Liverpool manager Arne Slot is willing to sell Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker, 31, and Republic of Ireland's Caoimhin Kelleher, 25, next summer when Valencia and Georgia's Giorgi Mamardashvili, 24, joins the club. (TBR), external
Chelsea will not make a move for Kelleher as head coach Enzo Maresca is content with his current options. (Give Me Sport, external)
Arsenal have made Newcastle and Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, their top attacking target, while the Magpies will consider Everton and England's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 27, and Lille and Canada's Jonathan David, 24, as replacements. (TeamTalk), external
The Gunners are also interested in a move for 19-year-old Real Madrid and Turkey winger Arda Guler. (Sport - in Spanish) , external
Liverpool have renewed their interest in Inter Milan and France forward Marcus Thuram, 27, who has a £70m release clause that is active until the end of the 2027-28 season. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian, external)
Liverpool will target Eintracht Frankfurt and Egypt winger Omar Marmoush, 25, as their replacement for Mohamed Salah. (Give Me Sport), external
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, 42, who has attracted interest from the likes of Real Madrid, will make a decision about his future in March. (Marca - in Spanish), external
The agent of Tottenham Hotspur's Radu Dragusin, 22, has ruled out a loan move for the Romania defender in January, but has hinted of a transfer in the summer. (Tuttomercato - in Italian, external)
Galatasaray are keen to sign Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea captain Son Heung-min, 32, whose contract with the Premier League club expires at the end of the season. (Fanatic - in Turkish, external)
Aston Villa's priority in the January transfer window will be a new centre-back, with Real Betis and Spain's Diego Llorente, 31, on their shortlist. (Football Insider), external
Crystal Palace will target a new attacker in the January transfer window, with funds available after the summer departures of Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen. (Football Insider) , external
Manchester City are exploring a move RB Leipzig and France centre-back Castello Lukeba, 21, as they look to revamp their defence. (Football Transfers, external)
Newcastle are eyeing a move for 17-year-old Sporting and Portugal winger Geovany Quenda, but face competition from Manchester United and Chelsea. (Give Me Sport), external
Arsenal are considering a move for Southampton and Northern Ireland midfielder Shea Charles, 21, who has impressed on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Southampton have registered an interest in Real Madrid and Brazil striker Endrick, 18, alongside Roma and Real Valladolid. (Sport via Mirror), external
Lyon want £25m for France midfielder Rayan Cherki, 21, with Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen among the clubs interested. (Footmercato), external
Barcelona rejected a 250m euros bid for Spain winger Lamine Yamal, 17, from Paris St-Germain in the summer. (El Chiringuito via 90min), external
PSG have denied making the bid, saying they were not in a position to spend that much last summer. (L'Equipe), external
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is in talks to buy Brazil club Vasco da Gama, with any purchase likely to mean former Arsenal sporting director Edu being given a key role. (Telegraph)
Sky Paper Talk
THE SUN
Real Madrid and Brazil prodigy Endrick has been linked with a shock move to Southampton.
Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United have failed because they have played in the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson - instead of in his spirit.
Premier League clubs are approaching £1m in matchday misconduct fines before Christmas.
Saudi Arabia have unveiled new pictures of the King Salman Stadium, with planning well underway for the new national team stadium.
THE TIMES
Aston Villa have backed Manchester City in their battle with the Premier League over sponsorship rules before this week's vote, which is being seen as a watershed moment for the top flight.
Premier League clubs fear that semi-automated offside technology may not be introduced into the top flight this season as testing on its selected system continues.
FIFA has been accused of breaking its own competition rules for the Club World Cup by including two Mexican clubs under the same ownership.
Scotland fly-half Adam Hastings has offered a qualified endorsement of plans for a revolutionary global franchise league, emphasising the potential for both individual players and the sport at large to benefit from American involvement.
THE ATHLETIC
Inter Miami head coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino has resigned due to personal reasons, according to multiple sources.
Wrexham captain James McClean will be allowed to leave the pitch using the shortest route to the tunnel in a bid to improve his safety due to the supporter abuse he receives.
Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha is set to be sidelined for a number of weeks after suffering a torn muscle on international duty.
DAILY MAIL
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was keen to sign Manchester United's £86m flop Antony as a replacement for Mohamed Salah, according to reports.
Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite continues to pique the interest of Manchester United's board and more talks have been held in recent weeks about the feasibility of making a January move for the centre back.
Manchester United are embroiled in a legal dispute with an agent over unpaid fees relating to Ipswich Town defender Axel Tuanzebe.
Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes has addressed interest from Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, but has stressed he is enjoying his time at St James' Park.
The clamour to witness Ruben Amorim's first game in charge of Manchester United has seen Ipswich Town overwhelmed with media requests from every corner of the globe.
DAILY MIRROR
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has shed further light on why Virgil van Dijk left the squad early to return to Liverpool.
Erik ten Hag has returned to his Manchester mansion to collect his things, three weeks after being sacked as Manchester United manager.
Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah is holding up the sale of the Blades by refusing to sign off on the £100m takeover.
Liverpool are eyeing up a move for Marcus Thuram after Arne Slot was left impressed by the forward's burst of goalscoring for Internazionale.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek billionaire owner of Nottingham Forest, is in talks to buy a controlling stake in the historic Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, which would likely yield a key role for the former Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar.
There are no plans from refereeing body the PGMOL to drug test officials in the wake of the David Coote scandal, with UEFA and FIFA currently not enforcing the same measures.
Toto Wolff has clarified the comments he makes in a new book that appear to question Lewis Hamilton's "cognitive sharpness" and "shelf life", saying they have been taken out of context and describing the seven-time world champion as still "very sharp".
