Manchester United have scouted Atalanta's Ederson, 25, and the Brazilian central midfielder is one of the few players the club are giving serious consideration to signing for the position. (Florian Plettenberg)
West Ham are leading the race with Leicester City and Southampton to sign 20-year-old Republic of Ireland forward Evan Ferguson from Brighton. (Givemesport)
Southampton could sell academy graduate Tyler Dibling, 18, if they are relegated from the Premier League, with Manchester United and Newcastle both interested in the English midfielder. (Football Insider)
Speculation that former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, 31, had been spotted at Manchester City's training ground was not true. (Fabrizio Romano)
West Ham, Fulham, and Crystal Palace have all looked at Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, but the 23-year-old Italy international has attracted interest from Tottenham in the past and may prefer to join a club of their size. (Tuttosport - in Italian)
Liverpool and Paris St-Germain are in pole position to sign Lyon's French midfielder Rayan Cherki and could make a move in January to sign the 21-year-old. (Foot Mercato - in French)
Real Madrid are increasingly confident of signing Liverpool's 26-year-old England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold next summer. (Caught Offside)
Chelsea have a potential move in mind for 21-year-old RB Leipzig and Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko. (Teamtalk)
Arsenal have previously held talks about a move for Sesko and retain a strong interest in the player having established a good relationship with his representatives. (Mail Plus - subscription required)
West Brom boss Carlos Corberan and former Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand are among candidates to replace Russell Martin at Southampton, but interim boss Simon Rusk will remain in charge for Sunday's trip to Fulham. (Sky Sports)
Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab are interested in a cut-price deal for Newcastle's 35-year-old Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. (I)
Wolves could target a January move for 26-year-old Austria centre-back Kevin Danso, who Lens may look to sell. (L'Equipe - in French)
Monaco's French attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, 22, said he would like to play for Barcelona during his career. (Sport - in Spanish)
Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson - currently on loan at Fulham - will be allowed to leave the Gunners next summer with the 25-year-old unlikely to be a major part of Mikel Arteta's plans in the future. (Mail Plus - subscription required)
AC Milan have made Everton's 27-year-old England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin their number one target for next summer. (Teamtalk)
Former Coventry boss Mark Robins has turned down the opportunity to speak to fellow Championship club Millwall about their managerial vacancy. (South London Press)
Valencia, Real Betis and Villarreal all want to sign Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo, 28, from Juventus. (Gianluca di Marzio - in Italian)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
The EFL says all options are being considered around introducing VAR in its competitions and that it is monitoring developments around a challenge system being trialled by football's lawmakers.
Liam Lawson has revealed that his sisters gave up Irish dancing so that he could be in F1.
DAILY MAIL
Middlesex have launched an audacious bid to sign Kane Williamson for the 2025 season as counties continue to target New Zealanders as overseas players.
John Fury will not be in his son Tyson's corner for Saturday's world heavyweight title showdown against Oleksandr Usyk, the Gypsy King's trainer has confirmed.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Sir Bill Beaumont could make a dramatic return to the Rugby Football Union as a potential interim replacement for Tom Ilube, with the beleaguered chairman expected to step down over the handling of the salary and bonus scandal.
Sheffield United's takeover by the US consortium led by Steven Rosen is set to be completed, with an announcement imminent on the deal worth more than £100 million.
THE SUN
Dele could be set for a major return to football in Serie A by Premier League legend Cesc Fabregas.
Leicester City ace Hamza Choudhury has switched his national allegiance to Bangladesh after spending his youth in the England national setup.
The quarter-finals of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship was delayed on Thursday afternoon.
Chris Eubank Jr warned there is nothing Tyson Fury can do to beat his boxing bogeyman Oleksandr Usyk.
DAILY MIRROR
Sean Dyche will be allowed to continue as Everton boss by new owner Dan Friedkin because he has kept the Blues in the Premier League while slashing costs.
Emiliano Martinez claims he would retire if Argentina retained the World Cup in 2026.
Paul Pogba's brother, Mathias, has been handed a three-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of attempting to extort the former Manchester United star.
Sir Alex Ferguson dined with former Manchester United star Nani whilst on holiday in Portugal. The reunion took place less than a fortnight after the 38-year-old announced his retirement from football.
