Sunday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Bayern Munich have given up hope of extending Alphonso Davies' contract past the summer, with Real Madrid keen on the 23-year-old Canada defender. (Relevo - in Spanish), external

Arsenal and Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, 25, has attracted interest from Napoli and Inter Milan. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca, whose side play rivals Inter Milan on Sunday, says he is not thinking about speculation over his future after his side's poor start to the season. (Football Italia), external

Liverpool boss Arne Slot says the club have "moved on" from failing to sign 25-year-old Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer. (Mirror), external

Liverpool are progressing with contract talks for 27-year-old Colombia winger Luis Diaz despite frustrations with the player's representatives over the summer. (Teamtalk), external

Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia says he was not distracted by interest from Arsenal in the summer, although the Gunners could make another move for the 23-year-old Spaniard in the January transfer window. (Mirror), external

Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki is set to sign a new contract until 2027, having been linked with Liverpool, Tottenham and Paris St-Germain. (Foot Mercato, external)

Paris St-Germain have appealed against a decision which would force them to pay France striker Kylian Mbappe, 25 - who moved to Real Madrid this summer - £46m in withheld salary and bonuses from his time at the club. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Newcastle United will sack sporting director Paul Mitchell before considering parting company with manager Eddie Howe if tensions between the pair continue. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United are interesting in Southampton's 18-year-old English winger Tyler Dibling but the south coast club are planning to extend his contract. (GiveMeSport), external

Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg, 17, is another youngster on Manchester United's radar, with the Old Trafford club viewing the England youth international as the 'new Jude Bellingham'. (HITC), external

Former Barcelona boss Xavi says he has received some interesting calls but is not yet ready for a return to management. (Revelo - in Spanish)




Sky Paper Talk

EVENING STANDARD

Arne Slot has insisted Liverpool have "moved on" from Martin Zubimendi after claims the midfielder regretted his decision not to join the club.

Emile Smith Rowe has revealed his confidence is high at Fulham after scoring in their 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Chelsea's co-owners put on a united front to celebrate Saturday's victory over West Ham, as Enzo Maresca hailed Nicolas Jackson's "fantastic" display.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

William Saliba and Gabriel are on the threshold of joining great centre-half pairings, writes Jamie Carragher.

Manchester City are working closely with FIFA to sell the Club World Cup to broadcasters despite the possibility they could be banned from next summer's competition for breaching the Premier League's financial rules.

Solihull Moors women's team have spoken out about their treatment by the club, saying they have faced "neglect, broken promises and a lack of respect".

Lewis Hamilton has sensationally urged Max Verstappen not to carry out what he described as a "joke" of a community service order from the FIA for swearing, with the Dutch driver effectively going on strike in what was a bizarre post-qualifying press conference in Singapore.

THE ATHLETIC

Paris Saint-Germain have appealed a decision which would force them to pay former striker Kylian Mbappe €55m in withheld salary and bonuses from his time at the club.

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City's rivals want the club "wiped off the face of the Earth" over their 115 Premier League charges.

Unai Emery has said Aston Villa captain John McGinn is set to be unavailable for "a few weeks" due to a hamstring injury.

Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera is facing scans this week amid fears he could have suffered a serious knee injury in the defeat at Aston Villa.

Donald Trump's former lawyer Joe Tacopina is leading a consortium that wants to buy English League Two side Tranmere Rovers and replicate Wrexham's star-fuelled climb up the table.

DAILY EXPRESS

Manchester United are reportedly interested in Southampton teenager Tyler Dibling.

Chelsea's joy after beating West Ham on Saturday may be shortlived after Wesley Fofana sparked injury concerns following the final whistle.

Jose Mourinho reportedly did not attend his post-match press conference and walked out of the stadium after his Fenerbahce side lost 3-1 to Turkish rivals Galatasaray.

DAILY RECORD

James Forrest says Celtic's squad is one of the best he has ever been part of - and revealed he is ready to sign up for another year under Brendan Rodgers.

Steven Naismith insists he still believes he can turn Hearts' rotten form round - despite furious fans chanting for his head as their losing run hit eight games against St Mirren.

SCOTTISH SUN

An Inverness fan had to fill in for an injured linesman for the last 25 minutes of his team's League One draw with Cove Rangers.



