BBC
Al-Ahli's 29-year-old England striker Ivan Toney has left the door open for a move back to the Premier League. (Sky Sports), external
Liverpool have no plans to sell Dominik Szoboszlai despite speculation linking the Hungary midfielder with Real Madrid, with talks progressing over a new contract for the 25-year-old. (Teamtalk), external
Germany striker Nick Woltemade is unhappy at Newcastle and the 24-year-old would welcome a move back to Stuttgart or Bayern Munich. (Bild - in German), external
Manchester United have no intention of lowering their £26m asking price for 28-year-old England forward Marcus Rashford, who is on loan at Barcelona. (Mail), external
Nicolas Jackson and Chelsea will evaluate their options in the summer with Bayern Munich not expected to trigger an obligation to buy the 24-year-old Senegal striker during his season-long loan in Germany. (Mail - subscription required), external
Sunderland will try to sign a new striker this summer to replace 25-year-old French forward Wilson Isidor, who wants to leave the club. (Football Insider), external
Atletico Madrid want Argentina striker Julian Alvarez to sign a new contract but the 26-year-old's preferred destination is Barcelona. (Sport - in Spanish), external
Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Ham are among the clubs keen on signing Real Madrid's 32-year-old Germany defender Antonio Rudiger this summer. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Nottingham Forest's 23-year-old Brazil defender Murillo has emerged as a key target for Chelsea but the Reds' asking price is around £70m. (Caught Offside), external
Everton are set to reject any approach for 27-year-old English midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall this summer amid interest from Tottenham. (Football Insider), external
Former England forward Jesse Lingard, 33, is on the verge of joining Brazilian side Remo after leaving FC Seoul in January. (Sun)
Sky Paper Talk
PREMIER LEAGUE
Harry Maguire is keen to extend his stay at Old Trafford - but he is now wanted by his former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers at Al-Qadsiah - The Sun
Manchester United will undergo a full recruitment process for their next manager and consider all available options, despite Michael Carrick's stunning start in the job putting him in the frame for the role - Daily Telegraph
Wayne Rooney has claimed that Liverpool boss Arne Slot lacks the requisite aura to successfully lead the Anfield club, despite the Dutchman winning the Premier League title last season - Daily Mirror
Manchester United have no intention of re-negotiating a transfer fee for Marcus Rashford with Barcelona - Daily Mirror
Rafa Benitez is facing early dismissal as Panathinaikos manager after a hapless start in Greece that has seen tensions rise in the dressing room - The Sun
WOMENS FOOTBALL
Birmingham City have sold their women's team to their ownership group, Shelby Companies Limited and ex-England and Strictly Come Dancing champion Karen Carney and former tennis world No 1 Kim Clijsters have joined as minority investors - Daily Telegraph
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL
Rangers have stepped up their interest in Dundee defender Luke Graham - Scottish Sun
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill could consider staying around to help the Hoops retain their title should he lead them to another Scottish Premiership title - Scottish Sun
The Athletic
Pablo Felipe added plenty in a short time at West Ham – now they must adapt without him
NurPhoto/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
Six appearances, four starts, 328 minutes of football and zero goals is hardly a ringing endorsement of a new forward’s impact at a club, but Pablo Felipe is an exception.
The 22-year-old Brazilian, who joined West Ham United early last month from Portugal’s Gil Vicente for €20million (£17.5m/$23.4m at the current rates), is yet to register an assist or be voted player of the match across those six games. But if an award for unrelenting work rate were to be created, Pablo would be the obvious recipient. The striker, who signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the option of a further year, has quickly become a popular figure among the fanbase thanks to his tenacity on and off the ball.
During the narrow 3-2 defeat at London rivals Chelsea on January 31, Pablo had to change his jersey at half-time because the one he had on was drenched in sweat. Although he may not appear the most technically-gifted forward, he has made himself a key player for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo because of his willingness to chase seemingly lost causes.
But in the build-up to the 1-1 home draw against Manchester United last Tuesday, West Ham’s hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season suffered a blow when Nuno announced the player had been sidelined.
“He’s injured, and he’s going to be out for a while, unfortunately,” Nuno said in his pre-match press conference. “We don’t know for how long now.”
