BBC
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, 25, interests Barcelona,Real Madrid and Juventus.(Mirror)
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has started talks with 28-year-old Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez over a possible move. (Don Balon via football.london)
Tottenham are interested in Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, 24, which could put any move for Everton's Ross Barkley, 23, in doubt. (Sun)
Watford are interested in Olympiacos right-back Omar Elabdellaoui, 25. The Norway captain is out of contract next summer. (Mail)
Leicester are set to complete the £22m signing of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Adrien Silva after approval from Fifa. (Mirror)
Manager Jose Mourinho says Manchester United's spending power persuaded striker Romelu Lukaku, 24, to move to Old Trafford rather than Chelsea. (Telegraph)
Nice midfielder Jean Seri has vowed to stay until at least the end of the season. The 26-year-old interests Barcelona. (ESPN FC)
Real Madrid midfielder Isco, 25, turned down a move to Barcelona because of striker Lionel Messi. (Diario Gol via Express)
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale, 28, was told by team-mate Luka Modric to consider a move to Manchester United.(Don Balon via Express)
Stoke and England goalkeeper Jack Butland, 24, says he welcomes speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.(Mail)
Manager Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool did not sign another centre-half after missing out on Southampton's Virgil van Dijk, 26, because he could not find the right alternative. (Metro)
Paris St-Germain are looking to offload up to five players in January with wingers Julian Draxler, 23, Angel di Maria, 29, and Lucas Moura, 25, all said to be heading for the exit. (Mundo Deportivo via Sun)
Everton have stepped up their interest in Uruguay winger Federico Martinez, 21, who plays for Liverpool FC in Montevideo. (Sun)
line
Meanwhile...
Manchester United fear midfielder Paul Pogba could be out for longer than first thought as he faces being sidelined for up to 12 weeks with a hamstring injury (Times - subscription required)
Jose Mourinho has urged Manchester United fans to give "legend" Wayne Rooney a warm welcome when he returns to Old Trafford with Everton on Sunday. (Independent)
Everton defender Phil Jagielka, 35, says the club's players "need to look in the mirror" as they prepare to face Manchester United and former striker Romelu Lukaku on Sunday. (Telegraph)
Paris St-Germain defender Marquinhos has revealed his team-mate Neymar is struggling to get to grips with the French language after his move from Barcelona. (Sun)
Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are being chased by video streaming sites Netflix and Amazon Prime over a fly-on-the-wall documentary. (Mail)
Real Madrid defender Marcelo's eight-year-old son netted a hat-trick on his Real Madrid youth team debut. (Sun)
The best of Saturday's gossip...
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says midfielder Dele Alli, 21, needs to keep his focus on his football as six of football's biggest agencies try to sign him up. (Telegraph)
RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner is open to a move to the Premier League, but Real Madrid are likely to rival any bid for the 21-year-old Germany international. (Don Balon, via Daily Star)
West Brom's Chinese owners have rejected an approach from a US investor to buy the club. (Bloomberg)
Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, 28, says he is concentrating on trying to win trophies with Spurs while the Belgium international's father and agent sort out his contract. (Talksport)
Mail
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 West Ham: Joe Hart keeps second clean sheet in six days as Gareth Barry equals Premier League record in dull draw
Saturday's 0-0 draw between West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United will be quickly forgotten
But Tony Pulis and Slaven Bilic will likely both be content with another point on their Premier League tallies
West Ham and Joe Hart have now kept two clean sheets this week, after beating Huddersfield 2-0 on Monday
Gareth Barry entered the history books at The Hawthorns as he equaled Ryan Giggs' appearance record
By Laurie Whitwell
Gareth Barry moved level with Ryan Giggs as the Premier League's record appearance-holder and it must be difficult for him to think of a duller encounter in his previous 631.
His 632nd top-flight game wouldn't have been ringed as a contender for any DVD collating his career highlights in advance and so it transpired, West Brom and West Ham contriving to produce a contest desperately low on quality or entertainment.
West Brom took until the 88th minute to find a shot on target and even then Hal Robson-Kanu's tame header went straight into the arms of Joe Hart. West Ham were not much better, only Michail Antonio's long-range effort in the first half requiring Ben Foster's intervention.
