Thursday news (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

"BBC Liverpool have joined Manchester City in the race to sign Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, 28, from Bayern Munich. (Bild - in German) Manchester United are not expecting to sign a replacement for 28-year-old French forward Anthony Martial, who is set to be ruled out for 10 weeks after groin surgery. (Mail) Martial's injury has scuppered Manchester United's plans to sell him during the January transfer window. (Times - subscription required) Manchester United are planning to recoup £100m in the sale of players this summer, starting with 22-year-old English forward Mason Greenwood, who is on loan at Getafe. (i Sport) Bayern Munich have ended their pursuit of 33-year-old Newcastle United and England right-back Kieran Trippier. (ESPN) Newcastle midfielder Miguel Almiron is a target for Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab but the 29-year-old Paraguay international has told the Magpies he does not want to leave. (Mail) Chelsea are considering a move for Aston Villa's 20-year-old Colombia striker Jhon Duran, who has also been linked with West Ham. (Telegraph - subscription required) Chelsea have set an asking price of £38m for 30-year-old Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan at Italian club Roma.(Calciomercato - in Italian) Brentford have agreed a £2.6m fee with Swedish club Elfsborg for 22-year-old Iceland goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson. (Athletic - subscription required) Serie A club Genoa are interested in Everton's 26-year-old English defender Ben Godfrey. (Fabrizio Romano) Everton are also open to selling £60m-rated midfielder Amadou Onana, 22, this month, with Newcastle interested. (Football Transfers) Luton Town are interested in Coventry City's 25-year-old English midfielder Ben Sheaf. (Teamtalk) Fulham have withdrawn from negotiations with Krasnodar for Colombian striker Jhon Cordoba, 30, over concerns about dealing with a Russian club. (Football Transfers) Newcastle's Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, 35, is considering his future at the club this summer. (i Sport) Arsenal are chasing a deal for 20-year-old Paris-St Germain and Netherlands attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, who is on loan with RB Leipzig, as back-up to a move for Wolves' Portuguese forward Pedro Neto, 23. (Football Transfers) Coventry City's English attacking midfielder Callum O'Hare, 25, is out of contract in the summer and being monitored by Southampton, Burnley and Leicester City. (Mail) Sky Paper Talk THE SUN Manchester United have turned down the chance to land Karim Benzema with the club refusing to enter talks due to what they claim are ""exorbitant"" sums involved in bringing the 36-year-old, who earns £86m a year, to Old Trafford. Nathan Jones is reportedly a contender to take over at Charlton Athletic. Luke Littler has pocketed £59 per dart in his opening three senior tournaments. Roy Keane has admitted the dynamics of an international role appeal to him as he continues to be linked with the Republic of Ireland managerial vacancy. Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has called for a change in VAR rules following the ""foamgate"" incident involving Ivan Toney during their game against Brentford. West Ham have seen a £16m bid for Ghana wonderkid Ibrahim Osman rejected by his club Nordsjaelland. DAILY TELEGRAPH Chelsea hold a legitimate interest in Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran and are considering making a surprise bid for the Colombia international before the closure of the January transfer window. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team's powerbase at Manchester United is set to significantly widen with the Glazers agreeing that Ineos should have a broader influence encompassing key decisions across the business. Maro Itoje has handed a major boost to Steve Borthwick by committing to play for his country until the World Cup in Australia in 2027 ""at the bare minimum"". George Skivington, the Gloucester head coach, has turned to mentors Warren Gatland and Stuart Lancaster for advice on how to turn around the club's concerning form in recent months. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has admitted he is baffled by handball rules, confused by criteria used to decide offsides and completely opposed to the introduction of sin bins in football. He would also like to see VARs being used in a much-reduced role. DAILY MAIL The influence of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team will stretch beyond football operations, Manchester United staff have been told. Miguel Almiron is set to remain at Newcastle this month after telling the club he wished to stay at St James' Park. Atletico Madrid are prepared to shell out £20m to land Matt O'Riley from Celtic in the summer. Crystal Palace are in talks with Blackburn Rovers over a move for midfielder Adam Wharton. Championship clubs are lining up for Liverpool's fringe stars this month, after Reds assistant boss Pep Lijnders said defenders Nat