Chelsea think Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi, 24, will join them instead of Tottenham in the summer. (TBR Football) , external
Newcastle United value 25-year-old Sweden forward Alexander Isak at £150m. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Chelsea are open to selling Brazil midfielder Andrey Santos, 20, who is on loan at Strasbourg, at the end of the season. (Teamtalk) , external
Arsenal looked at four forward players in the January transfer window but opted not to bring one in because of a lack of quality options. (Mail), external
Newcastle have rejected a transfer bid from Galatasaray for 34-year-old English right-back Kieran Trippier. (Caughtoffside), external
Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle are interested in Crystal Palace and France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, 27, who is yet to sign a new contract. (TBR Football, external)
Chelsea are expected to lower their asking price for 26-year-old English midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, after transfer talks failed in January. (Football Insider, external)
Manchester United are set to be more than £27m down on their anticipated Premier League prize money for this season. (Football Insider) , external
There is a £62m release clause in the four-and-a-half year contract signed by Wolves and Brazil striker Matheus Cunha last week, with no restrictions on which clubs can activate it. (Mail Plus - subscription required), external
Stuttgart are interested in Como boss Cesc Fabregas as their next manager, should Sebastian Hoeness leave the Bundesliga club in the summer. (Bild, via Football Transfers)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha's new release clause is worth £62m.
Virgil van Dijk admits he is no closer to committing his future to Liverpool as the clock ticks down on his current deal.
Arsenal have been linked to numerous strikers in their ongoing hunt for an out-and-out goalscorer, and now reports are suggesting they are lining up a huge bid for a World Cup-winning No 9.
UEFA is considering another change to the Champions League format after only introducing a major revamp of the competition this season.
Birmingham City chair Tom Wagner has revealed his ground-breaking plans to build a tunnel under the city to help connect supporters to their proposed new £3bn stadium complex.
Ticket prices for FIFA's Club World Cup have been drastically slashed - triggering concerns of a lack of interest in this summer's US-based tournament.
Newcastle United supporters will not be able to gather in their planned takeover of Trafalgar Square on the eve of the Carabao Cup final.
DAILY MIRROR
Harry Kane has been tipped to join Arsenal after it emerged he has a cut-price release clause in his contract at Bayern Munich.
Ruben Amorim admits his Man Utd job is in danger after taking major 'risk' by not signing a striker in the transfer window.
Some of the top clubs in the Premier League are reportedly eyeing a move for Liam Delap in the summer.
Ola Aina is one of four Nottingham Forest players who will be free to leave at the end of the season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been warned against repeating his mocking of Erling Haaland.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Premier League clubs are considering reducing the winter transfer window to two weeks and closing the summer transfer window before the beginning of the season.
Ex-Liverpool man James Morton is at the forefront of Manchester United's 'Mission 21' project to bring the title back and revitalise the club's performance culture.
West Ham United will not rush into trying to replace technical director Tim Steidten with the club yet to decide whether they will hire a new director of football.
THE SUN
Todd Boehly has been accused of a "breach of trust" by Chelsea fans for his involvement in a ticket resale company.
Lecce have claimed Manchester United gave them a "now or never ultimatum" when they moved for Patrick Dorgu last month.
Ruben Amorim has claimed he could not get Marcus Rashford to buy into his Manchester United plan.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk left fans in stitches after tricking Tottenham forward Richarlison during Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final.
There's a four-way tug of war for Wayne Rooney with the Man Utd legend set for a new job just weeks after Plymouth sacking.
DAILY STAR
Liverpool are reportedly interested in long-term Manchester United target Frenkie De Jong.
Luke Littler is hoping to buy his own football club.
THE ATHLETIC
Chelsea striker Marc Guiu is expected to miss the FA Cup fourth-round match at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday after suffering a leg abductor injury.
Bukayo Saka and Ben White have travelled with the Arsenal squad for the mid-season warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has threatened the Premier League with legal action if it tries to introduce a hard salary cap next season as part of a new financial fair play regime.
DAILY RECORD
Greg Taylor is reportedly set to leave Celtic - but Brendan Rodgers will be relieved to find out it will not be until the summer.
Jim Goodwin's Dundee Utd revival is proving Mark Ogren right as owner declares 'This is why we stood by him'.
