Monday news (includes West Ham)
Posted: 11 Mar 2024, 14:27
"BBC New Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to approve a bid of more than ¬£100m for Benfica's 19-year-old Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves. (Mirror, via Mail) United will do everything possible to sign Bayern Munich's England striker Harry Kane, 30, should he become available this summer. (Give Me Sport) Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique has seemed to confirm France striker Kylian Mbappe's departure from the club by saying he wishes the 25-year-old all the best for his future after starting him on the bench for a 2-2 draw with Reims on Sunday. (Goal) Liverpool have shortlisted Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi, Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann and Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim as candidates to replace Jurgen Klopp. (Football Insider) Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who has been linked with Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, is yet to hold contract talks with Bayern Munich with less than 18 months left on the 29-year-old's current deal. (90min) Arsenal are willing to sell full-back Kieran Tierney in the summer but the Gunners want ¬£20m for the 26-year-old Scotland defender. (Give Me Sport) Chelsea are yet to make a decision on 24-year-old English midfielder Conor Gallagher's future at the club, amid interest from Tottenham. (Caught Offside) Chelsea could look to sell as many as 15 players in the summer transfer window. (Football.London) Manchester United intend to treble the salary of 18-year-old English midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, less than a year after he signed a new deal, to keep him at the club until 2030. (Sun) AC Milan remain in talks with Arsenal over a move for Poland left-back Jakub Kiwior, 24. (Fichajes, via Team Talk) Sky Paper Talk THE SUN Chelsea are leading the race to sign Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande, according to reports. Kieran Trippier revealed Harry Kane tried to get him to sign for Bayern Munich in January. Mauricio Pochettino incredibly told his Chelsea stars to talk to chairman Todd Boehly if they don't think he is up to the job. Cristiano Ronaldo has finally apologised for a rude gesture at fans. David Moyes has signed up a new scout at West Ham - his son David Jr. Sammie Szmodics is on Brentford's radar as the Bees plan for life after Ivan Toney. Crystal Palace are ready to move for Lewis Hall for the second time. Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City are reportedly battling it out to sign 15-year-old wonderkid Francesco Camarda from AC Milan. DAILY TELEGRAPH Red Bull Racing denied on Sunday night that Thai majority owner Chalerm Yoodivhya had turned on team principal Christian Horner after a German website reported he would be fired before the next race in Australia. DAILY MAIL Chelsea chief executive Chris Jurasek told new starters in a recent staff meeting that he was 'not really a football fan'. Paul Pogba was due to speak about his range of investments outside football at the Bloomberg business summit in Saudi on Thursday - but with an appeal over a four-year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport pending he pulled out. Nottingham Forest have threatened to leave the City Ground amid a row with the council over rent - and they have no fewer than four options for a new home. DAILY MIRROR Crisis club Reading have been left fearing a new cash shortfall could end up relegating them - and kill their chances of a sale. THE ATHLETIC Egypt have agreed to Liverpool's request to leave Mohamed Salah out of their squad for their upcoming March internationals. Roberto De Zerbi believes Brighton ""have not been ready"" for their first season in Europe. Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz has chosen to represent Morocco over Spain. Sean Dyche believes Jarrad Branthwaite should be in contention for a place in England's squad - but the Everton boss insists he does not want to pressurise Gareth Southgate's selection process. Atlanta United and star forward Giorgos Giakoumakis have entered preliminary talks over a new contract. EVENING STANDARD A defiant Mauricio Pochettino has said he would ""never"" quit Chelsea, and believes fans would not have any more ""love"" for a new manager than they do for him. Guardian Danny Ings rescues point in stoppage time for West Ham against Burnley Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium Danny Ings fires his equaliser home in the 91st minute against Burnley. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images If this is how West Ham intend to go on then their game against Freiburg on Thursday might be their last taste of European football for a while. Even the sight of Danny Ings rolling back the years and coming on to salvage a point from a messy display was not enough to banish the misgivings that flare whenever this side‚Äôs counterpunching approach under David Moyes drifts into the tactical confusion witnessed during this careless 2-2 draw with Burnley. There was ample ammunition for the sizeable section of supporters convinced that Moyes should depart when his contract expires at the end of the season. ‚ÄúWe didn‚Äôt give ourselves a chance to get in the game,‚Äù the West Ham manager said as his focus fell on a first half that ended with Burnley dreaming of keeping alive their slim survival hopes after a stunning strike from David Datro Fofana and an own-goal from ¬?Konstantinos Mavropanos. ‚ÄúWe didn‚Äôt start fast and got punished.