Friday newspapers (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

"BBC Manchester United have joined Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the race for Palmeiras' Brazilian winger Estevao Willian, 16. (Teamtalk) Al-Ittihad winger Jota, 24, wants to join his former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, but Postecoglou is unsure about a move for the Portuguese. (Sun) Manchester United have also joined Newcastle, Roma and AC Milan in showing interest in 27-year-old Stuttgart and Guinea forward Serhou Guirassy. (Foot Mercato - in French) Manchester United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants his recruitment team to focus on homegrown talent. (Mail) Arsenal are in negotiations with Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu over a new contract with the 25-year-old's deal set to expire in 2025. (Athletic - subscription required) The Gunners are also confident of agreeing a new long-term deal with England defender Ben White, 26. (Standard) Manchester United are in talks to sign Romania and Genoa defender Radu Dragusin, 21. (Prosport - in Romanian) Brighton want to open new contract talks with manager Roberto De Zerbi amid interest from Napoli and Real Madrid. (90Min) Juventus are hoping to complete a double deal in January for Manchester United's 23-year-old England winger Jadon Sancho and Netherlands midfielder Donny van de Beek, 26. (Teamtalk) Everton insist their 2022-23 accounts are well within within budget so will avoid a second points deduction this season under new fast-track rules introduced by the Premier League. (Telegraph - subscription required) Juventus' 20-year-old English winger Samuel Iling-Junior's price is now set at 18m euros (¬£15.5m), down from 20m euros (¬£17.2m), and Tottenham are interested. (Calciomercato - in Italian) Marc Guehi is keen to remain with Crystal Palace until the summer transfer window to boost his chances of making England's squad for Euro 2024. The 23-year-old defender is attracting interest from Manchester United and Newcastle. (90min) Chelsea target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia may be more interested in a move to Real Madrid, according to the 22-year-old Napoli and Georgia winger's father. (Geo Team, via Express) Manchester City are prepared to drop their interest in West Ham and Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 26, if no resolution over the gambling investigation hanging over the player is found. (Football Transfers) Sky Paper Talk DAILY MAIL Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to instruct a new-look Manchester United recruitment team to prioritise homegrown talent as he aims to fire the club back to English football's summit. The hearing into Manchester City's 115 Premier League charges may not begin for at least another year. Mario Balotelli has reignited his feud with Brendan Rodgers by labelling his former manager a ""disaster"" and describing him as the worst coach he has ever had during a recent interview. Mauricio Pochettino is as surprised as anyone by Cole Palmer's superb start at Chelsea, because the manager had to be persuaded to sanction the ¬£45m signing from Manchester City. The International FA Board were fielding requests from leagues all over the world to trial sin-bins next season within 24 hours of giving the green light for the experiment this week. Robbie Keane is moving back to Israel this weekend to take charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv for the first time since fleeing the country following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7. British UFC star Tom Aspinall has admitted that he has no interest in a boxing match while he waits to unify his interim heavyweight title. DAILY TELEGRAPH Andre Onana is increasingly concerned he could struggle to win back his place at Manchester United if he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon next year. Owen Farrell could miss up to a year with England following his decision to step away from the Six Nations to prioritise his and his family's mental well-being. The Rugby Football Union scaled back psychological support for the England men's team at this year's World Cup in France. Ben Duckett has said that it was ""difficult"" watching England's torrid World Cup campaign as he aims to play a major part in ""a fresh start"" for the one-day international side. THE ATHLETIC Arsenal are in negotiations with Takehiro Tomiyasu over a new contract. MLS has suspended Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini for a total of six games over his abuse of a referee. THE GUARDIAN Police in Dallas have issued an arrest warrant for Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller on charges stemming from a ""major disturbance"" at a home on Wednesday. THE TIMES Everton could be at risk of another points deduction this season after it was confirmed that any