Sunday newspapers (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

"BBC Barcelona are interested in a move for Manchester United and England winger Jadon Sancho, 23, amid his Old Trafford exile. (Sport - in Spanish) Manchester City will delay holding talks about a new contract with Kevin de Bruyne, whose current deal runs to summer 2025, until the 32-year-old Belgium midfielder returns from a lengthy hamstring injury. (Star) Arsenal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, 30, might be sold in January with Juventus a potential destination. (Football Insider) Sheffield United are targeting a move for former manager Chris Wilder as a replacement for Paul Heckingbottom, following defeat by Tottenham on Saturday. (Mail) Arsenal are close to agreeing a new four-year contract with Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, 24, worth more than ¬£200,000 a week. (Football Insider) Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, is suing former club Juventus for ¬£17m in wages that were left pending during the Covid pandemic. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian) Everton are still keen to sign Leeds and Italy winger Wilfried Gnonto, 19, after failing with bids in the summer. (Football Insider) Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will battle it out to hire former Spain midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as manager next summer. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish) Luka Modric's first professional club Dinamo Zagreb will attempt to re-sign the Croatia midfielder, 38, from Real Madrid in January. (90min) Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says the Spanish club are planning to renew Modric's contract. (Fabrizio Romano) France midfielder Paul Pogba, 30, could have his Juventus contract cancelled depending on the result of an investigation into a failed doping test. (Fabrizio Romano) Conor Gallagher is currently happy at Chelsea, although Tottenham are planning to come back in for the England midfielder, 23, in January. (Football Insider) Everton's takeover by 777 Partners could come under threat after an investigation was launched following concerns raised about the firm's investment in British basketball. (Telegraph - subscription required) Barcelona have not yet discussed a contract extension with former Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong, 26, with the Netherlands midfielder's current deal running to 2026. (Marca - in Spanish) Athletic Bilbao are confident Nico Williams will sign a new deal, despite Barcelona having expressed an interest in signing the 21-year-old Spain winger, who is out of contract next summer. (Sport - in Spanish) Liverpool and Manchester United are also keen on Williams. (Football Transfers) Sky Paper Talk MAIL ON SUNDAY Sheffield United have sounded out club legend Chris Wilder about a sensational return to Bramall Lane after Saturday's defeat at Tottenham extended their winless Premier League start to five games. Pep Guardiola pushed hard to sign Barcelona's latest wonderkid Lamine Yamal over the summer, Manchester City having ""come with everything"" to try and tempt the 16-year-old phenom. Aleksandar Mitrovic says he has ""no nostalgia"" over his time in England, aiming a dig at Newcastle United and Fulham by claiming his move to Al Hilal meant he has ""finally arrived at a top club"". Bayern Munich will make another attempt to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah in January. SUNDAY TELEGRAPH Everton's takeover by 777 Partners is coming under fresh scrutiny after an investigation was launched over financial concerns about the firm's investment in British basketball. The Rugby Football Union board is facing its biggest internal revolt in over a decade after more than half of their council members signed a letter outlining concerns over the leadership of chief executive Bill Sweeney and chair Tom Ilube THE SUN ON SUNDAY Reports in Spain are suggesting Barcelona could make a shock loan move for Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho in January if he is still at the club by then. Mauricio Pochettino has told Raheem Sterling he will get the Chelsea winger back into the England squad. Cristiano Ronaldo is set to sue Juventus over ¬£17m in unpaid wages, according to reports in Italy. Mason Greenwood could make his debut for Getafe against Osasuna on Sunday after being included in their matchday squad for the first time. SUNDAY EXPRESS Former Belgium manager Georges Leekens believes Eden Hazard could come back to the Premier League before heading to MLS to end his storied career. SUNDAY MIRROR Clubs are putting pressure on star players to follow Manchester United defender Raphael Varane into international retirement as fears over burnout increase. Lionel Messi will not be going back on his decision to skip games played on artificial surfaces, meaning he will miss Inter Miami's clash with Atlanta United. DAILY STAR SUNDAY Manchester City have put off contract talks with Kevin De Bruyne until the Belgium midfielder is back from his long-term hamstring injury. Jadon Sancho was spotted watching Manchester United's U18 side on Saturday after being banished from training with the first team. SUNDAY MAIL Real Betis suffered two major injury blows days before their Europa League clash with Rangers during the 5-0 demolition by Barcelona. Goalkeeper Rui Silva was replaced at half-time while forward Luiz Henrique also limped off. Guardian Silva and Haaland seal Manchester City‚Äôs comeback win at West Ham Barney Ronay at the London Stadium For 45 minutes on a clammy day in east London, a compact and enterprising West Ham seemed to be giving Manchester City their toughest test of the Premier League season so far, a goal up and coiled behind a quick-breaking attack. By the final knockings of the second half the scene was more familiar. The City fans were pogoing about happily in the away end. Erling Haaland had finally scored a goal, after almost scoring a goal more times than seemed humanly possible in a single game of football. And City were romping towards their fifth straight league win of the season, 3-1 up and on the verge of returning to the top of the table. In between Pep Guardiola‚Äôs team were indebted to a fine, incisive performance from J?