Monday newspapers (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

"BBC Manchester United's Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 26, has emerged as a potential target for Bayern Munich should they fail to land Portugal's Joao Palhinha, 28, from Fulham in January. (Mirror) It would take a ""ridiculous"" offer for Chelsea to consider selling reported Real Madrid target Reece James because the England right-back, 23, is under contract until 2028. (Football Insider) Barcelona are keen on signing Newcastle United and Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 23, as a replacement for 35-year-old Poland forward Robert Lewandowski. (Fichajes, via Mail) Aston Villa have joined Liverpool and Barcelona in looking to sign Athletic Bilbao's 21-year-old Spain winger Nico Williams, who is out of contract next summer. (Diario AS - in Spanish) Brighton will make a new move for Boca Juniors' Argentine left-back Valentin Barco, 19, before the January transfer window. (Sun) West Ham and Crystal Palace could reignite their interest in Paris St-Germain's French striker Hugo Ekitike, 21, in January. (Football Insider) Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are monitoring Red Bull Salzburg's 19-year-old attacking midfielder Oscar Gloukh, who is now a regular for Israel. (Sun) Tottenham target Conor Gallagher could change his stance on his club future and decide to quit Chelsea if the England midfielder, 23, loses his place in the starting line-up once the team's injury problems ease. (Football Insider) Sunderland's 17-year-old English winger Tom Watson is back on the radar of Nottingham Forest. (Sun) Roma are considering whether to proceed with a bid to sign Spain striker Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid after holding talks with the 30-year-old's agent. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian) Italy striker Ciro Immobile, 33, is expected to stay with Lazio, despite receiving offers from Saudi clubs Al-Shabab and Al-Wehda. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian) Former Germany coach Joachim Low is among the leading candidates to replace fellow German Stefan Kuntz as Turkey coach. (DHA - in Turkish) Turkey's football federation has opened talks with former Italy striker Vincenzo Montella, who ended a two-year spell in charge of Turkish side Adana Demirspor in June, about succeeding Kuntz. (Nicolo Schira) Sky Paper Talk DAILY MAIL Newcastle are reportedly considering a £52m swoop for West Ham's Brazilian star Lucas Paqueta in January. 777 Partners - who agreed a deal to acquire a 94.1 per cent controlling stake in Everton this week - faced the ire of Hertha Berlin supporters on Sunday. Tyson Fury says he has no interest in fighting Anthony Joshua since his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, telling Joshua to ""get to the back of the queue"". THE MIRROR Scott McTominay has emerged as a potential target for Bayern Munich should they fail to land Joao Palhinha in January. Peter Schmeichel slammed Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez for ""trying to be a hero"" in the side's humbling home defeat to Brighton on Saturday. Phil Jones was back at Manchester United's training ground on Saturday to oversee their U18 side against Nottingham Forest - with club outcast Jadon Sancho another onlooker at the match. Thiago Silva was left 'furious' with his Chelsea team-mates during their goalless draw at Bournemouth, while Conor Gallagher vented his annoyance at Enzo Fernandez. THE TIMES Chris Wilder, the former Sheffield United manager, is under consideration for a return to the club, though sources insisted on Sunday that Paul Heckingbottom's job is currently safe. THE SUN Luis Rubiales has been forced to sell his luxury Madrid apartment to cover legal costs following his non-consensual kiss on Jenni Hermoso, and an increase in alimony to his ex-wife and children. Brighton will make a new move for Argentinian left-back Valentin Barco ahead of the winter window. DAILY TELEGRAPH Sergio Garcia attempted a last-ditch effort to play in the Ryder Cup by offering to pay all outstanding fines relating to joining LIV Golf, estimated to total £700,000. RFU rebels who revolted against the leadership of Billy Sweeney and Tom Ilube do not believe the RFU can afford a new Professional Game Partnership with Premiership Rugby. DAILY STAR David Lloyd has said now is the ""perfect time"" for Andrew Flintoff to return to cricket, after the former England all-rounder worked with the England team during their ODI series against New Zealand. DAILY RECORD Ryan Kent is said to be ""regretting"" his move to Fenerbahce from Rangers this summer after already being relegated to a fringe role. The Athletic Edson Alvarez showed his class for West Ham – especially when he wasn’t on the pitch By Roshane Thomas It was a change David Moyes had no wish to make and one that had huge implications. The manager was planning to bring on Said Benrahma for Tomas Soucek. The scoreline was 1-1 but then €40million (£34.4m) summer signing Edson Alvarez signalled to the bench that he could not continue. Benrahma replaced the midfielder in the 68th minute and Manchester City capitalised by scoring twice — via Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland — within 20 minutes of Alvarez’s substitution. “Hugely,” said Moyes when asked if Alvarez coming off was the turning point in the game. “I was a bit worried because he’d been booked and he actually gave a free kick away outside the edge of the box. I didn’t know how many more he’d get away with, but ideally we wouldn’t have taken him off. “He didn’t get back until 4pm on Thursday. His flight was delayed coming back from Atlanta, so to get the boys back and trying to get them ready for Saturday was really difficult.” The midfielder featured in Mexico’s 3-3 friendly draw with Uzbekistan in Georgia in the early hours of Thursday morning. After Saturday’s loss to City, the 25-year-old told reporters he was fine. Defeat to the reigning Premier