John Hartson suspects Celtic could go back in for Kelechi Iheanacho this summer.
Rangers had their sights set on one winger before the transfer window closed - but could not agree a fee with his club to bring him in now.
The Athletic
West Ham’s transfer window reviewed: Potter’s Ferguson reunion provides an option up top – for now
By Roshane Thomas
The transfer window that shut this week was Graham Potter’s first as West Ham United’s head coach and it illustrated how he intends to operate in the market.
Potter, who was announced as Julen Lopetegui’s successor in January, has stressed he would not sign players for the sake of it. Recruits had to be of the right calibre and a good fit. Given Potter’s stance, any signings would be done to enhance West Ham’s prospects of challenging for European football again.
Evan Ferguson’s arrival on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion is too premature for European aspirations but his youthfulness bodes well for the type of player Potter wants to recruit.
Here, The Athletic reflects on West Ham’s winter business.
How was this window a success or failure?
West Ham needed to sign a striker — Ferguson’s arrival solves that problem.
Potter gave the 20-year-old forward his Premier League debut in 2021 while manager of Brighton. Now Potter intends to revive his career.
Off the field, the appointment of Kyle Macaulay from Chelsea as head of recruitment is important. The 38-year-old worked under Potter at Ostersund, Swansea City and Brighton before joining him at Stamford Bridge. Macaulay will be based at the training ground in Rush Green but will travel regularly to assist Potter with identifying transfer targets.
The January transfer window served the club well in 2020 and 2021, with the arrivals of captain Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Jesse Lingard. But Kalvin Phillips’ regression after his brief sojourn in 2024 from Manchester City demonstrated the dangers of signing a player who has struggled for game time.
Injuries prevented Ferguson from securing a starting berth at Brighton this season. In the forthcoming months, Ferguson will hope he does not fall foul of the same bad luck as Phillips.
How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?
West Ham only paid a loan fee for Ferguson. No money was recouped from Maxwel Cornet’s short-term loan to Italian side Genoa. The Ivory Coast international was recalled from an underwhelming loan spell at Southampton days prior.
Was there a standout signing?
Ferguson was the sole addition in the window. Before arriving on a short-term loan from Brighton, West Ham had offers rejected for forwards Jhon Duran, Ricardo Pepi and Daniel Cummings.
Andre Silva and Brian Brobbey were also among the options under consideration. Ferguson turned down an offer from Bayer Leverkusen to be reunited with Potter.
The club also recalled James Ward-Prowse from his loan at Nottingham Forest. In August, the midfielder was informed by Lopetegui that he was not part of his plans. The Spaniard pushed for the signings of Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez, which led to Ward-Prowse’s departure, but the 30-year-old had limited game time at Forest. Upon his return, he will add depth, experience and dead-ball quality to Potter’s midfield.
“I’m happy (with the window),” said the head coach following Monday’s 2-1 defeat by Chelsea. “The players we have out are significant for us. If we get them back, hopefully soon, that makes a difference. To get the two characters that we did in Evan and James will help the group.”
Are there still any obvious gaps?
West Ham remain light in central defence. Jean-Clair Todibo is sidelined with a muscular injury and Konstantinos Mavropanos has struggled when he has played.
Twenty-year-old defender Kaelan Casey is yet to feature under Potter. Vladimir Coufal, Maximilian Kilman and Aaron Cresswell have been Potter’s preferred options in his three-man defence, but Coufal and Cresswell are full-backs. Edson Alvarez can play at centre-back but Potter has been reluctant to field the midfielder in defence.
West Ham have been porous defensively this season, conceding 46 goals in the Premier League. It is the fifth-highest behind Southampton (54), Leicester City (53), Wolverhampton Wanderers (52) and Ipswich Town (49). In their five games this year, West Ham have conceded nine goals.
Are they now strong enough to achieve their goals for the season?
West Ham are out of the domestic cups and not in a position to challenge for Europe. But securing a top-10 finish would be a respectable achievement and provide the club with a good springboard.
Potter has improved morale, as highlighted by midfielder Soler. He has only overseen one win (against Fulham in his first match in charge) in four games but there has been a gradual improvement.