new breach of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules should be dealt with by the end of May. Nick Kyrgios has thanked Andy Murray for helping him to overcome suicidal thoughts after noticing signs of self-harm on the Australian's body. Ben White has moved closer to becoming the latest Arsenal player to agree a new contract after positive talks with the club. English football agents have won a landmark case against Fifa over an attempt by the global governing body to cap their commission in transfer deals. THE SUN Erik ten Hag has been left ""wowed"" by Darren Fletcher's 16-year-old son Jack, who trained with the Manchester United first team ahead of their draw with Galatasaray. Wolves' sporting director has been fined and handed a ban after swearing at referee Anthony Taylor. Arsenal are in advanced talks with Ben White and are hopeful of agreeing a new deal before Christmas. Wolves' sporting director has been fined and handed a ban after swearing at referee Anthony Taylor. Nathan Jones has held talks over a return to management at Rotherham United after almost 10 months out. DAILY MIRROR Steve Bruce has thrown his hat into the ring to become the new Republic of Ireland boss in a blow to his former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane. If Juventus' attempts to sign Jadon Sancho are reliant on the Italian club finding funds from elsewhere, the sale of Samuel Iling to Tottenham could set some transfer dominoes in motion. DAILY EXPRESS Manchester United's board may have a new option to replace Erik ten Hag if the Dutchman is deemed surplus to requirements, as Max Allegri is reportedly interested in a move to the Premier League. DAILY RECORD He is out in the heat of Saudi Arabia currently - but Jota's exit from the Middle East could hinge on whether Ange Postecoglou's cold feet thaw out. SCOTTISH SUN Ryan Kent had a night to forget in Denmark as Fenerbahce crashed to a humiliating 6-1 defeat to FC Nordsj?¶lland. Guardian Tomas Soucek‚Äôs late strike at Backa Topola takes West Ham through Tomas Soucek (left) celebrates with Pablo Fornals after scoring West Ham‚Äôs winner. Photograph: Srƒëan Stevanoviƒá/Getty Images Tomas Soucek struck late on yet again as West Ham secured their passage into the knockout stages of the Europa League despite a Serbian snooze-fest against Backa Topola. The Czech midfielder has now scored in his last five matches for club and country after an 89th-minute volley earned a scratchy 1-0 win. Now they need to finish the job against Freiburg at the London Stadium in a fortnight to ensure they top the group and avoid a two-legged playoff in February. Around 320 hardy West Ham fans made the 2,000-mile journey out to the Balkans, including a 100-mile trek up the motorway from Belgrade to the TSC Arena. Many of them had got their wish, in the absence of injured forwards Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, of a first start of the season for 19-year-old FA Youth Cup-winning striker Divin Mubama. But the youngster barely got a sniff of the ball as West Ham struggled to rouse themselves in the sleepy Serbian town. The hosts came into the encounter on the back of a 4-0 win over Super League leaders Partizan at the weekend, and they made a confident start with Uros Milovanovic forcing an early save from Lukasz Fabianski. Then an error from Aaron Cresswell, handed a rare start in one of seven changes from the side which snatched a late win at Burnley thanks to Soucek‚Äôs goal, gifted Aleksandar Cirkovic a shooting opportunity with Fabianski saving again. West Ham registered their first shot on target after half an hour, a tame effort from Sa?Ød Benrahma on his 150th West Ham appearance which was easily dealt with by Veljko Ilic. Tomas Soucek volleys West Ham‚Äôs winning goal. Photograph: Andrej ƒåukiƒá/EPA But it was a mind-numbing first half neatly summed up by former player Joe Cole, on TNT Sports, as ‚Äúdross‚Äù and ‚Äúappalling‚Äù. David Moyes turned to Danny Ings and the lesser-spotted Maxwel Cornet just after the hour, replacing Benrahma and Mubama, in a bid to inject some life into his unconvincing side. And as the game ticked into stoppage tie Cornet crossed from the left and Soucek hammered in a volley to win it. West Ham have enjoyed a thrilling run in Europe over the past three seasons, including their historic Europa Conference League final triumph in Prague. Although this was not one which will live long in the memory it was an 18th win in 20 matches in Europe, job done for Moyes and his side. The Athletic How West Ham‚Äôs resurgent Tomas Soucek has rediscovered his striking instincts By Roshane Thomas The infectious smile is back, the hot streak continues and a new celebration shows Tomas Soucek has rediscovered his verve to become West Ham United‚Äôs talisman. In a laborious encounter against TSC Backa Topola, it was Soucek who struck late for a 1-0 win. When