Friday news (includes West Ham)

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With Kind Regards 4:42 Fri May 24

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Thanks Alan 1:57 Fri May 24

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"BBC Newcastle United are hoping to sign two England internationals with Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 27, and West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, also 27, on their radar. (Telegraph - subscription required), external Newcastle want nearly ¬£200m for 24-year-old Sweden striker Alexander Isak, who has been linked with Arsenal. (Mirror), external Thomas Tuchel, who is a free agent after leaving Bayern Munich, is the leading candidate to take over at Manchester United if they sack Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final. (Guardian), external Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is open to taking over at Manchester United if Ten Hag leaves. (Manchester Evening News), external Brighton are confident of beating Chelsea in hiring McKenna but could try to bring back former manager Graham Potter if they fail to do so. (Times - subscription required), external Chelsea are set to ask newly promoted Leicester City for permission to speak to Enzo Maresca about their managerial vacancy. (Talksport) Nottingham Forest will have to sell players before the end of June to avoid breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules and being hit with a potential points deduction next season. (i, external) Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on 29-year-old England and Manchester City defender John Stones. (Football Insider), external Manchester City's England midfielder Jack Grealish, 28, is also a target for Bayern. (Sun), external Manchester City are open to selling Brazil keeper Ederson, 30, under the right terms if he wants to move to Saudi Arabia. (90 Min), external Atalanta's Ademola Lookman is attracting interest from Premier League clubs after his Europa League final hat-trick and the 26-year-old Nigeria winger could cost ¬£30m. (Times - subscription required, external) West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui wants Wolves' English centre-back Max Kilman, 27, to be one of at least six signings as he plots a summer overhaul of the Hammers' squad. (Guardian, external) Arsenal are interested in Feyenoord and Netherlands goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, 26, as a possible replacement for Aaron Ramsdale, who is expected to leave this summer. (Telegraph - subscription required, external) Burnley are asking for ¬£17m in compensation from Bayern to let manager Vincent Kompany take over at the German club. (Sky Sports Germany), external Former Liverpool and Wales striker Craig Bellamy, who has been Kompany's assistant manager for the past five years at Anderlecht and Burnley, will not join him at Bayern. (Mail, external) Chelsea will listen to offers for England midfielder Conor Gallagher and English defender Trevoh Chalobah, both 24, following Mauricio Pochettino's departure. (Evening Standard, external) Liverpool have turned their attention to Leeds' Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville, 22, after opting against moving for Newcastle and England winger Anthony Gordon, 23. (90 Min), external Manchester United are leading the race for Crystal Palace's France Under-21 winger Michael Olise, 22. (Football Transfers), external Aston Villa are considering terminating the contract of 31-year-old Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho. (Givemesport), external Nottingham Forest and England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, 22, is set to be a target for Tottenham. (Guardian), external Ajax and Feyenoord are interested in Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson, 22, who spent last season on loan at Ipswich. (Football London), external Stoke's Souleymane Sidibe, 17, could be on the move this summer with Brighton, Chelsea, Monaco and Juventus interested in the French midfielder. (Foot Mercato - in French), external Brazil winger Willian, 35, is considering offers from Saudi Arabia with his Fulham contract is set to expire. (Telegraph - subscription required) Sky Paper Talk THE SUN Bayern Munich are eyeing up a shock move for Jack Grealish. West Ham are set to revive their interest in Wolves captain Max Kilman. Video-reffed offsides could be sensationally scrapped from the Euros - because the inventor of a similar system is taking UEFA to court. Lucas Paqueta is facing a career-ending 10-year ban after being charged with four counts of spot-fixing in Premier League games. Chelsea are ready to muscle in on Manchester United's bid to lure one of Argentina's most promising young defenders, Aaron Anselmino, to the Premier League. DAILY TELEGRAPH Chelsea have narrowed down their search for Mauricio Pochettino's successor to four candidates, with Enzo