Saturday newspapers (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

"BBC adon Sancho is open to leaving Manchester United in the January transfer window if the England winger, 23, remains marooned at the club until the New Year. (Manchester Evening News) Erik ten Hag will not back down over his demand for an apology, in both private and public, from Sancho for saying the United manager has not told the truth. (ESPN) West Ham were unable to agree a deal for Hugo Ekitike during the summer transfer window but the French striker, 21, is set to quit Paris St-Germain in January. (Football Insider) Bayern Munich could revisit a move for Chelsea's English defender Trevoh Chalobah, 24, in the January transfer window. (Football Insider) Chelsea's co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have defended the money spent by the club and the amount of transfer activity the Blues have conducted this summer. (Metro) Boca Juniors are preparing to offer a new contract to Manchester City target Valentin Barco which would make the Argentine left-back, 19, one of the highest paid players at the club. (Diario AS - in Spanish) City ""came with everything"" in a bid to sign Lamine Yamal this summer, before the 16-year-old winger made his breakthrough with Barcelona and Spain this season. (Marca - in Spanish) Nice's France defender Jean-Clair Todibo, 23, has said he didn't want to join Manchester United in the summer because he 'didn't want to make a mistake'. (L'Equipe - in French) Everton's director of football Kevin Thelwell submitted three different player recruitment plans to their new owners but the response was so cold that it has sparked concern among senior club figures about their interest in team investment. (Football Insider) Liverpool are not close to any deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Ecuador centre-back Piero Hincapie, 21, despite reports stating otherwise. (FootballTransfers) Arsenal are confident of agreeing a contract extension with Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, 24. (ESPN) The Gunners also want to extend England defender Ben White's contract despite the 25-year-old still having three years to run on his current deal. (Metro) After completing a move from Borussia Dortmund to Anderlecht, Thorgan Hazard has asked his 32-year-old brother Eden, who is still a free agent after leaving Real Madrid, to follow him in making a return to their native Belgium. (Sport - in Spanish) Poland striker Robert Lewandowski has played down the possibility of a move to the Saudi Pro League or Major League Soccer in the United States, with the 35-year-old saying he is happy at Barcelona. (AS - in Spanish) Uefa is considering changes to the Women's Champions League, including an expansion of the tournament. (Times - subscription required) Sky Paper Talk DAILY TELEGRAPH Chelsea have spent ¬£1bn and signed 27 players since Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly's takeover - now they want to buy Sporting CP. Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has agreed to sell the club, but only after agreeing an extraordinary performance related clause, which involves remaining in the Premier League. Eddie Howe is adamant he is immune to external criticism as he defended Newcastle United's poor start to the Premier League season. DAILY MAIL Mauricio Pochettino reveals Chelsea will only have 14 or 15 players to take on Bournemouth, despite Todd Boehly spending another ¬£400m this summer. Erik ten Hag has been dealt another blow as Sofyan Amrabat is ruled out of Manchester United action after he was forced out of Morocco duty through injury. Erik ten Hag is said to have no idea when Antony will return to Manchester United as he addresses domestic abuse allegations. Everton's prospective owners are facing serious questions about the source of their funding after 777 partners agreed a deal worth more than ¬£500m to buy the club. David Moyes has confirmed Kurt Zouma will remain as West Ham captain for the rest of the season. Chelsea's policy of targeting young players in the transfer market must be given time to prove its effectiveness, according to boss Mauricio Pochettino. THE ATHLETIC Bethany England has been named the new captain of Tottenham Hotspur Women. Mario Balotelli has cancelled his contract with Swiss side Sion and returned to Adana Demirspor of the Turkish Super Lig. Pedro Rocha will continue in his role as interim president of the RFEF (Spanish FA) until its next set of elections, which are due next year, despite the Spain Women's squad calling for his resignation. Xavi has revealed his new Barcelona contract will be announced soon - but he only wants a long-term deal if he continues to earn it. THE TIMES Pep Guardiola has insisted Phil Foden is destined to excel in a central midfield role, despite Gareth Southgate's reservations. The verbal abuse meted out to Harry Maguire across football was started by supporters at Manchester United, according to his former manager Brendan Rodgers. Jadon Sancho's future at Manchester United looks bleak after Erik ten Hag admitted he does not know whether the winger will play for the club again. The Sky Bet Championship looks set to continue as a VAR-free zone despite the emergence of a cheaper version of the video referee system - with a large majority of clubs unimpressed by its impact on the Premier League. Adam Conant, the head of sport at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), met senior figures from Uefa this week to try to reassure them that the planned independent football regulator will not breach rules on government interference in the game. Mercedes could launch a legal challenge against the controversial ending to the 2021 season depending on the outcome of Felipe Massa's attempts to strip Lewis Hamilton of his 2008 world title. THE SUN Erik ten Hag has warned Jadon Sancho might never play for Manchester United again as he hints at more problems with the outcast winger. