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Wednesday news (includes West ham)
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Wednesday news (includes West ham)
BBC
Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have offered a deal for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, 30, and told the Portugal midfielder he has 72 hours to make a decision. (Mail), external
Manchester City want Lyon's 21-year-old French midfielder Rayan Cherki, who has been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea. (Telegraph - subscription), external
Everton have joined Leeds United in wanting Newcastle's 33-year-old England striker Callum Wilson, who is out of contract next month. (Sun), external
Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign 29-year-old Bayern Munich and Germany winger Leroy Sane, who will become a free agent at the end of next month (Sky Sports), external
Liverpool manager Arne Slot wants to keep 26-year-old Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo amid interest from Bayern Munich. (Mirror), external
Aston Villa look set to sign Feyenoord's 18-year-old Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports), external
Arsenal have held talks with Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres' agent in Lisbon and made a £59m offer to sign the Sweden international. (Correio da Manha - in Portuguese), external
Manchester United have agreed the framework of a deal for Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and are waiting for the English striker to decide on his next move. (ESPN), external
Manchester United are the leading contenders to sign 16-year-old Southampton defender Harley Emsden-James but face competition from Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. (Mail), external
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, is expected to leave Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and sign for a new club to play in the Club World Cup, which starts on 15 June in the US. (Telegraph - subscription)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim axed Alejandro Garnacho in a brutal public dressing down in front of the entire squad, telling him to 'pray' he can find a new club.
Bruno Fernandes has been given 72 hours to decide on his future at Manchester United.
TELEGRAPH
Manchester City have lined up a move for France U21 international Rayan Cherki.
THE ATHLETIC
Pep Guardiola is set to reshuffle his coaching staff with three key assistants departing the club following the end of the Premier League season.
Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium has been given a two-star food hygiene rating after mouse droppings were found in multiple hospitality areas.
Millie Bright has said her withdrawal from the England squad is because she is "mentally and physically" at her limits and needs a break.
GUARDIAN
The Women's Super League is in advanced discussions with the Professional Footballers' Association over providing a funding deal that would enable all players in the top two divisions to join the union for the first time.
Chelsea are watching Emanuel Emegha's development at Strasbourg and have held talks with their partner club over a pre-agreement for the striker to move to England in 2026.
DAILY MIRROR
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was greeted by young fans urging him to stick around during an open training session during the club's post-season tour.
DAILY RECORD
Celtic have reportedly seen their first bid for Red Star Belgrade defender Veljko Milosavljevic rejected.
Andrew Cavenagh will fly to Europe and take charge of Rangers' hunt for a new manager this week as top target Davide Ancelotti suns himself on a family holiday.
Sport Witness
West Ham rubbing hands at player’s potential sale – Interested parties have to ‘fight hard’ to sign him
By Naveen Ullal
West Ham United’s Nayef Aguerd was on loan at Real Sociedad this season and will return to his parent club.
The centre-back played 36 games for La Real and injuries limited his minutes towards the end of this season, after a very impressive start. That hasn’t stopped the West Ham man from attracting interest from elsewhere.
Foot Mercato report Marseille have made the defender their priority target for the summer window.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side appreciate the 29-year-old’s profile a lot, also because of his past experience at Dijon and Stade Rennais. It won’t be easy for the Ligue 1 club to take him away from the Hammers.
There are other clubs keeping an eye on the Morocco international. Bayer Leverkusen have also identified him as a priority target while Atlético Madrid are in the running.
Los Rojiblancos looked at the West Ham player before he joined Real Sociedad, and the latter are also trying to extend his stay after claims they’d let him go due to the injury issue.
Foot Mercato state the growing interest is Aguerd is good news for West Ham, who ‘can already rub their hands’ at the prospect of his sale. They indicate a fee around €15-20m could be enough to convince Graham Potter’s side.
Aguerd wants to leave, and the Premier League club are ready to sell him. It’s unclear where he’ll end up, but what’s certain is that several clubs will have to ‘fight hard’ to sign the Moroccan.
