Thursday newspapers (includes West Ham)
Posted: 07 Dec 2023, 13:23
"BBC Real Madrid are ready to offer 24-year-old France forward Kylian Mbappe, whose Paris St-Germain contract expires next summer, a deal - but he must make a decision by 15 January. (AS - in Spanish) Brazil forward Richarlison, 26, is a target for Saudi Pro League clubs, but Tottenham are unlikely to sell for less than the £60m they paid Everton for him. (90 Min) Tottenham are considering signing Everton and England defender Ben Godfrey, 25, in January. (Talksport) Juventus are set to pull out of a deal to sign Manchester United's 23-year-old England forward Jadon Sancho. (Tuttosport - in Italian) English forward Noni Madueke, 21, wants to leave Chelsea over a lack of playing time. (TeamTalk) Former Chelsea and Everton manager Frank Lampard and ex-Aston Villa boss Dean Smith are competing to take over at Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC.(Athletic - subscription) Newcastle United's 21-year-old defender Tino Livramento, who qualifies to play for Scotland and Portugal, wants to prove he is good enough for England. (Telegraph - subscription) Liverpool have made an approach for Benfica's 18-year-old Dutch forward Kyanno Lorenzo Silva. (Football Insider) West Ham will listen to offers for Spain midfielder Pablo Fornals, 27, in January despite triggering a one-year extension to his contract. (Standard) West Ham must pay more than £40m if they want Inter Milan's 29-year-old Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. (Calciomercato - in Italian) West Ham and Crystal Palace are keen on a January move for Paris St-Germain's 21-year-old French forward Hugo Ekitike. (Standard) Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has told friends he has heard he will be sacked. (Football Insider) AC Milan are prepared to sign Arsenal's 23-year-old Poland defender Jakub Kiwior on loan with an obligation to buy. (90 Min) Arsenal are tracking 19-year-old USA and Hajduk Split midfielder Rokas Pukstas. (Sun) France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, 28, may not sign a new AC Milan deal because Manchester United are among the clubs showing an interest. (Corriere della Sera - in Italian) Manchester City and Manchester United have made moves for Lille's 18-year-old French defender Leny Yoro, whose has a contract until 2025. (Le10 Sport - in French) Sky Paper Talk DAILY MAIL Nottingham Forest are set to sack Steve Cooper after the dismal 5-0 defeat to Fulham - with Julen Lopetegui and Marco Silva among the candidates in the frame to take over Dele Alli is nearing an Everton return after long-term injury as Sean Dyche confirmed the former England and Spurs star is 'back on the grass' and targeting his first Toffees appearance in over a year Pep Guardiola made a shock claim that he will retire if Manchester City win the treble again this season as the Spaniard targets more silverware at the Etihad. Eddie Howe says he has never seen a 17-year-old be thrown into such high-profile matches and perform like Lewis Miley, and the emergence of the 'unique' academy star could change Newcastle's plans to sign cover for Sandro Tonali in January. The disgraced former Spanish Football president Luis Rubiales ""forcefully kissed"" England defender Lucy Bronze and ""cupped and stroked"" the face of Laura Coombs after the World Cup final, according to Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt. The supposed accreditation pass Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis wore at Craven Cottage was allegedly found in a bush outside Fulham's ground. Patrice Evra has criticised Manchester United players for being 'unprofessional' in their recent defeat against Newcastle and claimed Ryan Giggs ""wouldn't have given up"" like Marcus Rashford did at St James' Park. Tiger Woods and Nike's long-time, successful partnership could be coming to an end, according to a report. THE SUN Juventus hope to persuade Manchester City to carry on paying most of Kalvin Phillips' wages if he joins them next month. Manchester City bid for a 21-year-old Lionel Messi, according to former manager Mark Hughes. Lionel Messi admitted he almost followed Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia. Roy Hodgson had an object thrown at him by what appeared to be a Crystal Palace fan after their loss to Bournemouth. Andrew Flintoff will be an assistant coach for England's five Twenty20 games in the Caribbean. DAILY MIRROR Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has offered an update on James Maddison's recovery from an ankle injury he picked up against Chelsea last month, describing it as a ""slow burner"". Carl Froch has predicted Deontay Wilder will need less than three minutes to KO Anthony Joshua. Kevin De Bruyne has been included in Manchester City's FIFA Club World Cup squad, raising hopes of an imminent return to action. Paul Scholes has moved to quash the animosity between Antony and a group of Manchester United legends. DAILY TELEGRAPH Tino Livramento wants to play for England over Scotland after becoming one of Newcastle's best signings since their takeover. Golf's governing bodies are locked in a row with the PGA Tour and the game's top equipment makers after announcing their decision to rein back how far the ball can travel. Bath are closing in on an extraordinary double-signing ahead of next season, with Henry Arundell and World Cup winner RG Snyman both on the verge of a move to the West Country club. Andrew Flintoff will be part of England's coaching team for the Twenty20 series against West Indies as his involvement with the national side continues. EVENING STANDARD West Ham and Crystal Palace are both keen on a January move for striker Hugo Ekitike, who Paris Saint-Germain would be willing to loan out