West Ham conceded in the eighth minute in their 1-1 draw against Aston Villa last month and did not capitulate. In previous games this season against Chelsea, Arsenal and Leicester City, after conceding early, the team succumbed to heavy defeats. Potter has been impacted by injuries to Todibo, Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug, but key man Bowen returned to action against Chelsea.
Will they have money to spend in the summer?
The short answer is yes.
In August, Todibo joined on a season-long loan from Nice, with an obligation to join for £34million. West Ham intend to honour that at the end of the season.
The transfer budget could be boosted by potential departures. Mohammed Kudus’ £85m release clause becomes active this summer while midfielder Alvarez attracted interest from Monaco in the January transfer window.
What is their priority for the summer?
If Potter isn’t able to sign Ferguson on a permanent deal, the addition of a striker remains a priority.
Antonio and Danny Ings are entering the final months of their deals and it is unclear whether they will be offered extensions. Fullkrug’s long-term future is unclear following technical director Tim Steidten’s departure.
Forward options could be threadbare this summer. It could be a transitional window, with stalwarts Lukasz Fabianski, Cresswell and Coufal reaching the end of their deals.
What is their strongest XI?
Potter may ease Ferguson into the team, with the young Irishman having endured an injury ravaged 12 months.
Ferguson missed nine of Brighton’s 24 league games this season with knee and ankle injuries. Bowen, who transitioned into a centre-forward under former manager David Moyes, scored in Monday’s defeat at Chelsea. Although the right wing is his best position, he is also efficient offensively when he plays as a lone striker.
Soler has been a solid addition and brings energy to West Ham’s midfield. Against Chelsea, there was a passage of play where he outpaced defender Reece James to launch an attack. Alphonse Areola vindicated Potter’s decision to make him No 1 again when he made a superb acrobatic save to deny Cole Palmer.
Kudus’ recent performances have been underwhelming but with Crysencio Summerville sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Ghanaian is likely to retain a place in the line-up.
Providing Potter sticks with a 3-4-2-1 formation his strongest line-up would be: Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Maximilian Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tomas Soucek, Carlos Soler, Emerson Palmieri; Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen.
The full list of ins and outs
In:
Evan Ferguson — Brighton (loan)
James Ward-Prowse — Nottingham Forest (loan recall)
Josh Landers — Hibernian (undisclosed)
Out:
Maxwel Cornet — Genoa (loan)
Junior Robinson — Sutton United (loan)
Regan Clayton — Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)
Brad Dolaghan — Aldershot Town (loan)
Michael Forbes — Colchester United (loan)
Krisztian Hegyi — Debreceni (loan)
(Top photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Sport Witness
“Not fully focused” – Director acknowledges West Ham target’s head has turned, summer move on way
By Naveen Ullal -
West Ham United showed interest in OH Leuven’s Ezechiel Banzuzi in the winter market.
On January 7th, we covered claims from Belgium and the Netherlands which stated the Hammers were trying to hijack AS Monaco’s move to sign the 19-year-old.
Later that month, Voetbal International journalist Joost Blaauwhof said Banzuzi ruled out Monaco, while West Ham were still chasing him. Claims from Belgium explained Graham Potter’s side had sent a letter of interest to Leuven.
West Ham and other interested clubs weren’t able to sign the midfielder in the recently concluded window.
Leuven sporting director György Csepregi has been talking about the winter market and Het Nieuwsblad cover his comments. He mentioned the West Ham target and understands the youngster isn’t happy he didn’t move.
Csepregi refused to mention the details of clubs, but revealed Banzuzi had interest from England, Italy and Spain in January when asked if missing out on a move was difficult for the player.
“I don’t talk to him about transfers and money, only with his brothers and agent. But it is logical that a 19-year-old boy who receives interest from clubs from La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League is not fully focused. You also saw that in the matches. But so, would I,” he said.
“I can’t blame him and perhaps it’s even a good thing that he is suspended. This way we can give him some space this week to make the switch next week.
“He must do that in order to be able to make his transfer in the summer and not miss the U21 European championship. So, from next week the focus must return to OHL.”
The director then gave hope to West Ham and Banzuzi’s other interested parties to sign him in the summer.
“We have agreed with Eze that he’ll finish the season. We will definitely give him the next step in the summer. He’s completely outgrown the competition, hasn’t he? He plays on one leg,” Csepregi explained.