League champions was Alvarez’s fourth league appearance. Since his arrival from Ajax, the midfielder has shown how important he is defensively. He had been on West Ham’s radar for a few seasons but, in the summer, a German club came close to securing his signature. “Borussia Dortmund was a very concrete option,” said Alvarez. “In the end, it didn’t work out, but there was a lot of interest on their part, including visits to Amsterdam to meet with my family.” Moyes played a 4-2-3-1 formation against Manchester City. Soucek and Alvarez (No 19) were the midfield duo and the latter often positioned himself in front of the back four. The graphic below is West Ham’s average team position from the 1st to the 68th minute. Alvarez is much deeper than Soucek (28) as he provides support to Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd. Notice how Emerson (33), James Ward-Prowse (7) and Lucas Paqueta (10) are in sync. Defensively the trio aimed to nullify Manchester City’s threat via the right flank. When West Ham were in possession, Alvarez occasionally played in a back three with Aguerd and Zouma. But, as seen in the graphic below, Alvarez’s main responsibility was to play the anchor role in front of West Ham’s defence. It is the role he played in victories against Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town. From the 1st to the 68th minute, Manchester City’s average team position was much higher than their opponents. Right-back Kyle Walker (2) was in an advanced position, so too was Josko Gvardiol (24). Manuel Akanji (25) was on the halfway line, while Ruben Dias (3) was deeper. It is worth keeping an eye on Erling Haaland’s (9) position as it changes dramatically when Alvarez is substituted. The midfielder points to his right thigh when Soucek approaches him. Alvarez walks off the field but his departure results in West Ham losing their defensive solidity. From the 69th to the 90th minute plus added time, the home side become exposed down the right flank. Emerson (33), Paqueta (10) and Ward-Prowse are no longer in sync. Aguerd (27) and Zouma (4) are further apart and Soucek (28) is way too deep. No one is able to replicate the anchor role in Alvarez’s absence. Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, uses this to his advantage and makes a tactical tweak. He plays Walker (2) more centrally, with Gvardiol (24) and Akanji (25) joining Dias (3) in deeper roles. But the two biggest changes are Silva (20) playing further out wide and Haaland’s average position being in the penalty area. Here are two examples of how West Ham struggled without Alvarez. Five minutes after Silva scored to make it 2-1, Manchester City are on the attack again. Notice the space in the middle with Ward-Prowse unable to match Haaland’s pace. Zouma and Aguerd are closing down Walker, which leaves Vladimir Coufal in a vulnerable position. Walker spirits past Zouma and threads a pass to Haaland, whose shot is saved by Areola. Once again, Manchester City are on the attack down the right flank. Silva is in possession and there is a moment where Moyes has his head in his hands. He knows what’s about to happen. Zouma, Ward-Prowse and Soucek are out of position. Matheus Nunes’ run attracts Coufal and Aguerd, which results in Silva assisting Haaland for his seventh league goal this season. Alvarez has adapted seamlessly to life at West Ham. In the 22 minutes he was not on the field, his absence was a reminder of how valuable he already is. The Hard Tackle Arthur Vermeeren aware of Barcelona interest in him Arthur Vermeeren is reportedly aware of Barcelona’s interest in him. Manchester United and West Ham United are also keen on signing him. According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Arthur Vermeeren knows about Barcelona being interested in him. The Catalan giants view the 18-year-old as a long-term midfield solution. Meanwhile, Manchester United and West Ham United are also keen on signing the Royal Antwerp prospect. Arthur Vermeeren is one of the best young midfielders in the world. The 18-year-old, who began his youth career at Lierse SK, has risen to prominence since joining Royal Antwerp. He rose through the ranks at the club before breaking into the first-team squad in the early days of the 2023/24 season. The Belgian midfield sensation has grown in stature to become a regular at the Bosuilstadion. And Vermeeren has already made nine appearances thus far this season for his club while chipping in with two assists. Meanwhile, the youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of high-profile clubs. Several Premier League clubs have been keeping tabs on the teenage wonderkid since his days in the Royal Antwerp Academy. But recent reports have heavily linked Vermeeren with Barcelona. Meanwhile, he is also a target for Manchester United and West Ham United. The report by SPORT has revealed that the 18-year-old is aware of Barcelona’s interest in him. And with Royal Antwerp set to face the Blaugrana twice in the UEFA Champions League group stage, he is raring to go and showcase his skills in the matches. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s eagerness to sign him is understandable, considering summer signings Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gundogan are on the wrong side of 30. As for Manchester United, the Red Devils need midfield reinforcements amid the uncertainties surrounding Scott McTominay. In addition, Casemiro is in his thirties. Meanwhile, West Ham invested heavily in midfielders this past summer. But with Lucas Paqueta having his future up in the air, they can do with another midfielder. Barcelona might be in the pole position to secure Arthur Vermeeren’s services in 2024. But with Manchester United and West Ham United also interested, the race to sign him will likely heat up in the coming months."

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cheers Alan Newcastle... £52M for Paqueta... Hahahaha! Muppets...

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[Thanks Alan]

Thanks Alan