Monday newspapers (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

"BBC Manchester United are weighing up a move for Atletico Madrid's Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak, 30, if they decide to show Cameroonian Andre Onana, 27, the exit door after his poor start to life at Old Trafford. (Fichajes - in Spanish) Everton and Manchester United are among the clubs monitoring the progress of 19-year-old Blackburn midfielder Adam Wharton. (Alan Nixon via Teamtalk) Liverpool would be willing to accept a big offer for Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara, 32, in January. (Football Insider) Some Arsenal players' positions could be under threat with 16-year-old English midfielders Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly set to break into the first team in the next two years. (Express) Liverpool are still keen on Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes even though the 25-year-old Brazilian has verbally agreed a new contract at St James' Park. (Fabrizio Romano via Caughtoffside) Manchester United cannot rule out Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani making a sixth offer to buy the club from the Glazer family. (Express) Paul Heckingbottom's job as Sheffield United manager is safe despite the 46-year-old having seen his side thrashed 8-0 by Newcastle (Talksport) Paris St-Germain have not held any secret negotiations with Kylian Mbappe, 24, over his future and no meetings are currently planned despite the France striker's contract expiring next year and Real Madrid's longstanding interest. (Le Parisien - in French and subscription required) Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande is happy at Sporting Lisbon despite interest in the 19-year-old from Arsenal and Manchester City. (O Bola - in Portuguese) But Arsenal say they will continue their pursuit of Diomande, who is tied to a ¬£70m release clause. (Express) Everton are set to revive their interest in Belgium midfielder Adnan Januzaj, with Sevilla willing to sell the 27-year-old to the Blues in January. (Fichajes - in Spanish) AC Milan's English defender Fikayo Tomori, 25, turned down a move to Paris St-Germain during the summer. (Calciomercato - in Italian) Aston Villa remain in talks with striker Ollie Watkins, 27, over a new contract. (Express & Star) Sky Paper Talk THE SUN Manchester United and Newcastle are both battling it out to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, according to reports. Marcus Rashford rushed to help a woman driver after a horror crash in his ¬£700,000 Rolls-Royce. Paul Pogba and Rashford turned down the Manchester United captaincy under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sources say. Mohamed Salah has provided a never-seen-before insight into his Liverpool contract talks as part of a Harvard study. Manchester United sent scouts to watch Porto play, according to reports in Portugal. Swansea's versatile forward Liam Cullen is a likely target for Blackburn. Sheffield United are sweating about Daniel Jebbison signing a new contract. Crystal Palace are after Leeds's brilliant teen midfielder Archie Gray. DAILY MIRROR Erik ten Hag admitted he was forced to leave defender Lisandro Martinez out of his squad for the 1-0 win at Burnley on Saturday. The brother of a man executed in Saudi Arabia has issued an open letter to Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson pleading with them to speak out about the nation's human rights abuses. Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Todd Boehly and the Chelsea hierarchy are ""disappointed"" with the club's current plight after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa. DAILY MAIL Eyebrows were raised by some at Old Trafford when Erik ten Hag took four goalkeepers to Munich for last week's Champions League clash with Bayern. Harry Kane toasted his first Bundesliga hat-trick by taking part in Munich's world-famous Oktoberfest celebrations at the weekend. Mikel Arteta explained his decision to drop Aaron Ramsdale to the bench for Arsenal's north London derby clash against Tottenham is due to how the Gunners 'want to play on the day'. Manchester City have sold out of season tickets for their women's team within a week of them going on sale. A new law in the US could mean that fans who have taken up the habit of making a quick buck from reselling tickets for hundreds of dollars to Inter Miami games will be taxed by the IRS in 2024. THE ATHLETIC England defender Lucy Bronze has expressed her relief at a deal on bonuses and back pay being struck with the Football Association (FA) after months of negotiations. Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique says Kylian Mbappe's injury is ""not serious"". DAILY EXPRESS Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali reportedly entered the dressing room after the Blues suffered yet another Premier League defeat. Rob McElhenney offered some words of encouragement to his Wrexham players after they slumped to a 5-0 defeat. Elena Rybakina has criticised the WTA following a last-minute rule change to performance byes. Las Vegas is expected to be F1's biggest race of 2023 but drivers won't be able to enjoy it to the fullest due to the packed calendar, says Williams' Alex Albon. Novak Djokovic's career was at a crossroads in 2018 following three consecutive losses, with the Serbian mulling over retirement. THE TELEGRAPH Eddie Jones held a secret meeting at the end of last month with the Japanese Rugby Football Union