Sunday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Arsenal are weighing up a £70m move for RB Leipzig's 21-year-old striker Benjamin Sesko in the January transfer window, or negotiate a short-term loan deal. (The Sun)

Barcelona are also interested in signing the Slovenia forward, though their financial restrictions will be a hurdle. (Mirror)

Real Betis remain interested in a loan move for Manchester United's Brazilian winger Antony, 24. (Diario de Sevilla)

Real Madrid will try again to sign Liverpool and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, before the end of the month. (Sun)

Former England midfielder Dele Alli, 28, is due to sign a contract on Sunday to play for Cesc Fabregas' Serie A side Como until June 2026 - with the option to extend the deal for a further season. (Fabrizio Romano)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a senior adviser to AC Milan's owners, has confirmed the club's interest in signing Manchester City and England right-back Kyle Walker, 34. (Mail, via DAZN)

Meanwhile, Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli has said the Italian club has not received an offer from City for full-back Andrea Cambiaso, 24. (Goal, via DAZN)

Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes, 22, who has been linked with Manchester United, is likely to stay with Paris St-Germain for the foreseeable future. (L'Equipe - in French)

United are considering Wolves' Algeria full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, 23, as an alternative to Mendes. (Independent)

Meanwhile, the Red Devils' Netherlands defender Tyrell Malacia, 25, might leave the club on loan in the January transfer window. (Voetball International - in Dutch)

West Ham and Bournemouth are among the clubs awaiting news on whether Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, 20, will be available for loan this month. (Express)

Midfielder Manu Silva, 23, was left out of Vitoria's squad for their game on Saturday - he is a rumoured target for Wolves. (Wolverhampton Express & Star)

Italian club Genoa have a verbal agreement to sign 28-year-old winger Maxwel Cornet, who has been on loan at Southampton, on loan from West Ham. (Fabrizio Romano)

Deportivo La Coruna could be forced into selling winger Yeremay Hernandez, 22, although Deportivo are understood to have dismissed Chelsea's initial offer as they want closer to the player's £17m release clause. (Caught Offside)

Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are among the clubs interested in signing Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande, 21. (Caught Offside)




Sky Paper Talk

THE INDEPENDENT

Manchester United are looking at Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri as an alternative at left-back.

Arsenal are "preparing a new deal proposal" for Miles Lewis-Skelly.

SUNDAY TIMES

Dele Alli is set to sign an 18-month deal with the Italian side Como as he attempts to return to football nearly two years since he last played a professional match.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal side are in need of January reinforcements as they lost further ground on league leaders Liverpool after blowing a two-goal advantage over Aston Villa.

MAIL ON SUNDAY

Former England, Chelsea and Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge is to fight YouTuber KSI.

Ruud van Nistelrooy said he had to 'accept' being booed by Leicester fans as his side slumped to their seventh straight defeat against Fulham.

Besiktas are showing interest in Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed AC Milan's interest in Kyle Walker, and was hugely complimentary in his assessment of the English right-back.

SUN ON SUNDAY

Sir Alex Ferguson visited Man Utd legend Denis Law up to three times a week at the nursing home where his dementia-hit friend died on Friday, aged 84.

Ex-Arsenal star Eduardo da Silva has told boss Mikel Arteta: Sign Dusan Vlahovic this month and you'll win the title.

Former Newcastle star Paul Dummett missed out on his Carlisle debut after suffering a car crash. He did not suffer any injuries other than a few cuts and bruises, and is expected to take part in training on Monday.

DAILY RECORD

Philippe Clement now wants to keep former outcast Ianis Hagi at Rangers for the long-term.

Celtic have been told that winger Louie Barry is "ready" for a move to the the club after his impressive campaign with Stockport County.




Guardian

Mateta at the double as Crystal Palace cruise to win against West Ham

Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium

This was not a good afternoon for Graham Potter. West Ham ended it with 10 men thanks to Konstantinos Mavropanos’s latest piece of clumsiness, failed to register a single shot on target and lost to a team with that most elusive of creatures: a striker with the awareness to link up with teammates, the physicality to rough up his markers and the ability to put the ball in the back of the net.

What West Ham would give for their search for a new forward to end with them signing one as smart and clinical as Jean-Philippe Mateta. Potter’s calm after this listless defeat to a crisp and clinical Crystal Palace could not hide the obvious truth about how badly reinforcements are required. West Ham were as blunt as it gets and although the situation will improve when Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville regain fitness this woeful performance will surely intensify efforts to bring in at least one more attacker this month.

