Paper Talk
Roy Hodgson has blamed Brendan Rodgers' training methods for the Raheem Sterling too-tired-to-play storm after claiming players do not need two days of recovery after a game.
Dougie Freedman has turned down the chance of a quick return to management with Leyton Orient.
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has hit out at former striker Mario Balotelli, declaring himself pleased that the "rotten apple" is no longer in the Rossoneri dressing room.
Manchester United are poised to offer goalkeeper David De Gea a new £30million deal in an attempt to discourage interest from Real Madrid.
Arsene Wenger has revealed that Olivier Giroud could be back in action for Arsenal sooner than expected.
Aston Villa have made a formal new contract offer to Fabian Delph as they try to keep the England midfielder.
Roy Hodgson has placed England on a fresh collision course with Liverpool as the furore over Raheem Sterling's fitness exposed the widening rifts in their respective fitness regimes.
Neill Lennon made an early impression as Bolton manager by banning players from wearing hats in training.
Real Madrid want Petr Cech and will offer Chelsea Sami Khedira in return as part of the deal.
Michael Carrick appears to be edging closer to a comeback after Manchester United arranged a friendly for the 33-year-old to step up his fitness.
Arsenal will bid £8million for Celtic's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk in January.
Aston Villa will have to double defender Ron Vlaar's wages to stop him moving to Manchester United in January.
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane says he rejected a move to Manchester United in 2011 because they had just signed Phil Jones.
Former Manchester United forward Bebe has been tipped by Benfica boss Jorge Jesus to return to England and be a star.
Arsenal shareholders will use Thursday's Annual General Meeting to challenge Arsene Wenger about his summer transfer strategy.
Neil Lennon has accused Premier League chairmen of looking down on his achievements at Celtic.
Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Louis van Gaal to turn Manchester United around despite the team's slow start.
Arsenal's majority owner Stan Kroenke is to face tough questions from minority shareholders at Thursday's AGM.
BBC
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Chelsea have stolen a march on Arsenal in the chase for Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira, 27, because the Spanish giants are interested in Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech, 32. (Daily Express)
Former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll, 25, is not interested in returning to his former club even if West Ham choose to offload him. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Arsenal will bid £8m for Celtic's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, 23, in January. (Daily Star)
Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore, 24, has shrugged off suggestions he could move to Burnley in the January transfer window. (Sunderland Echo)
Aston Villa will have to double 29-year-old defender Ron Vlaar's wages to stop him moving to Manchester United in January. (Daily Star)
Midfielder Mezut Ozil, 25, has denied he wants to leave Arsenal and join Bayern Munich. (Metro)
Manchester United are poised to offer goalkeeper David De Gea, 23, a new £30m deal in an attempt to discourage interest from Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)
Winger Jack Grealish, 19, is poised to sign a new £20,000-a-week contract at Aston Villa after joining Stellar Group, the football agency which represents Gareth Bale and Ashley Cole. (Daily Telegraph)
Villa have also made a formal new four-year contract offer to Fabian Delph, 24, as they try to keep the England midfielder. (Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, 21, says he rejected a move to Manchester United in 2011 because they had just signed Phil Jones, 22, from Blackburn. (Daily Mail)
England manager Roy Hodgson's chat with Raheem Sterling, 19, before the Estonia game should have been kept private, says former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. (Sky Sports)
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has praised Sterling's actions and claims it was a "selfless act". (Liverpool Echo)
Striker Wayne Rooney is preparing for a special Wembley celebration with his children if he becomes the youngest player to win 100 caps for England against Slovenia next month. (Daily Express)
Arsenal shareholders will use Thursday's Annual General Meeting to question majority owner Stan Kroenke over a £3m payment to another of his companies and challenge Arsene Wenger about his summer transfer strategy. (Daily Telegraph)
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has urged fans to be patient with winger Christian Atsu, 22. (Liverpool Echo)
Roy Keane has threatened to quit as Aston Villa's assistant manager if his work as the Republic of Ireland's number two suffers. (Birmingham Mail)
Neil Lennon has accused Premier League chairmen of looking down on his achievements at Celtic after ending his six-month managerial exile by taking over at the Championship's bottom club, Bolton. (Daily Telegraph)
GLOBAL GOSSIP (Sourced from BBC Monitoring)
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, 29, will not leave the Spanish club for less than a billion euros, according to his agent, Jorge Mendes. (Le Figaro in French)
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has hinted that he may step down after the 2016 European Championship. (AS - in Spanish)
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi says Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti advised the club to sign 32-year-old goalkeeper Diego Lopez from the Spanish club. (Marca - in Spanish)
Manchester City are considering making a transfer move for Juventus' 21 year-old French midfielder Paul Pogba, who moved to Italy from Manchester United in 2012. (Le Figaro in French)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Arsenal's Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey, 23, was delighted with his country's 2-1 victory Cyprus. He tweeted: "Great effort again by the boys tonight! 7 out of 9 points is a great start to the campaign."
