Wednesday newspapers (includes West Ham)
Posted: 20 Sep 2023, 12:00
"BBC Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane, 30, would have waited until next summer to sign for Manchester United on a free transfer from Tottenham if he had been given assurances over a move to Old Trafford. (Mail) Real Madrid had put in a £60m bid for Kane before the England captain moved to Bayern Munich this summer while Paris St-Germain also made an approach. (The Athletic - subscription required) Brentford head coach Thomas Frank says he would consider selling England striker Ivan Toney, 27, in January if the price was right. (Sky Sports) Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all interested in Toney with Brentford willing to let the player leave for a fee of £60m. (Mirror) Arsenal sent scouts to Reading's EFL Trophy match against Exeter on Tuesday with the Gunners interested in 18-year-old English forward Caylan Vickers and 18-year-old New Zealand defender Tyler Bindon. (Express) Arsenal are also interested in 19-year-old English forward Jamie Bynoe-Gittens at Borussia Dortmund. (Fichajes via Daily Star) Boca Juniors are hopeful of agreeing a new contract with Argentine defender Valentin Barco, 19, despite interest from Brighton. (90min) Aston Villa are in talks to give English defender Ezri Konsa, 25, a new contract. (Mail) Barcelona have shown interest in Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren with the 18-year-old Belgian tipped to be the next Sergio Busquets. (90min) Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold held a Zoom meeting with staff at the club to address unhappiness over a variety of issues this season. (Telegraph - subscription required) United had a £50m bid for 18-year-old Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson turned down by Brighton in the summer. (ESPN) Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is not looking to leave the club after the England international, 25, was dropped from the the team last week. (90min) Chelsea and Bayern Munich are monitoring Ramsdale's situation. (Mirror) AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale met with former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 41, over a potential boardroom role for the retired ex-Sweden forward. (Football Italia) Former Chelsea captain John Terry, 42, is part of a group interested in buying a 10% stake in the club with co-controlling owner Todd Boehly open to new investment. (Telegraph - subscription required) West Ham forward Michail Antonio, 33, is keen to stay at the London Stadium and wants to sign a new contract with the club. (Football Insider) La Liga sides Real Betis and Valencia are both interested in signing Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea, 32, who is still a free agent after he was released by Manchester United in the summer. (Fichajes - in Spanish) Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann will terminate an agreement with the Bundesliga club which will see him give up £17m in order to take charge of the German national team. (Bild - in German) Sky Paper Talk DAILY MAIL Daniel Levy has revealed the deal that sent Harry Kane from Tottenham to Bayern Munich includes a clause allowing the North London club to buy back the England captain. Aston Villa have opened talks with defender Ezri Konsa over a new contract as a reward for his fine form this season which has left former boss Dean Smith wondering why he is not playing for England. Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah's personal trainer Ed Hodge appeared to blame the club's medical staff for their injury crisis in a series of messages on X/Twitter which have since been deleted. Manchester United are set to tie down one of their brightest talents - striker Joe Hugill - to a new long-term contract but he could head out on loan in January, most likely to a Championship club. A new documentary about David Beckham will include confirmation that he ""went at"" Sir Alex Ferguson after the well-documented dressing room boot-kicking incident that left the England star needing a stitch in a wound above his eye. Manchester United have fired five members of their academy coaching staff as part of a wider restructure to enhance their recruitment network. DAILY TELEGRAPH Chelsea legend John Terry is part of a group among those exploring the prospect of buying a stake in the club with controlling co-owner Todd Boehly open to fresh investment. Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold held a ""no holds barred"" meeting with staff who were unhappy over the club's handling of a number of issues this season, including those involving suspended winger Antony. The next Premier League rights deal could include games being played on Sunday nights and also see WSL games being moved so they can be televised in the blacked out Saturday 3pm slot. West Brom have ramped up their search for new ownership to avoid having to go through a fire sale of players in January. QPR are set to make a big free agent splash by signing US defender Reggie Cannon, who left Portuguese club Boavista over unpaid wages. The England and Wales Cricket Board has ordered every English cricketer to undergo diversity training at a cost of £5m. EVENING STANDARD Michael Olise's return to the Crystal Palace first team has been significantly delayed after he suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. DAILY EXPRESS Manchester United are one of the teams interested in Royal Antwerp youngster Arthur Vermeeren, who has been compared to Barcelona legends Xavi and Andres Iniesta by the club's sporting director Marc Overmars. THE SUN Chelsea could find out this week whether their plans to renovate Stamford Bridge will be able to go ahead following more than two months of talks with local residents. THE GUARDIAN The Cyprus Football Association has suspended top-flight games in the country amid a strike by referees after an apparent arson attack on a car belonging to the mother of an official. DAILY MIRROR Jurgen Klopp has again reiterated that he sees his future at Liverpool having been linked with the Germany job. Sir Alex Ferguson disagrees with David Beckham on how worldwide fame eventually changed the former Manchester United superstar. Bayern Munich are also monitoring Aaron Ramsdale's position at Arsenal as they look for a long-term replacement for veteran Germany 'keeper Manuel Neuer. Ravel Morrison, Antonio Valencia and John O'Shea are among the players chipping in £5 per game to rent a pitch in Manchester and play in games arranged in a WhatsApp group containing 66 present and former footballers. DAILY STAR Michail Antonio has sensationally backed West Ham to finish above Liverpool this season to add fuel to the fire ahead of their clash at Anfield on Sunday. THE SCOTTISH SUN Celtic are reported to be interested in Serbia winger Nemanja Jovic, who remains a free agent after leaving Partizan Belgrade. DAILY RECORD Crocked Rangers striker Danilo revealed he hopes to be back playing ""in a few weeks"" as he continues to update fans following his weekend injury. The Athletic Nayef Aguerd needs to get back to his best – West Ham are well stocked at centre-back As Nayef Aguerd leapt in the air, he was confident. It is a jump he has done countless times. A jump he has done to score and defend — and one he will continue to do for the rest of his career. But against Manchester City, it was a jump he got horribly wrong. During West Ham United’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City, the centre-back mistimed his header and allowed Bernardo Silva to score City’s crucial second. There is no doubting Aguerd’s abilities, but West Ham are now well stocked in central defence, with captain Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer, Angelo Ogbonna and £17million ($21.6m) summer signing Konstantinos Mavropanos all viable options. Aguerd needs to get back to his best. Manager David Moyes did not mention Aguerd by name, but it was clear he was disappointed with the Morocco international’s defending for Bernardo’s goal. “Bad timing for their first goal right after half-time, but I was more disappointed with their second goal,” said Moyes. “I thought it was a mistake and we should’ve dealt with it much better. It really turned the game at that point.” The 27-year-old has many strengths, such as his ability to play from the back and the aerial threat he offers on set pieces. Aguerd made a goalline clearance against the Premier League champions and scored in the 3-1 home win against Chelsea. It is no surprise he has many admirers. The Athletic reported the centre-back received offers from a club in the Saudi Pro League and two unnamed European suitors in the summer, but, on each occasion, Aguerd informed his representatives he was happy at West Ham and had no interest in leaving. Al Ittihad, managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, showed late interest but failed to make an offer. Aguerd, whose contract expires in 2027, joined Moyes’ side from Rennes in June 2022 for €31million (£26.7m; $31m), which could rise to €35million with add-ons. He has formed a solid defensive partnership with Zouma, but while the latter continues to impress, errors have crept into Aguerd’s game. As well as the mistimed header against City, he was sent off against