BBC
Real Madrid have distanced themselves from a move for Manchester City midfielder Rodri, with one of the reasons being that the 29-year-old Spain international could cost at least 60m euros (£52m). (Sport - in Spanish), external
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is contemplating signing a new contract at the club despite interest from Crystal Palace and Tottenham. (Mail - subscription required), external
Former Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli, 29, is back training at Spurs as he seeks a return to football after leaving Italian side Como in September. (Standard), external
Crystal Palace have added former Tottenham boss Thomas Frank to their list of potential managers to replace the departing Oliver Glasner. (Sun), external
Real Madrid are considering replacing manager Alvaro Arbeloa with AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri for next season. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are weighing up a move for 24-year-old Juventus and France midfielder Khephren Thuram. (CaughtOffside), external
France forward Antonie Griezmann, 34, faces a decision over whether to stay at Atletico Madrid or accept an offer to join Major League Soccer side Orlando City. (Footmercato - in French), external
Bayern Munich are seriously considering a move for Galatasaray and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 27, as they look to prepare for 32-year-old England forward Harry Kane's eventual departure. (Footmercato - in French), external
German club RB Leipzig will want about 80m euros (£70m) if they are to sell 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who has been linked with Liverpool and Manchester United among others. (Football Insider), external
Liverpool have switched their attentions to Diomande as they do not believe they will be able to sign France winger Michael Olise from Bayern Munich, who want to extend the 24-year-old's contract beyond 2029. (Sky Sports Germany), external
Hearts could eventually claim £2m from 16-year-old Keir McMeekin's imminent transfer to Manchester City, with the Scotland Under-17 midfielder poised to sign a pre-contract agreement before a summer move to the Premier League side. (Mail)
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Premier League
Crystal Palace have added Thomas Frank to their list of potential managers to replace the departing Oliver Glasner - The Sun
Leeds United have postponed contract talks with Daniel Farke until the end of the season - and the German might have to keep the club in the Premier League in order to secure a new deal at Elland Road - Daily Mirror
Rodri's contract talks at Manchester City could hold the key to Elliot Anderson's hopes of a move to the Etihad this summer - The Sun
Arne Slot tore into his Liverpool players in a furious dressing room rant at Wolves - The Sun
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler tore into Arsenal, having been left furious at their time-wasting during their 1-0 win at the Amex - Daily Mirror
Manchester City have agreed a £600,000 compensation deal with Hearts for teenage midfielder Keir McMeekin, beating Man Utd, Liverpool and Brighton to his signature - Daily Mail
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is contemplating signing a new contract at the club despite interest from Crystal Palace and Tottenham - Daily Mail
Jurgen Klopp has absolutely no interest in managing another Premier League club out of respect for Liverpool - Daily Express
Man Utd duo Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are set to leave Old Trafford on a permanent basis this summer - Daily Express
Igor Tudor has rejected suggestions he risks alienating his Tottenham Hotspur players by criticising them in public, insisting the team need "honesty" and "anger" if they are to avoid relegation this season - The Times
Scotland
Aberdeen caretaker boss Peter Leven has questioned Benjamin Nygren's winner for Celtic at Pittodrie, asking why more lines weren't drawn by VAR on the incident - Scottish Sun
World football
The intercontinental World Cup playoffs are in doubt with officials from the Iraq Football Association [IFA] in crisis talks with Fifa over concerns they may be unable to take part in the final scheduled for Mexico later this month - The Guardian
Europe
Real Madrid are considering replacing manager Alvaro Arbeloa with AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri for next season - Corriere dello Sport
Women's Football
The Women's Super League 2 side involved in the new promotion-relegation playoff will have home advantage in the one-leg contest, WSL Football has confirmed, with the top-flight side having to play away from home - The Guardian
Guardian
Crysencio Summerville sinks Fulham as West Ham edge closer to relegation rivals
Crysencio Summerville is flanked by his teammates after giving West Ham the lead with a nerveless finish. Photograph: John Walton/PA
Jacob Steinberg at Craven Cottage
West Ham looked damaged beyond repair when they fell seven points below Nottingham Forest in early January. Two months on, they could be forgiven for wondering why anyone was worried. It has been a remarkable turnaround from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side and, while there is still a long way to go, they will know that survival is within reach after closing on Nottingham Forest and Tottenham thanks to a resilient victory over Fulham.