Slaven Bilic (centre) and Tony Pulis watched their sides play out a forgettable 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns on Saturday
The game was a disappointment for many but Hammers goalkeeper Joe Hart will be delighted with another clean sheet
In hindsight, such a result could have been telegraphed in advance given its benefits to both managers. The point can be seen as a further step in the right direction for Slaven Bilic, who was thoroughly beleaguered before last Monday's victory over Huddersfield.
And the 0-0 also helps Tony Pulis move on from West Brom's uncharacteristic 3-1 defeat at Brighton last weekend.
Pulis will also come away from this game reinforced in the belief he has pulled over a real coup with the signing of Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Krychowiak, the subject of a tit-for-tat battle between Bilic and David Sullivan over a summer pursuit, sprinkled class with every touch. But this was a day for Barry to be appreciated.
'From the outside I have always been a great admirer of Gareth and with him coming into the club you recognise that his dedication and application is absolutely fantastic,' said Pulis. 'I hope our young players realise how lucky they are.'
The supporters who witnessed this game were not so fortunate. 'It hasn't been a great game of football, but we were solid, we limited them,' Bilic said. 'In the second half we were dominant. We won't be raving about this game, but this week has been good for us. A clean sheet and a point away, you can't be too negative.'
Barry then came close to breaking the deadlock on his big day as he met the ball with a header, which flashed over the bar
Barry was making his 632nd appearance in the Premier League, which saw him equal the all-time record set by Ryan Giggs
Summer signing Kieran Gibbs (left) made his first start for West Brom since joining the club from Arsenal last month
Left back Gibbs got forward much more frequently than Craig Dawson on the other side of West Brom's defence
Pedro Obiang did very nearly shatter the ennui with an outrageous piece of improvisation in the 28th minute. Collecting the ball just outside the centre-circle, Obiang saw Ben Foster off his line and struck a brilliant curling shot from all of 45 yards. The ball appeared to be going in as it hung in the air but fortunately for a beaten Foster it smacked against the crossbar.
Matt Phillips was West Brom's liveliest player and he was central to their best moment seven minutes before the break. Phillips spun into possession, beat Jose Fonte down the left, and crossed to James Morrison, who got his free header from 10 yards badly wrong.
West Ham felt West Brom should have been reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute when Foster took out Javier Hernandez. Referee Paul Tierney concluded a couple of West Brom defenders offered cover and showed only a yellow.
As the match trundled along there were groans when the board went up showing five minutes of added time. It was that kind of game, one Barry will forget in a hurry.
The game was pretty unspectacular for the most part, though. But there was a big flashpoint midway through the second half
West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster rushed out of his goal and fouled Javier Hernandez - but only saw yellow
Hernandez was unhurt, but James Collins had earlier required treatment. He was eventually replaced by Marko Arnautovic
Substitute Arnautovic also went down in pain, but the 28-year-old Austria international was able to play on until full-time
MATCH FACTS
WEST BROM (4-2-3-1):Foster 6; Dawson 6.5, Hegazi 7, Evans 7, Gibbs 6.5 (Nyom 84'); Krychowiak 7.5, Barry 6.5; Brunt 6.5 (Robson-Kanu 72' 6), Morrison 6.5, Phillips 7 (McClean 76'); Rodriguez 5
SUBS NOT USED: Myhill, McAuley, Yacob, Rondon
BOOKINGS: Foster (66), McClean (83)
MANAGER: Tony Pulis 6
WEST HAM (3-4-2-1): Hart 6.5; Fonte 6, Reid 7, Collins 6.5 (Arnautovic 58' 6); Zabaleta 6, Obiang 7, Kouyate 6.5, Cresswell 6; Antonio 7, Hernandez 6.5 (Ayew 76'); Carroll 6 (Sakho 82')
SUBS NOT USED: Adrian, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Rice
MANAGER: Slaven Bilic 6
ATTENDANCE: 24,942
MOTM: Krychowiak
REF: Paul Tierney 7
Guardian
Gareth Barry equals record as West Bromwich Albion and West Ham draw
Jacob Steinberg at The Hawthorns
The ironic cheers sparked by the home side belatedly deciding to see if Joe Hart was still awake encapsulated why West Bromwich Albion supporters sometimes wonder if life might be more thrilling without Tony Pulis in the dugout.
