Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC Manchester City are monitoring in-form Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, 18, in the belief the Republic of Ireland forward can play alongside Erling Haaland. (inews) France forward Kylian Mbappe, 24, is reportedly open to the idea of joining Liverpool next summer as he looks for a 2024 departure from Paris St-Germain. (L'Equipe - in French, subscription required) Manchester United have opened talks about extending right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka's contract after the Englishman, 25, impressed boss Erik ten Hag with his progress this year. (Telegraph - subscription required) Manchester United are also said to have an interest in Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28, and could move for the Portugal international in January. (Athletic - subscription required) Liverpool were willing to swap Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, 24, for Portugal winger Joao Felix this summer but the 23-year-old snubbed the Reds, Manchester United and Aston Villa to force through a loan move to Barcelona from La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish) The two main bidders in the Manchester United takeover race say they have not been told the club will be taken off the market despite a £600m drop in the Red Devils' share price. (Mail) Chelsea and England forward Raheem Sterling, 28, will not retire from international football despite again being omitted from Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad. (Telegraph - subscription required) Everton and Jamaica winger Demarai Gray, 27, is expected to leave Goodison Park to sign a four-year deal with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. (Fabrizio Romano) West Ham are locked in a battle with Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahce to sign 30-year-old free agent Jesse Lingard, the former Manchester United and England midfielder. (Football Insider) Denmark midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, 23, turned down a £25m move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Liverpool and joined Napoli instead because he will get more game time at the Serie A champions. (Tipsbladet - in Danish) Chelsea want full-back Ian Maatsen to sign a new long-term deal at Stamford Bridge after the 21-year-old Dutchman turned down a £31m transfer deadline-day move to former loan club Burnley. (Fabrizio Romano) Jorginho's agent says the Italy midfielder, 31, will stay at Arsenal despite interest from Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig, where the transfer window remains open until 15 September. (Tutto Mercato - in Italian) Frenchman Christophe Galtier, 57, sacked by Paris St-Germain in July despite winning the Ligue 1 title, is set to return to management by replacing Hernan Crespo as boss of Qatari side Al-Duhail. (RMC Sport - in French) Sky Paper Talk THE INDEPENDENT Manchester City are reportedly plotting to sign Brighton forward Evan Ferguson. DAILY MAIL Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is under increasing pressure to keep his position as first-choice 'keeper with David Raya in line for a run in the first team. Sergio Ramos is said to have snubbed last-minute interest from Manchester United, according to reports. Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has reportedly been cleared to make his senior England debut after a scan confirmed he had not suffered an injury. Hansi Flick's future in charge of the German national team could hinge on success against France and Japan, according to reports. Joe Lewis, the British billionaire whose family trust owns a majority share in Tottenham Hotspur, is not expected to re-appear in a New York courtroom until January over his alleged role in a 'brazen' insider trading scheme. The ECB has shelved plans to increase match fees for England's men in favour of offering up to eight two-year central contracts to top players for the first time. Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Mark Wood are expected to be offered those deals in the first wave. King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to be in attendance to watch their horse Desert Hero run in the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday week. THE TIMES England white-ball head coach Matthew Mott has given the strongest indication yet that batsman Harry Brook could yet be included in the squad for the World Cup in India next month. THE GUARDIAN The England cricketer Sarah Glenn has called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to introduce equal pay for women's cricket umpires and said she was "surprised" by the huge disparity in fees between the men's and women's game. THE SUN Chelsea were interested in signing Manchester United's Jadon Sancho in the summer, reports claim. Nicolas Pepe has been told to leave Arsenal while he still can or spend the rest of the season sitting on his hands. Virgil van Dijk faces an additional one-match ban after audio from his sending-off against Newcastle United was broadcast in the first episode of monthly programme Mic'd Up. More than 3,500 England fans will make the trip to the Polish city of Wroclaw for the Euro qualifier against Ukraine on Saturday. Marcus Smith could line up for England as a full-back at the Rugby World Cup as Steve Borthwick and his coaching staff attempt to find a spot for their "magician". Snooker world champion Luca Brecel has finally been reunited with his missing favourite cue more than three weeks after it went missing on a flight from Seattle to Frankfurt. DAILY MIRROR Manchester United discovered Sofyan Amrabat had a slight back injury before he completed a Deadline Day move to Old Trafford. Ronald Koeman has blasted Ryan Gravenberch, insisting he is "not happy" with Liverpool's new signing refusing to play for the Netherlands Under-21s side. Michael Carrick received a glowing reference from former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney before signing Lewis O'Brien, who had a spell on loan under Rooney at DC United. DAILY EXPRESS Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha was reportedly keen to join Manchester United before last Friday's transfer deadline but ultimately missed out on a move away from Craven Cottage. Jesper Lindstrom has revealed that he turned down a move to Liverpool despite being a Reds supporter before joining Napoli from Eintracht Frankfurt last week. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has escaped a serious injury after concerns over his withdrawal from Sunday's defeat at Arsenal, according to reports. Philippe Coutinho is set to complete his departure from Aston Villa and join Qatari side Al-Duhail. DAILY TELEGRAPH Manchester United have opened talks over extending Aaron Wan-Bissaka's contract following his progress under Erik ten Hag in the last year at Old Trafford. The Rugby World Cup has been plunged into a spying controversy over fears certain teams will deploy espionage tactics in France. Mike Ashley is in detailed negotiations with Yorkshire about buying Headingley Stadium in a £22m-plus deal. Tom Curry is poised to be thrown straight in to Steve Borthwick's England side for their Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina despite being absent for more than three months with hamstring injuries. DAILY RECORD Rangers chairman John Bennett will resist calls to sack manager Michael Beale during the international break despite an outpouring of fan fury following the Old Firm defeat against Celtic. Hibernian will only have to pay a release clause of around £50,000 if they want to appoint current Central Coast Mariners boss Nick Montgomery as their new manager. "Draconian" proposals to curb bus travel to football matches in Scotland, which are already in use in England and Wales, have been slammed by fans and opposition politicians. The Athletic Zouma v Ward-Prowse: Who should wear the captain’s armband? By Roshane Thomas Kurt Zouma may never elicit much sympathy outside West Ham United, but regardless of what you think of him as a person, Zouma the footballer has impressed. Manager David Moyes is yet to name his permanent captain following Declan Rice’s £105million ($132m) switch to Arsenal, but Zouma or James Ward-Prowse, the summer signing from Southampton, are the obvious choices. It was Zouma who had the armband against Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town — three wins in four, leaving West Ham fourth in the Premier League table. Yet after being filmed kicking and slapping his pet cat in February 2022, the thought of Zouma being the captain may be unfathomable for some. Moyes, on the other hand, has supported him since the video emerged in 2022. “He’s incredibly remorseful,” said the Scotsman. “In life, you need a bit of forgiveness and he’s hoping he’s forgiven for a bad action. We mustn’t forget that many of us through our lives make mistakes and you’re hoping there are people out there that are going to give you a little bit of forgiveness.” Zouma apologised for what he did, was fined two weeks’ wages by West Ham, was banned from owning cats for five years, and was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after being found guilty of animal cruelty. “It’s been a tough time for me and for my family,” Zouma told the Evening Standard in June. “We’ve been through a lot. I made a mistake, I know — I made a bad one. I have to say sorry again for what I’ve done, but life is about moving on.” Since joining from Chelsea in August 2021, Zouma has been a key player for Moyes. The centre-back remains a popular member of the squad and over the past four matches has shown the traits of a captain. Before the 2-1 victory against Luton Town, Zouma and Emerson Palmieri did a passing drill during the warm-up. One home fan shouted: “Zouma, you’ve got to kick it like it’s a cat.” When Zouma received treatment for a head injury, the home fans chorused: “That’s how your cat feels.” When Zouma scored from Ward-Prowse’s corner kick, the defender cupped his ears to the Luton Town fans. “For me, Kurt is captain,” Vladimir Coufal said after the Luton win. “Why not (for the rest of the season)? He is wearing the armband. The boss said he will be captain, so he is. It is absolutely not a problem. He has big respect for his career and what he achieved. He is a big personality.” A six-minute YouTube video from West Ham’s in-house media shows some of Zouma’s personality. He films team-mates Aguerd, Thilo Kehrer, Pablo Fornals and Alphonse Areola, all of whom he makes laugh. When he played for Chelsea, Jose Mourinho earmarked him as a future captain. “It will be difficult to find a John (Terry) replica,” said Mourinho. “Sometimes you get replicas of players. Other times you can’t do it. “And if you can’t replace him with a replica, Zouma now is 20 and at 23 or 24 will be a player of great maturity, probably capable of leadership, too, to replace John.” Zouma, who has won 11 caps with France, is 28 now and the only thing that may cause Moyes to favour Ward-Prowse is Zouma’s availability. His injury record has been a cause for concern during his two-year spell at the London Stadium. Zouma missed 12 matches in 2022-23 due to hamstring and knee injuries. In 2021-22, he missed 11 matches with ankle and hamstring complaints. Ward-Prowse, also 28, who has won 11 caps with England, has only missed four matches due to injury since 2016-17. The midfielder appears to have adapted seamlessly to life at West Ham and has registered one goal and three assists in three matches. “I don’t have to say how good he is, everybody in the Premier League and the UK and maybe all over the world knows who James Ward-Prowse is, from his free kicks and corners,” said Coufal. “He is absolutely world-class. He reminds me of Andrea Pirlo (the former AC Milan midfielder and World Cup winner with Italy) or Juninho (the ex-Lyon midfielder). He chooses the spot in the box and he delivers exactly to that spot. It is easy for him. His kicking technique is absolutely amazing.” Ward-Prowse amassed 31 caps for England Under-21s and was appointed captain in 2015. He held the same role at Southampton from 2020-23 and discussed leadership with West Ham’s in-house media upon his arrival. “It’s something I enjoy, I love the responsibility and to try to lead in different ways,” said Ward-Prowse. “With people, I like to be more vocal, but I like to lead by example and bring others with me in the way that I work. I think that’s the most effective form of leadership and, hopefully, I can have an impact with that here.” It was Ralph Hasenhuttl who made the midfielder captain at Southampton. Hasenhuttl often praised him for how he led by example on the pitch. “You have to walk out there and always be a role model,” he said. “When you see Ward-Prowse running and fighting for everything in every game, then this is what a captain should do. Not speaking in the dressing room or telling people how it works, but showing it on the pitch how it works. For me, this is how a captain should be.” Although Zouma and Ward-Prowse are the obvious contenders, Edson Alvarez, Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Coufal are also worth mentioning as leaders in their own right. Moyes has no shortage of options but, following West Ham’s unbeaten start, Zouma has the armband for now. West Ham Football @westhamfootball James Ward Prowse is reported to have suffered a knock in training today, I am told he will have a scan tomorrow but it is not thought to be serious

[Balto]

If true, the news that Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are sniffing around Lingard is music to my ears. One of the new back room staff can drive him to the airport.

[Mex Martillo]

bill green 1:17 Wed Sep 6

[bill green]

Thanks Alan 12:05 Wed Sep 6

[boleyn8420]

That's Ward-Prowse out till Christmas then after the infamous 'not serious' injury quote

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[Thanks Alan]

Thanks Alan