The only disappointment for Nuno was that a first win in four games was not enough to lift West Ham out of the bottom three. Yet while they remain below Forest on goal difference, as well as a point off Spurs, the direction of travel is clear. West Ham have momentum. They are scrapping for everything and capitalised on an unfocused performance from Fulham when a rejuvenated Crysencio Summerville scored his seventh goal in 10 games after an error from Bernd Leno midway through the second half.
It was a moment to sum up the transformation in West Ham in the last two months. Where once they were ponderous and feeble, now they are physical and fast. The goal was messy but owed much to Jarrod Bowen’s refusal to give up on a long ball throwing Leno and causing the Fulham goalkeeper to gift Summerville the chance to break the deadlock.
“We always have belief,” Nuno said. “What we need is improvement. We’ve been more resilient, more organised. We’ve been able to, in our defensive organisation, be strong enough to allow our front players to press.”
Lined up in an old school 4-4-2 system, West Ham were assertive with their pressing and troubled Fulham with a direct approach. Chances came for Taty Castellanos, Callum Wilson and Bowen during the first half. Composure was lacking at first. Leno thwarted Castellanos and Bowen betrayed West Ham’s nerves by rushing a shot at the end of a flowing counterattack.
Fulham offered little in response. They missed Harry Wilson, who was absent with an ankle injury. Their flow was disrupted by Tomas Soucek smothering Tom Cairney in midfield. “A disappointing evening,” was Marco Silva’s assessment after seeing Fulham struggle to summon the invention required to pierce a West Ham defence expertly marshalled by Axel Disasi and Jean-Clair Todibo.
Crysencio Summerville capitalises on Bernd Leno’s error to score for West Ham. Photograph: John Walton/PA
The first half was heavy on effort but short on inspiration. West Ham wanted a penalty when Alex Iwobi blocked a corner with an arm. Aaron Wan-Bissaka earned a booking for an embarrassing dive. Fulham wanted Mateus Fernandes sent off when the influential midfielder, who was already on a booking, was harshly deemed to have brought Josh King down on the edge of the area.
“If you give a foul on Josh King in that moment, I am 100% sure it is a second yellow card,” Silva said. “If you give the second yellow card the game is going to be completely different. The performance of the referee was not at the level.”
West Ham breathed a sigh of relief. They pushed at the start of the second half, a Soucek header drawing another smart stop from Leno. Fulham responded through a run from Iwobi. His cutback ran to Cairney, who kicked Castellanos while preparing to shoot. Matt Donohue, the on-pitch referee, infuriated Silva by reversing his decision to give a penalty after a review.
Fulham’s level dipped. Their passing was messy and their wingers were quiet. West Ham began to dominate. They were sharper, more aggressive, and they led with 25 minutes to go. Bowen raced after a long ball down the right.
The captain’s willingness to chase a lost cause typified West Ham’s desire. Fulham dithered. Leno came out of his area to mop up, only to make a mess by leaving the ball to Calvin Bassey, allowing Summerville to seize possession and guide a nerveless finish into the unguarded net.
West Ham would not be denied. The pressure was intense during the closing stages. Timothy Castagne came on for Fulham and looked set to rescue a point with a rasping effort. Mads Hermansen, written off as a flop not so long ago, continued the redemption arc by making a stunning stop to earn West Ham their fourth clean sheet of the season and keep them dreaming of an unlikely escape.
The Athletic
West Ham and Hermansen are starting to believe a Mads end to the season will keep them up
Julian Finney/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
When West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo walked onto the Craven Cottage pitch at full time, there was one player he saved his warmest embrace for: goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
West Ham had just sealed a much-needed 1-0 away win against Fulham, courtesy of Crysencio Summerville’s goal.
Although they remain in the relegation zone, Nuno and company are now level with fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest, who drew 2-2 with title chasers Manchester City last night, on 28 points.
Post-match, Nuno made it his priority to show his appreciation to Hermansen, who joined the club for £20million from Leicester City last summer. He made a crucial save in the 87th minute to deny Timothy Castagne and preserve his fourth clean sheet in nine league appearances this season. Nuno, a former goalkeeper himself, hugged the Denmark international closely following the final whistle, then first-team coach Mark Robson and goalkeeping coach Billy Lepine did so too.
As the away end chanted, “We are staying up” and “Tottenham Hotspur, we’re coming for you” — having reduced the deficit to their 16th-placed London rivals to one point before their game tonight (Thursday) against Crystal Palace — a young supporter asked for Hermansen’s gloves and jersey in the midst of the celebrations. He duly obliged.
