New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is keen on Wolves' 23-year-old Algeria wing-back, Rayan Ait-Nouri. (Sun), external
The Red Devils are also interested in Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku but could face competition from Borussia Dortmund for the 27-year-old France forward. (Teamtalk), external
Newcastle are interested in Bournemouth's 24-year-old Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo but are unlikely to make a January move unless other players leave. (Sky Sports), external
Fulham and Leicester are eyeing a loan deal in January for Brighton's 20-year-old Republic of Ireland striker, Evan Ferguson. (Football Insider), external
Manchester City are not looking to take advantage of a buy-back clause to bring English striker Liam Delap, 21, from Ipswich. (Give Me Sport), external
Everton boss Sean Dyche has the full backing of current owner Farhad Moshiri and will be in charge for the foreseeable future. (Sky Sports), external
Manchester United have enquired about Sporting's 17-year-old Portugal U21s winger Geovany Quenda, who is valued at 60m euros (£50.1m). (A Bola - in Portuguese), external
The Red Devils are also targeting a number of strikers, with PSG's 25-year-old France international Randal Kolo Muani and Eintracht Frankfurt's Egypt forward Omar Marmoush, 25, on the club's radar. (Sky Germany - in German), external
United are monitoring Wolves' 25-year-old Brazil forward Matheus Cunha, with Tottenham also showing interest. (TBR Football), external
AC Milan are set to rival Newcastle for the signing of Everton's 27-year-old England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, while Real Madrid are considering a move for the Toffees' England defender Jarrad Branthwaite, 22. (Teamtalk), external
Manchester City are confident Norway striker Erling Haaland, 24, will follow manager Pep Guardiola in signing a new contract with the club. (Give Me Sport), external
Barcelona are eyeing a 70m euro (£58.4m) deal for Sporting Lisbon's 26-year-old Sweden striker, Viktor Gyokeres. (Sport - in Spanish), external
Brighton are to take Cork City's 17-year-old Ireland Under-18s winger Matthew Murray on trial. (Irish Mirror), external
Nottingham Forest are confident they will agree a new contract with 28-year-old Nigeria full-back Ola Aina. (Football Insider), external
PSG's 29-year-old Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar is set to join Juventus in the January transfer window. (Foot Mercato - in French), external
Tottenham may look to sign a goalkeeper in January after Italy's Guglielmo Vicario, 28, suffered a broken ankle that required surgery. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Tottenham could be forced into the January transfer market to sign a new goalkeeper after Guglielmo Vicario underwent surgery on a fractured ankle, with Vicario expected to be out for months rather than weeks.
Emma Hayes, head coach of the United States women's team, says she will "hum along" to both the English and American national anthems ahead of the sides' match at Wembley on Saturday.
Bill Sweeney, the Rugby Football Union's chief executive, will be paid £1.1m this year after receiving a pre-agreed performance bonus, despite the governing body recording a near-£40m loss.
DAILY MAIL
World Athletics are considering a World Treadmill Championships in their latest attempt to grow the sport.
Global Investment group Sportsbank will be bankrolled by Abu Dhabi and American money as they try to close a £230m deal for a majority stake in Crystal Palace.
Leicester have begun sounding out potential replacements for Steve Cooper with the club still hopeful they will have his successor in charge for Saturday's match at Brentford.
Ian Rush has told the Liverpool hierarchy that 'you can't buy' what Mo Salah offers.
Guglielmo Vicario's injury arrived as a surprise to his Tottenham team-mates on Monday, who had no inclination of the severity of the injury after the Manchester City win.
New Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is staying in a swanky hotel famous for its celebrity guests including superstars Rita Ora and Lady Gaga.
Former Arsenal star Nicklas Bendtner avoided being stabbed during a horrific incident after a knife-wielding individual attacked the group he was with while visiting New York.
THE SUN
Ruben Amorim gave Manchester United five out of 10 for Sunday's performance at Ipswich.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey reckons David Coote should keep his job.
Gary Lineker has named his choice to become the next Leicester manager - former England interim boss Lee Carsley.
THE GUARDIAN
Diogo Dalot believes Ruben Amorim is precisely what Manchester United need as he talked up the clarity of the new head coach's messaging and his highly-demanding nature.
The Football Association has apologised after a live broadcast of the Women's FA Cup third-round draw experienced significant technical problems.
DAILY MIRROR
Jose Mourinho has scotched suggestions that he is planning to try and sign Cristiano Ronaldo for Fenerbahce.