Phillips and Calvin Ramsay are likely to go out on loan in the last week of the transfer window. Eden Hazard has reunited with the ball boy he kicked over 10 years ago, who has subsequently gone on to become a successful businessman and is worth over £40m thanks to his vodka empire. Lionel Messi's move to Inter Miami has proved an astronomical success both on and off the field - with the club now worth an incredible $1.02bn following his arrival last summer. Nottingham Forest face further financial turmoil if they go down this season as many of the squad do not have relegation wage-cutting clauses in their contracts. Besiktas maintain an interest in signing Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles. Crystal Palace have made an approach to sign Blackburn's England U20 midfielder Adam Wharton. Marseille are providing competition for Nottingham Forest as they try to get a deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Gio Reyna over the line. Leeds United are seeking to sign Everton defender Ben Godfrey, who is also interesting Serie A side Genoa. THE TIMES Adrian Meronk is expected to join LIV Golf for the start of the breakaway league's season next week in Mexico. Manchester United's hopes of offloading Anthony Martial in the January transfer window have been dashed by the news that he will be out for 10 weeks due to a groin injury. Ollie Lawrence could be ruled out until the latter part of the Six Nations with the hip injury that has forced him to withdraw from England's pre-tournament preparations in Spain. The Premier League is confident it can prove Joe Lewis is no longer involved with Tottenham amid fresh scrutiny after he admitted fraud in New York. Geraint Thomas will have another go at starting both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France this year despite the relatively short break between the two gruelling races. DAILY MIRROR Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is facing a major goalkeeper dilemma ahead of Sunday's FA Cup tie at Newport County. Under-fire Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is expected to discover his fate next month once incoming part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is allowed speak publicly about his plans. Liverpool have placed Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi at the top of their shopping list to replace Joel Matip. Andre Onana was ready to quit the Africa Cup of Nations and return to Manchester United after a bust-up with Samuel Eto'o but has since put his personal differences aside despite the realisation he might remain on the bench. Sunderland are looking to push through deals to sign Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore and Barnsley midfielder Callum Styles. DAILY EXPRESS Manchester United could hand a debut to goalkeeper Altay Bayindir in their FA Cup fourth round clash with Newport County after Andre Onana decided not to return early from the Africa Cup of Nations. Tottenham are reportedly not listening to offers from Barcelona for midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, a player once recommended to them by Lionel Messi. Cardiff Rugby have secured their long-term future after Helford Capital Limited's acquisition of a majority shareholding in the club was ratified. THE SCOTTISH SUN Celtic are bracing themselves for more bids for Matt O'Riley after Atletico Madrid made the first move. DAILY RECORD Celtic are digging their heels in over a sale of Matt O'Riley in the January transfer window with Atletico Madrid the latest club to make a move. St Mirren are closing in on a deal to land James Scott. Rangers have been credited with an interest in Ajax left-back Anass Salah-Eddine but they are likely to face competition from Serie A club Torino. Caught offside West Ham star Lucas Paqueta could join Premier League club in a player-plus-cash deal Subject to certain conditions, Manchester City will finalise a deal this summer for West Ham United and Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta. During the most recent summer transfer window, Etihad Stadium officials pursued a deal for Paqueta as the team prepared to be without Kevin De Bruyne for half of the season due to a hamstring injury. In addition to their desire to bolster their midfield depth for the season, Manchester City made a move for Paqueta worth above £80 million in order to complete the deal. However, the move fell apart because of FA’s investigation over gambling involving the West Ham star. It appears that the Premier League champions, who are interested in bolstering their midfield in the summer transfer window of 2024, will go back to West Ham with a new offer for Paqueta. This is in line with the information provided by Manchester City insider “Tolmie’s Hairdoo” on X, who claims that a deal involving star midfielder Lucas Paqueta and West Ham this summer will be completed for a transfer cost of £45 million in addition to Kalvin Phillips’ services. The report also reveals that, should Lucas Paqueta be exonerated of his gambling charges by then in the year, people negotiating within the