Trent Alexander-Arnold admits leaving his own legacy as one of the great right-backs is what's motivating him.
Manchester United fans at Tottenham have made their feelings clear regarding Marcus Rashford as they displayed a banner that read: "Excuses. Ta ra Marcus".
THE ATHLETIC
Valencia club president Lay Hoon Chan says the club is not up for sale but that owner Peter Lim would study any offers received.
Brighton & Hove Albion have added to their stock of young goalkeeper talent by signing Charlie Wilson-Papps from AFC Wimbledon.
A preliminary hearing in a claim for defamation and harassment brought by TV pundit Eni Aluko against Joey Barton was heard today at London's High Court.
Saudi Arabia will play in the 2025 and 2027 editions of the Gold Cup as one of 16 teams participating in the tournaments organised by CONCACAF.
EVENING STANDARD
The global sports consortium Sportsbank want to invest in Eagle Football, but would ask John Textor to keep his 45 per cent stake in Crystal Palace.
DAILY RECORD
Ally McCoist urged Rangers not to become paranoid over refereeing decisions like Celtic as he shut down talk of a conspiracy against his old club - and took a swipe at Parkhead chief Michael Nicholson.
The Athletic
West Ham give managers more time than most clubs before sacking them – why?
By Roshane Thomas
If there is one story that sums up how ruthless West Ham United used to be when sacking managers, then a memorable fixture against Wigan Athletic on May 15, 2011 is a good starting point.
West Ham were relegated to the Championship following the 3-2 defeat. Less than an hour after full time, manager Avram Grant was given the bad news by co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold, along with vice-chairman Karren Brady. Gold, who passed away in 2023, described it as his worst moment in all his years of being a supporter.
Grant conducted his post-match press conference as planned but refused to reveal if he had already been sacked. It took until a West Ham spokesman returned to the press lounge shortly after and confirmed Grant’s departure for the news to emerge. The Athletic has previously highlighted what went wrong during his 11-month spell. But the players only became aware of his sacking when he went on the coach to retrieve his items, as a taxi had been arranged to pick him up. Eventually, Grant was allowed to join the team on the journey back to London.
Thirteen years on, West Ham no longer operate with such mercilessness around managerial departures. In fact, the club ostensibly do not like sacking managers midway through a season. West Ham’s track record of sacking managers shows they are often not in favour of paying compensation. Over his two spells, David Moyes left when his contract expired — in May this year and in 2018. Sam Allardyce also departed when his deal was up in May 2015.
Of the eight managers hired since the current ownership group bought the club in January 2010, Grant, Slaven Bilic and Manuel Pellegrini are the only ones to leave midway through their contracts — and of those, Grant only left when relegation was confirmed. The financial implications are an obvious factor, but West Ham’s hierarchy are now inclined to give managers time.
In the Premier League era, West Ham are one of 13 teams to change their manager more than seven times within a season. On average they had played 23 games before changing their manager in those seasons — which is the highest among those 13 sides.
Head coach Julen Lopetegui was appointed in May on a two-year deal, with the option of a further year. But he has been under pressure for much of his time at the club due to their results and the chastening defeats. While results were already bad in October, the hierarchy had no intention of weighing up the financial cost of sacking the Spaniard.
But after back-to-back losses to Arsenal and Leicester City, which saw West Ham concede a combined total of eight goals, a board meeting was held to decide Lopetegui’s future. It was later decided that he would be given time to improve West Ham’s form. One particular board member was against the idea of sacking the head coach, factoring in time constraints in terms of finding a replacement. West Ham might have a better squad but they are not in immediate threat of relegation. But with Lopetegui being a new appointment, the board still believes he merits time to build the team in his image.
West Ham have shown signs of improvement in league fixtures over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth. Sustaining that upturn in form in upcoming games against Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton and Liverpool will be the true test. But get through that, and he could easily have a longer stint in charge, given West Ham’s preference to stay with those in the dugout.
Historically, West Ham have not been a sacking club. Between their foundation in 1900 up to 1989, only five people held the role of manager.