©r?©my Doku on the left, providing the ball-carrying ability lost by the departure of Riyad Mahrez, and an excellent all-round display from Juli?°n ?Ålvarez. West Ham had played well, with Edson ?Ålvarez and Lucas Paquet?° holding their own at times in midfield. But somehow there always seemed to be other gears, other angles for the champions. At the end David Moyes put his team‚Äôs defeat down to ‚Äúsmall margins‚Äù. Frankly, City just look at least a couple of levels up on every other team in the league. The air inside the London Stadium was heavy with end-of-summer heat all afternoon. Before kick-off Paolo Di Canio had come bowling out on to the field waving his arms before unexpectedly breaking into I‚Äôm Forever Blowing Bubbles, crooner style. The response was perhaps less feral than he might have hoped, verging more towards mild surprise. And in the opening moments City began like a team intent not just on victory but on wiping every memory of West Ham off the map. With six minutes gone Alphonse Areola made three close-range saves in the space of 10 seconds, with two other shots at goal also blocked as City took it in turns to machine gun the West Ham goal. With 14 minutes gone Doku combined well with Josko Gvardiol. His cross found Haaland completely unmarked (how?) at the back post. He smashed the ball not just wide, but miles wide with his left foot. With Bernardo Silva the other half of the double-pivot in midfield, City always had a free agent in possession. Behind this having four centre-backs in defence didn‚Äôt work as well as it has. Gvardiol looked uncomfortable at times trying to conduct the possession in attack. And it was down his side that West Ham broke away to score the opening goal. It was an excellent move begun by Jarrod Bowen, cutting out Gvardiol with a lovely reverse pass to Vladimir Coufal. He galloped unimpeded down the right, waited a beat, then lifted the perfect cross for James Ward-Prowse to dive full-length and nod the ball into the corner of the net. Ward-Prowse was brave in beating Ederson to the ball and dispatching his header beyond City's rooted goalkeeper Haaland might have made it 1-1 on 41 minutes after more excellent work from Doku, pirouetting into space on the left and whipping a low cross that the striker met with a weak touch at the far post, the ball eventually kicked away by Edson ?Ålvarez. It took Doku 41 seconds of the second half to equalise. It was all a little too easy. Haaland dropped deep and the ball was fed wide from his lay-back out to Doku, who finally had Coufal isolated, with the right angle to cut in towards goal. He made it look laughably easy, waggling his hips in full flight to throw Coufal one way, then in his next stride curling the ball into the far corner, a wonderful finish for his first City goal. ‚ÄúWe played him in pre-season and he caused us a problem then, he‚Äôs very direct,‚Äù Moyes said. ‚ÄúHe was a handful all game.‚Äù City were once again all over West Ham like a heavy weather front. Rodri smashed a shot from a free-kick on to the post. Haaland drew a clawing save from Areola with a flying, running scissor volley. Faced with this pressure West Ham were happy to live without the ball and take their moments on the break. From a rare corner Ederson reminded the world that he is also very good at the stuff that involves his hands, diving to make a fine save from Kurt Zouma‚Äôs header. The departure of Edson ?Ålvarez, who had already been booked and had arrived home at 4am after a Wednesday international for Mexico in Atlanta, left the midfield a little more open. With 70 minutes gone City had already taken 25 shots to West Ham‚Äôs five. Five minutes later they took the lead. It was made by Juli?°n ?Ålvarez, who took the ball from Silva then hooked a pass over the head of two defenders. Silva, running on with mischievous intent, got a toe to it as Areola came rushing out, the ball bouncing down and inside the far post. It was escorted there by Haaland, who chose not to apply the final touch and ‚Äústeal‚Äù the goal, what English football historians call an Anti-Nugent. Before the end Haaland had his moment, left in too much space and free to hammer a low shot into the corner. It was his ninth effort at goal on an afternoon that ended with the familiar sight of City‚Äôs players applauding the away end, and even Guardiola himself, just a little bit stiff after his back op, going across for his own welcome-back wave. OS U21s dominate against Celtic West Ham United U21s 5-0 Celtic B Premier League International Cup, Chigwell Construction Stadium West Ham United U21s put on a comprehensive attacking display to comfortably beat Celtic B 5-0 in the Premier League International Cup. Divin Mubama‚Äôs opener on ten minutes, turned in from six yards after Ollie Scarles‚Äô wicked cross, came following a frantic opening period in which both sides registered big chances without netting. West Ham‚Äôs lead was doubled just 12 minutes later as Callum Marshall scored his first of the evening, latching onto Levi Laing‚Äôs