London Stadium still anticipate him wanting to join the treble-winners. This week, Phillips is expected to complete his transfer to West Ham. He has agreed to a six-month loan at the London Stadium, with the intention of reviving his playing career and securing a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024. It is believed that West Ham, who have long admired Phillips and his talent in the middle of the pitch, have added the option to buy the former Elland Road player on a permanent deal. Mail Was Kalvin Phillips too nice for his own good at Man City or just not good enough? He was never any trouble but failed to make his mark under Pep Guardiola - now all eyes will be on him at West Ham By Jack Gaughan for the Daily Mail Briefly, the stage belonged to Kalvin Phillips. Grey Goose on tap, he chucked vodka down Jack Grealish's throat. Microphone in hand, he told an adoring crowd at Manchester City's Treble parade that John Stones 'f****** hates United'. Star of the show for a few seconds. Having won it all, Phillips allowed himself time to celebrate and then embarked on a European tour with childhood sweetheart Ashleigh, who recently gave birth to their first child. Ibiza for five days, Athens for a couple. Mykonos for another five and then almost a week in Santorini. He relished the little tavernas off the Greek capital's beaten track. He gave in to the romance of the islands. Enjoying one reality while momentarily forgetting the other. A Treble winner, yes, but a Treble contributor? Not so much. Phillips simply hadn't featured for City as they made history. He gleefully clutched each medal but that gold reflection must have been tinged with something. Seven months later, he is out of the door, on loan to West Ham United. 'Even though I've not played, I've had some of the best experiences of my life,' the 28-year-old reasoned to Mail Sport as he returned to pre-season five days earlier than any of his team-mates last summer. He was always philosophical about the first season under Pep Guardiola and went into it with his eyes wide open. Phillips knew his minutes would be limited and was not overly shocked by the dramatic lack of them. He was more surprised at how an Amazon documentary focusing on him would take over his life, ruing that they couldn't even take the dog for a walk without a camera crew following. He felt that once Christmas had passed, the campaign becoming increasingly manic and training sessions reduced to as little as half an hour to prevent fatigue, chances of him fighting a way in were slim to non-existent. But there was conviction that year two would be different, as it has for countless others who went before him under Guardiola. Leaving was not an option. After recharging, he looked robust and with a crisper pass during a pre-season victory over Bayern Munich in Asia. Those close to him were positive that opportunities would arise. They haven't, not really. Eighty-nine minutes of Premier League football later, he has finally bitten the bullet. 'Kalvin doesn't have any regrets about the move,' one source stressed. But there is an admission that he hasn't seemed himself recently as it became clear that his future would lie elsewhere. Around City, they say he just simply hasn't been good enough for them in the limited opportunities given. Phillips would find it hard to argue that but despite just six starts in 18 months, he genuinely believes that he leaves City a better player than the one who walked through the doors, a little startled by the technical ability in training after leaving boyhood Leeds United for £42million. He endured mock howling from his team-mates when beaten in a warm-up drill during his first session. Welcome to City. Soon after, he was dislocating his shoulder for the second time in a year. And then a third time two weeks later, mixed in with a strained calf. Guardiola told him to have surgery. He ultimately made the World Cup, but that initial window to leave an impression was lost. He never recovered. Before pushing the button to sanction the move, the champions did thorough due diligence with the FA's support staff, who returned glowing reviews. They had sought counsel from his former manager, Marcelo Bielsa, about a central midfielder who had been voted England Player of the Year in 2021. On the surface, it seemed a no-brainer. Homegrown, good price. Guardiola trusts the Argentine implicitly but may look back and wonder if he was provided selective answers. Phillips' character was a big tick and so too the ability to take on information and adapt, according to Bielsa. Phillips has since privately admitted that he struggled to understand Guardiola's tactical instructions in his opening weeks. He broke down in tears, phoning Bielsa, after one sub-par substitute appearance against Leicester City. Inside his own head, worrying about mistakes and perception. He even blamed himself for the injuries - wondering if he was drinking enough water or eating right - not that anybody around the training ground would have known that. On an England camp, Phillips confided in Aaron Ramsdale at how much of a change it all was. Ramsdale said similar about Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, with the pair now viewing the game in a wildly different way. Their careers have gone in similar directions since that conversation. It is easy to say the decision to join City was wrong. Phillips, who after painfully deliberating the switch simply couldn't turn it down, would disagree. Even the other week, after the dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle United, he was celebrating as much as anyone else. Jumping on colleagues' backs, pumping the fists. 