“It was a good save (from Castagne) and I’m happy I was able to help the team in that moment,” Hermansen told The Athletic later. “That’s the spirit we have in our team, that we stick together. If someone wins a tackle or scores, we celebrate together. In the long run, that will only help us. We controlled the ball really well. There’s some parts of our game we can still improve, but we’re on the right track.
“We look better than we’ve been in a long time, especially with our ability to control the games. This win is great for morale because it was an important game but we also realise that nothing is done yet. We still have nine (league) games to play and there’s teams around us who are also doing everything they can to win. We just need to keep at it.”
The weight of last night’s win was not only noticeable on the pitch, but off it too.
After Nuno’s press conference, he was accompanied by Nicholas Willetts, West Ham’s head of first-team security, near the entrance of the executive box, where the Portuguese was greeted by the east London side’s vice-chair Karren Brady and her husband Paul Peschisolido. The pair congratulated him on the victory and a beaming Brady said: “So happy for you.”
But if there is anyone the West Ham head coach is happy for, it’s Hermansen.
The goalkeeper only dislodged Alphonse Areola as first-choice goalkeeper for the 2-0 win away to fellow relegation candidates Burnley on February 7. This initially surprised some of the fanbase, with Hermansen’s previous Premier League appearance for his new club coming in the 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham on September 13.
After playing the first four games of West Ham’s league season, then head coach Graham Potter dropped the Dane amid concerns over his vulnerability on corners shortly before his September firing. Despite a setback in the 5-2 loss to Liverpool at the weekend, Potter’s successor Nuno has been vindicated by his decision to restore Hermansen to the starting XI.
“When I experienced those low moments earlier this season, my mindset was to be here and show my family and show that I can get through hard periods,” the goalkeeper later told The Athletic.
On the eve of half-time, Hermansen superbly denied Josh King from close range. He ended up making five saves in the game, but none was quite as spectacular as the one from Castagne.
“Mads is someone else who, since he’s come in, has been unbelievable and saved us tonight,” club captain Jarrod Bowen told West Ham’s official website. “Sometimes you need your goalkeeper to step up in big moments, and he’s done that for us. I think he showed a calmness with the ball as well, which helped take that pressure off a little bit. In terms of the saves, it was world-class.”
With the teams lined up in the tunnel before kick-off, West Ham first-team coach Paco Jemez playfully slapped each of their players on the back before they made their way onto the pitch.
This final gee-up almost had the desired effect, with Taty Castellanos’ shot inside the box saved in the opening minute.
Similar to the performance at Anfield on Saturday, what followed was another encouraging attacking display from Nuno’s side. Midfielder Tomas Soucek had a header tipped over the bar before the interval, and he and Callum Wilson narrowly failed to get on the end of a curling Summerville cross at the back post.
The goal, in the 67th minute, came from Bowen pressuring Issa Diop, the former West Ham defender, with Bernd Leno having rushed off his line and outside the penalty area to try to intercept a long ball. Bowen nipped in ahead of Calvin Bassey and passed to Summerville, who advanced to stroke his fifth league goal of the season, and seventh in 10 appearances across all competitions, into the unguarded net.
West Ham were on the verge of a vital victory, but fear of a potential equaliser was noticeable on the away bench.
They cheered every tackle in the 10 minutes of added time, with midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who had been substituted on 89 minutes for Mohamadou Kante, refusing to sit down. He shouted instructions at his team-mates still on the pitch and slapped the dugout’s seats in frustration whenever Fulham had an attacking opportunity.
Summerville runs to the West Ham supporters to celebrate scoring what proved the winning goalJulian Finney/Getty Images
As for Nuno, he repeatedly gesticulated to Hermansen to aim for the corner flag with his kicks. Once victory was sealed, it was an area they all headed towards, gripped with euphoria.
“We had to fight until the end,” Summerville told TNT Sports, the game’s UK broadcaster. “The coach said to us (at half-time) we have to be composed in the final third, because we had a few chances in the first half. I took his advice, and I’m happy I put my chance away. I’m in a good space (mentally) and I’m just happy to be back (after his 2024-25 debut season was curtailed by a hamstring injury that carried over into the early weeks of this one). I try to show it every week, so very pleased with the win.
“We have to keep going now. Although we lost, we took the positives from our performance against Liverpool. You could see it today, and now we’ll try and head in the right direction.
“The only way is up.”