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is planning to make Portuguese giant Sporting Lisbon his second feeder club. Man United fans are crying out for Rasmus Hojlund to lead the team out of their early season struggles. Jurgen Klopp let rip at a journalist after being asked about the future of Mohamed Salah, who was heavily linked with a summer move to the Saudi Pro League. Former England captain David Beckham has given his support to under-fire defender Harry Maguire. Manchester City tried to sign Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal this summer, according to a club chief. Manchester United transfer target Jean-Clair Todibo didn't join the Red Devils this summer over fears he'd make a ""mistake"". Todd Boehly was not behind the big calls to sack Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter last season. Fulham are reportedly still planning on selling Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich despite him signing a new contract. DAILY MIRROR Chelsea's co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have spoken out about the club's transfer strategy, with the Blues having now spent more than ¬£1bn since a consortium led by Todd Boehly took over. Farhad Moshiri's plans for a swift sale of Everton have come under immediate threat, with a backlash from fans and creditors of the club. Ange Postecoglou isn't getting carried away by the honeymoon period of Tottenham's stunning start to the season, after being named Premier League manager of the month for August. Thiago Alcantara's agent had to reject claims the Liverpool midfielder was set to complete a late move to Turkey. DAILY EXPRESS Weston McKennie unloaded on former club Leeds United for misusing him during an ill-fated loan spell last season. DAILY RECORD Michael Beale has insisted he cares too much about Rangers to walk away from Ibrox, after being faced with calls to quit from the fanbase. Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate is ready to roar back to his best after shaking off the transfer speculation of the summer. Jota has been excluded from Al Ittihad's Saudi Pro League squad just two months after joining from Celtic, according to reports. Tom Lawrence insists the Rangers squad remain fully behind under-pressure boss Michael Beale. Craig Gordon has stepped up his comeback as the Hearts skipper edges towards a long-awaited return to fitness. Alfredo Morelos's debut at Santos has been followed by the sacking of the Brazilian side's manager just 24 hours later. SCOTTISH SUN Jota was willing to sanction a sensational loan return to Celtic - just weeks after concluding a record ¬£25m exit from the club this summer. Todd Cantwell has broken his silence on his cruel injury blow, after it was revealed he will miss almost a month of action for Rangers. Celtic have confirmed they have been given the green light to re-develop their Barrowfield Training Centre. The Political Economy of Football Why West Ham's Czech shareholder may not go for a takeover It‚Äôs just a few months since West Ham United won their first trophy in more than 40 years with a last-minute 2-1 victory over Fiorentina to win the Europa Conference League final in Prague. The host city was fitting. Czech tycoon Daniel K?ôet??nsk?? has owned around 27 per cent of West Ham since buying the stake for around ¬£160mn in November 2021. Sweeter still, the match was played at the Fortuna Stadium, home to Slavia Prague. K?ôet??nsk?? is co-owner of arch-rivals Athletic Club Sparta Praha, internationally known as Sparta Prague, his boyhood club. K?ôet??nsk?? was once a little-known lawyer. Now, he‚Äôs one of Europe‚Äôs most prolific dealmakers, with a string of investments in companies including UK supermarket Sainsbury‚Äôs, Royal Mail and French newspaper Le Monde. But like any billionaire worth Scoreboard‚Äôs time, he‚Äôs a man who loves his football. West Ham, he tells the Financial Times, always struck a chord with him, thanks to the club‚Äôs distinctive claret and blue home shirts. It also helps that West Ham has a long affinity with his home country. Ludƒõk Miklo?°ko became the first Czech to play in England when he joined the Hammers in 1990. These days, Tom?°?° Souƒçek and Vladim??r Coufal are in the squad. K?ôet??nsk?? bought into a club that swung to a net profit of more than ¬£12mn in 2021/22 from a net loss of almost ¬£27mn the prior year. Revenue increased by ¬£60mn to more than ¬£252mn, driven by bigger match day, commercial and retail takings. That‚Äôs well behind the ¬£613mn generated by Manchester City, the top team in terms of revenue, but comfortably in the top half of the English league. It had been widely expected that K?ôet??nsk?? would look to take a majority stake in West Ham following the death earlier this year of longtime co-owner David Gold. However, K?ôet??nsk?? told the Pink Un‚Äôs Arash Massoudi that ‚Äúassets with very strong emotional values‚Äù require a special type of due diligence. ‚ÄúYou really need to think twice or three or four times whether the overall equation gives you the right to nominate yourself into the position of the majority owner just by money,‚Äù K?ôet??nsk?? says. ‚ÄúIn some situations for instance media or sport, you don‚Äôt necessarily need to go always for a majority position,‚Äù he added. ‚ÄúSometimes you can do that but you need to take the right people on board with you because I‚Äôm not English, I wasn‚Äôt born here,‚Äù he says. Despite that longstanding ‚Äúemotional engagement‚Äù with West Ham, K?