Friday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal are in the running to sign 22-year-old Cameroon and Levante forward Karl Etta Eyong, who wants to resolve his future in January with Barcelona and Real Madrid also interested. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish, external)

Manchester United are not currently pursuing AIK's Kevin Filling, despite reports they are in negotiations to sign the 16-year-old Swedish forward. (Manchester Evening News, external)

AC Milan could join the clubs interested in Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee, 24, if the Netherlands international is available on loan in January. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian, external)

German champions Bayern Munich have entered into talks to sign 19-year-old Givairo Read, the Feyenoord and Netherlands Under-21 full-back who is also a target of several Premier League clubs including Liverpool. (Sky Sports - in German, external)

Former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou is very unlikely to become Celtic's next boss, with Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy among the candidates. (Sky Sports, external)

Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, 26, is still on Barcelona's radar, but they are deterred by the price tag of the Nigeria international. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish, external)

Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, 20, after tabling an exciting proposal for the Turkey international, but Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are keen too. (Teamtalk, external)

Chelsea are actively working to sign Joaquin Panichelli from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, but AC Milan have also shown interest in the 23-year-old Argentine striker. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has agreed terms on a new Barcelona contract, despite the 24-year-old Spain international attracting interest from Chelsea and Tottenham. (TBR Football, external)

Tottenham will look to sign Juventus and Canada striker Jonathan David during the January transfer window, with Bayern Munich also eyeing the 25-year-old. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)




Sky Paper Talk

European football

Real Madrid are confident of landing Marc Guehi on a free transfer next summer - The Sun.

Premier League

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi is at the centre of a massive row between his former clubs Real Sociedad and Antiguoko. His youth club are claiming they are owed £870,000 (€1m) in the deal that took the Spaniard to London last summer- The Sun.

 Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong is being courted by the Ghana national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup - The Sun.

Harvey Elliott's loan move to Aston Villa will only become a permanent deal if he plays a certain number of games for the club. Clubs in Germany retain an interest in the player - The Daily Mail.

West Ham's relegation from Premier League would cost taxpayers £1.25m with their annual rent at the London Stadium set to be halved from £2.5m - The Times.

Tottenham goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman has retired at the age of 26 to become a photographer and director - The Athletic.

Scottish Premiership

Falkirk are trying to seal a deal to bring Ryan Edwards back to the Scottish Premiership - The Daily Record.
Rugby Union

England have raised serious concerns about Australia's "illegal" breakdown tactics before their first autumn Test against the Wallabies on Saturday - The Telegraph.




C&H

Private Equity’s growing grip on football | West Ham in discussions

I wrote earlier in the week about the potential sale of West Ham United, and cited some reported investors including from the US.
One of the most intriguing developments is the emergence of Apollo Global Management, a Private Equity (PE) giant with $840 billion in assets under management. Under the leadership of Al Tylis, Apollo recently launched Apollo Sports Capital, a dedicated sports investment strategy.

Apollo has already deployed $17 billion into sports and entertainment, including a $107.47 million senior loan to refinance Nottingham Forest’s debt and there are reports of interest in acquiring a stake in Atlético Madrid

Their key focus will be on debt and hybrid capital investment opportunities, a model that aligns with the financial needs of many clubs.
Football finance expert, Kieran Maguire believes that if the US has a good World Cup it could stir up the appetite of PE Investment into English clubs. He did exercise caution though and stated a year ago that Private Equity firms are focussed on money and return rather than football.
In the Premier League alone, a number of clubs have Private Equity involvement including Liverpool (Dynasty Equity), Manchester City (Silver Lake), Chelsea (Clearlake Capital).

Events at Manchester United suggest Private Equity involvement is a double edged sword

Across Europe’s top five leagues, over 36% of clubs now have backing from private equity, venture capital, or private debt firms. Notably, US investors account for 40% of these deals. Private equity pools money from limited partners, buys businesses, cut costs, boosts enterprise value and sells on for a return.

West Ham aren’t strangers to this, as Daniel Kretinsky’s 27% stake is held via 1890 Holdings, a sports investment platform which functions as a private equity style holding entity.