Maresca, Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank all making the club's shortlist. Arsenal are considering a move for Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsdale, who is expected to leave the club this summer. Newcastle United are lining up a double deal for Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen with both men featuring prominently in recruitment meetings. Manchester United have been forced to expedite their managerial contingency plans in the wake of Mauricio Pochettino's departure from Chelsea with the two clubs holding an interest in some of the same targets. Michael Schumacher's family has won a reported ‚Ǩ200,000 (¬£170,276) after a German tabloid magazine published an 'exclusive interview' with the seven-time world champion, which was actually generated by artificial intelligence. DAILY MAIL Craig Bellamy will not join Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich, with the Burnley boss set to be named the Bundesliga giants' new manager. Newcastle have reached an agreement to sign Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer. Chelsea have begun the process of conducting formal interviews with the candidates in line to succeed Mauricio Pochettino. Declan Rice has revealed that making a major change to his diet is the secret to his success on the pitch and now has four pancakes before a game. THE GUARDIAN Thomas Tuchel has emerged as the front-runner to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United's manager should the club decide on a change. Chelsea are set to ask Leicester for permission to speak to Enzo Maresca. Tottenham are considering a move for Nottingham Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. West Ham fear Lucas Paqueta's career could be over if he is found guilty of deliberately getting booked after the midfielder was charged by the Football Association in relation to alleged breaches of betting regulations. West Ham's plans to overhaul their squad after confirming the appointment of Julen Lopetegui, who wants the Wolves defender Maximilian Kilman among at least six signings, will be affected by the Football Association charging Lucas Paqueta with alleged betting breaches. Dougie Freedman looks set to stay as Crystal Palace's sporting director after turning down an approach from Newcastle and agreeing a new contract. DAILY MIRROR Newcastle want close to ¬£200m for Alexander Isak, as they prepare to fend off interest from Arsenal this summer. Arsenal are facing the prospect of a nightmare Champions League draw after Atalanta were crowned as Europa League winners on Wednesday. THE TIMES Kieran McKenna has a straight choice between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea, with both clubs willing to match his personal demands to appoint him as their manager. Premier League clubs are eyeing Ademola Lookman following his hat-trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final. England have recruited a sports psychologist to help with the defence of their T20 World Cup crown after last year's failure at the 50-over tournament. THE ATHLETIC Juventus are challenging a decision by an arbitration board ordering the club to pay Cristiano Ronaldo approximately ‚Ǩ9.8m (¬£8.3m) in back wages. Burnley goalkeeper coach Jelle ten Rouwelaar is set to leave the club to join Ajax. A pink card will be used for concussion substitutions at this summer's Copa America. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas has announced his retirement from the Costa Rica national team weeks ahead of his country's squad reveal for the 2024 Copa America. Ajax are close to agreeing a deal that will see Francesco Farioli become their new head coach. EVENING STANDARD Kieran McKenna has given Chelsea the green light to step up their approach that could see the Ipswich manager replace Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge. Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah are expected to move closer to Chelsea exits in the wake of Mauricio Pochettino's departure. DAILY RECORD Aberdeen have Robby McCrorie and Hakon Valdimarsson among their summer goalkeeping targets. Elie Youan is wanted in France with a big-money offer on the table for Hibs chiefs. Aberdeen have opened talks with Jamie McGrath over a new contract. SCOTTISH SUN Celtic are lining up a renewed bid for Ghana international Daniel Amartey, according to reports. Philippe Clement revealed Ridvan Yilmaz broke down in tears after adding to his Hampden injury crisis. Aberdeen are likely to entertain an off-season auction for Bojan Miovski with Bologna the latest to be linked with the North Macedonia international. The Athletic Lucas Paqueta betting charges explained: What is he alleged to have done? Can he play for Brazil? By Tom Burrows, Roshane Thomas and more West Ham‚Äôs Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the English Football Association with alleged breaches of its betting rules. Paqueta, who came