The Athletic
West Ham review of 2024-25: One of their worst seasons in recent history
By Roshane Thomas
Many would have rejoiced when West Ham United’s uninspiring season finally ended against Ipswich Town on Sunday.
It has been a campaign of sackings (Julen Lopetegui), fights, appointments (Graham Potter), more sackings (Tim Steidten), a car accident and departures (of stalwarts Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and Vladimir Coufal).
The Athletic reflects on their 2024-25 efforts, culminating in a 14th-place finish, that caused more misery than joy.
This season will be remembered as…
One of the worst since West Ham’s current spell as a Premier League club began in 2012.
Teams of a similar stature, such as Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, have made significant progress, whereas West Ham look unrecognisable in comparison with their own recent highs. The most telling element is having three managers (David Moyes, who left at the end of last season, summer successor Lopetegui and his January replacement Potter) in nine months.
Game of the season
Everything clicked in the 1-0 win away at Arsenal in February. New manager Potter’s tactics worked like a charm, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka assisting captain Jarrod Bowen for the goal.
West Ham only won twice more in the 11 matches between that memorable day at the Emirates and their victorious finale in Ipswich. But if they can consistently reprise that level of performance next season, it bodes well for Potter’s prophecy of an exciting future under him.
West Ham celebrate during their win against Arsenal (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Goal of the season
This was a choice between Bowen’s superb strike from outside the box against Ipswich and his volley against Forest.
The latter edges it, and shows why the England international is considered one of West Ham’s best technical players.
Moment of the season
The squad’s unity during the 2-1 December victory over Wolves, days after Michail Antonio’s car accident.
Antonio, who sustained a broken leg, had spoken to his team-mates before the match. Tomas Soucek held up nine fingers, representing Antonio’s shirt number, when celebrating his opener, and Bowen held up Antonio’s shirt after sealing the 2-1 win.
Did that really happen?
There are some strong contenders for this category, such as the appointment of Lopetegui, the loan signing of Brighton striker Evan Ferguson and Steidten’s departure as technical director. But the events following the team’s late capitulation in a 3-2 defeat at Brighton last month feel appropriate.
Potter rarely loses his cool, but he almost reached breaking point in his post-match interview. He expressed his frustration at West Ham’s inability to see games out, and the magnitude of the situation took its toll.
“I’m not a robot, I’m a human being as well,” he said. “I give everything to what I’m doing. Of course, I’m going to be upset and frustrated. I have to come here and speak calmly to you guys, but that’s not how I’m feeling inside. If you want me to swear, I can swear.”
Best quote
Niclas Fullkrug being candid following the 1-1 home draw with already-relegated Southampton earlier in April.
“I’m very, very angry that we played like this because we had some minutes where we showed what we can do against an opponent like that at home. We showed that we can have good possession, that we can go in-behind and that we have the chances to score again. But the motivation… sorry, we were s***. I’m very angry.”
Biggest surprise
Mohammed Kudus’ underwhelming season.
He has been ineffective, struggling to adapt to Potter’s 3-4-2-1 system and not playing at the level which made him a sought-after talent. The 24-year-old attacker has only scored twice (in that defeat at Brighton and on Sunday at Ipswich) this calendar year.
It is in huge contrast to his performances in 2023-24, where he showed his brilliance against Freiburg and Manchester City, ending that campaign with 14 goals and six assists.
The player/players who could be breakthrough stars next season
Ollie Scarles developing into a first-team regular has been one of the highlights of the season. The 19-year-old made 15 Premier League appearances, and his form led to an England Under-20s call-up in March. Scarles was named the club’s young player of the season, and his breakthrough will offer hope for fellow academy kids Freddie Potts and George Earthy.
Midfielder Potts, 21-year-old son of West Ham Under-21s manager Steve Potts, and Earthy, 20, had season-long loan spells in the second-tier Championship at Portsmouth and Bristol City respectively. Attacking midfielder Earthy was voted City’s young player of the year as they made the play-offs, while Potts has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract extension with West Ham to summer 2029.