Pablo gets a shot away during a crucial win away to TottenhamRob Newell/Getty Images
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, say the striker is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks with a calf problem. That means Pablo, having already sat out Saturday’s FA Cup win at third-tier Burton Albion, looks set to miss upcoming league games against Bournemouth (home), Liverpool (away), Fulham (away) and Manchester City (home), as well as the all-Premier League FA Cup last-16 tie at home to Brentford on the weekend of March 7-8.
Pablo’s arrival in east London was of huge importance to West Ham, with Niclas Fullkrug joining Milan on loan for the rest of the season and Callum Wilson at the time not deemed a suitable forward option by Nuno. According to club sources, Pablo, who is represented by the same agent as his new head coach, has settled well — and has already formed a close friendship with Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
Having scored 10 goals in 13 league appearances for Gil Vicente in the first half of the season, when Pablo returns to fitness, he will aim to aid West Ham’s survival hopes with similar offensive efficiency.
Aside from his work rate, his hold-up play and aerial strength have been equally important.
The first sign of this was during the surprise 2-1 win at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on January 17, his first start for the club. In the 28th minute, it was his flick-on that set up Taty Castellanos, a fellow attacking reinforcement signed in the winter window, to slip a side-footed pass through to in-form winger Crysencio Summerville. Although it did not lead to a shot on goal, it was a sign of things to come.
Six minutes later, Pablo shielded the ball from Tottenham defender Cristian Romero. It fell to Summerville, but he overhit his pass to Castellanos.
It was third time lucky for Pablo in added time at the end of the first half, though. He shielded the ball once more and passed to Fernandes. The midfielder threaded a pass to Summerville, who surged forward to score past goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Since Pablo’s arrival, West Ham have won five of nine games across all competitions. When they beat Queens Park Rangers of the second-tier Championship in the FA Cup third round on January 11 in his second match for the club, it was their first victory for more than two months — since a 3-2 defeat of Burnley on November 8.
Pablo’s absence saw Nuno revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation for the visit of Manchester United, with Tomas Soucek playing as a No 10. Against Burton, the manager revived his previously abandoned wing-back system.
This spell on the sidelines for Pablo will alter West Ham’s playing style and the recently preferred 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation. That setup has worked superbly, with a resurgent Summerville becoming the first player since Jesse Lingard in 2021 to score in five consecutive games for West Ham, club captain Jarrod Bowen having goal involvements in three of the past four league games (an assist against Manchester United, a goal at Chelsea and one of each in the 3-1 defeat of Sunderland) and Fernandes also contributing offensively against Burnley (an assist in that 2-0 win), Sunderland (goal) and Tottenham (assist).
Pablo chases down a clearance from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert SanchezAdrian Dennis/Getty Images
It is clear Pablo’s presence has complemented West Ham’s attack. He has brought much-needed energy to the side, which is a huge contrast to his predecessors.
The West Ham striker curse narrative had definite traction with Gianluca Scamacca, Sebastien Haller, Danny Ings and others all struggling to be their main marksman in recent years. Even shortly after Nuno’s appointment in late September, he rotated between having Fullkrug, Bowen and Wilson lead the line. Fullkrug has failed to impress and had a paltry return of three goals across 29 appearances since being signed in summer 2024 and Bowen was better suited to his natural role on the right flank, while Wilson, who turns 34 next week, seldom lasted 90 minutes. Pablo and 27-year-old Argentina international Castellanos, a £25million buy from Lazio of Italy, were the missing pieces of Nuno’s jigsaw.
“It’s great that we see a few new faces, and they played very well today,” Soucek told The Athletic after that win against Tottenham. “They connected very well with the midfield and the wingers. It was a little bit new for us to have two strikers on the pitch, but I think it worked very well, especially in the first half. Hopefully we can build on this.”
West Ham certainly did that in their next three outings against Sunderland, Chelsea and Burnley.
Another reminder of Pablo’s importance came with his withdrawal on 66 minutes at Stamford Bridge, at which point West Ham led 2-1. Nuno brought on defender Maximilian Kilman and switched from 4-4-1-1 to a back five to try to see out the game but the visitors capitulated, conceding an equaliser in the 70th minute and then a stoppage-time winner, courtesy of Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez respectively.
In little more than a month, Pablo developed into an important member of the West Ham team.
It could be a challenging few weeks ahead as Nuno tries to find solutions to fill the void created by this injury, but his eventual return to the pitch will be greeted with even more delight than his signing was.