The Guardian

Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer fire Chelsea to emphatic win at West Ham

John Brewin at the London Stadium

Yet another Chelsea away victory, more positive signs for Enzo Maresca and the sight of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali sitting together in the stand. If harmony has broken out at Chelsea, then we need to talk about West Ham.

After two home defeats, the East End jury was already out on Julen Lopetegui. Many Hammers fans were behind phasing out David Moyes to get in an adventurous continental replacement. That the Basque is not one of Europe’s great football liberals has already been noticed.

Can he organise a defence? Certainly not against Chelsea. Their goals came via great aching gaps, straight through the gate. There was zero defensive rigour in Nicolas Jackson’s early goal, the two that followed were much the same. “A very soft way to lose,” said Lopetegui.

For that first, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the right-back, had been looking in the other direction as Jackson was sent away by a quick free-kick from Jadon Sancho to beat Alphonse Areola. Two games, two assists for Sancho, though like last week at Bournemouth, the scorer left with plenty to do.

Christopher Nkunku, match-winner at the Vitality, stayed on the bench until the second half as Sancho received a first start. Chelsea, with their eye for a deal, believe they have pulled off a coup with Sancho’s loan and cut-price transfer fee. Perhaps chaos at Chelsea suits Sancho more than dysfunction at Manchester United. Footballers can be funny like that.

Eighteen minutes in and Lopetegui was raging on the sidelines. In Jackson, the rawest of materials, Chelsea have a useful striker, or at least an asset who can be cashed in for more than he cost, as is the corporate priority at Stamford Bridge.

Toothless at Bournemouth, he was excellent here, his second goal taken expertly with the outside of his boot. Moisés Caicedo had – too easily – jabbed a through ball into the striker’s path. “It was a good finish,” as the scorer said. “It’s not just that they scored the goals,” said Maresca of Jackson and Cole Palmer, his later goalscorer. “The way they played off the ball was important.”

Chelsea are still hardly watertight. As at Bournemouth, even when running riot at Wolves, they remain vulnerable to opponents running beyond their midfield.

They were fortunate, too. The PGMOL chief, Howard Webb, has explaining to do after VAR Stuart Attwell ruled Wesley Fofana’s manhandling of Crysencio Summerville was “fleeting”, a ruling Lopetegui was unwilling to discuss: “It’s only one excuse.”

Just as red-faced as Moyes, who happened to be covering the match as a TV pundit in Doha, ever could be, Lopetegui had seen enough. Tomas Soucek replaced the anonymous Guido Rodríguez after 38 minutes. “If a coach changes a player in the first half, it is not the fault of the player, it is the fault of the coach,” said Lopetegui.

Within 70 seconds of the restart, the three points were heading fully westwards. As Maximilian Kilman back-pedalled, he was foxed by Jackson’s intelligent pass. Palmer is too good a finisher to let such an opportunity pass. For all the attacking talent Chelsea have stockpiled, each goal was wholly preventable.

“They have the right to complain, the only solution is to do better,” said Lopetegui of the boos greeting Chelsea’s third and Summerville’s substitution.

Another Hammers malfunction is that the best of Jarrod Bowen comes off the flanks, not when asked to hold up the ball centrally. Not that he received much service. “We were never in the game, which is an awful thing to say,” he said.

Lopetegui replaced Lucas Paquetá, a disappointment under the new regime, with Andy Irving, a mysterious Scot signed from Austria Klagenfurt a year ago making his Hammers bow. He arrived into a zombified contest. That West Ham’s season has started with three straight home league defeats, an unwelcome club record, had long been decided.

For Chelsea, celebrations in the away dressing room, both co-owners poking their noses in. “It’s always good when we win a game for them,” said Maresca. “They were all happy … I think we are on the right path. This is a long journey. It looks like everything is fine, but not everything is fine. We could attack better, we could defend better.”

 

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[chim chim cha boo]

A tough read but not as as bad as actually watching it.

Cheers Alan, you do a great and sometimes unheralded service and I can't imagine the shit you have to wade through after a poxy performance like that so some of us don't have to.

[Coffee one sugar]

Thanks, Alan.