping a heavy blow to the head after a collision with Argentina’s Ezequiel Garay in July. Kramer is currently at Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen,.
Star
Sam Allardyce may lose trusted assistant Neil McDonald to Carlisle
WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce is facing the prospect of losing trusted No.2 Neil McDonald.
By Ian Murtagh
The 48-year-old Geordie, who has worked alongside Big Sam at Bolton and Blackburn as well as at Upton Park, is hot favourite to become manager of League Two strugglers Carlisle.
McDonald was in the directors box at Brunton Park on Saturday to see the Cumbrians' winless start to the season continue with a 4-4 draw against Wimbledon.
He had a successful spell in charge of Carlisle seven years ago before being sacked just one game into the new season for non-footballing reasons never fully explained.
But Carlisle managing director John Nixon wants McDonald back along with former youth team coach Erik Kinder and it's understood the ex-Newcastle and Everton midfielder is keen on a return to frontline management.
If he quits Upton Park, it would be another huge blow for Allardyce, who is under mounting pressure.
West Ham have ordered Allardyce to play attractive football and deliver a top 10 finish this season but the Hammers have already lost their opening two home Premier League games.
But there is some good news for the Hammers boss, with Carl Jenkinson and Matt Jarvis poised to return to action.
On-loan defender Jenkinson (hamstring) and winger Jarvis (thigh) have sat out the start of the new season.
But the pair have declared themselves fit and available to face to Hull a week today.
Allardyce hopes to arrange a behind-closed-doors game for the fit-again duo this week.
New signings Alex Song and Morgan Amalifitano, who are short of match fitness, could also figure in a bid to get up to speed.
Whufctv
'The next Gareth Bale' set to sign 2 year deal with West Ham
West Ham wonderkid Oscar Borg looks set to sign a two year deal at Upton Park after his much talked about move to Manchester United collapsed
West Ham youngster Oscar Borg has failed to secure a permanent move to Manchester United because the two clubs couldn't come to an agreement over a compensation fee due to complications, according to Rob Shepherd of the Daily Mail.
It was reported back in July that Borg would cost Manchester United around £220,000 in compensation.
Borg was also handed a trial at old Trafford in July, but it now appears that the Manchester United are no longer pursuing the talented youngster, and he'll remain at West Ham for the next two years.
There's been mixed views from West Ham fans on Twitter in reaction to the news that Borg is looking likely to sign a deal with the club. The majority of fans are pleased that the deal with Man United has fallen through, but some are still upset at Borg for rejecting West Ham's initial contract offer a few months back which was confirmed by the owners son, Jack, on Twitter.
Borg has been nicknamed 'Gareth' by the West Ham coaching set-up for his similar style of play to the Welshman, he looks set to have a bright future ahead of him, a future which will hopefully see him playing at West Ham for the considerable future.
Borg in action
EPL Index
Diego Poyet: A Statistical Analysis of the West Ham Teenager
The performances of Diego Poyet late into the last season in a struggling Charlton side drew a lot of admirers. The Spanish-born midfielder, son of former Uruguayan international and current Sunderland manager Gus Poyet, is eligible to represent either England or Uruguay. He was named the Addicks’ Player as well as the Young Player of the Year last season despite featuring in just 20 games all season. The 19-year-old midfielder, who made his professional debut in January 2014, in an FA Cup game, moved to Upton Park on the expiry of his contract with Charlton, following an agreement between the two clubs regarding the compensation fee.
The youngster showed a great ability to run the show operating as a deep-lying midfielder while at Charlton. He completed 83% of his attempted passes, often dictating the tempo of the game. The player’s accuracy in terms of general passes stood close to 90%. He likes to spray long balls too, and averaged 6 long balls per 90 minutes at an accuracy of 78%, which is a good estimate of his prolific passing ability.
The youngster has built a reputation for himself as a tackler. He averaged close to 6 tackles every 90 minutes, winning 55% of his battles on the ground. That kind of frequency as well efficiency, supplemented by his ability to make clean tackles had the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham lining up for him. The player also showed considerable skill in the air last season. He won close to 50% of his aerial duels, entering into 3 of them every 90 minutes, which, yet again is a very impressive figure. On the whole, the West Ham man won a very impressive 56% of his duels throughout the last season. He has shown a great ability to act as a shield to the defence and these qualities could come good for the Hammers in the coming season.
The player made 5 defensive contributions per 90 minutes last season and was often breaking play with his defensive abilities. One of the key strengths Poyet that emerged last season was his knack for making interceptions. The teenager made 2.5 interceptions per 90 minutes, reading the opposition’s play and getting into crucial spaces to cut off the supply. He made close to 2.5 clearances per 90 minutes and made more than 0.50 blocks per 90 minutes. While he did make 2 defensive errors, one of which led to a goal, at 19 years of age he is still a work in progress and would grow with experience.
Operating as a shield to the back four, the midfielder made a restricted direct contribution in attack, making 0.80 key passes every 90 minutes and recording just 1 shot on target. He did not record any assists, nor did he score any goals through the season. For someone who has built a reputation as a player who likes to have a go from a distance, he recorded just 4 shots through the 20 games. Though West Ham fans will be delighted if he continues where he left off at Charlton, he will need to up his contribution in the final third if he is looking to join the elite league housed by the likes of Alonso and Schweinsteiger today.
At first look it is very hard to believe that these are the numbers of a 19-year-old midfielder in the first 20 matches of his professional career, such is the promise that Poyet holds as a deep-lying midfielder. The real test for him begins now as he has to prove that those performances were not a one season wonder and he can be consistent in even tougher conditions. The footballing world will be watching if the junior Poyet can make the big step up. With Alex Song joining the squad on a season long loan, the youngster has to fight it out with a proven defensive midfielder, which in itself would be a great learning for him.
His defensive abilities coupled with his impressive passing accuracy and vision would serve any team in a good stead and West Ham would be glad they could lay their hands on a player who has the ingredients to turn into a great deep-lying midfielder. The youngster took the chance that came his way at Charlton and will not be shy the second time around at Upton Park. Should he continue to break up the opposition attacks and act as a launchpad his own team, with such frenetic efficiency, the day is not far when Hodgson and Tabarez play tug-of-war to secure his services.