Ollie Lawrence believes that scathing criticism he received from Eddie Jones set him on the right path as he prepares to face his former head coach when England host Japan this weekend.
THE GUARDIAN
Premier League clubs are lobbying for a bigger share of football's increasingly lucrative data deal in a move that is likely to further inflame tensions with the English Football League.
The New York Jets' season of upheaval continued on Tuesday with the firing of general manager Joe Douglas.
La Liga has dropped plans to host next month's fixture between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the United States, although the Spanish top flight still intends to host domestic games abroad in future.
Judy Murray has urged British sport to "keep its foot on the gas" and to push harder to ensure equal funding and opportunities for girls and women in sport.
EVENING STANDARD
Arsenal contributed over £500m to the UK economy during the 2022/23 season.
SCOTTISH SUN
Kris Boyd has hit out at Rangers' decision to hand director Nils Koppen a promotion - insisting he has done nothing to earn it.
St Johnstone chief executive Fran Smith has revealed they could give more tickets to Old Firm fans next season.
Hearts are in the market for a striker this January, according to a report.
DAILY RECORD
Rangers face an anxious sweat over the fitness of Neraysho Kasanwirjo.
Departing Rangers chief Creag Robertson is considering an offer to work with James Bisgrove again.
The Athletic
West Ham’s goalkeeper debate: Has distribution and poor form given Fabianski chance to take Areola’s spot?
By Roshane Thomas
West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola enjoys playing the piano in his spare time.
It is a cherished item in his north London mansion. The 31-year-old likes playing songs like River Flows in You by Yiruma and John Legend’s All of Me to his wife Marrion and their three daughters. Areola believes playing the piano helps improve his hand-eye coordination as a goalkeeper.
His handling and agility have rarely been questioned since he initially joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021. Only his distribution is cited as an area of improvement. But the attributes that have made Areola the first-choice goalkeeper since the beginning of last season, are now under the spotlight.
The France international was underwhelming in the 4-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. He was beaten at his near post for Dejan Kulusevski’s opener and a defensive mix-up with Jean-Clair Todibo resulted in an own goal for the third. Areola, whose contract runs to 2027, now faces his toughest test yet to retain the No 1 jersey.
Head coach Julen Lopetegui dropped him for the home win over Manchester United, with Lukasz Fabianski restored to the starting XI. Areola missed the chastening 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest with a minor knock but is expected to be fit for Monday’s fixture at Newcastle United. Fabianski, however, has been solid in Areola’s absence and deserves to keep his spot. Concentration, positioning and organising need to be part of a goalkeeper’s armoury and Fabianski has that.
Forest would have scored more goals were it not for his late goalkeeping heroics. The 39-year-old also helped the side keep their first clean sheet since August during the goalless draw against Everton.
Of the two, it seems Fabianski is better suited to coping with Lopetegui’s preferred style of play.
“For me personally, the start to this season has been one of the most different and demanding ones I’ve had,” Fabianski told the club’s website. “When the head coach came in in the summer, us goalkeepers spent a lot of time working together with the whole team, almost as outfield players, because he puts a lot of emphasis on building up from the back and keeping possession.”
Ball distribution is not one of Areola’s strengths. This was highlighted in Tottenham defeat. He often dithered when in possession, as shown in the graphic below.
Defender Maximilian Kilman, the summer signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers, comes short. Areola has the option to play to the centre-back, but misplaces his pass and it goes out for a throw-in.
The resultant set piece did not lead to an opportunity at goal for Tottenham, but they aimed to capitalise on Areola’s decision-making. Shortly after the restart, Areola, again, has the option to pass to Kilman.
Instead, he plays a long ball to Lucas Paqueta, who struggles to control the pass. After West Ham lose possession, Tottenham launch an attack.
Ten minutes later, Areola has the option of passing to either Kilman, Todibo or Edson Alvarez. But he once more refrains from playing it short.
The goalkeeper plays it long to full-back Emerson Palmieri, but Areola’s pass is intercepted by Pedro Porro. Areola is not comfortable with playing out from the back.
The other pressing issue is his shot-stopping ability. He has rarely been criticised for his handling. Last week the club’s Instagram page acknowledged it being one year since his memorable acrobatic save against Forest. But the nature of Liam Delap’s goal in the win over Ipswich Town caused concern. Before the striker shoots, there is a noticeable gap at Areola’s near-post.
Although he initially gets a hand to Delap’s shot, he is unable to prevent the forward from scoring.
It was goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero who made a video presentation about why the club should sign Areola in 2021. One of his best performances was in the 3-1 win at Everton in March, in which the hosts attempted 22 shots and 11 were on target. Fabianski was one of the first players to embrace and congratulate Areola. The duo push each other to remain ready and that opportunity could now present itself to Fabianski.
The Poland international has been a reliable presence since his arrival from Swansea City in June 2018. Fabianski saw off competition from Adrian, Roberto, David Martin and Darren Randolph. He was named Player of the Year in his debut season, the first goalkeeper to receive the award since Robert Green in 2008.
But now, Fabianski is entering the final year of his deal. Although talks over a contract extension have not taken place, he has shown he still has a lot to offer.
He has overcome a number of setbacks, including losing his place under former manager David Moyes. Not since his spell at Arsenal had Fabianski faced the distinct possibility of being a No 2, while also facing competition from a goalkeeper who is of a similar calibre.
“I took the news awfully,” he told French news outlet Canal+ in August 2023. “It was a massive shock. The information made me angry. I wasn’t mentally ready for something like this.”
It was a ghastly realisation for Fabianski that the club saw Areola as their long-term option. But now the tables have turned and Areola’s dip in form could give Fabianski the chance to take back his spot.
(Top photo: Getty Images)