West Ham Online

"BBC Manchester United have triggered a 12-month extension in Aaron Wan-Bissaka's contract and are planning to begin talks over a new deal for the 26-year-old English defender at the end of the season. (Mail) Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 31, is moving closer to a new contract extension at Liverpool despite interest from the Saudi Pro League. (Football Transfers and Anfield Watch) Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has renewed its interest in Manchester City and Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, and view the 32-year-old as a primary target in the summer. (Rudy Galetti) Borussia Dortmund are hoping to sign Chelsea's 21-year-old Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen, either on loan or a permanent deal. (Telegraph) Dortmund want Manchester United's English winger Jadon Sancho, 23, to join them on loan in their Marbella training camp next week. (Sky Sports) Manchester United are interested in making Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, 22, one of the first signings of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford. (Standard) Chelsea are prepared to let Brazil defender Thiago Silva leave the club when his contract runs out at the end of the season, with Fluminense ready to offer the 39-year-old a return to his homeland. (Football Insider) Bayern Munich are set to renew their interest in signing Fulham's Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28, and English defender Trevoh Chalobah, 24, from Chelsea during January. (Independent) Arsenal are prioritising a move for a left-back in January but manager Mikel Arteta will likely have to settle for a loan deal rather than a permanent transfer. (Mirror) Crystal Palace are interested in signing England striker Eddie Nketiah but Arsenal will not sell the 24-year-old in January unless they can find a suitable replacement. (Ben Jacobs) Girona manager Michel Sanchez has emerged as a potential replacement for Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe. (Marca - in Spanish) French Ligue 1 side Lyon want to sign West Ham and Algeria winger Said Benrahma, with Wolves and Fulham also keen on the 28-year-old. (Footmercato - in French) Germany forward Timo Werner, 27, has emerged as a serious transfer target for Manchester United, with RB Leipzig set to allow a loan deal. (Mirror) Everton are seeking to offload Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes because of the 30-year-old's high wages. (Football Transfers) Monaco are in discussions with West Ham over a loan move, with an option to buy, for 27-year-old Germany defender Thilo Kehrer. (Fabrizio Romano) Sheffield United are close to signing Villarreal and Chile forward Ben Brereton Diaz, 24, on loan until the end of the season. (Fabrizio Romano) Wolves are in advanced talks to sign 18-year-old Gabonese midfielder Noha Lemina, brother of Mario Lemina, on loan from Paris St-Germain. (Talksport) United States keeper Zack Steffen, 28, is set to leave Manchester City and sign for Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids. (Mail) Sky Paper Talk THE SUN Manchester United's transfer plans for January have been left in tatters, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe restricted to just a handful of loan deals. Chelsea are eyeing a move for Benfica's Antonio Silva after scouting the defender. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has met Erik ten Hag and his players in the meet-and-greet exercise that all ended in smiles. Luke Littler could be on course to become the first ¬£40m darts player despite his world final loss. DAILY MAIL Arsenal have complained to the Premier League's refereeing body about what they believe to be rough treatment of Bukayo Saka by opponents. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been pictured at Manchester United for the first time since his ¬£1.3billion investment in the Premier League giants was announced. Aston Villa midfielder Finn Azaz is in talks over a permanent move to Middlesbrough. Everton boss Sean Dyche has admitted he is not expecting to conduct much business in the January transfer window, amid ownership and financial uncertainty at the club. Manchester United have invited Luke Littler to attend their game against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford as a guest of the club following his fairytale run to the World Darts Championship final. Wayne Rooney's departure from Birmingham has been met with relief by a group of senior players who would welcome former boss John Eustace back to the club. Newcastle launched a review into their safety operations after the home Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund was subject of a major security alert. Borussia Dortmund want Jadon Sancho to join them on their training camp in Marbella next week as they push for a quick solution to negotiations with Manchester United. DAILY MIRROR Manchester United are set for mass changes now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has arrived on the scene. Manchester United have triggered the option to extend defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka's contract until 2025. Arsenal are prioritising a move for a left-back in the January transfer window. Tony Mowbray and Gary Rowett are the early frontrunners to replace Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City. THE TELEGRAPH Chelsea have agreed a new sponsorship deal with BingX, a crypto company who have described themselves as ""a steadfast supporter of the Russian crypto community."" The England men's team have axed the Rugby Players' Association as negotiators of contracts and commercial deals with the Rugby Football Union, ending a 20-year relationship between the two. THE GUARDIAN Nottingham Forest terminated the contract of Jonjo Shelvey before he joined Turkish club Caykur Rizespor on a free transfer, contrary to their original statement that