Saturday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Tottenham are among the teams closely monitoring Brentford's 23-year-old German forward Kevin Schade. (Sky Germany via Sky Sports), external

Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi, 25, has overtaken Liverpool and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate, 26, as Real Madrid's first-choice free-transfer signing next summer. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Liverpool are interested in Bayern Munich and France centre-back Dayot Upamecano, 26, in addition to Crystal Palace's Guehi. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Juventus will make a move for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, 30, with the France international out of contract next summer and also of interest to Chelsea and Bayern Munich. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Inter Miami are exploring the chance to recreate one of Barcelona's most iconic forward lines by reuniting Brazilian Neymar, 33, with Argentine Lionel Messi and Uruguayan Luis Suarez, both 38. (Mail), external

Levante's Cameroon attacking midfielder Etta Eyong, 21, would prefer to join Barcelona over Manchester United. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Bayern Munich are interested in Nottingham Forest's Murillo, 23, but would need to sell players first to finance any potential transfer for the Brazil centre-back. (Bild - in German, external)

Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in a potential 60m euros (£52.2m) move for RB Leipzig's France defender Castello Lukeba, 22. (Caught Offside, external)

Tottenham are keen on 19-year-old Nigeria winger Sani Suleiman after sending scouts to watch him in action for Slovakian side AS Trencin. (Teamtalk), external

Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, 21, is happy at Selhurst Park and the England international does not plan to leave the club in January amid interest from Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid. (Football Insider), external

The agent of Lyon and Belgium winger Malick Fofana says the 20-year-old belongs at a club like Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Manchester City. (HLN Nieuws - in Dutch), external.

Everton do not view Manchester City's England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 29, as a target, despite David Moyes signing him on loan when he was in charge of former club West Ham. (Teamtalk), external

Newcastle are close to appointing Nottingham Forest chief football officer Ross Wilson as their new sporting director. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Boss Eddie Howe will still have the final say over transfer incomings and outgoings at Newcastle despite Wilson's arrival. (Guardian), external

Newcastle are waiting for Wilson to be appointed before they open talks over new contracts with Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, 25, England full-back Tino Livramento, 22, and 25-year-old Dutch defender Sven Botman. (i - subscription required)




Sky Paper Talk

Daily Mail

Inter Miami have been offered the chance to reunite Neymar with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Denmark manager Brian Riemer says Manchester United have wasted Rasmus Hojlund's talent after the youngster continued his good start to the season.

Jude Bellingham has admitted that he maintains a 'macho' image of himself to deflect from any personal vulnerabilities.

Lyon's brilliant young £50m-rated winger Malick Fofana would fit the bill perfectly at one of the top Premier League teams, his representatives have said.

The Sun

Dan Burn claims a broken hand will not stop him playing through the pain for club and country.

The Mirror

Norway manager Stale Solbakken has confirmed that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is back in his home country after sustaining an MCL injury last weekend against West Ham.

Daily Express

Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus has revealed he is plotting to approach investors in a fresh attempt to buy Manchester United.

The Guardian

Paulo Pezzolano was sacked by Watford because he resisted pressure to select players who have a connection to the agent Arnaud Mogi Bayat, it has been claimed.

Ross Wilson is poised to fill the vacant sporting director role at Newcastle as one of English football's longest-running pursuits finally draws to a close.

Scottish Sun

Scotland boss Steve Clarke has called up Rangers midfielder Connor Barron and Hibs star Josh Mulligan as replacements for suspended Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie ahead of Sunday's showdown with Belarus.




Sport Witness

Director in ‘constant talks’ to sign West Ham star – January move on cards

By Sean Lunt

Brazilian side Flamengo are ‘preparing an offer’ to try and get Lucas Paquetá out of West Ham United in the January transfer window.

That’s according to Bolavip, who report that technical director José Boto is ‘at the forefront’ of the move. In fact, according to their information, he is in ‘constant talks’ with Paquetá’s entourage.

The Rio de Janeiro club believe that there’s a chance to bring the midfielder ‘back home’ next year.

