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BBC
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes he will "probably not" sign any of his leading transfer targets in January and will have to turn to the loan market instead. (Sunday Telegraph)
United and Paris St-Germain are willing to pay 60m euros (£52m) for Roma and Italy midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, 20. (Il Messaggero - in Italian)
Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling, 24, will not sign a new £450,000-a-week deal until manager Pep Guardiola confirms he will be staying at the club for the long term. (Sun on Sunday)
Belgium and former Everton manager Roberto Martinez wanted to become Tottenham boss after Mauricio Pochettino's sacking. (Star on Sunday)
Borussia Dortmund want to sign 17-year-old Tottenham and Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott, with Bayern Munich also interested. (Sunday Express)
Crystal Palace are within weeks of the completion of a £215m club takeover. (Sun on Sunday)
Palace have contacted Liverpool over a potential loan deal for 19-year-old England Under-21 striker Rhian Brewster. (Football Insider)
But Aston Villa are also interested in signing Brewster and are leading the chase for the forward. (Sunday Mirror)
AC Milan want to bring Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 38, back to the San Siro. The former Sweden striker, who is without a club after leaving LA Galaxy, won the 2010-11 Serie A title with the club. (Calciomercato - in Italian)
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe says the club want winger Ryan Fraser to stay but the 25-year-old Scotland international, who has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, is "keeping his options open". Fraser's contract with the Cherries runs out next summer. (Sunday Mirror)
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, 32, says a move to the MLS is a "nice possibility", with the Uruguay international having been linked with David Beckham's Inter Miami side. (ESPN)
Inter Milan and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, 26, said he knew his time at former club Manchester United was over when manager Solskjaer planned to use him on the wing. (Football Italia)
Manchester United will receive £850,000 from Juventus next summer as part of the deal that saw former United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 34, join the Italian club from Real Madrid in 2018. (Sun on Sunday)
Arsenal are battling Inter Milan for the signature of Flamengo and Brazil Under-17 attacking midfielder Reinier Jesus, 17. (Sun on Sunday)
Mario Balotelli is a target for Galatasaray. The 29-year-old Italy striker joined his hometown club Brescia in the summer. (Calciomercato - in Italian)
Newcastle United will sell South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, 30, in January. (Football Insider)
Magpies boss Steve Bruce wants to sign Hull City's English midfielder Jarrod Bowen, 22, but is willing to wait until the end of the season. (Star on Sunday)
Aston Villa are still interested in signing Brentford and Algeria winger Said Benrahma, 24, in January. (Sky Sports)
But Villa boss Dean Smith says midfielders Jack Grealish, 24, and John McGinn, 25, will not be sold. (Sky Sports)
Leeds are preparing a move for Burnley's Czech Republic striker Matej Vydra, 27. (Star on Sunday)
Guardian
José Mourinho’s Tottenham reign starts with win despite late scare at West Ham
David Hytner at the London Stadium
José Mourinho celebrated with a knee-slide and it was the moment when his Tottenham tenure felt up and running. The club’s new manager had wanted to see the real Dele Alli, not the midfielder’s brother, and when he did the emotion came pouring out. What a piece of skill Alli produced in the 43rd minute and it not only got Spurs away for Lucas Moura to make it 2-0, it killed a West Ham team who look to be in freefall.
Alli had stretched to keep in a heavy Eric Dier pass on the left touchline and slipped over but, lying on his back, he fashioned a flick with the inside of his right heel that moved the ball under his body and released Son Heung-min to make the assist. Alli’s move would not have looked out of place in a football freestyler’s clip on YouTube and, according to Mourinho, was the mark of a player in “focused and ultra confident” mood. “Dele is too good not to be one of the best players in the world,” he added.
Mourinho had stressed that his work at Spurs in the aftermath of succeeding Mauricio Pochettino would be a process but this was an encouraging start, albeit against a feeble West Ham, who have taken two points from seven matches. Son got things started with the first goal, Harry Kane scored the third and it added up to Spurs’ first away win in the Premier League since January; the breaking down of a mental barrier.
For West Ham, the problems seemed everywhere, although they began in goal with Roberto – a figure to spread panic rather than calm. It was not a good look when the home crowd cheered him ironically in the 80th minute when he made a clean catch. West Ham did fight until the end and, as Spurs tired – partly because of the psychological strain of the managerial change, in Mourinho’s opinion – the hosts cut the deficit.
The substitute Michail Antonio tricked Toby Alderweireld before finishing smartly and Mourinho would have winced at some of the Spurs defending in the closing stages. Declan Rice had a stoppage-time goal ruled out for offside by VAR and Angelo Ogbonna scored with the last kick of the game from a Robert Snodgrass corner. But the grandstand comeback had never felt on for West Ham; the goals merely papered over the cracks.
What Mourinho would do with his lineup and tactics provided one of the subplots and his 4-2-3-1 system featured Dier in defensive midfield and no Christian Eriksen at the outset. Mourinho said he loved his team’s football for the first hour, even if they were a little error-strewn early on, and perhaps the biggest shift from the Pochettino years was the lack of playing out from the back. Spurs were more direct and fought for the second balls.