he left the club on loan. The former Croatia international Nikola Kalinic has signed for Hajduk Split until the end of the season on a deal that will pay him ‚Ǩ1 (86p). The Portland Thorns have been acquired by the Bhathal family, investors in the NBA's Sacramento Kings, the National Women's Soccer League team announced Wednesday. DAILY STAR Luke Humphries had the manager of Leeds United pleading for a selfie during a visit to his beloved club. Fans of a football club in Italy gave one of their senior ultras a fantastic send off by placing his coffin on the penalty spot inside the team's stadium. MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS A host of clubs are interested in taking Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri on loan for the second half of the season, with the winger struggling for game time at Old Trafford. Manchester City's new academy director is not just thinking about the present after beginning work at the City Football Academy. He's already challenging the club to find the 'player of the future'. THE INDEPENDENT Police have banned Newcastle United fans from using public transport to get to the FA Cup clash at the home of their bitter rivals Sunderland this weekend. EVENING STANDARD The agent of Tottenham target Radu Dragusin has revealed the defender does not plan on leaving Genoa during the January transfer window. Brentford will not have to hand over 30 per cent of any transfer fee earned for Ivan Toney, it has been revealed amid talk of a January transfer to Arsenal. Manchester United are interested in making Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise one of the first signings of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford. Arsenal could line up three or four exciting signings this month, according to the latest reports. THE SCOTTISH SUN Rangers have called on the SFA to ban Willie Collum from all future Gers games. Rangers are showing interest in Alfredo Morelos' international team-mate, Steven Alzate, reports suggest. DAILY RECORD Rangers have had an enquiry for Liverpool left-back Owen Beck rejected as the Ibrox club look to bolster their first-team squad, according to a report. Guardian Rumour Mill Daniel Gallan There are few lands left to conquer for Jos?© Mourinho. In fact, with eight league titles, five European trophies and eight major domestic cups across four countries, he‚Äôs effectively won it all. Which is why a brewing rumour that he could be taking charge of the Brazilian national team is so tantalising. Picture it. The Special One. The yellow and blue of the Sele?ß?£o. The most expectant fanbase in the world. Joelinton. It‚Äôs a potent mix and would certainly inject some needed star power on the touchline of the international game. ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt know if it‚Äôs true or not about Brazil, because they did not speak directly to me,‚Äù said Mourinho after Roma‚Äôs 2-1 win over Cremonese on Wednesday night. ‚ÄúI told my agent that until the club has decided if I am staying or not, I don‚Äôt want to know or talk to anyone else.‚Äù The chat has been fuelled by reports that Roma are in the hunt for a new manager as well as speculation that Mourinho‚Äôs next logical step would be the international arena. He‚Äôs already had offers to take charge of his native Portugal as well as Saudi Arabia but for now is staying put. So too is Aaron Wan-Bissaka. That is, if he accepts the 12-month contract extension offered by Manchester United which would keep the right-back at Old Trafford until the summer of 2025. The 26-year-old is currently raking in ¬£90,000-a-week, the same deal he‚Äôs been on since joining from Crystal Palace five years ago. And with his contract running out at the end of this season, the club is reportedly open to a pay bump following this initial short-term adjunct. That will be good news for United fans who must be craving some stability following this period of uncertainty. But chaos is a ladder and with new owners at the top table, a wish-list has been drawn up to help revive the once dynastic force. A pair of 27-year-old forwards in Timo Werner from RB Leipzig as well Stuttgart‚Äôs Serhou Guirassy have been contacted, as have the comparative veterans of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas M?ºller - both 34 and both from Bayern Munich. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund are looking to snag Chelsea‚Äôs 21-year-old left-back Ian Maatsen, perhaps on loan for the time being, while Thiago Silva could be leaving south-west London and returning to Brazil at the end of the season. His contract is up in May and Fluminense are apparently ready to offer a safe landing back in Brazil. The Athletic West Ham are already missing Kudus and Paqueta ‚Äì they need reinforcements By Roshane Thomas It is the 11th minute of West Ham‚Äôs Premier League game against Brighton. Said Benrahma is in possession. He attempts one stepover, then another stepover, and finally one more for good measure. He drops his shoulder to jink his way past Pascal Gross and Jack Hinshelwood but has no luck. He hesitates, before haplessly running the ball out for a throw-in. Cut to the 59th minute. Pablo Fornals is in possession. Brighton‚Äôs defence allows him to advance unchallenged. Fornals has the option of threading a ball to Jarrod Bowen or delivering a cross into the box for Tomas Soucek. Instead, he opts to shoot from distance having failed to score at all this season. It‚Äôs a tame effort, easily saved. They were two examples of West Ham players desperately out of form and low on confidence, and a reminder of the gulf in quality between them and attacking duo Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta. Both the latter were absent for Tuesday‚Äôs game ‚Äî Kudus due to his involvement with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations, Paqueta because of a calf injury sustained in the 2-0 victory against Arsenal ‚Äî and their decision-making in the final third and ability to lift the crowd were sorely missed. The front three of Kudus, Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen have thrived since the 3-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 17. Kudus scored twice in that victory, Bowen scored his 10th league goal of the season and Paqueta registered three assists. The trio combined again in the 2-0 home win against Manchester United. But against Brighton, Bowen was starved of service, which led to the England international having the least touches (32) of any outfield player. West Ham‚Äôs inability to penetrate the Brighton box, and areas where they could hurt Roberto De Zerbi‚Äôs team, is underlined by their collective touch map. They only had 20 touches in the Brighton box. ‚ÄúThey‚Äôre (Kudus and Paqueta) fantastic footballers and we need them,‚Äù said Moyes. ‚ÄúBut the other players need them as well to make their performance level better.‚Äù Kudus and Paqueta‚Äôs replacements in Benrahma and Fornals struggled to have an impact, which is a familiar theme. The duo have made a combined total of 42 appearances this season, with a paltry return of one assist. Benrahma, who has been linked with a loan move to French side Lyon, has not played 90 minutes in the Premier League since the opening game against Bournemouth. The highlight of his West Ham career was scoring the equaliser against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final but he is too prone to delayed decision-making, a key factor behind his regression this campaign. Fornals is often hesitant in possession and seldom threatened Brighton‚Äôs defence. In December, West Ham triggered Fornals‚Äô one-year contract extension option to keep him at the club until 2025. But similar to Benrahma, his long-term future remains bleak. West Ham have to sell before they spend this window and are open to offers for the duo. Moyes is aware his side lacks attacking options on the flanks. The only attacking midfielders on the bench against Brighton were academy prospect Lewis Orford and Maxwel Cornet. but the manager did not sound hopeful about potential incomings. ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt think we‚Äôll have much money to spend,‚Äù said Moyes. ‚ÄúIt will depend on what the outgoings are.‚Äù Cornet‚Äôs absence from the team remains noticeable. The winger has not played in the league since the opener against Bournemouth. He had a good cameo appearance against TSC Backa Topola in November, having registered an assist for Soucek‚Äôs winner, but is yet to feature again. West Ham have not received any approaches for Cornet, but he attracted interest from Everton last summer. With Kudus and Paqueta unavailable, Cornet‚Äôs pace makes him a better option than Fornals on the right flank, but a place in the starting XI has not been forthcoming. ‚ÄúHe had a bad injury and was out for five months,‚Äù said Moyes. ‚ÄúHe‚Äôs just been a little bit unfortunate and tonight he probably could‚Äôve got some minutes. We like Maxi, he‚Äôs not really been able to have an opportunity due to what we have in those positions.‚Äù West Ham remain well placed: sixth in the Premier League table with 10 points from their last four games. But Tuesday was a struggle. It was the first time they had failed to score in a competitive game since October ‚Äî and no wonder, given Brighton attempted almost four times as many shots (22) than they did (6). De Zerbi‚Äôs side also had more possession (68 per cent) and had notably more success in pressing their opponents high up the field. The West Ham vs Brighton match dashboard, showing the threat timeline, territory, match stats, shot maps and pass networks ‚ÄúIf you want to talk about the other games (over Christmas) that would be great because it would be better than tonight,‚Äù admitted Moyes. He later spoke about the January transfer window being a difficult month for most managers, but it has previously served well for West Ham. They signed Bowen and Soucek in January 2020 from Hull City and Slavia Prague (the latter initially joining on loan), and Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United in January 2021. Although it will be difficult, Moyes needs to augment his attacking options given Benrahma and Fornals‚Äô struggles, and Cornet‚Äôs lack of involvement. Life without Kudus and Paqueta was a tough watch against Brighton. The sooner they return, the better. Caught Offside ¬£30m-rated Man United target with 170 club appearances set to pitch up at West Ham David Moyes should feel rightly proud with how his West Ham team are performing this season. The Hammers sit in sixth place in the Premier League at present having recently beaten both Arsenal and Tottenham on their own grounds and, but for a few mishaps earlier in the campaign, they‚Äôd arguably be higher up than they are now. The east Londoners are also into the Europa League‚Äôs Round of 16 which begins again in a few weeks time. If the club are able to do some diligent transfer business during the January transfer window, there‚Äôs every reason to think that they can go on and make 2023/24 their best season yet under the Scot. According to Trivela, the Hammers could be about to land Fluminense‚Äôs highly-rated attacking midfielder, Andre, from under the noses of Man United. Liverpool, who were previously credited with an interest, appeared to have cooled on any deal, leaving the way clear for West Ham to battle it out. With Joao Palhinha also seemingly staying at Fulham, that rules the Cottagers out of a race they were also apparently in at one point. Andre already has 170 club appearances to his name (transfermarkt) despite his relatively young age and if Moyes is able to secure him for the ¬£30m that transfer expert Graeme Bailey ‚Äì speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast ‚Äì believes is his market value, they could be bagging themselves a bargain."

Thanks Alan