He’s a long-standing dream for the club. He is a product of their youth system and made 95 appearances in the first team before joining AC Milan in 2019. He’s also long made it clear that his ‘top priority’ is to play for them when he returns to Brazil.

Flamengo were thrilled when he didn’t join another English side in the past. Now they’re eyeing up a move in the coming months. The belief is that West Ham will need to sell next summer as he’ll be in the final year of his contract. A move in January would be more attractive than a low-cost exit six months later.

Flamengo’s board believe they can buy him from West Ham. They already saved €15m this summer and will have ‘significantly more money’ by 2026. Enough to make them capable of ‘repatriating the star player’.

Paquetá, for his part, is not 100% happy in England. He wants to play for a more competitive team with the World Cup in mind next summer. A move in January would be ideal for that.

Negotiations are likely to heat up again very soon. José Boto is in constant conversation with Paquetá’s agents, and a new official offer will be made in the winter window.




Standard

West Ham confirm Nuno Espirito Santo backroom staff as academy coaches are promoted

The new West Ham boss had been expected to bring in his own team

Nuno Espirito Santo has promoted academy coaches Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine to his backroom staff at West Ham.

Robson, Potts and Prenderville will continue as first-team coaches, with Lepine as goalkeeping coach after the quartet assisted Nuno on an interim basis during his first week as head coach.

Nuno had been expected to bring in his own backroom staff but admitted he had been impressed with the work of Robson, Potts, Prenderville and Lepine during his first two games in charge.

West Ham secured a 1-1 draw away to Everton in Nuno’s first game in charge before falling to a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last weekend.

Nuno will take charge of his first home game, having confirmed his permanent backroom team when West Ham welcome Brentford to the London Stadium after the international break.

On the appointment of a permanent backroom team, Nuno said: "I am very happy that Mark, Steve, Gerard and Billy have agreed to continue in their positions permanently. They are a great asset: people who, beyond their knowledge and effort, feel for West Ham United.

“This is key to the challenge we are currently facing.

"I've been very impressed by their work, their knowledge and their commitment to West Ham United. They know the Club, the players and the people here very well, and that's a great strength for us going forward.

"Everyone has been very supportive during these first two weeks; they immediately understood what I'm trying to implement, and we already have a good relationship.

“Every day we learn more and work harder to get closer to the team we want to become."



C&H

January market move now inevitable

Whatever thoughts the Hammers’ hierarchy may have harboured about PSR and not spending any significant money in ten weeks time, ‘doing nothing’ in January is no longer an option.

The wafer-thin resources of West Ham’s attacking line up have been found out just six weeks on from the summer window closure.

Successive failures by everyone – overseen of course by the same chairman and vice chair – mean West Ham’s goal scorer options, when the Premier League campaign resumes in nine days time – will be solely one free signing and one academy graduate.

The ‘news’ that a muscle injury will keep Fullkrug out of action again upon resumption is incredibly frustrating to everyone but surprising to nobody.

Chickens come home to roost and when a club insists on repeating the mistakes of bringing in old players over and over again, another muscle injury for a high mileage Hammer should hardly come as a shock.
Loan signing of Zirkzee has just become more likely

Sadly the Fullkrug injury makes suggestions like the loan signing of Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee all the more plausible: Even today there are suggestions that the Manchester United discard could recreate Jesse Lingard’s successful Hammers loan. 8 Premier League goals is hardly setting the world on fire but frankly, January beggars cannot be choosers.

Unless Nuno’s mate Jorge Mendes is going to pull a Karim Adeyemi -like rabbit from his hat in January, the Hammers’ failure to replace Michail Antonio could condemn them to the Championship.

Seasons of scatter-gun spending through first Moyes, Lopetegui then Potter mean there’s no coherent strategy. Goal keepers but no goal scorers. Highly paid, high- mileage, low mobility midfielders. Forty million for mediocre defenders. It seems everyone’s had a hand in West Ham’s patched-up patchwork quilt of players.

At least now the Irons will be forced to act in January if they want a sniff at getting the goals to keep them in the Premier League. Even by West Ham standards, doing nothing -again- is not an option.

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.