'The players will miss him,' a source said. A neighbour of Erling Haaland and Grealish, he's at the hub of the group, playfully interrupting television interviews after matches or being enlisted for pranks on the club's YouTube channel. His initiation, a rendition of George Ezra's Budapest, brought the house down. On the flight back from Abu Dhabi from their warm-weather camp on Tuesday, he made sure to say farewell and thanks to all 100 staff members on board the plane. He's a good egg, Phillips. He always smiles, Phillips. At least in public. Good trainer, never any bother. It is testament to his personality that he still felt involved, parking his ego at the door. And perhaps that has been part of the problem. The hinges on Guardiola's door always remained intact. 'Going in and arguing is just not Kalvin,' said a source. 'He gets his head down and grafts. He's very respectful.' He flat-out refused to criticise the way the City boss announced that he had returned from the World Cup – and then a short break in New York – 'overweight', an episode which Phillips believed was a misunderstanding, explained by a lack of circulation on the seven-hour overnight flight. Phillips had been told to stay away from training for a few days but was actually back with the group by the time Guardiola's quotes had surfaced in the press. Around the FA, they call a hugely popular Phillips 'low maintenance, high performance'. Could he have been higher maintenance at City? There has never been a murmur of unhappiness. While Guardiola has wasted no time in jettisoning those who cause trouble – Joao Cancelo a primary example – there are others, like Riyad Mahrez, whose discussions with the manager have prompted a run of games. It is, and will never be, the style of Phillips to go in and start asking questions. 'He has exceptional character,' Guardiola said. 'I'm so sorry I have not picked him. I visualise my team and select a team and I struggle to see him.' The game was up in early December and centres on Rodri, the fulcrum whom Phillips always knew he'd never dislodge. 'The manager is always rotating,' Phillips told Mail Sport last year. 'Except for Rodri, who plays every game!' He hasn't this term though. Rodri missed three matches through suspension at the end of September. Phillips started in the Carabao Cup at Newcastle when City were knocked out. He then sat on the bench in defeats at Wolves and Arsenal. Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic, the two summer signings, had jumped ahead of him for Wolves. Nunes was hooked at half time on his return to Molineux and benched for Arsenal. Where he sat next to Phillips, who watched Rico Lewis take on midfield responsibilities instead. But it was December, and an abject display at Aston Villa, when this all ended. Really truly ended, the small remaining flicker finally extinguished. Rodri was suspended again. Kovacic and Nunes weren't match fit. City fielded two goalkeepers on a bench of eight, which included Phillips. Guardiola chose an unfit John Stones, Lewis and striker Julian Alvarez as his three in the middle. That's a message and one fully understood. As much as Phillips wanted to keep fighting, the battle was lost. His final appearance was a 13-minute cameo in a Club World Cup semi-final already won. His last start in a Champions League dead rubber at Red Star Belgrade, where he was handed a penalty to chalk up his first goal for the club. Eyes will be on him at West Ham. The onus will be on him to get them moving from deeper positions. David Moyes – who tried to sign him in 2020 - will closely monitor his fitness. Phillips' physical output will test the idea that training with the best is like a matchday. There are some who don't think he moves the ball quickly enough for an elite side like City, not sharp enough on the half-turn, and we're about to see what he has learned. It could be to England's benefit ahead of the European Championship, with Gareth Southgate taking a keen interest in his development from here. Southgate values credit in the bank and loyalty, so it's likely that Phillips would have been off to Germany regardless of this month. Yet how much he wants to impact England is the driving force behind this. He remained on the periphery in Qatar – albeit partially due to fitness - and doesn't want a repeat. The last 18 months cannot be a waste."

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[Texas Iron]

(nt)

[chim chim cha boo]

Thanks Alan. Really interesting piece on Phillips.

[Thanks Alan]

Thanks Alan