Former striker John Aldridge has ruled himself out of becoming Tranmere's next manager but has tipped former Southampton boss Dave Jones as a possibility. "My days of management are well in the past. Dave Jones could be a good shout? If he's available," Aldridge tweeted.
Wales striker Simon Church, 25, hopes not to be out for too long after going off injured against Cyprus. "Thanks for the messages hopefully not out for too long. The boys were great again tonight. Good start. Need to keep it up, support was brilliant."
AND FINALLY
Former Manchester United forward Bebe, 24, has been tipped by Benfica boss Jorge Jesus to return to England and be a star, despite only playing 14 minutes for the Portuguese club. (Daily Mail)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Nick Miller
“Curses!” went the cry at Arsenal HQ this morning. “Curses! We wanted Sami Khedira, since our defensive midfield is as delicate as the Rumour Mill’s constitution this morning after another evening attempting to drown the horrendous inevitability of life and death in booze. But curses! Those pesky lads in blue have bested us again!” The Mill is summarising, obviously, but we imagine that was the scene as Arsenal read the ‘news’ that Chelsea are nosing their way ahead of the Gunners in the race for the pirate-bearded German spoiler, on the basis that they have something Real Madrid want, specifically goalie Petr Cech. Says here that Real have finally grown weary of Iker Casillas not being as good as he used to be, and after he was usurped at by the younger, better David de Gea for Spain they apparently want to replace him with Cech, available after he was usurped by the younger, better Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge. Good plan. A better plan might be to actually sign the younger, better De Gea, which they want to do as well, but Manchester United will try to head off that particular scheme at the pass by offering their boy a firm, juicy and rather massive new contract worth in the region of £30million.
That might not be the only big noise a-brewin’ at United, and we don’t mean the cries of abject terror from the players as Louis van Gaal drops his trousers to display Little Louis and the van Gaals once again. No no, for word on the Italian street tells us that a swap deal involving Juan Mata and Arturo Vidal could be in the works, despite such exchanges only occurring once every 100 or so years. And if that one doesn’t come off - which it absolutely will not - they will instead find comfort in the arms of Borussia Dortmund’s İlkay Gündoğan. United might well have room for them in the Old Trafford dressing room as Monaco, for what feels like the 2,347th time, are said to be prepping a colossal contract offer for Wayne Rooney, should they briefly take leave of their senses and think a man whose first touch comes and goes like a particularly indifferent cat is worth all that money and hassle.
While they might not get Khedira, there is some good news for Gooners, in that all those defensive problems of theirs will be solved come January when Arsene Wenger shells out £8million on Virgil van Dijk, a man who has been part of the rather impressive work going on at Celtic these past few weeks, as they cleverly seek to satirise the concept of the Scottish Premiership being uncompetitive by coming sixth in a one-horse race. Just the man Arsenal need! In even further good news (depending on your point of view), Mesut Özil has declared that he has no interest in moving to Bayern Munich, presumably because he got that yen for winning trophies out of his system at Real Madrid, so is just happy to pootle along at Arsenal for the time being. All hail the quiet life.
Speaking of which, sometimes when a simple northern lad comes down to the big bad city it goes badly wrong. The bright lights, the smoggy air and the seeming inability of people to just let you off the bloody train before they barrel their way impatiently on can be too much for a provincial sort, and London eats them up, swills them around, washes them down with a pint of £6 lager that somehow manages to be flat and gassy at the same time, then spits them back out. Not Andy Carroll though, who has taken to life in the capital like a duck to hoisin sauce, so much so that he has no interest in returning to his homeland in the north-east, on the off chance that Newcastle would be interested in taking him back. Apparently he is so keen to stay and prove himself at West Ham that he wouldn’t want to leave even if they tried to sell him, which does sound a little like the woman in Seinfeld who George tries to break up with, only for her to simply reply “No, I don’t think so.”
The poor whelp whose job it is to draw up new contracts at Aston Villa could be in for a long few weeks, for it seems the brass at Villa Park are awfully keen to nail down all their talent. Ron Vlaar is set to be offered new terms in order to keep him from the dastardly clutches of Manchester United, while a four-year deal has been slapped on the table in front of Fabian Delph. Meanwhile, hairstyling’s Jack Grealish must be feeling pretty good about signing up with Ashley Cole and Gareth Bale’s agent, for it has landed him a new contract worth around £20,000-a-week.
Finally, QPR top dog Harry Redknapp will rouse himself from the state of terminal apathy he appears to be in these days for just long enough to duke it out with West Ham for Lazio’s full-back Abdoulay Konko. What a way to go out, for both Harry and the Mill.
HITC
West Ham provide official injury update on £15m Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll's comeback from injury is nearing by the day and West Ham are confident he will soon be back in action.
The £15 million signing is due back next month after picking up an ankle problem during the club's pre-season tour of New Zealand.
His recovery is going according to schedule, and in an official update on the club's website late on Monday night, West Ham offered positive news.