or sell for the right price. West Ham will listen to offers for Pablo Fornals in January, despite triggering a one-year extension on his contract. THE ATHLETIC Manchester United are unlikely to make any signings in the January transfer market according to manager Erik ten Hag. German third division side Saarbrucken have followed up their stunning elimination of Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal with a 2-0 defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt. The Athletic Where are West Ham at with Moyes’ contract coming to end, issues up front and angry fans? By Roshane Thomas Football never stands still and neither do reputations within it. In the aftermath of West Ham United winning the Europa Conference League six months ago, David Moyes’ stock was sky-high and he was keen to express his gratitude. “I’m just happy I was able to experience that moment with my family,” said the West Ham manager. “It’s been a long journey.” Moyes then celebrated with staff, friends and family at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel long into the night. When the manager addressed the crowd, the players sang his chant, with Moyes gleefully encouraging them to sing louder. It was one of the proudest moments in his managerial career. The board were vindicated in their decision to stick with him. Despite spending more than £160million ($201m) on Nayef Aguerd, Thilo Kehrer, Gianluca Scamacca, Lucas Paqueta, Alphonse Areola, Emerson Palmieri, Maxwel Cornet and Flynn Downes, West Ham had an underwhelming league campaign and finished 14th. Although this season West Ham are ninth, top of their Europa League group and in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup, Moyes’ standing has fallen among supporters. Discontent is growing, as it did last season when the team were struggling in the league, due to unconvincing performances and the style of play. There were loud boos at the London Stadium following the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. The record sale of captain Declan Rice to Arsenal in the summer allowed Moyes to bring in Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Konstantinos Mavropanos, but no striker, despite Scamacca’s return to Italy, with Moyes now having a lack of options. Michail Antonio is injured, Divin Mubama, 19, is seemingly untrusted to the annoyance of fans, and Danny Ings is out of favour having scored just two goals and played only 900 minutes in the Premier League since arriving last January. Jarrod Bowen has had to be moved from the wing to play as a striker, but he is much more dangerous out wide. Moyes has issues to address, quickly. Moyes and Tim Steidten, the technical director, were engaged in a lengthy discussion on the side of the pitch before the 1-0 win against TSC Backa Topola. Steidten is tasked with identifying European transfer targets. In his first window as technical director, he played a crucial role in the arrivals of Kudus and Mavropanos. He convinced Kudus to reject interest from Chelsea and eased the attacking midfielder’s concerns about Manchester City’s interest in Lucas Paqueta. Steidten persuaded Moyes to sign Mavropanos when a deal for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire fell through. Moyes is entering the final year of his deal. David Sullivan, the majority shareholder, and Karren Brady, the vice-chair, will review Moyes’ future near the end of the season. The board are happy with the progress he has made having delivered European football for three consecutive seasons. It is unlikely they will part ways with Moyes before his contract expires. Since January 2010, the board have only sacked Slaven Bilic (November 2017) and Manuel Pellegrini (December 2019) midway through the season. “I have so much time and respect for David,” Brady told talkSPORT in September. “He is a class act on and off the pitch. He is so passionate about everything he does, so professional. I’ve never met a manager who works harder, who thinks more deeply, who cares so much. “To end last season with a trophy was sweet for him and exceptional for the players. You only know how good a manager is when things aren’t going well.” Joe Cole and Carlton Cole, who made 480 appearances for West Ham, agree. “He’s been a revelation,” said Carlton Cole. “He’s been one of the club’s best managers, at least in the last two decades. He’s brought stability and the expectation of the club has gone from just staying in the league to aiming for Europe every year. “I remember playing for Charlton Athletic on loan from Chelsea and Alan Curbishley always got his team to finish 10th. It got so boring for the fans; they wanted to see a change. Yes, we want to see progression, but sometimes it has to be steady, it can’t happen overnight.” Curbishley was manager of Charlton Athletic from 1991-2006. Having finished 13th in 2005-06, supporters felt Curbishley had taken the club as far as he could. Curbishley subsequently stepped down and the club went through three managers (Iain Dowie, Les Reed and Alan Pardew) the next season and were relegated after seven consecutive seasons in the Premier League. It is 16 years since they were last in the top flight and now find themselves in League One. It is a classic example of being careful what you wish for. West Ham’s hierarchy have experienced this to a degree. Despite Moyes keeping the club up in 2017-18 in his first spell, they did not offer him a contract extension and appointed former Manchester City manager Pellegrini. “Pellegrini is a winner who knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level and is driven to continue that success,” said Sullivan. “Manuel is the first West Ham manager to have a Premier League title on his CV and we believe that his experience, quality