ôet??nsk?? confessed that Sparta Prague was his first love. ‚ÄúIf you invest in a club which hasn‚Äôt been your club since you were born you always feel, or I feel, a bit guilty,‚Äù he says. ‚ÄúSo for me, the minority position or potentially maybe stronger minority position feels kind of a little bit more appropriate.‚Äù MercatoFoot Hugo Ekitik?© to West Ham? Hugo Ekitik?©, the PSG striker, refused to join Frankfurt during the end of the 2023 summer transfer window. To give himself a chance to join the Premier League next January. Pushed towards the exit by PSG during the 2023 summer transfer window, Hugo Ekitik?© ultimately remained with the Ligue 1 club. The player refused to join Frankfurt who wanted to recruit him to replace Randal Kolo Muani. Shelved by the Parisian club, the former Newcastle target hopes to have an exit voucher next January. West Ham are already on the lookout according to information from Football Insider. Hugo Ekitik?© relaunched next January? The British outlet suggests that the Hammers ""were involved in discussions over a potential deal for the youngster until the final day of the summer window, but no decision materialized."" But the Premier League club plans to return to action in a few months. Aged 21, the native of Reims is under contract until June 2027. His value is estimated at 20 million euros by Transfermarkt. Guardian David Moyes still finding ways to confound his critics at West Ham Club have not let sale of Declan Rice disrupt momentum but manager will not get carried away during rare purple patch Jacob Steinberg The gag doing the rounds is that an early title decider takes place at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon. All eyes are on the clash of the heavyweights: West Ham v Manchester City, David Moyes and Pep Guardiola going head to head, the Europa Conference League winners taking on the European champions, who head to east London missing a few key individuals and no doubt wary of being undone by opponents who have not allowed the sale of their best player to disrupt their momentum. Admittedly, for all the talk of City being weaker without the injured Kevin De Bruyne, there is every chance of reality setting in once the game begins. While West Ham have impressed during their unbeaten start to the season, particularly during victories over Brighton and Chelsea, the smart money should probably still be on the side with Erling Haaland up front. Even so defeat would hardly dent West Ham‚Äôs feelgood factor. This is a rare purple patch for Moyes, a manager still finding ways to confound those who insist his methods have had their day. The Scot does not have to worry about questions over his style of play after winning the first trophy of his managerial career. Lifting silverware has strengthened Moyes, who was one game from being sacked on several occasions last season, and given him the authority to focus on the qualities that characterise his side at their best: physicality in defence, speed on the counterattack, power at set pieces, and a dash of creativity at select moments. The trick, as Moyes said before facing City, is knowing when to be expansive and when to be resilient. He insisted that the plan against Brighton and Chelsea was not to see so little of the ball. ‚ÄúWhile the quality of the opposition is so good you have to find a way to stop them,‚Äù Moyes said. ‚ÄúIt would be great if people think I want my teams to be very open and expansive and lose 5-0. I‚Äôve not done it throughout my career. You shouldn‚Äôt expect it from me now. ‚ÄúThe trophy has given us a feeling of thinking how we can challenge. We want to be a bit more on the front foot. But the teams we‚Äôve played have made us play on the back foot. We‚Äôve not gone out all week and practised how we‚Äôre going to stay behind the ball. It‚Äôs been the quality of the other teams. We need to regain more possession.‚Äù While West Ham know how to survive without the ball, the aim is still to become less reliant on James Ward-Prowse‚Äôs set piece deliveries and incisive counterattacks from Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen. Moyes has tried to refine the style. Last summer he signed Nayef Aguerd, a ball-playing centre-back, and added Brazilian flourish farther forward with the addition of Lucas Paquet?°. This time, with the budget swelled by Declan Rice‚Äôs ¬£105m move to Arsenal, there has been a focus on technical players. Ward-Prowse and Edson ?Ålvarez offer elegance and steel in midfield; Mohammed Kudus should bring ingenuity in attack once he adjusts to the Premier League. However Moyes, who has also signed the Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, is experienced enough not to get carried away. It was not a straightforward summer. West Ham were slow to act after selling Rice, their captain and midfield lynchpin, and there was plenty of talk about tension between Moyes and Tim Steidten, the club‚Äôs new technical director, over recruitment. A bad start could have cost Moyes his job. Yet the 60-year-old and Steidten have settled into a better rhythm. Insiders have been impressed with Steidten, noting the German‚Äôs diligence and praising him for his work on convincing Ajax to sell Kudus. Sharper recruitment has allowed West Ham to turn losing Rice into a positive. Moyes experienced similar when Everton sold Wayne Rooney in 2004. Using the Rice money well has improved West Ham‚Äôs balance, while they have benefited from a Football Association investigation into potential breaches of betting regulations by Paqueta derailing the midfielder‚Äôs move to City. Paquet?° has been outstanding this season and will surely want to put on a show against the champions. West Ham are ready to dig deep again."

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Thanks Alan 1:41 Sat Sep 16

[Thanks Alan]

Thanks Alan