Leicester City hope to appoint a new manager in time for their clash against Brentford in the Premier League.
DAILY RECORD
John McGinn admits the stories about his botched transfer to Celtic in 2018 really annoy him - but has not ruled out pulling on the colours of his boyhood club further down the line.
Jermain Defoe says he has been taken aback by Rangers' regression since his Ibrox departure nearly three years ago and admits watching the side's current slump under Philippe Clement has been tough to watch.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic legend Chris Sutton has branded Rangers "pathetic" in the wake of Saturday's draw with Dundee United.
Guardian
Wan-Bissaka wraps up West Ham win at Newcastle to ease Lopetegui pressure
Louise Taylor at St James’ Park
On a bitterly cold Tyneside night West Ham finally remembered how to fight back. Even better for their beleaguered manager, Julen Lopetegui, a team inspired by standout performances from Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá exhibited the sort of ruthless precision strangely absent from Newcastle’s game.
Expertly taken goals from Soucek and the similarly impressive Aaron Wan-Bissaka reinforced Lopetegui’s fragile job security, lifting West Ham to 14th, six points clear of the bottom three and three behind Eddie Howe’s team as Newcastle’s hopes of Champions League qualification sustained a dent. It did not help the home cause that Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon all had unusually poor games.
“I’m very happy, I think we played well and deserved to win,” said Lopetegui. “We overcame a very good opponent and showed one identity.” He must hope Bowen’s post-match verdict that “this is a real big turning point in our season” proves accurate.
Before a potentially tenure-defining match, West Ham’s manager took time to revisit the bronze statue of Sir Bobby Robson that stands outside St James’ Park. During his days as a goalkeeper, Lopetegui played under Robson at Barcelona and had vowed to channel his “inner Bobby” here.
Three decades on and with his team three points clear of the relegation zone at kick-off, Lopetegui succeeded in coaxing a committed yet classy performance that Robson would have approved of from his players. It was also timely. Although the east London club rarely change managers mid-season there were strong suggestions that the former Spain coach’s future hinged on his side’s results here and at home against Arsenal on Saturday.
Undeterred by such an uncertain backdrop, Soucek revelled in placing Howe’s defence under unflattering scrutiny as, completely unmarked, he headed Lopetegui’s side into a 10th-minute lead following Emerson’s fine corner. With Lloyd Kelly suffering an alarming concentration lapse, Newcastle suddenly felt the suspended Dan Burn’s absence.
Until then they had looked bright with Isak having a goal disallowed for offside but, despite spurning a series of half chances, Howe’s players were frustrated by Lopetegui’s five-man midfield.
With the tension rising, West Ham’s manager received a yellow card for dissent after Crysencio Summerville was contentiously adjudged to have fouled Sean Longstaff. Given it was the Spaniard’s third booking of the season, he must watch the Arsenal game from the stands while serving a one-game touchline ban.
Lopetegui could be encouraged that Howe’s decision to start Joelinton on the right rather than the left wing did not work and was soon jettisoned, with the Brazilian shifting first to the left flank and then back into midfield. The initial idea was presumably to offer Gordon the freedom of his preferred left side but the England winger let himself down when he shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski, allowing the admittedly excellent goalkeeper to save smartly with a leg following Jean-Clair Todibo’s error.
Yet although Harvey Barnes’s second-half introduction added to Newcastle’s menace, Max Kilman shone at the heart of West Ham’s defence, helping repel tidal waves of pressure as Soucek strained every sinew to hold his midfield together. Their efforts enabled Paquetá to shine in the No 8 role and Bowen to show off quick feet and even faster brain down the right as the visitors sensed a counterattacking opportunity.
Appropriately Bowen played a key role in West Ham doubling their advantage after Paquetá pinched possession from Guimarães and played the England forward in. All that remained was for a winger much admired by Howe to set up Wan-Bissaka on the underlap, leaving the right-back to take a steadying touch before evading Nick Pope’s reach courtesy of a right-footed shot that brushed a post en route to the back of the net.
It was only the third goal of Wan-Bissaka’s career and led to Callum Wilson stepping off the home bench for his first appearance of another injury-blighted season. Wilson had scored 12 goals in 14 previous appearances against West Ham and quickly saw a penalty appeal rejected, but this was Lopetegui’s night and there was to be no dramatic rescue act.
“I’m really disappointed,” said Howe. “We’ll rue this as a missed opportunity. We’re kicking ourselves.”
