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BBC
Arsenal have held talks with former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique about the prospect of replacing manager Unai Emery. (El Confidencial, via Metro)
Manchester United are lining up a summer move to sign Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha, 27, for a second time. (The Sun on Sunday)
Arsenal's German goalkeeper Bernd Leno, 27, is on Bayern Munich's radar as a target to be their next number one. (The Sun on Sunday)
Tottenham are ready to make a £50m bid for 25-year-old Netherlands forward Memphis Depay, who moved to French club Lyon from Manchester United in January 2017. (Sunday Mirror)
Chelsea will make signing Lazio and Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, 24, a priority in January if the Blues' transfer ban is lifted. (Sunday Mirror)
Chelsea want £5m from any club wanting to sign France striker Olivier Giroud, 33, in January. (Sunday Express)
Paris St-Germain have made initial contact over extending 20-year-old France striker Kylian Mbappé's deal but no formal offer has been tabled. (L'Equipe, via Marca)
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp will not allow Croatia centre-back Dejan Lovren, 30, to leave the club in the January transfer window. (Football Insider)
Juventus could offer Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic, 33, Germany midfielder Emre Can, 25, Italy defender Daniele Rugani, 25, and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi, 32, in exchange for Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba, 26. (Tuttosport, via Sunday Express)
Manchester City are set to give Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst the chance to audition as Pep Guardiola's successor by appointing him coach of their sister club in New York. (Sunday Mirror)
Everton are open to selling Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg in January, with the 37-year-old's contract running out at the end of the season. (Football Insider)
Wolves will complete the signing of PSV Eindhoven's 17-year-old Dutch defender Nigel Lonwijk for a nominal fee of £200,000 in January. (ED, via Birmingham Mail)
Uefa is looking at holding the 2024 Champions League final in the United States, with New York the preferred venue in a move which would see the game take place outside Europe for the first time. (Morning Consult)
Guardian
Roberto’s gaffe ensures Burnley end poor run with win against West Ham
West Ham’s misery continued as Burnley ended their own poor run with a thumping win at Turf Moor. The strikers Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood celebrated new contracts with a goal each and Wood had another chalked off by VAR.
The third goal was a calamity for the visitors’ goalkeeper, Roberto, who was given a vote of confidence by Manuel Pellegrini on Thursday following criticism of his performances in the absence of the injured Lukasz Fabianski.
Roberto was at sea all afternoon with high balls and the nadir came in the 54th minute when he pushed Ashley Westwood’s cross into his net for an own goal.
West Ham’s miserable day was complete when Manuel Lanzini was carried off on a stretcher in injury time with a shoulder injury after landing awkwardly following a foul by Westwood.
Pellegrini refused to comment directly on Roberto’s performance. “I feel that the team didn’t play well, we lost 3-0 and the responsibility is with all of us. Of course when the player is not in their best moment they worry about that but he has experience. I think it’s difficult to analyse the [team’s] performance when you concede such easy goals.”
It is now six games without a victory in the league for West Ham, whose slide down the table continues while Burnley return to the top 10. Sean Dyche had made it clear how dissatisfied he was with Burnley’s first-half performance last weekend, when they conceded three times against Sheffield United and slipped to a third straight loss.
He responded by changing both his full-backs, bringing in Phil Bardsley and Charlie Taylor for Matt Lowton and Erik Pieters, while Wood was fit after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury.
Pellegrini made two changes to his team, with Ryan Fredericks and Pablo Fornals preferred to Pablo Zabaleta and Andriy Yarmolenko, but there was still no Jack Wilshere.
Yarmolenko was pressed into service in the 20th minute in place of the hobbling Mark Noble, injured in a tussle with Barnes, by which point the Hammers were already behind.
Burnley began like a team with something to prove and Barnes poked in an 11th-minute opener after James Tarkowski had nodded a Westwood corner back into the six-yard box. West Ham were furious, arguing – rightly – that it should not have been a corner, with Barnes getting the final touch.
But they could not blame the referee, Kevin Friend, for their lacklustre display; the visitors were unable to get any foothold in the game against the energy and directness of Burnley.
It took 28 minutes for West Ham to win their first corner – they did not manage a shot in the first half – but the momentum remained very much with the home side who thought they had doubled their lead eight minutes later.