lobbed pass to slot home at the second attempt. Marshall scored his second and West Ham‚Äôs third on 28 minutes with a smart finish, ensuring a dominant advantage for the Hammers at the interval. It would only take the Irons three minutes in the second half to get a fourth, as Mubama maturely read a deflected shot and tucked in his personal second. A host of substitutions followed for both sides and one of the introduced Irons, Lewis Orford, would net a beautiful fifth for the hosts just a few minutes after his introduction. The midfielder arrowed a well-taken strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the area, putting Steve Potts‚Äô side in full control before an hour had been played. Celtic‚Äôs best chance of the fixture came in the opening few minutes, when Magnus Mackenzie tried his luck from distance, but otherwise the Scottish side did little to test goalkeeper Joseph Anang or indeed trouble the Hammers defence. Junior Robinson will feel he should have added sixth for West Ham on 77 minutes, but his headed effort from just a couple of yards out somehow went over the bar. The comprehensive win means the development team have won two games out of two in the Premier League International Cup this campaign, having also beaten Valencia at Chigwell Construction Stadium last month by a 1-0 score-line. West Ham United U21s: Anang, Chesters (Robinson 59), Johnson, Casey (c) (Forbes 54), Laing, Scarles (Moore 59), Coventry, Kelly (Orford 54), Earthy, Marshall (Kodua 54), Mubama Subs not used: Knightbridge, Luizao Goals: Mubama 10, 48, Marshall 22, 28, Orford 58 Marshall continues fine goalscoring form Two more goals for Callum Marshall on Friday evening puts the 18-year-old on seven goals in six matches played for the U21s this season. With five in Premier League 2 in his last three matches, the striker netted twice against Celtic. Ever self-critical, Marshall believes he should have scored even more on Friday evening. ‚ÄúWe knew that we had a really strong team going into the game tonight and we knew that we would be able to get at them and press high. ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt think we expected them to play out as much as they did, which is a credit to them ‚Äì but our press was good, and we were able to create chances by forcing them into mistakes. ‚ÄúWe dominated the whole game and made sure we got ahead early. I thought it was a really good game from everyone. We created a lot of really good chances, and I should have come away with a hat-trick. Some of the other lads could have had a couple more as well.‚Äù While Friday‚Äôs match with the Buoys went in West Ham‚Äôs favour, the young Hammers now prepare for another tough test away to Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy. Marshall is relishing the chance to show his ability against League One opposition. ‚ÄúThe win gives us some nice momentum heading into Tuesday‚Äôs game against Bristol Rovers, which will be a completely different challenge. We‚Äôll be playing against a men‚Äôs team and that will be tough, but we‚Äôre coming into it in good form, and we feel confident going into the game. ‚ÄúThis group has a really strong bond and I think you can see that out on the pitch. We‚Äôre all playing really well together, and we want to build on the success we had as a group last season and continue progressing.‚Äù Potts most pleased with work ethic and attitude While Steve Potts is always delighted to see his young Hammers playing attacking football and scoring plenty of goals, the most pleasing aspect of Friday‚Äôs win was the attitude shown by the side. Having stormed into a three goal advantage against Celtic, Potts could have comprehended the team perhaps taking their foot off the pedal a little. However, rather than ease off, the Hammers continued to push Celtic, scoring twice more in the second half and creating even more chances. ‚ÄúCeltic played some good stuff and we knew they‚Äôd be really up for it but I think, with the way we played, we wore them down in the end and we got the goals. It was a real pleasing performance,‚Äù Potts said. ‚ÄúWe got better and better as the game went on. They got through us a couple of times and we had to get that right when we out of possession. But the most pleasing thing for me, overall, was the work rate of the team. ‚ÄúThe way our lads kept going and kept trying to do the right things was excellent. Particularly when the goals started going in. I think it‚Äôs easier to turn away from it when you‚Äôre three or four goals up, but the boys kept doing the right things throughout the whole match.‚Äù The Premier League International Cup gives young English sides the chance to experience tactics and footballing philosophies from other countries, and Potts believes the tournament is an excellent way for the young Irons to learn even more about football. He added. ‚ÄúThis is a good competition. It‚Äôs a rest test for our boys. When we played Valencia in the last game, that was a tough test for us and it could have gone either way. Against Celtic, it was more convincing for us. ‚ÄúWe‚Äôre getting tested against different temperaments and the different ways that foreign teams play. We‚Äôre finding these teams can handle the ball but I think we‚Äôre learning about that, and we‚Äôre enjoying it.‚Äù Up Next It is a quick turnround for the U21s, with a step into EFL Trophy action against Bristol Rovers. The Hammers will face the EFL League One side at the Memorial Stadium on Tuesday 19 September, with kick-off set for 7.45pm."

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Thanks Alan 1:19 Sun Sep 17

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Thanks Alan