‚Äù The obvious explanation for the early lethargy is that West Ham, who remain seventh, had little time to prepare after their 1-0 defeat against Freiburg in their Europa League last-16 tie. A more troubling thought, though, is that wider issues are at play. After all, it is not as if West Ham regularly storm out of the traps. They are a cautious side, prone to letting their opponents dictate play, and it can be tough to watch when they fall too deep, particularly against a team as limited as Burnley. The frustration is that West Ham were dominant after half-time, the introduction of Michail Antonio unsettling Burnley and creating space for Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paquet?°. For Moyes, the question is whether to be similarly bold against Freiburg. West Ham, who have not kept a clean sheet since 2 January, need more drive in the middle. A ¬?functional trio of Tomas Soucek, James Ward‚ÄëProwse and Kalvin Phillips did not do anything to stop Burnley from getting a feel for the ball before Fofana put them ahead with his third goal since joining on loan from Chelsea. It was hardly against the run of play when the Burnley striker sent a brilliant rising effort beyond Alphonse Areola after squeezing past weak challenges from Phillips and Nayef Aguerd in the 11th minute. Aguerd, filling in for the rested Kurt Zouma in central defence, was too casual. Mavropanos, who ended the opening period by handing Burnley a second when he turned Josh Cullen‚Äôs cross beyond Areola, struggled to complete simple tasks. Bowen, who was isolated up front, kept drifting offside. Then there was Phillips and his quest to shake off the rust that accumulated during his long spell on Manchester City‚Äôs bench. ¬?Deputising for Edson ?Ålvarez, the midfielder looked utterly bereft of confidence and fitness on his third start since arriving on loan from City. Gareth Southgate, who was at the London Stadium to watch Burnley give Phillips the runaround, has a decision to make before naming his squad for England‚Äôs friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. Southgate will surely have noted that West Ham improved after bringing ?Ålvarez on for Phillips. The plodding Ward‚ÄëProwse also made way, for ¬?Antonio, and Burnley were pegged back at the start of the second half. Paquet?°, more menacing after ¬?moving inside, strolled through and slid a low finish past James Trafford. ‚ÄúIf I focus just on the timing of the two goals then that‚Äôs two frustrating events in the game,‚Äù ¬?Vincent Kompany said. He took heart from ¬?Burnley‚Äôs fight. They chased a third, Fofana and Jacob Bruun Larsen going close, but the pressure grew at the other end. Paquet?° and Kudus both missed ¬?presentable chances. Vladimir ¬?Coufal‚Äôs deflected cross hit the bar. West Ham grew frantic. Ings came on and had a goal disallowed after a VAR check showed that Antonio had strayed inches offside before setting up his fellow striker. The game went into eight minutes of added time and West Ham attacked again. Kudus did well to cross from the left and Ings controlled with his chest, swivelled and grabbed his first goal of the season by smashing a shot past Trafford. Burnley, whose timewasting antic infuriated the home crowd, responded. Sander Berge, who survived a shout for handball in the final minute, and Josh ¬?Brownhill almost won it. West Ham stirred, Antonio firing wide and Ings hitting the bar from 18 yards. The point did little for either side. The Athletic How David Moyes‚Äô half-time changes for West Ham turned boos to cheers By Roshane Thomas It was as if two separate teams played for West Ham United on Sunday, one in the first half, another subbing in for the second. And this is what makes some of their fans so frustrated under the management of David Moyes. There were loud boos at half-time at the London Stadium on Sunday, with the score 2-0 to Burnley, who began the day bottom of the Premier League, courtesy of an early rocket-shot from David Datro Fofana and a stoppage-time Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal. There was schadenfreude from the away enclosure who chorused, ‚ÄúHow s*** must you be? We‚Äôre winning away.‚Äù When it finished 2-2, after a much-improved second half from West Ham, there was still a smattering of boos from the home crowd. Similar to their 1-0 away loss against Germany‚Äôs Freiburg in the first leg of a Europa League last-16 tie less than 72 hours earlier, it was a cagey performance from Moyes‚Äô side. They kept turning over possession and were uninspiring in attack. West Ham failed to register a shot on target in the first half ‚Äî the second time that has happened in their last three home Premier League matches after also drawing a blank last month when Arsenal were the visitors. Moyes, a manager who seldom makes changes at half-time, brought on Michail Antonio and Edson Alvarez this time for James Ward-Prowse and Kalvin Phillips, both of whom failed to impress England manager Gareth Southgate, who names a squad on Thursday for friendlies next week against Brazil and Belgium as the summer‚Äôs European Championship looms. The changes markedly improved West Ham‚Äôs performance. Boos turned to cheers, with the team being more direct, playing with intensity and aggression which were absent before the interval. Lucas Paqueta halved Burnley‚Äôs lead seconds after the restart and the playmaker benefited most from the double substitution. In the first half, as the average position chart below shows, West Ham‚Äôs formation stemmed from Ward-Prowse (No 7) playing on the left, Paqueta (10) in a deeper role and the midfield