West Ham continue to draw interest from potential investors. EXWHUemployee confirmed that some visited the club’s training ground facilities back in September. In parallel, the club has been engaged in discussions with Monarch Collective—a U.S.-based private equity firm about acquiring a 49% stake in the women’s team.

If momentum persists, significant developments by next summer appear not only feasible, but increasingly likely.




Sport Witness

West Ham eyeing right conditions to sign player – Fulham and Bournemouth also options

Gabriel Jesus has never made a mark at Arsenal since his arrival from Manchester City. West Ham, Fulham and Bournemouth are now keeping an eye on the Brazilian.

This comes from MilanLive, who also cover AC Milan’s interest in the striker.

The outlet believe the 28-year-old could be the right opportunity for the Italian giants to improve their attack.

Competition for Jesus is high, though. West Ham are said to be ready to sign the striker, if they find the right conditions for a move. Juventus have been following the Brazil international since his time at Manchester City.

Fulham and Bournemouth are also presented as being on the lookout for the Arsenal player.

MilanLive are confident that Jesus can leave the Gunners in January on an initial loan with the option to buy.

This opportunity is proving to be appealing to Max Allegri’s side. A deal worth less than €30m is spoken of as a possibility.

Jesus’ injury worries have made sure that he has slipped down Brazil’s attacking pecking order. He could seek an exit in the hope of a resurgence ahead of the World Cup.



Football London

West Ham respond to Lucas Paqueta punishment decision over two proven breaches of FA rules
Lucas Paqueta was cleared of spot-fixing charges after a two-year investigation into allegations he deliberately received yellow cards in four different fixtures, which the West Ham man always denied

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been sanctioned for breaching FA regulations and issued with a warning following two proven violations. Back in July, Paqueta was cleared of betting-related charges after a two-year probe into claims he intentionally picked up yellow cards across four separate Premier League matches.

The FA announced in September that they would not be challenging those verdicts, which the Regulatory Commission determined were not proven. Nevertheless, two violations of FA Rule F3, which are considerably less serious charges relating to non-cooperation with an investigation, were established against Paqueta.

According to the Regulatory Commission's statement, the Brazilian offered "no comment" responses to most questions during two FA interviews. The governing body issued a statement regarding his Rule F3 breaches.

The FA said: "An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned West Ham United FC's Lucas Paqueta for two proven breaches of FA Rule F3.

"The player denied two charges of failing to comply with a requirement to answer questions and provide information to The FA's investigation into breaches of the Rules. However, both breaches of FA Rule F3 were found proven following a hearing.

"The Regulatory Commission has imposed a reprimand and a warning as to future conduct on Lucas Paqueta, and its written reasons for this decision can be read below."

West Ham United also issued their own statement following the FA's announcement. The club stated: "West Ham United acknowledges the statement published by the Football Association today, confirming that Lucas Paquetá has received a warning as to his future conduct, following two proven breaches of FA rule F3, after he was cleared of misconduct charges made against him for alleged breaches of FA rule E5.

"West Ham United and Lucas Paquetá are pleased that this matter is now finally closed. The Club will be making no further comment."

Within documents outlining Paquetá's charges, the regulatory commission noted: "We recorded in the Liability Decision that at the interviews on 11 September 2023 and 10 November 2023 the Player attended and, for a large part of those interviews his stance, on legal advice, was to answer 'no comment' to the questions posed."

The commission added: "We accept that the Player was acting on advice at all times but, nevertheless, as a Participant he has an obligation to respect and abide by the Regulations," whilst acknowledging any "sanction would be at the lower end of the scale," most probably "a reprimand, coupled with a warning as to future conduct."

In August 2023, the FA initiated an investigation into the South American footballer, alleging his involvement in spot-fixing offences across four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023.

It was never suggested that he had placed any bets himself, but it was alleged that his actions had benefitted friends and family in Brazil, who had wagered on him receiving a yellow card.

Should the verdict have been against him, he could have faced a lifetime ban. However, upon being cleared of these charges, he issued a personal statement: "Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations.

"I can't say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face. To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me - thank you for everything."

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.