close to joining champions Manchester City for ¬£85million (now $108m) last summer, is accused of deliberately getting himself booked in four Premier League matches. The Brazil international, named in his country‚Äôs preliminary squad for the Copa America in the United States in June, had been under investigation since last summer over suspicious betting patterns, which have been traced to Paqueta Island, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, where he grew up. He faces a long ban if he is found guilty. Paqueta, 26, said he was ‚Äúextremely surprised and upset‚Äù by the charges and vowed to ‚Äúfight with every breath to clear my name‚Äù. So what has he allegedly done wrong, how have we got to this point and what are the rules around football and betting? Who is Paqueta? Paqueta started his career at Brazilian side Flamengo, before spells at AC Milan and Lyon ahead of joining West Ham. The midfielder finished his first season in England with five goals and seven assists in all competitions and made it eight and seven respectively in 2023-24. Fine performances for Brazil at the 2021 Copa America, as well as his time in the Premier League, convinced Manchester City he has what it takes to play at the very top level. The player grew up on Paqueta Island in Guanabara Bay, opposite Rio de Janeiro. He lived there with his mother Cristiane, brother Matheus, grandfather Mirao and cousins until he was 12. Paqueta has a tattoo on his forearm of a star and the letter ‚ÄúM‚Äù in recognition of his now-deceased grandpa‚Äôs contribution to making him the player and person he is today. One of Paqueta‚Äôs football idols is the Flamengo and Brazil legend Zico, who is widely considered one of the country‚Äôs greatest-ever players. When he was younger, Paqueta would watch videos of Zico and try to copy some of his moves. Paqueta made his debut for the national team in 2018 and has earned 44 caps. He has two sons, Benicio and Filippo, with partner Duda. What has Paqueta been charged with? Paqueta has been charged by the English FA with deliberately getting himself booked in four separate Premier League matches so that he and/or his friends could benefit by betting on that happening. He denies any wrongdoing. The charges relate to a yellow card Paqueta picked up against Leicester City on November 12, 2022, as well as matches in 2023 against Aston Villa on March 12, Leeds United on May 21 and Bournemouth on the opening day of this season. An FA statement said: ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs alleged that he (Paqueta) directly sought to influence the progress, conduct, or any other aspect of, or occurrence in these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting.‚Äù Paqueta has also been charged with two breaches of FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2, which relates to providing information and documents. FA Rule F2 allows the FA to require any participant to attend, answer questions and provide documents, information, or other materials upon reasonable notice. If a participant does not comply with these requests, it can be considered a breach of FA Rule F3, which constitutes misconduct. He faces a lengthy ban if found guilty. Paqueta has until June 3 to respond to the charges. The player released a statement on Instagram, saying: ‚ÄúI am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me. For nine months, I have cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can. ‚ÄúI deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name. Due to the ongoing process, I will not be providing further comment.‚Äù West Ham have pledged to stand by their player. A West Ham spokesperson said: ‚ÄúThe club acknowledges receipt of the FA charge received by Lucas Paqueta for alleged breaches of their rules. Lucas categorically denies the breach and will continue to robustly defend his position. ‚ÄúThe club will continue to stand by and support the player throughout the process and will make no further comment until the matter is concluded.‚Äù He was interviewed by the FA last September and provided them with access to his phone the following month. The three other incidents relate to the 2022-23 season. The bets were placed from accounts registered on the island of Paqueta, but the bets were not placed by the player. The suspicious bets were flagged to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), which notified world football‚Äôs governing body FIFA and the FA. Are footballers allowed to place bets? No, footballers are not permitted to bet on the sport. If they open a betting account, the system should identify them and intervene. FA rule E8 states: ‚ÄúWhere a Participant provides to any other person any information relating to football which the Participant has obtained by virtue of his or her position within the game and which is not publicly available at that time, the Participant shall be in breach of this Rule where any of that information is used by that other person for, or in relation to, betting.