Real Madrid are targeting a summer move for 24-year-old Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who would be open to joining the Spanish giants. (Teamtalk), external
Chelsea could allow Fernandez to join Madrid as part of a swap deal for 25-year-old France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who can also play in defence. (Four Four Two), external
Real Madrid are also interested in signing Bournemouth's 19-year-old Dutch-born centre-back Dean Huijsen, who played youth football for the Netherlands before opting to represent Spain Under-21s. (AS - in Spanish), external
Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs showing an interest in Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, 25. (Caughtoffside), external
Liverpool have also been linked with a summer move for Bayern Munich's ex-Manchester City forward Leroy Sane. The 29-year-old is out of contract in the summer. (Bild), external
William Saliba has no intention of leaving Arsenal despite Real Madrid being ready to pay a world-record fee for the 23-year-old France international centre-back. (Fabrizio Romano)
Arsenal are chasing a deal to sign Newcastle's 27-year-old Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes this summer. (Sun), external
Coventry City have joined the race to sign Netherlands Under-21s centre-back Tyrese Asante, 22, from Maccabi Tel-Aviv. (Sky Sports), external
Crystal Palace are in advanced talks over a new deal with 29-year-old English midfielder Will Hughes, who is out of contract in the summer. (Football Insider), external
Palace's French forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, 27, is one the four strikers Manchester United have shortlisted for the summer. (TeamTalk, external)
Liverpool have joined Arsenal on the trail of 17-year-old French midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi after his impressive displays for Lille this season. (TBR Football), external
Roma and England striker Tammy Abraham, 27, who is currently on loan at AC Milan, has told friends he is keen to return to Aston Villa this summer. (Football Insider), external
Liverpool have been scouring the market for a left-back to replace 31-year-old Scot Andy Robertson with Bournemouth's Hungary defender Milos Kerkez, 21, one of their main targets. (Mail - subscription required), external
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong - a long-term target of Manchester United - has fully recovered from an ankle injury and is now ready to sign a long-term deal to stay with the Spanish side. (Cadena SER)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Liverpool have been scouring the market for a left-back to replace 31-year-old Scot Andy Robertson with Bournemouth's Hungary defender Milos Kerkez, 21, one of their main targets.
Newcastle defender Dan Burn is set to win a maiden England call-up as part of Thomas Tuchel's first squad.
Arsenal are mulling over which way to expand the Emirates Stadium after being recently presented with a variety of options by an architectural design firm in a major step forward.
Match of the Day is set to retain its traditional format - although significant changes are afoot for Football Focus, Mail Sport understands.
THE SUN
Arsenal are chasing a deal to sign Newcastle's 27-year-old Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes this summer.
Newcastle are reportedly set to leave St James' Park and build a new 65,000-seater capacity stadium.
THE TIMES
BBC Sport is planning a significant shake-up with most staff offered voluntary redundancy and 27 people having their jobs scrapped.
Lord's is set to generate nearly £4m less in revenue for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final after India's failure to qualify.
THE TELEGRAPH
The Prince of Wales has described football's television blackout rule as "irritating".
THE ATHLETIC
Barcelona have confirmed the contract extension of defender Inigo Martinez.
Joshua Kimmich has signed a new contract with Bayern Munich through to 2029.
Kylian Mbappe has returned to the France squad for the first time since September.
DAILY MIRROR
Peter Crouch left ITV's Cheltenham Festival host Oli Bell stunned after making a cheeky remark about his wife, Abbey Clancy.
THE GUARDIAN
Star striker Sam Kerr has been included in Chelsea's squad for the Women's Champions League knock-out rounds in an indication she is nearing a return from injury.
SCOTTISH SUN
Seats at Ibrox have been left damaged by Fenerbahce fans following the clash with Rangers.
The Athletic
West Ham’s decisions have undone most of David Moyes’ good work since his exit
By Roshane Thomas
Midway through David Moyes’ day off, his tranquillity was interrupted by a phone call.
A source close to Moyes, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic that the Scotsman was informed someone else would be stepping into the managerial berth at West Ham. Moyes put his phone down, mystified at the news that his six-month reign was coming to an abrupt end.
This was May 2018 and Moyes wanted a contract extension after West Ham had avoided relegation. Manuel Pellegrini, the former Manchester City manager, was appointed as his successor, but Sullivan’s masterplan of appointing a “high-calibre figure” backfired. Pellegrini only lasted 19 months. Sullivan swallowed his pride and turned to Moyes, again, in December 2019.
The mandate was to secure their Premier League status, which Moyes achieved. Over the next four-and-a-half years, he steadied the ship, brought stability, exceeded expectations by sealing European football for three straight seasons, reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2022 and won the Conference League in 2023. But in May last year, just like in 2018, Sullivan did not renew Moyes’ contract and wanted to appoint a high-profile manager.