about becoming the national side's next head coach, despite having four years left on his contract with the Wallabies. Five-try winger Henry Arundell is expected to be allowed to represent England during the Six Nations despite having signed for French club Racing 92. Sam Hain admitted that he struggled to sleep before hitting 89 on his England debut against Ireland on Saturday. THE TIMES Eddie Jones told Rugby Australia he did not speak to Japan about a return to the role he filled from 2012 to 2015. THE GUARDIAN The Football Association is facing claims of double standards after a Guardian investigation revealed that the owner of a Premier League club may have benefited from bets on the game placed in his own name. SCOTTISH SUN Wigan striker Josh Stones is in a tug-of-war between England and Scotland. Jota's transfer from Celtic to Al-Ittihad will be the subject of an internal club investigation, according to reports in Saudi Arabia. Darren O'Dea has pulled out of the running to be the next Inverness boss. DAILY RECORD Malik Tillman has issued an apology to his PSV Eindhoven teammates after being dropped by boss Peter Bosz for missing a night game due to oversleeping. Guardian Darwin N???±ez and Diogo Jota fire Liverpool to win against West Ham Andy Hunter at Anfield Something is growing at Liverpool in the supremely qualified opinion of J?ºrgen Klopp. That judgment applies to expectations at Anfield this season, as well as the development of his refreshed, gifted and hungry team. West Ham were comfortably eclipsed as Liverpool registered a sixth successive win in all competitions with plenty to spare. David Moyes‚Äôs visitors started brightly and deserved to head in level at the interval. Once Liverpool‚Äôs quality on the ball improved in the second half, however, West Ham were subdued and unable to contain the movement around them. Moyes‚Äôs long wait for a first win at Anfield goes on. Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the lead from the penalty spot ‚Äì he has now scored in 12 of his team‚Äôs last 13 home games ‚Äì before second-half goals from Darwin N???±ez and substitute Diogo Jota made Jarrod Bowen‚Äôs equaliser a distant consolation. Michail Antonio‚Äôs confident boast that West Ham will finish above Liverpool looks seriously misplaced on current evidence. Jarrod Bowen had headed in from Vladimir Coufal's cross to bring West Ham level in the game ‚ÄúIt was a difficult game, like we expected,‚Äù said Klopp. ‚ÄúWe had good moments in the first half but were not in control to deny them completely. We lost some balls we shouldn‚Äôt have lost and when they scored I was not completely surprised. ‚ÄúWe didn‚Äôt concede first this time but we conceded anyway, and that‚Äôs not great, and the reaction was top. That‚Äôs important because we have to be a team that‚Äôs difficult to deal with. ‚ÄúWe were better in possession in the second half. At 2-1 up we had our best phase of the game. We kept West Ham calm with our ball possession, which is the best way to protect. I saw a lot of good stuff today.‚Äù West Ham were in the ascendancy and could have been two goals ahead when they presented Liverpool with an early lead. A loose header from James Ward-Prowse was intercepted by Curtis Jones and the hosts countered through Luis D??az. His low cross clipped N???±ez‚Äôs heel and Nayef Aguerd, wrong-footed as a result, conceded the clearest of penalties with a trip on Salah. Salah picked himself up to send Alphonse Areola the wrong way from the spot. It was a timely break for Liverpool, who were indebted to Alisson for a superb goalline save from a Tomas Soucek header and a glaring miss from Antonio, heading well wide from the Czech midfielder‚Äôs inviting cross, for not having to come from behind once again. Dominik Szoboszlai was decorating the contest with touches of class, matching his talent with a prodigious work rate, and Liverpool pressed for the comfort of a second goal. Virgil van Dijk shot over when picked out by an Andy Robertson corner. Salah swept a first time shot wide from D??az‚Äôs layoff. But a second remained elusive and West Ham carried a persistent threat in the form of Lucas Paquet?°, Bowen and Antonio. All three were involved in a fine and merited equaliser shortly before the break. Bowen headed Paquet?°‚Äôs lofted ball into the path of Antonio, who released Vladimir Coufal down the right with a perfectly weighted pass. The full-back threaded a cross between two Liverpool defenders and Bowen, launching himself in front of Van Dijk, steered a superb diving header in off Alisson‚Äôs right post. Szoboszlai was unfortunate not to have a glorious assist when arcing a stunning pass behind the West Ham defence for Jones to volley home. The midfielder had just strayed offside when the Hungary international spotted an option that few others could see. A similar routine restored Liverpool‚Äôs lead on the hour, however. This time Alexis Mac Allister floated a beautiful pass over Aguerd and N???