Wednesday news (includes West ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Marc Guehi is extremely unhappy with Crystal Palace for denying him a £35m transfer to Liverpool, which came after manager Oliver Glasner threatened to resign if the 25-year-old England defender was sold. (Guardian, external)

Had Liverpool offered £55m for Guehi then Crystal Palace would have progressed with the transfer and the Reds may now face competition from Real Madrid to sign him on a free. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Guehi, in the final year of his Crystal Palace contract, will reject any offer of a new deal as he plans to leave as free agent next summer. (Times - subscription required, external)

Manchester United looked to re-sign Danny Welbeck from Brighton for the second year running this summer, but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe did not sanction a move for the 35-year-old former England forward. (Athletic - subscription required, external)

Manchester United are still open to selling 29-year-old Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana in the coming days, with transfer windows in Turkey and Saudi Arabia among those still open. (Teamtalk, external)

Nottingham Forest are set to sign England Under-17s midfielder Chinaza Nwosu, 17, from West Ham, after seeing off competition from other top clubs. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Tottenham remain hopeful of selling Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma, 29, to a club in a country where the transfer window has yet to close. (The I - subscription required), external

Aston Villa are happy to continue with Emiliano Martinez this season despite a move to Manchester United not materialising, and the 33-year-old Argentina goalkeeper not interested in joining the Turkish Super Lig. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Aston Villa had agreed a deal worth more than Manchester United's offer of £18.1m to sign Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but the 23-year-old Belgian snubbed the Villans for a move to Old Trafford. (Mail - subscription required, external)

Yoane Wissa's deadline-day move from Brentford to Newcastle was completed with only 30 seconds to spare, after the 29-year-old DR Congo forward initially failed to sign one of the forms. (Sky Sports, external)

Scottish champions Celtic have made contact with Patrick Bamford, who left Leeds United this month, in a bid to sign the 31-year-old English striker on a free transfer. (Herald - subscription required, external)




Sky Paper Talk

THE TIMES

Europe's leading clubs may push for greater representation at the Club World Cup and play more games abroad after being outmuscled by a £3bn summer spree from English elite clubs.

Marc Guehi will reject any offer of a new contract from Crystal Palace and plans to leave as a free agent when his contract expires next summer.

Raheem Sterling is likely to train away from the first-team group at Chelsea until the January transfer window after a move away from the club did not materialise on deadline day.

The FA will be forced to pay Nottingham Forest hundreds of thousands of pounds after losing a landmark legal battle with the Premier League club.

THE GUARDIAN

Lucas Paqueta is poised to receive only a fine after being found guilty of two misconduct charges relating to the spot-fixing allegations he was cleared of in July.

Marc Guehi is extremely unhappy with Crystal Palace's decision to pull the plug on his £35m transfer to Liverpool, which came after Oliver Glasner stepped in to prevent the move by threatening to resign if he was sold.

DAILY MAIL

The woman at the centre of the scandal that almost brought down Christian Horner last year is back working in Formula One, according to a report.

Antony was overcome by emotion as he broke down in tears at his Real Betis presentation after ending his nightmare with Man Utd's 'bomb squad'.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Karren Brady and David Sullivan are facing fresh resignation demands from a West Ham United supporters group leading protests at upcoming matches.






C&H

West Ham Exclusive – Midfielder Rejected Saudi Mega Money Move

Claret & Hugh has learnt this morning that West Ham came very close to completing another piece of deadline day business, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute.

With the clock ticking down, West Ham’s incoming transfers were underwhelming—but behind the scenes, the club nearly offloaded Guido Rodríguez.

Speaking to a transfer source who has been involved in multiple Hammers deals in the past, C&H were told: “We got West Ham a deal for Guido Rodríguez. It would have been €8m per year NET for the player.”

However, the deal was blocked by the Argentine’s agent, who demanded more money and “thought he could get an offer to match that from Mexico.” Suffice to say, the interest from Mexico didn’t materialise and the player has remained at The London Stadium.