Son bristled with menace on the left, despite catching one bad challenge from Ryan Fredericks, and his goal followed an Alli pass. It was all too easy, with West Ham’s players guilty of standing off, and it was far from being the only time their defending could be criticised. Son executed a simple shimmy and, rather abruptly, Issa Diop was a yard away from him, with the shooting chance on. Son banged it low and hard, and it almost seemed to go through Roberto.
The second goal was the show-stopper, leading to Mourinho’s delight, but Spurs had the opportunities to score even more before the interval when West Ham were booed off, having done little in the final third.
Kane found the net early on from Alli’s pass only for an offside flag to deny him while Davinson Sánchez almost profited when Roberto dropped the ball into him following a free-kick. Roberto also saved from Son and Sánchez.
Manuel Pellegrini made all three of his substitutions by the 64th minute as he groped for the solution but his decision to replace the hapless Diop with the unpopular Carlos Sánchez and ask Rice to drop into central defence was jeered.
Spurs were in complete control for the first half of the second period, with Moura wasting a glorious chance on the break, but Kane’s goal would come shortly afterwards – a firm header from Serge Aurier’s cross. Where was his marker, Diop? The resigned silence of the West Ham crowd for long spells spoke volumes.
Kane, who was on the end of some rough treatment, almost got away from Diop for another goal on 61 minutes and West Ham’s late push probably served to dilute the strength of the boos at full-time. Pellegrini is under increased pressure whereas Mourinho, back in his “natural habitat”, could enjoy the sound of the music in the dressing room afterwards. He has something to build on.
Hughton and Benítez in West Ham frame as pressure grows on Pellegrini
Board identifying possible replacements for manager
West Ham will also try to sign a goalkeeper in January
Jacob Steinberg
West Ham have started to identify potential replacements for Manuel Pellegrini, who is fighting to save his job after his struggling side’s 3-2 defeat by Tottenham on Saturday, and could alleviate their goalkeeping crisis by signing Jordan Archer on a free transfer in January.
Pellegrini is under pressure after seven games without a win and there is alarm at board level about a decline that has left West Ham three points above the bottom three. While there is a desire to give the 66-year-old time, the hierarchy’s faith in a manager who has 18 months remaining on a contract worth £7m a year is being severely tested at the moment.
West Ham fear they are being dragged into a relegation battle and they are prepared to act if there is no sign of Pellegrini improving the situation. Tentative overtures have been made to Rafael Benítez, who joined the Chinese side Dalian Yifang last summer, but Chris Hughton is emerging as a more realistic candidate. Hughton, who has been out of work since being fired by Brighton at the end of last season, would be interested in taking over if the job becomes available.
West Ham, who were torn apart by Tottenham at the London Stadium, have long admired Benítez. They were close to appointing the Spaniard before he joined Real Madrid in 2015 and attempted to lure him away from Newcastle before hiring Pellegrini last year. Benítez has maintained a good relationship with David Sullivan, West Ham’s co-owner.
Financial imperatives will complicate any move for the former Liverpool manager, though. Pellegrini will receive hefty compensation if he is dismissed midway through a deal that runs out at the end of next season and West Ham would have to pay a considerable sum to recruit Benítez, who is earning a reported £12m a year in China.
That is likely to make West Ham look elsewhere and it is understood that Hughton, who kept Brighton in the Premier League after taking them up in 2017, has admirers at the London Stadium.
Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe is also under consideration and it is understood that Burnley’s Sean Dyche would be interested in speaking to the east London club.
West Ham’s goalkeeping situation could also make them hold off replacing Pellegrini. Lukasz Fabianski has been sorely missed since suffering a hip injury in September and the former Swansea goalkeeper’s absence has been exacerbated by calamitous performances from his deputy, Roberto, who had another poor game against Tottenham. There is a feeling that a new manager would struggle to make an instant impact if he has to use Roberto.
With no date given for Fabianski’s return, West Ham will try to sign a goalkeeper in January. They are looking at Archer, who has been without a club since leaving Millwall at the end of last season. The 26-year-old Scot started his career at Tottenham.
The question for now is whether Pellegrini picks Roberto over David Martin when West Ham visit Chelsea on Saturday. Roberto’s erratic displays have damaged the team’s confidence and the decision to sign the Spaniard on a free last summer has raised doubts over the judgment of Pellegrini and Mario Husillos, West Ham’s director of football.
Teamtalk
EXCLUSIVE: West Ham to pip Arsenal with bid for defensive addition
West Ham are ready to go one step ahead of Arsenal and Wolves by making a move for Southampton defender Cedric Soares in January, TEAMtalk understands.
The 28-year-old, whose contract at St. Mary’s runs out at the end of the season, has made only five Premier League appearances this season with Yan Valery preferred at right-back by boss Ralph Hasenhuttl when the club opt for a back four.
TEAMtalk understands that Soares has informed the Saints of his desire not to sign a new deal on the south coast with the Hammers, Arsenal and Wolves all keen.
However, while the latter two clubs have enquired about the possibility of signing the right-back, it is West Ham who are set to go ahead with a January bid.
Soares will become a free agent in the summer and an offer could tempt Southampton into selling up, given that they otherwise face the prospect of losing him for nothing.
Soares – a 33-cap Portugal international – joined Southampton from Sporting in 2015 and has made 126 appearances for the club to date, chipping in with three goals and 10 assists in that time.
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