and proven record of taking teams forward quickly will ensure that he is successful here. We have listened to fans who asked us to be ambitious. We hope they agree it is an exciting appointment.” Pellegrini lasted 19 months, with the board reappointing Moyes in December 2019. There are two questions the board will have to ask themselves in the coming months: is Moyes capable of taking West Ham to the next level, or is parting ways a risk worth exploring again? Sue Watson, chair of West Ham Supporters’ Trust, is forthright in what she wants. “I spoke to other people on the trust and although the stats will say Moyes is the best manager in the club’s history, the style of play needs to improve,” says Watson. “I’m not sure if I can take another year with Moyes as our manager. It’s been boring watching West Ham lately and this team has so much potential when you think about the quality we have in Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and others. “But we don’t see good performances often. The football is turgid, predictable, and boring, there’s no life in it, no spark, no spirit. We can’t always try and hit teams on the break or score from a set piece, we have to find other ways to score. “The atmosphere has been flat this season and that’s largely due to how we’re playing. It’s reached a point where some fans leave early because they don’t enjoy watching us. I want West Ham to be exciting to watch, I want home games to be fun to attend, I want to see better in-game management from Moyes and different tactics. It’s been so common for us to go a goal behind and then all of a sudden the players have urgency. We need to see that level of urgency the whole match.” Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham’s opponents today, found themselves in a similar situation when supporters became frustrated with the style of play under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte. Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman, appointed Ange Postecoglou this summer and has seen a marked improvement in their performances. It has been the same at Aston Villa since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard. But West Ham have not had this level of stability since Sam Allardyce was in charge. Changing a manager always carries an element of risk and for the board, it is a case of whether replacing Moyes is one worth taking. Guardian Series West Ham United to put new training building on Romford site West Ham United are set to construct a new training building at their Rush Green site after a planning application was approved by Havering Council. The application was sent by the club on September 27 to erect the new facility on their existing training ground in Rush Green Road, Romford. Plans for the building were previously approved by the council in June 2018 but the club said it was unable to implement them due to Covid. A second permission was granted in October 2021 and this approval remained valid, but the club sought to make changes to the approved scheme that required it to file a fresh proposal. A planning statement attached with the current application said the site was historically a private sports ground owned by Ford United Football Club but was taken over by West Ham in 2009. Over the years the club has used it for their youth and reserve team training, and it is now their base for the men's first team and under-21s team. A planning officer’s report further suggested that the approved training building had been meant for West Ham Ladies, whereas now it will be earmarked for the under-21s team. The changes in the new building's structure will amount to a minor increase in its footprint and overall height of the development. The site to be built on green belt, where government policy encourages use only if the development will have a positive role in fulfilling green belt objectives. But the officer’s report said that since the overall ground is occupied by West Ham, it ensures that the site continues to provide opportunities for outdoor sports in a way that supports these objectives. The building, the officer noted, will be similar in appearance to other structures around it and will have the club’s branding on it. He also revealed that neighbouring occupiers were consulted about the application, but no letters of representation were received. The application was given the go-ahead by the council on November 30 with eight conditions attached. Get German Football News West Ham the next club interested in Sehrou Guirassy What is shaping up to be the transfer saga of the winter window, West Ham are the next club to show interest in VfB Stuttgart’s Sehrou Guirassy reports Bild. West Ham’s interest is concrete and it is possible that the €17.5m release clause in his contract could be activated in the winter. However, West Ham will have to fight off competition from Manchester United, Newcastle, Atletico Madrid as well as AC Milan. Guirassy has always dreamed of playing in the Premier League and his advisors are waiting to receive all offers before deciding his next move. The 27-year-old continued his goalscoring exploits in midweek as he opened the scoring in VfB Stuttgart’s 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Pokal. Guirassy could have had more than one goal if it were not for the heroics of Gregor Kobel in goal for Dortmund. In the league, since returning from injury Guirassy has picked up where he left off as he once again scored in Stuttgart’s 2-0 win against Werder Bremen last weekend. He has scored 18 goals in 13 games for Stuttgart this season and is currently behind only Harry Kane in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts. He is strong in the air, an incredibly powerful runner, has pace to burn and is an elite finisher."