That month, West Ham confirmed Julen Lopetegui’s arrival. But in January, Lopetegui departed as the shortest-lived managerial appointment in the club’s 124-year history, sacked after just 22 games. Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Everton, West Ham are in the same place after Moyes’ departure: languishing in the lower reaches of the league with nothing to play for but pride for the remainder of the season.
Moyes returned for his second managerial spell at Everton in January. His rejuvenated side are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league. The reunion with Moyes will be akin to a separated couple who bump into each other at a social gathering, then spend the rest of the evening avoiding eye contact while discreetly monitoring their every move. Views on the Scotsman are often more fraught on social media than elsewhere. Some were happy to see the back of Moyes, while some wish he had stayed.
In truth, West Ham struggled in the second half of the 2023-24 season. There were boos and an exodus that left empty seats during the 6-0 home loss to Arsenal in February. That month, 75 per cent of respondents in The Athletic’s fan survey felt Moyes did not deserve a new contract. Two months later, his side suffered a 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, followed by a chastening 5-0 loss away to Chelsea in May. West Ham were porous defensively, struggling with forming an identity and a lot of fans were ready for change.
But it all could have been different in December 2023. Moyes was offered an extension after the 2-0 victory over Arsenal. The week before, West Ham sealed a 2-0 home win over Manchester United, but Sullivan withdrew the contract when West Ham went on an eight-game winless run from January 2 to February 17. At that stage, optimism over Moyes remaining gradually ebbed away. Moyes was also not happy with the terms of the deal and a parting of ways seemed the best option.
He received a warm ovation from supporters in the final home game of last season against Luton Town. During his lap of honour, he surely saw a banner that read “Thank you for three years in Europe” and another declaring him “King” of the continent. As they danced to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, there were no tears from Moyes, no heartfelt speech, but gratitude after embraces from his backroom staff and players.
His departure gave the board the chance to appoint a younger, progressive manager who could maintain the club’s trajectory. Moyes and Tim Steidten, the former technical director who left in February, often disagreed on transfer targets and their relationship became fractious. But Steidten won the power struggle and was given the keys to build West Ham. It would prove to be the board’s undoing, coupled with their urge for a high-profile overseas coach in Lopetegui. His spell has undone most of Moyes’ good work. While many are on track with their diet ahead of summer, West Ham’s board remain weighed down by their repeated consumption of humble pie.
The appointment of Graham Potter could be their saving grace, but he has similar traits to Moyes with his man-management skills and style of play. He is not known for playing attacking football, which was cited as a contributing factor behind Moyes’ departure. They both endured struggles at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. But, like Moyes, Potter can bring stability, as shown while manager of Brighton & Hove Albion between 2019 and 2022.
“He’s a real people’s person,” Mark Noble, the sporting director, told NBC Sports. “You can go into his office and have a chat with him and I get on great with him personally. I think the players have responded to (his appointment). It’s been a tough nine months. Moyes was fantastic for us and we then went with Julen and we were hoping to crack on with him, but it wasn’t meant to be. Graham has come in now and everyone seems to have settled down and the place is very happy.”
Potter is unbeaten in his previous seven encounters with Moyes. In Thursday’s pre-match press conference, he downplayed it as being an advantage ahead of Saturday’s game. Instead, he preferred to show gratitude.
“I was going to (ask Moyes for advice when I was appointed manager), but I realised he got the Everton job and would be quite busy,” said Potter. “I’ll catch up with him after the game. I have a lot of time for David. He’s a really good guy, a very experienced manager and always ready to help you. I’ve always found him to be a top professional. His longevity is really impressive. He’s been written off a lot and coming back and proving that sometimes people don’t know the quality people have.”
It will be a long-awaited reunion this weekend. Moyes will intend to make West Ham rue their decision to part ways with him. Potter, however, will hope to show why he can successfully preside over the post-Moyes era.
(Top photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
C&H
Füllkrug Drops Hammers Comeback Hint
West Ham striker Niclas Füllkrug has teased his comeback on social media following an update from manager Graham Potter.
Yesterday, Claret & Hugh exclusively revealed the timeline for the German international’s return to action. A top Hammers source informed us that he is making good progress and should be fit enough to feature in the squad for the Premier League game against Wolves on April 1st.
Now, Füllkrug has taken to social media to post a picture of himself on the training pitch with the caption: “Getting closer.”
This most welcome update has unfortunately not come quickly enough for the £27m signing from Dortmund to feature in tomorrows Everton vs West Ham clash. But it does mean the big fella should return after the upcoming international break.
It will be a timely boost for Graham Potter’s shot-shy team, who have lacked the focal point of a proven striker. The West Ham manager has been pleased with his team’s defensive displays recently and spoke yesterday about building excellent foundations.
That said, as the Hammers boss demonstrated with his deployment of Glenn Murray during his time at Brighton, he does like a big striker.
“Füllkrug’s been training with the group but still not ready to start,” said the West Ham manager.
“We’ll assess over the next 24 hours, I guess, whether he’s available, but I think it’s more after the international break for him, just to get some training in him. But it’s nice to have him with the group.”