The Athletic
West Ham’s Newcastle success story: A tale of set-piece joy and flying full-backs
By Roshane Thomas
At St James’ Park, Julen Lopetegui reaped the rewards for persisting with a system that had initially flattered to deceive.
The West Ham United head coach wants his side to be a possession-based team that plays out from the back, with full-backs playing in advanced positions to help stretch the field. Monday’s 2-0 away win against Newcastle United, courtesy of goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, offered vindication for Lopetegui’s methods as he battles to remedy West Ham’s dreary start to the season.
His midfield trio of Soucek, Carlos Soler and Lucas Paqueta were chief tormentors for Newcastle. Lukasz Fabianski looked comfortable playing short to defenders Jean-Clair Todibo and Maximilian Kilman, and after making a number of impressive saves, the 39-year-old goalkeeper showed why he deserved to retain the No 1 jersey despite Alphonse Areola recovering from a knock.
Wan-Bissaka, the £15million ($18.8m) summer signing from Manchester United, has shown flashes of his attacking traits. His surging run in August against boyhood club Crystal Palace left a lasting impression, but his partnership with captain Jarrod Bowen down the right flank has remained a work in progress.
Yet at St James’ Park, Lopetegui was not in favour of abandoning his full-back having licence to roam forward. After all, in the 53rd minute, Wan-Bissaka ran from the halfway line into the opposition box unmarked to score his first goal since February 2021. Bowen raised his arms after his assist and looked towards the bench as Wan-Bissaka wheeled away celebrating. It could be a sign of things to come.
The ubiquitous Michail Antonio was back to his menacing best. A torn jersey showed how he had scrapped to gain the upper hand on defender Lloyd Kelly. Bowen, meanwhile, led by example and set the tone.
This was an attacking display supporters had been yearning to see. An embattled Lopetegui arrived in Newcastle under pressure, with his 11 league games in charge having yielded just 12 points.
But his team did not play like a side that has little faith in their head coach. West Ham played with a confidence that was lacking before the international break in the chastening loss to Nottingham Forest and the goalless draw against Everton. There was urgency, unity, desire and fight. The perils of a slow start were something Lopetegui hoped to overcome. Their sluggishness in previous games made them easy prey, with defeats to Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Forest cases in point.
But victory over Newcastle offers plenty of encouragement ahead of Saturday’s home fixture against Arsenal.
“I said in the changing room after that from the first minute, I had a good feeling about today and we showed it on the pitch,” goalscorer Soucek told The Athletic. “I’m happy with the performance and the result. It’s true (that we played without pressure); we want to be higher in the table. We said, as a team, that we have to fight more and be more confident and only we can change this. Thankfully, that came with the result.
“I noticed in the first few minutes that the Newcastle players didn’t know how to stop us. We were fortunate to play on Monday because it gave us more time to prepare, but there have been times when our form has been up and down. One game, we won by three goals (a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on October 5) and the next, we lost by three (a 4-1 loss at Tottenham), so that can’t happen again.”
Lopetegui will serve a touchline ban against Arsenal, having received a yellow card for remonstrating with fourth official Tony Harrington. It is the third time Lopetegui has been cautioned this season. He joked in his post-match press conference that it is better for the players to be on the pitch than him, but he can take comfort in assistant coach Pablo Sanz’s growing influence.
When the players returned to Rush Green after international duty, Sanz was entrusted with leading set pieces. Ahead of Emerson Palmieri’s assist for Soucek, it was Sanz on the touchline shouting instructions at the players. As for Lopetegui, he remained seated in the dugout, placing faith in his trusted No 2.
“We have struggled with set pieces and finally, we have a goal from it,” said Soucek. “We have to keep working on it because we know how important it has been for us. The first goal in most games is always the most important and it was a game-changer.
“Last week, we worked on set pieces a lot and on how Newcastle positioned their players in the box. After the game, I hugged him (Sanz) and said: ‘Finally, we scored from a corner’. He always tries to think of special ways for us to score and out-think our opposition. Finally, today, it was perfect for us.”
Monday’s win was a step in the right direction, but West Ham have been here before. Victory over Ipswich Town last month was seen as a turning point, but the subsequent humbling at Tottenham dispelled that assumption. A home win against Manchester United was also considered a much-needed confidence boost, only for Lopetegui’s men to lose the following week against Forest.
The prospect of winning back-to-back games against Newcastle and Arsenal was considered fanciful, but on the evidence of Monday’s performance, this could be a week when Lopetegui’s side truly turn the tide.