“I’ve been at West Ham since I was five. I grew up in the area, and I’ve wanted to become a West Ham player my whole life,” Potts said in a March interview with West Ham’s website. “Hopefully, this (coming) pre-season, with the new manager coming in, brings a fresh opportunity. From what I’ve seen, it looks really exciting, so I’m eager to be part of it. My goal is to break into the first team and show what I can do at the highest level.”
Rate the manager’s season out of 10 (and explain your rating)
Five for Potter is a fair assessment, as there have been mitigating factors for his slow start: he inherited an ageing squad, Fullkrug and fellow summer signing Crysencio Summerville (who hasn’t played since) got injured in his first game in charge, and he does not know his best XI.
The former Swansea City, Brighton and Chelsea manager won five of his 18 league games, losing eight and drawing five.
Opinion among supporters has been divided surrounding Potter’s ability to turn things around. But there are similarities to Moyes’ initial struggle in the first season of his second spell at West Ham.
The Scotsman, now into a second stint as Everton boss, had a paltry return of two wins in his first 12 league games after succeeding Manuel Pellegrini in December 2019. But the following summer’s arrivals of Coufal, Said Benrahma and Craig Dawson helped the club finish sixth in 2021, securing Europa League qualification.
Potter will hope to follow suit next season.
The issue that will dominate the summer
The futures of Lucas Paqueta and Kudus.
The investigation into Paqueta’s alleged betting breaches is expected to conclude in June. The Brazil international’s career has been in limbo for two years, and last May, he was charged by the English Football Association (FA) with deliberately getting booked in four Premier League matches so he and/or his friends could benefit by betting on that happening. Paqueta, who denies any wrongdoing, could face a lifetime ban from the sport if found guilty.
Kudus has a buyout clause, only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80million ($108.4m) for clubs in continental Europe, £85m for Premier League sides and £120m for Saudi Arabian ones. His contract expires in the summer of 2028, with a one-year option, but the Ghana international is expected to leave this summer, to enable West Ham to reinvest the fee in their team.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have offered a deal for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, 30, and told the Portugal midfielder he has 72 hours to make a decision. (Mail), external
Manchester City want Lyon's 21-year-old French midfielder Rayan Cherki, who has been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea. (Telegraph - subscription), external
Everton have joined Leeds United in wanting Newcastle's 33-year-old England striker Callum Wilson, who is out of contract next month. (Sun), external
Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign 29-year-old Bayern Munich and Germany winger Leroy Sane, who will become a free agent at the end of next month (Sky Sports), external
Liverpool manager Arne Slot wants to keep 26-year-old Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo amid interest from Bayern Munich. (Mirror), external
Aston Villa look set to sign Feyenoord's 18-year-old Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports), external
Arsenal have held talks with Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres' agent in Lisbon and made a £59m offer to sign the Sweden international. (Correio da Manha - in Portuguese), external
Manchester United have agreed the framework of a deal for Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and are waiting for the English striker to decide on his next move. (ESPN), external
Manchester United are the leading contenders to sign 16-year-old Southampton defender Harley Emsden-James but face competition from Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. (Mail), external
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, is expected to leave Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and sign for a new club to play in the Club World Cup, which starts on 15 June in the US. (Telegraph - subscription)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim axed Alejandro Garnacho in a brutal public dressing down in front of the entire squad, telling him to 'pray' he can find a new club.
Bruno Fernandes has been given 72 hours to decide on his future at Manchester United.
TELEGRAPH
Manchester City have lined up a move for France U21 international Rayan Cherki.
THE ATHLETIC
Pep Guardiola is set to reshuffle his coaching staff with three key assistants departing the club following the end of the Premier League season.
Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium has been given a two-star food hygiene rating after mouse droppings were found in multiple hospitality areas.
Millie Bright has said her withdrawal from the England squad is because she is "mentally and physically" at her limits and needs a break.
GUARDIAN
The Women's Super League is in advanced discussions with the Professional Footballers' Association over providing a funding deal that would enable all players in the top two divisions to join the union for the first time.