Loud boos greeted that minor show of mutiny when the final whistle put everyone out of their misery, and it hardly reflected well on West Brom that Hal Robson-Kanu’s tame header was one of their better openings on an afternoon when Gareth Barry equalling Ryan Giggs’s record of 632 Premier League appearances stood out as a memorable talking point. It is doubtful Barry has played in a duller game.
At least West Ham United were reasonably satisfied with a goalless draw, albeit frustrated not to have capitalised on West Brom’s lack of ambition. While the visitors did not create much either, Slaven Bilic could point to a second consecutive clean sheet as evidence he knows what he is doing after weeks of speculation about his future.
“It hasn’t been a great game of football, but we limited them,” Bilic said. “To get more, the quality in the last third was missing. But a clean sheet and a point away, you can’t be too negative. We won’t be raving about this game, but this week has been good.”
Bilic stuck with the players who ground out that ugly win over Huddersfield on Monday, using a tight 3-4-3 system that suited West Ham’s slow defence. The pressure on Bilic has forced him to be more pragmatic, but his willingness to defend in large numbers against opponents as unadventurous as West Brom created a grim spectacle. “You’re best off talking about Gareth,” Pulis said.
Neither team treated the ball with sufficient care, mustering one shot on target apiece. West Brom had an early chance after Pedro Obiang’s slip allowed Chris Brunt to wriggle clear on the right, only for Winston Reid to throw himself in front of Kieran Gibbs’s goalbound volley. Barry headed just over from the corner.
Yet the hosts were cautious after last week’s defeat at Brighton, leaving Jay Rodriguez isolated up front. It was a shapeless mess and, for all their commitment, West Ham missed Manuel Lanzini’s creativity. Their unbalanced attack relied too much on isolated bursts from Michail Antonio, Javier Hernández toiled in an unfamiliar wide role, and there were too many long balls to Andy Carroll. Their best moment came out of the blue, Obiang hitting the bar with an audacious attempt to catch Ben Foster off his line from long range.
Bilic responded positively when James Collins went off with an ankle injury in the second half, replacing the centre-back with Marko Arnautovic, and West Ham provided a rare spot of excitement when Carroll’s flick sent Hernández through. Foster hurtled out of his area and tripped the Mexican. With two West Brom defenders covering the goalkeeper, though, it was a yellow card and the free-kick came to nothing, much like the game as a whole.
Telegraph
Gareth Barry on verge of Premier League history after equalling Ryan Giggs appearance record
John Percy, at The Hawthorns
Gareth Barry is on the verge of Premier League history after equalling Ryan Giggs’ appearance record, but this game is unlikely to live long in his memory.
When Barry finally brings down the curtain on his distinguished career this stalemate will barely register, after a dour spectacle unbefitting for such an achievement.
Barry will pass Giggs’ record of 632 appearances in the rebranded top-flight at Arsenal on Monday week and displayed his enduring quality here, providing the calm assurance amid the occasional chaos around him.
His midfield partner, Grzegorz Krychowiak, was also outstanding in only his second Albion appearance since signing on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but this was not a game for the entertainers to flourish.
Albion head coach Tony Pulis was happy to focus on £1m summer signing Barry, who has become the first player to make 600 Premier League starts. Not even Giggs can claim that record.
“His dedication and application towards his profession is absolutely fantastic,” said Pulis. “I’ve always been a great admirer of him and he is a bastion of this wonderful sport we play in. I hope our young players realise how lucky they are being around him.
“I am disappointed he is not just starting with us and is coming to the back end of his career. He could play for another two or three years the way he looks after himself.”
West Ham’s Slaven Bilic is now unbeaten in two games, ensuring his future does not dominate the headlines this week, and had good reason to feel aggrieved after West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster escaped a red card midway through the second half.
Andy Carroll’s flick had sent Javier Hernandez clear but Foster, rushing off his line, hacked him down and was only given a caution. There were few other highlights, with West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang striking the bar with an outrageous effort from 45 yards in the first half which had Foster frantically back-pedalling.
West Ham now have three home games in a row to build on their recent improvement. Bilic said: “It wasn’t a great game of football but I have no complaints, it’s been a good week.”