Rodríguez remains one of the club’s highest earners, on just over £100,000 per week, and recent reports of West Ham struggling to shift the player now appear accurate.

The 31-year-old has been holding out for a return to La Liga, but interest was limited to just one club, who never came close to matching his current wages. That left a straight choice—accept a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, or stay in England.




Standard

West Ham fans send letter of no confidence in board over 'sustained failure'

Fan Advisory Board slam “ageing uncompetitive squad, inadequate scouting infrastructure and derided training facility”, plus London Stadium experience

Sam Tabuteau

The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board (FAB) have filed a letter of no confidence in the club’s board as supporters prepare to stage a protest ahead of their match against Brentford.

Writing on behalf of more than 25,000 members, the FAB say they “have no choice but to issue a ‘vote of no confidence’ in relation to the board’s management of the club.”

The FAB cite the club’s failure to adequately build on their Conference League victory in 2023 as a key reason behind their decision.

“It is with regret that we feel we need to write to you on behalf of the 25,000 or more dedicated West Ham United supporters that we, the FAB members, directly represent. We now have no choice but to issue a "vote of no confidence" in relation to the Board’s management of the club,” the FAB said.

“Just two years after winning a European trophy and selling our best player (Declan Rice) who had been with us since he was 14 for £105m to hear claims of financial distress, (a year after the last accounts said there were no PSR issues on the horizon) see an ageing uncompetitive squad, inadequate scouting infrastructure and a derided training facility is simply unacceptable and in the supporters’ eyes incontrovertible evidence of sustained failure on behalf of the executive management.”

The FAB went on to criticise the matchday experience at West Ham’s home ground, the London Stadium, where they moved in 2016 following their departure from Upton Park.

“You will have seen the recent supporter-run survey completed by over 9,000 Hammers and run by totally independent sources, including the FSA. It is a damning indictment of the club, and in particular the stadium, which, far from being viewed as “World Class,” is the most criticised ground in the country and home to a match day experience regularly subject to negative chanting from away fans.

“You told us that our move to the London Stadium would take us to the next level. The reality is, our commercial revenues are now dwarfed by our supposed rivals. Supporters find themselves casting envious glances at the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, and Crystal Palace, all of whom outperform West Ham United both on and off the pitch.”

The FAB, who are supporting calls for protest, say they expect wholesale change and no further board interference, with priority given to bringing people to the club who have football and commercial expertise.

“We need professional full-time executives with both football and commercial expertise, and no further Board interference, no more dependence on favoured agents, in short, a move to a competitive professional leadership. The recently quoted description “analogue club in a digital world” is very apt and has to change.”



EPL Index

Fabrizio Romano: Nottingham Forest set to sign West Ham United midfielder

Nottingham Forest have signed 17 year old talent Chinaza Nwosu from West Ham, chased by many top clubs. Documents set to be signed today.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed the deal on X, noting, “Nottingham Forest have signed 17 year old talent Chinaza Nwosu from West Ham, chased by many top clubs. Documents set to be signed today.”

Forest’s ambition is clear. Capturing a player pursued by Europe’s elite speaks volumes. Youth investment like this signals intent, with Nwosu’s arrival offering real excitement for the future.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

Forest fans will be excited and expectant about this move. Bringing in Chinaza Nwosu at just 17, especially from West Ham and ahead of major European clubs, shows the club’s recruitment team have real belief in his potential. Supporters will see this as a statement signing that strengthens the academy pipeline and future first-team options.

However, there is natural scepticism too. Young signings often come with hype, but Premier League football is a brutal testing ground. Some fans will question whether Nwosu can adapt to the physical and tactical demands quickly enough, or if he will fade into the long list of talented youngsters who never break through.

Others will be concerned about timing. With Forest battling to secure stability in the Premier League, investing energy in a 17 year old rather than senior reinforcements could raise eyebrows. Still, the club’s long-term planning is evident and that ambition deserves recognition.

Overall, the signing of Nwosu is bold, exciting, and carries risk. If nurtured properly, it could be remembered as a turning point for Forest’s youth development and a sign of a club willing to gamble for future reward.

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.