manager David Moyes needed a winner against Burnley, it was Soucek who answered the call. Against Nottingham Forest, it was classic Soucek, towering over his marker to score in the dying stages of the 3-2 victory. When West Ham looked devoid of ideas against Lincoln City, Soucek squashed fears of a Carabao Cup upset with a goal. The 28-year-old has been a dependable offensive presence ‚Äî and the Czech Republic international has scored in his last five matches for club and country. He has also adopted a spinning celebration for good measure. So what has caused this resurgence? After winning the Europa Conference League final in June, Moyes gave his squad three and a half weeks off. Soucek travelled to Greece with his family and close friends. After pre-season, he mentioned how fresh he felt from his holiday, and how he had switched off and re-energised for the upcoming season. ‚ÄúI just hope that everyone can see on the pitch that I feel motivated to impress in every game,‚Äù said the midfielder in October. Soucek had an underwhelming 2022-23, with a paltry return of three goals across 50 appearances. It was a huge contrast to 2021-22 when he scored six goals, while in 2020-21 he was named player of the year having ended the season with 10 goals. Given how much Soucek impressed in 2020-21, having joined from Slavia Prague in January 2020, supporters often wanted more from him. His struggles were like a singer who never quite replicates the heights of their hit record. Soucek was aware his performances had not hit the same level. ‚ÄúMaybe last season I didn‚Äôt feel right, didn‚Äôt feel that motivated, but this season I feel great, ‚Äù he said. Now Soucek‚Äôs form has markedly improved and the past four months bear a resemblance to the Soucek of old. More importantly, he looks like he will be able to reach double figures for the second time in his West Ham career, having registered seven goals in 17 appearances this campaign. ‚ÄúI‚Äôm enjoying life, because it‚Äôs perfect,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs not like the goals have been for four or five-nil. They‚Äôve been very important goals, many of them, and they‚Äôve helped us get points. ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs very important for me, for the team, and I‚Äôm just happy I can help the team. I just want to be ready for every ball, if someone touches it, or if someone misses it I want to be there.‚Äù It is often unstated how unselfish Soucek is. He sacrificed the offensive side of his game last season to allow Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal for ¬£105million in July, to transition into a box-to-box midfielder. There was a time when Rice and Soucek were considered the best midfield duo in the Premier League. Rice would sit deep, while Soucek had permission to roam forward. But in 2022-23 they switched roles. Soucek played a defensive role, while Rice roamed forward. It meant Soucek had fewer goalscoring opportunities, which culminated in him having his worst season under Moyes. This campaign, per 90 minutes, Soucek has had more touches in the opposition box (3.2) than last term (2.4). His expected goals of 0.33 has doubled from 0.14 last season. He is also attempting more shots inside the box. The graphic below shows how his shot locations have evolved since 2020-21. His xG per shot of 0.17 is the highest it has ever been for West Ham. This season he has an average distance of 9.7 yards from the goal line. In 2022-23, it was slightly higher, having recorded 10.1 yards. Soucek is known for his aerial abilities but only two of his seven goals have been headers. He has other attributes which he has showcased over the past three goals. It is worth remembering Soucek was a striker during his academy days at Slavia Prague. Despite transitioning into a midfielder it is clear he has not lost his goalscoring instinct. Against Burnley, forward Jay Rodriguez is tasked with marking Soucek. The midfielder uses his strength to surge past Rodriguez, but it was his finish that is equally impressive. We have not been accustomed to seeing Soucek showcase his technical abilities when scoring, but he did against Burnley. Against TSC Backa Topola, it was the midfield who initiated the attack. Soucek plays it out wide to second-half substitute Thilo Kehrer and advances into the box. Kehrer passes to Maxwel Cornet who whips in a pinpoint cross, which Soucek volleys in. Two games, two winners, two technically good finishes. The Soucek of old has belatedly returned ‚Äî and he is on track to record his best goalscoring return in a single season for West Ham. He once polarised opinion but Soucek has overcome his struggles to be Moyes‚Äô main man again. It‚Äôs no surprise the smile is back."

[Heavi995]

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[Texas Iron]

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[Thanks Alan]

Thanks Alan