There was no disputing that Palace fully merited a win that lifted them to 12th, a point above West Ham, and stretched their unbeaten away run to seven league games. “An excellent performance,” Oliver Glasner said. “We controlled the game and didn’t give West Ham a chance.”

Mateta did the damage, twice punching through West Ham’s leaky defence in the second half, but he was not alone in starring for Palace as they moved 11 points clear of the relegation zone. It helps, after all, that Mateta is being serviced by Eberechi Eze.

Theirs is a highly effective partnership, clicking again for the opener. Eze, impressive in front of the England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, played a key role when he registered his eighth Premier League assist for Mateta in the 48th minute.

No Palace player has set up more for one teammate in the competition’s history, although Glasner was keen not to talk about individuals. “If you see the first goal it starts in the buildup, with six or seven players involved,” he said.

Potter saw none of that fluency from his team. The sense he is having to mend and make do while he waits for injury problems to ease was heightened by the sight of the veteran defender Aaron Cresswell making his first start in the league this season.

It was an enforced change after a fortunate 3-2 win over Fulham – Carlos Soler was only fit enough for a place on the bench – and it handed the initiative to Palace. West Ham, who were cumbersome after ­matching Palace’s 3-4-2-1 system, finished the first half with an xG of 0.06.

Palace dominated, pressing well and hoarding possession. The only problem at first was their lack of incision. Daichi Kamada twice shot over and there were too many wayward crosses. The biggest threat came when Mateta drew an early save from Lukasz Fabianski after a mistake from Maximilian Kilman.

West Ham offered nothing in response. Lucas Paquetá and Tomas Soucek struggled to support Mohammed Kudus, who was outnumbered by yellow shirts after being pressed into action as the false nine. Little changed from an attacking perspective when Potter introduced Soler for Guido Rodríguez at half-time.

“Palace played well,” Potter said. “We were probably a little bit passive. We looked leggy and unable to play with any intensity. We were unable to sustain long enough attacks.”

The opening goal soon arrived. The towering Maxence Lacroix played the ball out of defence, Ismaïla Sarr’s flick found Eze and another pass sent Mateta charging at a backtracking Kilman, who did not do enough to stop the striker from drilling a low shot past Fabianski.

That was that. Potter made a triple change, Paquetá, Cresswell and Emerson making way for Danny Ings, Oliver Scarles and the teenage debutant Lewis Orford, but West Ham were held at arm’s length. Palace, who have signed Romain Esse from Millwall, chased a second. Eddie Nketiah came off the bench and missed a one-on-one. Mavropanos received a second booking when he caught Mateta with a high boot.

Palace were comfortable and the points were theirs when Mateta released Nketiah, who was fouled by Fabianski. West Ham were well beaten. All that was left was for Mateta to score the penalty.




Get French Football

West Ham were set to activate €20m purchase clause to sign Carlos Soler before dismissal of Julen Lopetegui

According to a report from L’Équipe, West Ham United were expected to trigger a purchase option to sign Carlos Soler (28) on a permanent basis in the January transfer window. PSG expected the player to join the Hammers permanently, only for Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal to prevent that eventuality from happening.

There is a €20m purchase option in the loan deal agreed by Les Parisiens and the Premier League outfit which would see the Spanish international midfielder join the East London club. However, following the sacking of the manager who brought him to the club, these plans have been scuppered. New West Ham boss Graham Potter is not yet convinced.
Randal Kolo Muani latest

A permanent sale of Carlos Soler would have allowed PSG to sanction Randal Kolo Muani’s loan move to Juventus without issue. Negotiations are ongoing with West Ham to try and find a solution. Nevertheless, Cher Ndour is another player, on loan at Besiktas, who could be sold to allow the Frenchman to complete his loan move to the Serie A club.

[chim chim cha boo]

Thanks Alan. What a miserable weekend eh? I froze my bollocks off watching that slo-mo rubbish. I'd have thought they'd have run around more if only to keep warm?

I wonder if any of the players ever really think about the cost, travel and queueing arse-ache the average fan, particularly if he/she has kids, has to go through to watch West Ham at the LS?

We were mugged into moving into that stadium, all of us. Does anyone think we'd be in a worst position if we'd have stayed at Upton Park?

[Billy Blagg]

Thanks Alan

[Mex Martillo]

Thanks Alan.

 

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.