Chelsea and was suspended for the victory against Brighton & Hove Albion. Newcastle United’s game plan in the 5-1 defeat in April was to target Aguerd, as Jacob Murphy revealed, but the nature of Aguerd’s defending was already becoming a worry, having been warned by Moyes the previous month. In the 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round loss to Manchester United, the defender made a string of errors. He scored an own goal, missed a chance to clear the ball in the build-up to Alejandro Garnacho’s strike, and was caught in possession for Fred’s stoppage-time goal. “He’s someone we really like but I’ve said it’s going to take him a bit of time to get settled into the Premier League,” said Moyes. “It’s moments like tonight, moments like that, where you see the level of the game and the intensity, how tough it is and how much pressure you’re put under by good players and good teams in the Premier League. They’re the things I’ve been alluding to without saying it directly, which Nayef will have to get used to.” Ogbonna and Mavropanos are likely to feature in Thursday’s Europa League group-stage game against Backa Topola. The duo have the opportunity to give Moyes a defensive conundrum before Sunday’s league game away to Liverpool. Ogbonna impressed alongside Zouma in the victory against Brighton & Hove Albion. Despite being 35, the former Italy international showed he still has plenty to offer. He nullified Evan Ferguson’s impact and made three blocks, the most by any outfield player, demonstrating why the one-year option in his contract was activated in July. Ogbonna, who moved to West Ham in July 2015, is an important figure off the field and will be entrusted with the vice-captain role, along with other senior figures. Mavropanos, who was on Arsenal’s books between 2018 and 2022, is yet to make his debut having had a minor injury when he arrived in the summer, but the defender showed Moyes what he is capable of when he scored twice in Greece’s 5-0 European Championship qualifier victory over Gibraltar. It was Tim Steidten, the technical director, who recommended the 25-year-old when the deal for Harry Maguire fell through. Last season, Mavropanos ranked first (63) among centre-backs in the Bundesliga for interceptions made. He was second only to former Stuttgart team-mate Dan-Axel Zagadou (72.6 per cent) for aerial duel success (70.4 per cent). Mavropanos ended the season in the top five for duel success. His defensive attributes will be a welcome boost for Moyes. It is worth mentioning that Mavropanos is West Ham’s tallest centre-back at 6ft 4in (193cm). Zouma, Aguerd and Ogbonna are 6ft 3in, while Kehrer is 6ft 1in. Should Aguerd’s lack of consistency persist, Moyes has three suitable replacements in Mavropanos, Ogbonna and Kehrer. Aguerd is aware the trio are waiting for their chance. How he responds will determine how much he figures. OS U21s hit three to beat Bristol Rovers in EFL Trophy Bristol Rovers 1-3 West Ham United U21s EFL Trophy, Memorial Stadium, Tuesday 19 September, 7.45pm BST West Ham United U21s produced a stunning comeback to beat EFL League One outfit Bristol Rovers 3-1 in the EFL Trophy and record a sixth straight win in all competitions on Tuesday evening. With the rain pouring in Bristol, the hosts took the lead at Memorial Stadium, but it was all West Ham after Sam Finley found the bottom corner from inside the area with 24 minutes played. The development side had chances to equalise through Patrick Kelly, Callum Marshall, and Gideon Kodua in the first half, but it was after the break that this talented group showed their class to stroll to a second win in five days. The comeback was set in motion when Dan Chesters’ swashbuckling run won a penalty with 70 minutes played. George Earthy then shaped to take the penalty, before handing the ball to Marshall, who found the bottom corner from 12 yards. And a second quickly followed when Kodua found Earthy, who completed a quick counter-attack with a deft finish from inside the area. But the Hammers weren’t done there and had chances to net a third too, despite Joe Anang preserving the lead with a string of superb stops. By the time the game rolled into stoppage time, Marshall found the net from close range, poking the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to secure a win that takes the U21s top of Group H in the EFL Trophy Southern Section. West Ham United U21s: Anang, Chesters (Robinson 90+1), Laing, Casey ©, Luizao, Scarles, Orford, Kelly, Earthy (Moore 90+4), Marshall, Kodua (Clayton 90+4) Subs not used: Knightbridge (GK), Forbes, Battrum, Nevers Goals: Marshall pen 70, 90+3 Earthy 79 Booked: Robinson"