partnership of Phillips (11) and Tomas Soucek (28) not in sync. It was a cautious setup which gave Burnley encouragement. Fofana‚Äôs opener was their first goal in 326 minutes of football, excluding added time, since a 3-1 loss against Liverpool on February 10. But the introductions of Antonio and Alvarez culminated in the game being a tale of two halves. Antonio‚Äôs pace unsettled Burnley‚Äôs defence, while Alvarez brought defensive discipline to the midfield. He also made two important blocks. The 4-2-3-1 formation saw Antonio (No 9) furthest forward, with the attacking trio of Mohammed Kudus (14), Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen (20) behind, and Alvarez (19) and Soucek anchoring the midfield. There was a clear structure to it ‚Äî unlike in the first half. Mavropanos, Paqueta and Kudus had chances to equalise. Vladimir Coufal also came close when his deflected cross cannoned off the crossbar. A late siege from West Ham saw Burnley switch to a back five but another substitute, Danny Ings, levelled in added time. ‚ÄúI had to make changes. I had to try to do something,‚Äù said Moyes. ‚ÄúAnd obviously we were 2-0 down, so it could have been any one of many who came off, but I just felt we had to get more attacking players on; the others have been getting me goals ‚Äî the likes of Mo, Jarrod, Paqueta. I wanted to try to keep as many of the goalscorers on the pitch and we gambled a bit in the second half. It just about paid off. ‚Äú(Alphonse) Areola made a save at the end when we were pushing more people forward. We had a go, (and) got back in the game, which from 2-0 down is a good result, but probably overall a disappointing result.‚Äù West Ham stay seventh, four points behind sixth-placed Manchester United but now one point above Brighton, who beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday. There was a subdued atmosphere post-match once Moyes vented his frustration to the team. The solace from the latter stages was Ings‚Äô impactful introduction on 82 minutes. It meant West Ham had five attacking players on the field and, within three minutes of his substitution, the former England striker had a goal ruled out when Antonio was adjudged offside after a lengthy VAR check. Ings eventually scored a minute into stoppage time ‚Äî his first league goal in 379 days (since the 2-2 draw against Forest last February) ‚Äî then almost won it in the final seconds with a shot that struck the bar. ‚ÄúI had a feeling we needed to get him on. It was the sort of game we‚Äôve always wanted Danny for. We had so much pressure (on Burnley), he‚Äôs a technically gifted finisher ‚Äî has been all his career,‚Äù said Moyes. ‚ÄúThe only problem is Danny‚Äôs not scored many goals for us, but today he‚Äôs shown what we can do if we can get the balls in and around the box. He got us the finishes and that‚Äôs what we hoped we would be getting from Danny, where we could use Danny when we‚Äôre on top. Hit the bar, had one chalked off and scored another, so it was a good 15-20 minutes for Danny.‚Äù It is a second-half performance that has given Moyes food for thought. He may struggle to justify starting Ward-Prowse and Phillips again in Thursday‚Äôs decider against Freiburg, given their recent struggles. Soucek‚Äôs midfield partnership with either one is less effective than when he plays alongside Alvarez. Antonio‚Äôs presence up front showed why he merits an inclusion in the starting XI, with Bowen returning to his favoured right flank. This is an important week for Moyes. West Ham reaching the quarter-finals of a European competition for three seasons running under him will be a strong sales pitch when the board review his future at the end of the season. Failure to do so, and more disjointed first-half performances like this one will only lead to further conjecture over who should be at the helm. HITC West Ham United scouting 15-goal attacker Wolves sold in 2019 EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey West Ham United have been doing their homework on Sporting Lisbon forward Pedro Goncalves, a player Wolverhampton Wanderers sold in 2019, HITC understands. Pedro Goncalves struggled to make an impact at Wolverhampton Wanderers, who signed him in 2017 and offloaded him in 2019. Goncalves moved to F.C. Famalic?£o and is now at Sporting Lisbon. Goncalves is flourishing at Sporting and has established himself as one of the best and most important players for the Portuguese club. He is playing mostly on the left of their attack. The 25-year-old Portugal international has scored 15 goals and given 14 assists in 39 matches in all competitions this season. HITC revealed in January that Liverpool are showing interest in the attacker. HITC now understands that West Ham‚Äôs transfer chief Tim Steidten is working hard on potential summer arrivals, and Pedro Goncalves, nicknamed Pote, is a player of interest. The Hammers have been scouting him in recent weeks. Sport.ro Florin Manea, ready to take another Romanian to the Premier League: ""It could be West Ham or Crystal Palace"" Florin Manea says he is working on the transfer of Denis DrƒÉgu»ô (24 years old), Gaziantep's forward on loan from Standard Liege. The impresario claims that he has already held talks with certain people interested in the Romanian international, and a transfer could take place in the summer, after the European Championship. Florin Manea: ""I want to take Denis DrƒÉgu»ô to the Premier League"" Manea says he would like to transfer Denis DrƒÉgu»ô to the Premier League and points to West Ham and Crystal Palace as examples of teams the 12-goal striker could end up at this season."