Chelsea are watching Emanuel Emegha's development at Strasbourg and have held talks with their partner club over a pre-agreement for the striker to move to England in 2026.
DAILY MIRROR
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was greeted by young fans urging him to stick around during an open training session during the club's post-season tour.
DAILY RECORD
Celtic have reportedly seen their first bid for Red Star Belgrade defender Veljko Milosavljevic rejected.
Andrew Cavenagh will fly to Europe and take charge of Rangers' hunt for a new manager this week as top target Davide Ancelotti suns himself on a family holiday.
Sport Witness
West Ham rubbing hands at player’s potential sale – Interested parties have to ‘fight hard’ to sign him
By Naveen Ullal
West Ham United’s Nayef Aguerd was on loan at Real Sociedad this season and will return to his parent club.
The centre-back played 36 games for La Real and injuries limited his minutes towards the end of this season, after a very impressive start. That hasn’t stopped the West Ham man from attracting interest from elsewhere.
Foot Mercato report Marseille have made the defender their priority target for the summer window.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side appreciate the 29-year-old’s profile a lot, also because of his past experience at Dijon and Stade Rennais. It won’t be easy for the Ligue 1 club to take him away from the Hammers.
There are other clubs keeping an eye on the Morocco international. Bayer Leverkusen have also identified him as a priority target while Atlético Madrid are in the running.
Los Rojiblancos looked at the West Ham player before he joined Real Sociedad, and the latter are also trying to extend his stay after claims they’d let him go due to the injury issue.
Foot Mercato state the growing interest is Aguerd is good news for West Ham, who ‘can already rub their hands’ at the prospect of his sale. They indicate a fee around €15-20m could be enough to convince Graham Potter’s side.
Aguerd wants to leave, and the Premier League club are ready to sell him. It’s unclear where he’ll end up, but what’s certain is that several clubs will have to ‘fight hard’ to sign the Moroccan.
The Athletic
West Ham review of 2024-25: One of their worst seasons in recent history
By Roshane Thomas
Many would have rejoiced when West Ham United’s uninspiring season finally ended against Ipswich Town on Sunday.
It has been a campaign of sackings (Julen Lopetegui), fights, appointments (Graham Potter), more sackings (Tim Steidten), a car accident and departures (of stalwarts Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and Vladimir Coufal).
The Athletic reflects on their 2024-25 efforts, culminating in a 14th-place finish, that caused more misery than joy.
This season will be remembered as…
One of the worst since West Ham’s current spell as a Premier League club began in 2012.
Teams of a similar stature, such as Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, have made significant progress, whereas West Ham look unrecognisable in comparison with their own recent highs. The most telling element is having three managers (David Moyes, who left at the end of last season, summer successor Lopetegui and his January replacement Potter) in nine months.
Game of the season
Everything clicked in the 1-0 win away at Arsenal in February. New manager Potter’s tactics worked like a charm, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka assisting captain Jarrod Bowen for the goal.
West Ham only won twice more in the 11 matches between that memorable day at the Emirates and their victorious finale in Ipswich. But if they can consistently reprise that level of performance next season, it bodes well for Potter’s prophecy of an exciting future under him.
West Ham celebrate during their win against Arsenal (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Goal of the season
This was a choice between Bowen’s superb strike from outside the box against Ipswich and his volley against Forest.
The latter edges it, and shows why the England international is considered one of West Ham’s best technical players.
Moment of the season
The squad’s unity during the 2-1 December victory over Wolves, days after Michail Antonio’s car accident.
Antonio, who sustained a broken leg, had spoken to his team-mates before the match. Tomas Soucek held up nine fingers, representing Antonio’s shirt number, when celebrating his opener, and Bowen held up Antonio’s shirt after sealing the 2-1 win.
Did that really happen?
There are some strong contenders for this category, such as the appointment of Lopetegui, the loan signing of Brighton striker Evan Ferguson and Steidten’s departure as technical director. But the events following the team’s late capitulation in a 3-2 defeat at Brighton last month feel appropriate.
