Monday newspapers ( includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants to make a move for West Ham and Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd next summer, but he will face competition from Manchester City for the 27-year-old. (Sun) Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rejected the chance to take charge of the Norway women's national team. (Mirror) Real Madrid are targeting a move for Bayern Munich and Canada defender Alphonso Davies, 22, next summer. (Marca - in Spanish) Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all tried to sign Marco Verratti, 30, from Paris St-Germain this summer. (Football Transfers) The Italy midfielder is now set to join Qatari side Al Arabi from PSG for 45m euros (£38.7m). (Fabrizio Romano) Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is due to speak with Jadon Sancho on Monday for the first time since the manager accused the England winger, 23, of not doing enough to merit a place in the club's starting line-up. (Telegraph - subscription required) Tottenham are on the verge of signing Hajduk Split's Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic,who had been linked with Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Manchester City, but the 16-year-old will not join Spurs until the summer of 2025. (Standard) Barcelona boss Xavi is set to sign a new contract at the club this week. (Fabrizio Romano) Aston Villa are keen to sign Spanish attacker Alex Baena, 22, from manager Unai Emery's former club Villarreal. (Fichajes - in Spanish) Inter Milan rejected approaches from Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United for Italy midfielder Nicolo Barella this summer, but the 26-year-old could be available for around £77m next year. (Caught Offside) Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28, has told Fulham he wants to leave the club for Bayern Munich in January, after a summer move collapsed. (Teamtalk) Southampton's29-year-old Nigeria striker Paul Onuachu has arrived in Turkey to complete a loan move to Trabzonspor. (Daily Echo) Sky Paper Talk THE SUN Liverpool and Manchester City are both monitoring West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd ahead of next summer. Gareth Southgate has revealed he twice had to convince Kyle Walker not to retire from international football. Fans have slammed "incompetent" Manchester United for being unable to sell Rasmus Hojlund shirts for over a month. That's because the Red Devils struggled to get a special Danish letter in stock. United have seen their debts hit £1bn for the first time as uncertainty around a takeover continues. DAILY MIRROR Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rejected the chance to take charge of the Norway women's team. Gareth Southgate has admitted England looked at trying to snap up Brighton sensation Evan Ferguson. Three Lions boss Southgate says they have long since given up on trying to get the Republic of Ireland striker to follow the likes of Jack Grealish and Declan Rice in pledging their international futures to England. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been mentioned in connection with the German national team job, but his previous comments about the post suggest he won't be in the frame after Hansi Flick's sacking. Southgate has tipped Harry Maguire to earn more minutes at Manchester United in the coming weeks despite a mixed display against Ukraine on Saturday. DAILY MAIL John Obi Mikel has quipped that Chelsea need to 'bring back' some of the club's retired stars. Marco Verratti is set to sign for Saudi Pro League side Al Arabi after a verbal agreement has been reached with the player, according to reports. THE TIMES Manchester United have placed Antony on a leave of absence to "address allegations of assault" that have been made against the Brazilian winger. Stuart Broad has hailed Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff as a legend of the game and says his presence among the England coaching staff will be an "inspiration" for the players. DAILY TELEGRAPH Marina Granovskaia has returned to Chelsea twice over the past month, but the club's former director was not a guest of the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly owners on either occasion. Wayne Rooney will have to wait until the end of the MLS season to find out if DC United are willing to offer him a contract extension to stay on as manager as he admitted he "can't stop speculation" linking him with a move to Birmingham City. Rugby fans have slammed "shambolic" food-and-drink service at World Cup venues across France, with many claiming that stadiums are running out of beer mid-match. Mick Bennett, race director at the Tour of Britain, has hit back at criticism of this year's race after Jumbo-Visma's Wout van Aert was crowned winner of the 2023 edition at Caerphilly Castle on Sunday. THE ATHLETIC Manchester United's singing section at Old Trafford will not take part in their upcoming matches against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray after being led to believe they have been classified as a 'risk group'. DAILY RECORD Gareth Southgate has confirmed England are trying to steal Elliot Anderson from under Steve Clarke's nose. England are using Rangers' Auchenhowie training facility as a base ahead of the friendly with Scotland at Hampden on Tuesday. SCOTTISH SUN Nick Montgomery will be named as Hibs boss on Monday. A £50,000 compensation deal has landed the 41-year-old from Aussie A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners. The Athletic West Ham’s patience with Nayef Aguerd is paying off By Roshane Thomas Nayef Aguerd’s loyalty to West Ham United was tested this summer. The defender received offers from a club in the Saudi Pro League and two unnamed European suitors. But, on each occasion, Aguerd informed his representatives he was happy at West Ham and had no interest in leaving. Al Ittihad, managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, showed late interest in the 27-year-old but failed to make an offer. Aguerd joined David Moyes’ side from Rennes in June 2022 for €31million (£26.7m; $31m), which could rise to €35million with add-ons. The defender appreciates the patience shown by Moyes and the physio team when he was sidelined for four months with an ankle injury in his debut season, and wants to repay that faith by excelling over a full season with West Ham. The manager was so keen to bring in Aguerd’s technical qualities as a left-footed centre-back that he waited 