‚Äù What is ‚Äòspot-fixing‚Äô? In football, it is possible to bet on an individual player to get a red or a yellow card, the number of cards brandished in a match and the number of cards each team will receive in a game. This is known as ‚Äúspot betting‚Äù. ‚ÄúSpot-fixing‚Äù, however, is where a player agrees to influence a certain part of a match ‚Äî by receiving a yellow card, for example ‚Äî rather than trying to ‚Äúfix‚Äù the final score. In his autobiography, Taking Le Tiss, Matt Le Tissier revealed he had once tried to kick the ball out of play at the start of a Southampton match against Wimbledon in 1995 so a ‚Äúfew people could make a few quid on the time of the first throw-in‚Äù. As it happened, he under-hit his pass so it didn‚Äôt go out of play. The ball eventually went out of play 70 seconds into the match, meaning Le Tissier neither won nor lost the money. Have there been any significant betting cases in football recently? Yes, there have been two high-profile cases recently. The first involved Brentford‚Äôs Ivan Toney and then Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United, both for betting on football. Toney, who was this week called up to the England Euro 2024 training camp, was banned from football for eight months in May last year for 232 breaches of betting rules. He was allowed to return to training with Brentford in September but the ban stopped him from playing until January 17. Then, at the start of this season, Newcastle midfielder Tonali was handed a 10-month ban for offences relating to his time playing in Italy. Tonali, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July last year for ¬£55million, was then issued with a separate suspended two-month ban for 40 to 50 breaches of the FA‚Äôs betting rules. This included ‚Äúup to four‚Äù bets on Newcastle, all of which were on them to win. Tonali has been allowed to train with Newcastle throughout the suspension. In October, his agent Beppe Riso said the midfielder had been suffering from a ‚Äúgambling illness‚Äù. Dating further back, Kieran Trippier and Daniel Sturridge both received bans for passing on information about their upcoming transfers to friends or family. In 2017, Joey Barton was banned for 18 months for placing 1,260 bets on matches between 2006 and 2016, which included at least five matches in which he was a player. Further down the pyramid, Kynan Isaac, a Stratford Town player, was banned for 12 years after he was found guilty of spot-fixing and placing illegal bets on an FA Cup match. He was handed a 10-year ban for deliberately earning a booking in a betting scheme with friends, with a further 18-month suspension for breaching FA rules for betting on matches and an extra year for failing to cooperate with the investigation. And Lincoln City‚Äôs Bradley Wood was banned for six years in 2018 after he deliberately got booked in two matches, with two close friends betting on that happening. However, a former Arsenal midfielder, whom we cannot name for legal reasons, was cleared of any involvement in a possible betting scam following a yellow card he received in December 2021 following a 16-month wait. What does this mean for West Ham? Paqueta is widely regarded as West Ham‚Äôs most talented player, even if his form tailed off towards the end of the season when speculation surrounding interest from Manchester City heightened. City‚Äôs interest follows on from the Premier League champions taking a look at him last summer ‚Äî a potential move that was scuppered at the time by the emergence of the investigation that has now led to betting charge. West Ham were never likely to hold onto Paqueta this summer, but losing him and not being able to replace him would be a double blow. Paqueta‚Äôs ¬£85million release clause becomes active in June and his deal expires in 2027, with the option of a further year. Selling Paqueta would allow the club to reinvest in the squad, similar to Declan Rice‚Äôs ¬£105million departure to Arsenal last summer. Forwards Youssef En-Nesyri, of Sevilla, and Wesley Gassova, of Brazilian side Corinthians, were two of the summer targets identified by technical director and new head coach Julen Lopetegui. Earlier this season, Paqueta was asked about his future and said: ‚ÄúI have grown this year and have got better and better. My evolution was important from last season to this one. I have to do my work here at West Ham. I have an enormous respect for the club. I‚Äôm very happy here and if I don‚Äôt say that, I‚Äôd be lying. ‚ÄúWhat has been said about Man City is all stuff from the previous transfer window. Now it‚Äôs about finishing the season and to wait and see what will happen.