Wood powered a header into the top corner from Dwight McNeil’s sumptuous cross but a VAR check showed the striker was marginally offside. There was no denying the same player eight minutes later, though. The rumoured Manchester United target McNeil, who was again excellent, robbed Fabian Balbuena on the left and he squared for Wood to sweep home. Roberto, whose throw put Balbuena in a difficult position, got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out. Wood celebrated by mimicking Friend’s VAR check, but this time there was no doubt.
West Ham began the second half with much more purpose but their hopes of a comeback were in effect ended by Roberto’s howler. The keeper claimed he was fouled by Barnes and there was another lengthy VAR check, but technology did not spare his blushes.
Ironically, the Spaniard then produced two good saves to deny Wood and Phil Bardsley while Nick Pope was called upon for the first time to keep out a firm shot from Cresswell.
Burnley again had the ball in the net from a corner moments later through Ben Mee but this time Friend did penalise Barnes for fouling the keeper.
Roberto came up with the best save of the match with seven minutes left, tipping over Jeff Hendrick’s fierce strike, but the damage had been done.
Dyche was delighted with the turnround in Burnley’s form. “Alter ego, wasn’t it?” he said. “Last week we weren’t even close to a performance. Today it came flooding back in, the edge that we play with, the organisation, the shape and the belief in the team.”
C&H
Lanzini injury shocker update
The news just got a whole lot worse for the Hammers this evening when the extent of Manu Lanzini’s injury became known.
The midfielder was stretchered off near the end of the 3-0 defeat by Burnley at Turf Moor and the verdict is is a fractured collarbone.
We understand that the player will undergo surgery on Monday. It’s a very rare injury among footballers although is common to jump jockeys who are normally off for between four to eight weeks.
The 26 year fell badly on his shoulder late in the second half and it was immediately obvious that he had suffered an injury and could be sidelined for a time.
The injury is a massive blow to a team whose midfield has been a major problem over the seven matches without a win.
Pablo Fornals got a start but was subbed after another hugely lacklustre performance whilst Jack Wilshere was again missing through injury.
OS
West Ham U18s continue fine form with victory over Leicester
West Ham United U18s made it back-to-back away league wins as they overcame Leicester City U18s 3-1 at the Leicester City Training Ground on Saturday morning.
A brace from Veron Parkes and a calm finish from Sebastian Nebyla was enough to see Kevin Keen’s side come away with all three points.
The Hammers were denied a clean sheet late-on by a Connor Barrett strike.
The victory sees West Ham remain 4th in Premier League U18 South but there is now a seven-point gap between them and Saturday’s hosts Leicester in 5th.
West Ham U18s took the lead from the penalty spot just before the break after defender Will Greenidge was brought down in the area. Veron Parkes stepped up and made no mistake to open the scoring.
The goal was no less than the U18s deserved having fashioned a number of good chances towards the end of the first period.
Shortly after half-time Parkes had his second, the forward- who has been in excellent goalscoring form in recent weeks- combined well with Odemipo Odebeku, before finishing smartly to put West Ham in control in the Midlands.
The result was put beyond doubt in the 67th minute as West Ham got a third through a well-worked team effort. Positive work in midfield from Lennon Peake saw him find Parkes in space, the 18-year-old forward duly played in Sebastian Nebyla who finished well.
A late Conor Barrett strike for the home side made for a frenetic end to the game but Keen’s side were able to hold on for another impressive away victory.
Assistant coach Mark Phillips praised the performance of the young Hammers.
“It was a very good result,” he said. “We came out really strong in the second half and we were really pleased with how we played. Leicester are a really good side and a really good club and it’s great to go up there and get a result.”
West Ham U18s are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and changing that statistic has been a focus of the group said Phillips.
“Our main objective for the last couple of weeks has been to try and keep a clean sheet, unfortunately we weren’t able to do that today. The next best thing is to win by two goals, and we managed to do that. We won handsomely against Swansea last week, but we are really pleased to take six points from two tough away games.”
So far this season a number of the West Ham U18s have made the successful step up into the U23s and helping players develop remains the priority for the Academy side.
“Helping players progress is what it’s about,” continued Phillips. “Obviously you want to win football matches, but it’s not only about league results, it’s about helping players progress into the U23s and we are doing that whilst still progressing the U18s.”
West Ham United U18s: Sanneh (GK), Greenidge, Thomas, Nsumbu, Okotcha©, Forson, Giddings (Velicky 75), Parkes, Nebyla, Odubeko (Trialist 71), Peake (Perkins 81)
Subs not used: Allen, Woods
Goals: Parkes 39 51, Nebyla 67
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