Potter rarely loses his cool, but he almost reached breaking point in his post-match interview. He expressed his frustration at West Ham’s inability to see games out, and the magnitude of the situation took its toll.
“I’m not a robot, I’m a human being as well,” he said. “I give everything to what I’m doing. Of course, I’m going to be upset and frustrated. I have to come here and speak calmly to you guys, but that’s not how I’m feeling inside. If you want me to swear, I can swear.”
Best quote
Niclas Fullkrug being candid following the 1-1 home draw with already-relegated Southampton earlier in April.
“I’m very, very angry that we played like this because we had some minutes where we showed what we can do against an opponent like that at home. We showed that we can have good possession, that we can go in-behind and that we have the chances to score again. But the motivation… sorry, we were s***. I’m very angry.”
Biggest surprise
Mohammed Kudus’ underwhelming season.
He has been ineffective, struggling to adapt to Potter’s 3-4-2-1 system and not playing at the level which made him a sought-after talent. The 24-year-old attacker has only scored twice (in that defeat at Brighton and on Sunday at Ipswich) this calendar year.
It is in huge contrast to his performances in 2023-24, where he showed his brilliance against Freiburg and Manchester City, ending that campaign with 14 goals and six assists.
The player/players who could be breakthrough stars next season
Ollie Scarles developing into a first-team regular has been one of the highlights of the season. The 19-year-old made 15 Premier League appearances, and his form led to an England Under-20s call-up in March. Scarles was named the club’s young player of the season, and his breakthrough will offer hope for fellow academy kids Freddie Potts and George Earthy.
Midfielder Potts, 21-year-old son of West Ham Under-21s manager Steve Potts, and Earthy, 20, had season-long loan spells in the second-tier Championship at Portsmouth and Bristol City respectively. Attacking midfielder Earthy was voted City’s young player of the year as they made the play-offs, while Potts has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract extension with West Ham to summer 2029.
“I’ve been at West Ham since I was five. I grew up in the area, and I’ve wanted to become a West Ham player my whole life,” Potts said in a March interview with West Ham’s website. “Hopefully, this (coming) pre-season, with the new manager coming in, brings a fresh opportunity. From what I’ve seen, it looks really exciting, so I’m eager to be part of it. My goal is to break into the first team and show what I can do at the highest level.”
Rate the manager’s season out of 10 (and explain your rating)
Five for Potter is a fair assessment, as there have been mitigating factors for his slow start: he inherited an ageing squad, Fullkrug and fellow summer signing Crysencio Summerville (who hasn’t played since) got injured in his first game in charge, and he does not know his best XI.
The former Swansea City, Brighton and Chelsea manager won five of his 18 league games, losing eight and drawing five.
Opinion among supporters has been divided surrounding Potter’s ability to turn things around. But there are similarities to Moyes’ initial struggle in the first season of his second spell at West Ham.
The Scotsman, now into a second stint as Everton boss, had a paltry return of two wins in his first 12 league games after succeeding Manuel Pellegrini in December 2019. But the following summer’s arrivals of Coufal, Said Benrahma and Craig Dawson helped the club finish sixth in 2021, securing Europa League qualification.
Potter will hope to follow suit next season.
The issue that will dominate the summer
The futures of Lucas Paqueta and Kudus.
The investigation into Paqueta’s alleged betting breaches is expected to conclude in June. The Brazil international’s career has been in limbo for two years, and last May, he was charged by the English Football Association (FA) with deliberately getting booked in four Premier League matches so he and/or his friends could benefit by betting on that happening. Paqueta, who denies any wrongdoing, could face a lifetime ban from the sport if found guilty.
Kudus has a buyout clause, only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80million ($108.4m) for clubs in continental Europe, £85m for Premier League sides and £120m for Saudi Arabian ones. His contract expires in the summer of 2028, with a one-year option, but the Ghana international is expected to leave this summer, to enable West Ham to reinvest the fee in their team.
(Top photo: Getty Images)