In the Sullivan and Gold era — with 27 per cent of the club also owned by Daniel Kretinsky — the extent to which West Ham do not like sacking managers can be seen in how they treated his predecessor Moyes. The Scot regularly found himself under pressure at West Ham. But he could still have been in the hotseat to this day had Sullivan not withdrawn a contract extension. Moyes was offered a new deal after West Ham’s 2-0 victory against Arsenal on December 28, 2023, although he was not happy with the terms of the deal. Both parties eventually agreed to wait until the end of the season. But after discontent from supporters, the club opted to go in a new direction.
Managing on a game-by-game basis affected Bilic towards the latter stages of his managerial spell. The Croatian, who played for the club in the 1996-97 season, was appointed manager in June 2015 on a three-year contract. Under Bilic, they finished seventh in 2015-16. He helped with the transition from Upton Park to the London Stadium and signed key playmakers Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet. But in November 2017, and in a rare mid-season move, Bilic was sacked with the club in the relegation zone. Sullivan later admitted he should have sacked Bilic in the summer.
“I’m pleased for him, knowing him and knowing what he’s been going through,” Ian Wright, the former Arsenal, West Ham and England forward told BBC 5Live at the time of Bilic’s departure. “I just think for himself and his health he needs a break from it. You can’t work like that. You’re always a couple of games from the sack and then you’re OK. I’m pleased for his sake that he can get a break from it and get on with it.”
Bilic had only 11 league games in the 2016-17 season, the second-lowest number of games taken charge of out of those former managers — Grant, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Roeder, Pellegrini, Alan Pardew, Bilic and Alan Curbishley — who were sacked midway through a season.
“When you lose your job it’s not ideal but you learn from it,” Bilic told The Athletic in an interview in March 2022. “At West Ham, I made a few mistakes. After the first season at West Ham, I didn’t push for new players. If I asked for new signings and we didn’t get any, I’d just get on with my job and work with the squad. But I should have fought a bit harder to improve the quality of the team. Looking back, I let myself down.”
West Ham sacked Pellegrini in December 2019 after a seventh defeat in nine matches. Pellegrini’s side were hovering above the relegation zone and a 2-1 defeat by Leicester City sealed his fate. The club trumpeted his appointment 19 months prior.
“We believe that his experience, quality and proven record of taking teams forward quickly will ensure that he is successful here,” said majority shareholder Sullivan. “We have listened to fans who asked us to be ambitious. We hope they agree it is an exciting appointment.”
In March 2021, West Ham’s accounts revealed the club paid Pellegrini and his backroom staff £3.5million. He remains the last West Ham manager to be sacked midway through a season. It is something they aim to avoid at all costs. Only time will tell if Lopetegui will continue to benefit from the board’s new-found patience.
Caught Offside
Tottenham up against it in chase for brilliant German defender as West Ham have trump card in Steidten
By Jason Pettigrove
Tim Steidten could be the trump card for West Ham as they enter a January transfer battle with London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur for brilliant Inter Milan defender, Yann Bisseck.
According to CaughtOffside sources, the London clubs sent scouts to watch the 24-year-old German during Inter’s recent match against Parma, and positive reports were received after a strong performance.
Both Ange Postecoglou and Julen Lopetegui are ready to test the waters in the January transfer window, but it’s the Hammers that are likely to have any edge in negotiations.
That’s because of the German connection thanks to technical director, Tim Steidten.
Yann Bisseck could solve West Ham’s defensive problems
Although Inter haven’t made a final decision on whether they’ll allow the 6ft 5in centre-back to leave in January, they will find it hard to turn down offers in the region of £35m, which both Premier League clubs are expected to offer.
It’s understandable why they’re interested in Bisseck’s services, given that the problems for both Lopetegui and Postecoglou begin and end with the back line.
One Spurs defender recently limped out of action, whilst Jean-Clair Todibo has threatened to quit the Hammers after a bust-up with the manager.
West Ham need a difference maker like Yann Bisseck
When fit, Tottenham have the likes of Micky van de Ven to shore up their central defence, whereas West Ham are still struggling in that area.
With a goal difference of minus eight, the Irons have the worst defensive record in the English top-flight apart from the bottom four.
Clearly, that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible if they don’t want to be drawn into a relegation battle in the second half of the 24/25 campaign.
Landing Bisseck could be key to their aspirations, but his hire is by no means a foregone conclusion at this stage.