±ez, pulling off the shoulder of the last defender, guided an acrobatic volley beyond Areola. An excellent goal was reward for the centre-forward‚Äôs tireless shift plus his refusal to be affected by a glaring miss when unmarked in front of goal five minutes earlier. Bowen, who returned to team training after illness only on Saturday, missed a good opening early in the second half too, heading a Ward-Prowse free-kick straight at the Liverpool goalkeeper from inside the six-yard area. It was a costly miss as West Ham struggled to match the home side‚Äôs intensity or composure in possession thereafter. Liverpool added the third their second-half dominance deserved late on from a Robertson corner. Van Dijk soared above the West Ham defence to head the delivery back across goal and Jota, perfectly placed five minutes after his introduction from the bench, swept in from close range. Moyes reflected: ‚ÄúWe did a lot of good things today but I come away from here saying the same things too often. I‚Äôm sick of saying it. We ran both Manchester City and Liverpool close in the last two games but we gave three goals away in the second half against City and two away in the second half today. ‚ÄúI have to find a way to put in the same energy levels in the second half as the first, but overall it has been a really good start to the season by us.‚Äù The Athletic Bowen is taking his game to the next level - West Ham need to make sure they benefit The winger has worked hard to improve his game - and it is paying off - but uncertainty about his long-term future remains Roshane Thomas Another goal, another eye-catching performance and another reminder of why Jarrod Bowen‚Äôs long-term future remains a priority for West Ham United. The winger, who scored in the 3-1 loss away to Liverpool, is in the final two years of his existing deal and talks over a contract extension have stalled for over a year with no resolution. Discussions are ongoing and Bowen‚Äôs form is making it an increasingly important issue for the club to resolve. Bowen is the first player to score in West Ham‚Äôs opening four away games in a top-flight campaign since Vic Watson in 1929-30. The 26-year-old scored his fourth goal of the season against a club that admires his ability. Liverpool have a reported interest in the attacker and at Anfield he showed why he remains a key player for West Ham. The winger could have scored twice but missed a header from close range. Having failed to score a header in 2022-23, Bowen has markedly improved the aerial aspect of his game, with his effort at Anfield evidence of this. He also converted a diving header in the 2-1 win against Luton Town. Bowen struggled to train last week having suffered a stomach bug and was not in the matchday squad for their Europa League group-stage win against TSC Backa Topola. ‚ÄúHe‚Äôd been ill since the weekend ‚Äî we‚Äôd come back after the game and he‚Äôd not trained,‚Äù said manager David Moyes. ‚ÄúHe was in on Friday and trained on his own and then yesterday he joined us. We‚Äôre needing him. He had a chance with a header as well in the second half. I actually think we played quite well today and did a lot of good things. ‚ÄúJarrod is a lot better than maybe he is given credit for. He‚Äôs got a lot of things he‚Äôs improving on and he‚Äôs getting quicker and stronger. He‚Äôs in good form and we need him, like we did at the end of last season. He‚Äôs started the campaign really well.‚Äù Since joining from Hull City in January 20220, Bowen has scored 44 goals in 164 appearances for West Ham; it is no surprise Moyes has plans to convert the winger into a centre-forward. The biggest takeaway, however, is how Bowen‚Äôs form differs from this time last season. At this stage of 2022-23, with six Premier League games played, Bowen was yet to score, had only attempted 11 shots, had an expected goals (xG) total of 1, and an xG of 0.09 per shot after 534 minutes played in the league. This campaign, however, he has scored against Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Liverpool. He has registered 16 shots, his xG is 2.8, with an xG of 0.18 per shot after 540 minutes played. After the heroics of his winner against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final, Bowen continues to show why he remains a reliable presence in front of goal. After training sessions, it is not uncommon for Bowen to watch video clips of Arjen Robben, a player who operated in a similar position for Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. When watching these clips, Bowen observes how Robben ‚Äî who was predominantly left-footed ‚Äî could glide past defenders and attempt shots and crosses with his weaker right foot. Bowen aims to mimic the Dutchman in feeling comfortable using his weaker foot, as West Ham staff felt his tendency to cut in on his left meant he posed less of a threat. Now the aerial aspect of his game is another attribute he has unlocked. ‚ÄúI always want to get in the box when the ball is wide, and the ball just came in and it was low,‚Äù said Bowen. ‚ÄúIt was my first instinct to head the ball and watching it go into the bottom corner was nice, but it counts for nothing (as West Ham lost the match) so I can‚Äôt be too happy about it. ‚ÄúI always want to score goals and get assists and create as I feel I can bring things to the team going forward.‚Äù Should Bowen maintain this form, he could put himself in contention for the national team, impressing England manager Gareth Southgate ahead of fixtures against Australia and Italy in October. Bowen, who earned the last of his four caps in June 2022 against Hungary, was overlooked by Southgate for recent fixtures against Ukraine and Scotland. While the defeat to Liverpool was disappointing considering the number of chances West Ham created, Bowen showed he is clinical and deserving of an England call-up ‚Äî and a new and improved contract extension."

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[Thanks Alan]

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