"Andy Carroll is working hard, progressing well and ahead of schedule as he continues his own recovery from ankle surgery in late July. The England centre forward is hoping to see some game time in November."
Already a third of the way through October, there are just two Premier League games upcoming before we enter the month of Carroll's slated return.
There is more good news for the Hammers too, with Mark Noble back in training for the club. There is also a chance Guy Demel, Ricardo Vaz Te, James Collins and Carl Jenkinson also return ahead of the match with Burnley at the weekend.
With Cheikou Kouyate also due back soon and Kevin Nolan already returned from his lay-off, and new signings settling in, everything is suddenly looking up for the Premier League's seventh placed side.
Mirror
West Ham and QPR in Abdoulay Konko battle as Lazio defender looks for January move
By Darren Witcoop
The Hammers are also keeping tabs on Stuttgart centre-half Antonio Rudiger but face even more competition for him
Tug-of-war: Abdoulay Konko of Lazio is wanted by both West Ham and QPR
West Ham and QPR are battling to sign Lazio defender Abdoulay Konko.
Both clubs are looking to buy another full-back when the transfer window reopens and have been linked with a move for the 30-year-old.
Konko has fallen out of favour with Lazio’s new head coach Stefano Pioli and reports in Italy suggest he could be heading for the Premier League.
Hammers manager Sam Allardyce is searching for another defender as loan signing Carl Jenkinson has been injured.
Hoops boss Harry Redknapp is in the market for a right-back as Mauricio Isla has failed to make any impact.
Rising star: Antonio Rudiger of Stuttgart
West Ham have also had their eye on Stuttgart centre-half Antonio Rudiger, 21.
The defender, recently fast-tracked into Germany's international squad, has been watched by Hammers scout George Dixon this season.
But they are one of several sides chasing the fast-rising Bundesliga star’s signature.
West Ham are identifying targets amid fears they will lose Winston Reid for nothing next summer.
Reid is demanding a pay rise to bring him in line with the club’s top-earners – but contract talks have reached a stalemate.
The New Zealand defender will not be short of interest as he could be snapped up on a Bosman free transfer.
OS
Mum knows best for Song
Alex Song said he followed his mother's advice by joining West Ham United
The old saying that 'Mum knows best' certainly rings true for West Ham United midfielder Alex Song.
Eyebrows were raised in some quarters when Song swapped Spanish giants Barcelona for the Hammers in August, signing a season-long loan deal.
However, the move has proved hugely successful so far, with the Cameroon international producing a string of classy performances and captaining the side on two occasions.
Six weeks into his spell at the Boleyn Ground, the No30 revealed that he was reaping the rewards of following his mother's advice.
"My Mum always says 'You have to be happy with what you've got, and I am very happy here'," Song revealed. "I am very happy here. I am enjoying training every day, there is a good group of players here.
"It's important to fit in to the group you are working in, and I am doing that here. Everybody has shown me a lot of love, I feel very welcomed here. At the moment the team is playing very well, we need to continue to do that and improve at the same time."
Song's outstanding form has helped the Hammers deal with the absences of Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, all of whom have suffered injuries during the opening weeks of the campaign.
Nolan is back in action after a fractured shoulder, while Noble (calf) and Kouyate (groin) both hope to be involved when West Ham return to action at Burnley on Saturday 18 October.
"In a month's time we'll be even better because we have a few injured players," Song confirmed. "Hopefully the injured players will be back after the international break. Kevin is coming back which is good. We have a very good squad."
That strong squad has so far paid dividends, with West Ham climbing to seventh in the table courtesy of a string of excellent performances.
Indeed, were it not for unfortunate defeats by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, the Hammers could be even higher in the standings.
While Song is not allowing himself to get carried away with their promising start, the former Arsenal player does believe his new club can challenge for a European place if they maintain their present level.
"We have to try our best, if we do that we can finish in the top ten," he said. "We might be able to get Europe if we play very well, it is possible for sure.
"For me it is very important that we aim high. It is also very important for the fans. I'm not saying we'll get into the top four, but we will try to finish as high as possible in the league.
"Everyone is focused on that. It won't be easy with clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal who are very strong, but we have to stay positive."
Song has used the current international break to return to his home country to visit family and friends. They, no doubt, will be as impressed as his new team-mates and supporters have been with his flamboyant fashion sense.
Most mornings, the 27-year-old posts photographs of his outfit for the day on his official Instagram page, impressing the vast majority of his followers, but not team-mate Noble!
"It's difficult to follow me because I don't have one style!" he smiled. "Today I can be cool in a suit, or sometimes I can dress like a crazy guy.
"Mark Noble said to the others I had the worst clothes he'd ever seen in his life but that's me, I like to be fashionable.
"I don't like to have just one style, I have to be different. I want to surprise people, so they don't know what to expect. I like to play with the fashion. Some people like it, some people don't. It's my personality and I'll never change it."