OS
Ten man young Hammers secure place in National League Cup final
Tamworth 1-3 West Ham United U21s
National League Cup semi-finals, Altair Group Community Stadium, Tuesday 17 February 2026, 7.30pm GMT
West Ham United U21s produced one of the most remarkable nights in the Academy’s recent history, defeating Tamworth with ten men to reach the National League Cup final, the only academy side in the competition to make it through the knockout stages, let alone the final itself.
Reduced to ten men with half an hour to play, they conceded an equaliser, survived a penalty, weathered relentless pressure and then struck twice in stoppage time to seal an extraordinary 3-1 victory at The Lamb Ground.
Our young Hammers could not have asked for a better opening. Inside four minutes, they were ahead.
Working the ball quickly out to Regan Clayton on the left, the wing-back fizzed a low delivery across the face of goal. Preston Fearon arrived perfectly, sweeping home at the near post for his seventh goal of the season and handing his side a dream start.
Tamworth immediately responded with direct play and physicality, leaning heavily on long throws and set plays to test West Ham’s resolve. Fin Herrick was called into action on several occasions, first comfortably gathering from range before producing a fine one-on-one stop to deny Tyler Roberts after a surging run through midfield.
It was an open, end-to-end first half, but West Ham regained composure as the interval approached, circulating possession confidently and taking their one-goal advantage into the break.
Our young Hammers made a fast start to the second half as Tyron Akpata found Josh Ajala inside the box, but his effort was pushed away by Daniel Rachel.
Gradually, however, Tamworth began to reassert themselves. Corners and long throws rained into the area as the hosts pinned West Ham back.
The Lambs were finally rewarded on 65 minutes when Roman Maher turned home a rebound after Herrick had parried an initial long range effort.
The contest turned dramatically in favour of the hosts just after the hour mark. Luis Brown was shown a red card following an off-the-ball incident, and Tamworth were awarded a penalty. With the momentum firmly against them, West Ham needed a moment, and Herrick provided it, diving to save Ben Milnes’ spot kick and preserve the lead.
Now down to ten men and with the home crowd in full voice, West Ham were forced into a rearguard effort. Herrick produced a series of outstanding saves, including a point-blank stop from Michael Reindorf while the defensive line kept repelling countless Tamworth set pieces.
Yet even amid the pressure, our young Hammers continued to threaten on the counter. Dan Cummings saw a shot blocked at the last, while Lewis Orford was cynically brought down when breaking through, his subsequent free-kick drifting narrowly wide.
As six minutes of added time were signalled, it appeared West Ham would need penalties to keep their dream alive.
Instead, they delivered two moments that will live long in the memory in the careers of our young Hammers.
In the third minute of stoppage time, a long throw dropped invitingly for Josh Ajala. The forward reacted instinctively, shaping to shoot and bending a precise finish into the far corner before wheeling away towards the travelling supporters in celebration. Against the odds, ten-man West Ham were back in front.
Tamworth threw everyone forward in desperation, but that gamble proved costly. With virtually the last kick of the game, possession was won deep and Ajala surged forward on the counter. Beating his marker for pace and composure, he carried the ball clear before tapping home to seal the result, securing their place in the final at Boreham Wood in unforgettable fashion.
Our young Hammers will face Boreham Wood away in the final, due to be hosted on Tuesday 17 March or Wednesday 18 March.
Tamworth: Rachel, Cockerill-Mollett, Digie, Bates (Bates 69), Milnes ©, Rye, Mols (Roberts 1), Cullinane-Liburd, Maher, Ponticelli (Lynch 69), Reindorf
Subs not used: Singh (GK)
Goal: Maher 65
Booked: Milnes, Cullinane-Liburd, Digie, Rye, Cockerill-Mollett
Sent off: Cullinane-Liburd
West Ham United U21s: Hooper, Battrum, Brown, Orford ©, Briggs, Oyebade, Fearon, Akpata (Cummings 80), Landers (Leacock 90+5), Ajala, Clayton
Subs not used: Hooper (GK), Medine, Hargan, Caliste, Dike
Goals: Fearon 4, Ajala 90+3, 90+7
Booked: Akpata, Orford
Sent off: Brown
Attendance: 1,341 (247 away supporters)