12 months to sign him. “I spoke to Eddie Howe (Newcastle United’s manager) about it and we thought that, in that price range, Sven Botman and Aguerd were the two best left-footed centre-backs in France,” said Moyes. “We (West Ham) were watching both of them, but we went with Aguerd because we watched him the year before and stuck with it because we liked him.” Aguerd, whose contract expires in the summer of 2027, resisted interest from other clubs after playing an important role in West Ham avoiding relegation and winning the Europa Conference League. But it has not been easy for him. The defender sustained an injury in last summer’s pre-season loss away to Rangers. After the match, he had an MRI scan on his left ankle and West Ham’s medical team sought the opinion of James Calder, a renowned surgeon at the Fortius Clinic in London. Calder advised Aguerd to have surgery if he wanted to be fit for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The defender worked with three physios and a personal trainer at his national team’s camp to aid his recovery. He featured against Silkeborg, Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City before the start of the tournament. When Aguerd discovered he had been named in Morocco’s 26-man squad, he sent Calder a signed shirt in thanks. The defender’s performances during the World Cup duly highlighted why he is such a sought-after talent. Aguerd helped his country achieve their best result at a World Cup, finishing fourth overall. Morocco only conceded once when Aguerd was in the starting XI — his own goal against Canada. In recognition of their achievements in Qatar as Africa’s first World Cup semi-finalists, King Mohammed VI honoured the team once the tournament was complete. Since recovering from his ankle injury, Aguerd’s availability has not been an issue. But with Morocco qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, he could miss more than four games across January and February. Until then, his focus will be on helping West Ham maintain their league form and seal qualification from the group stage of the Europa League. Before returning to Rush Green for pre-season in July, Aguerd trained with Noe Vendrells, a performance coach, to ensure he was in the best shape. They worked together for four days in Marrakesh, the sessions encompassing lower and upper body workouts, high vertical jumps, running and passing drills. Aguerd’s hard work was rewarded when he scored a leaping header in the 3-1 home victory against Chelsea. The centre-back, who was shown a red card in that win, was suspended for the next league game away to Brighton & Hove Albion. Angelo Ogbonna replaced him in another 3-1 victory and played well alongside Zouma, suppressing the threat of Evan Ferguson. But despite Ogbonna impressing, Moyes restored Aguerd to the starting XI in the subsequent 2-1 win against Premier League newcomers Luton Town — a measure of his standing. The defender completed the most passes (68) by any outfield player at Kenilworth Road. Moyes’ options in central defence are Aguerd, Zouma, Ogbonna, Thilo Kehrer and summer signing Konstantinos Mavropanos. The latter has recovered from a minor injury and returned to action by scoring twice in Greece’s 5-0 European Championship qualifier victory over Gibraltar. Yet, on the evidence of Aguerd and Zouma’s performances to date, Mavropanos will have to bide his time. Aguerd and Zouma, close friends, have formed a solid defensive partnership and appear to be first choice. The duo have started 10 league games together, with West Ham winning five, drawing two and losing three. Moyes’ side have kept three clean sheets with Aguerd and Zouma as the defensive duo and have scored 19 goals. Before Aguerd’s solitary goal in the 1-0 win over Southampton in April, Zouma gave his team-mate much-needed motivation. The 11-cap France international, hoping to provoke a response, told Aguerd he would never score at the London Stadium. The defender responded by scoring twice in his next five league games. “Since Nayef joined, I have tried to help him because he did not know England very well,” said Zouma. “But he has settled in very well. We are like a family here and we all help each other as much as possible.” French speakers Aguerd, Zouma, Kehrer, Alphonse Areola, Maxwel Cornet and Said Benrahma have formed a close bond. That has helped Aguerd feel so settled — much to Moyes’ and West Ham’s delight. Sun HAMMER BLOW Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp lining up transfer raid on West Ham but will face competition from Man City Jack Rosser LIVERPOOL and Manchester City are both monitoring West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd ahead of next summer. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is said to be planning a defensive rebuild following this summer's overhaul of his midfield. And Morocco international Aguerd is being closely watched by recruitment chiefs at Anfield. The 27-year-old, who scored and was sent off in West Ham's win over Chelsea last month, arrived at the London Stadium from Rennes in a £30million deal last summer. Aguerd was viewed as a key addition to David Moyes' back four as a left-footed defender, bringing balance to the central pairing. A pre-season injury, having just joined the Hammers, was a huge blow and contributed to their poor start to the Premier League season. Having returned in the final game before the World Cup break, where he was again injured with Morocco, Aguerd went on to start 17 league games last season. His impressive form has attracted interest and with Klopp looking to invest at the back in the next summer window, Aguerd will be high on the list. Two of Liverpool's four central defenders are over 30, with Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip both 32. Joe Gomez is 26 but has struggled to establish himself when given the chance, while Ibrahima Konate is 24 but has struggled with injuries. Klopp could face competition from rivals City, who admire Aguerd but have a less pressing need to invest at the back. Aguerd was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this week but there was no chance of the Hammers selling such a key asset this summer. The Moroccan has amassed a total of three goals in 33 appearances with West Ham ever since his arrival last year.

[Texas Iron]

CHEERS...

[Vexed]

Those articles are gonna make resident football genius Smeary Cheese Vent apoplectic with rage.

[Thanks Alan]

Heavi995 11:51 Mon Sep 11

[Heavi995]

Thanks Alan