‚Äù Will this impact Paqueta‚Äôs involvement for Brazil at the Copa America? Paqueta plays international football for Brazil, who will compete at the Copa America in the United States between June 20 and July 14 ‚Äî after Paqueta has to respond to the charges from the FA. The forward has rejoined the set-up under Dorival Junior, having been left out by previous manager Fernando Diniz because of the possibility of the charges. Paqueta is a very important player for Brazil ‚Äî and comfortably the main creative force with Neymar absent with injury. Brazil missed him when he was left out of their recent squads and he impressed against England in March when they won 1-0 at Wembley. It is unclear whether he will make the squad for the competition. The Brazil FA has been contacted for comment. The Athletic Lucas Paqueta: Analysing the yellow cards at the centre of betting charges By Roshane Thomas West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) for allegedly getting booked deliberately ‚Äúfor the improper purpose of affecting the betting market‚Äù. He categorically denies any wrongdoing and ‚Äúwill continue to robustly defend his position‚Äù, according to West Ham. The four alleged breaches relate to his conduct in West Ham‚Äôs Premier League fixtures against Leicester City on November 12, 2022, Aston Villa on March 12, 2023, Leeds United on May 21, 2023, and Bournemouth on August 12, 2023. The Athletic has looked back at the four yellow cards in question‚Ķ Bournemouth v West Ham, August 12, 2023 Yellow card in 93rd minute Following a goal kick from Alphonse Areola, Paqueta contests a header but ends up punching the ball. The midfielder was cautioned and replaced by Maxwel Cornet shortly afterwards. Paqueta committed four fouls at Bournemouth. The day after, the FA was informed of an anti-corruption alert by integrity officials. West Ham v Leeds United, May 21, 2023 Yellow card in 65th minute Paqueta was the only West Ham player to be cautioned in this match. Just after the hour-mark, the Brazil international attempts to regain possession from Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto. Paqueta fouls the forward, although he is not cautioned by referee Peter Bankes ‚Äî who gives the midfielder a warning. Four minutes later, in a similar area of the pitch, Paqueta tracks Crysencio Summerville‚Äôs run. Paqueta shoves the winger as he tries to launch a counter and is booked. The playmaker helped his team seal a 3-1 victory following his assist to Manuel Lanzini four minutes into second-half stoppage time. West Ham v Aston Villa, March 12, 2023 Yellow card in 70th minute Just before half-time, Paqueta makes a sliding tackle on Ollie Watkins near the technical area. Paqueta doesn‚Äôt win the ball and Aston Villa manager Unai Emery complains to the referee Chris Kavanagh, but he does not caution the playmaker. After the hour-mark, Douglas Luiz is in possession and Paqueta attempts to win the ball. But Paqueta ends up fouling his opponent. Kavanagh once again keeps his cards in his pocket. But less than 30 seconds later, Paqueta chases John McGinn, who advances. The Brazil international makes a lunging challenge and receives a booking. Emiliano Buendia, McGinn‚Äôs team-mate (No 10), complains to the referee. Paqueta was substituted in the 77th minute. But instead of acknowledging West Ham manager David Moyes and his backroom staff, the midfielder walked straight down the tunnel. ‚ÄúHe wanted to stay on, which I understand, but I‚Äôve explained to him why (I took him off),‚Äù said Moyes. ‚ÄúThe biggest thing is I didn‚Äôt want him to get sent off, which would have meant he would be suspended. ‚ÄúWe need him and also, it was getting to the stage in the game when fresh legs like Pablo Fornals and Maxwel Cornet could continue to run in behind them if we had the chances. That was the thinking.‚Äù West Ham v Leicester City, November 12, 2022 Booking: Yellow card in 60th minute Paqueta is cautioned following a foul on Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumare. Later, Paqueta is perhaps fortunate to remain on the field when he makes a sliding tackle on second-half substitute Wilfred Ndidi. Referee Jarred Gillett opts not to give the midfielder a second yellow. The Brazil international has not been sent off since receiving two yellow cards while playing for Ligue 1 side Lyon against Marseille in February 2021. GFF Marseille interested in reported West Ham target Etienne Kinkou?© Le Havre AC turned down a last-gasp offer from West Ham United for Etienne Kinkou?© (22) in January. Whilst that ‚Ǩ6m bid was rejected, Les Ciel et Marine may be more open to selling their defensive midfielder this summer, with just one year remaining on his contract. It remains to be seen whether West Ham will be reviving their interest but if they do, they will face competition from Olympique de Marseille, according to a report from Foot Mercato. Kinkou?©, at the age of just 22, has had plenty of experience in his young career, having come through the reserve sides at Inter Milan and Olympiacos. It was Mathieu Bodmer and Le Havre however who gave the midfielder his chance and in his 22 appearances for HAC last season, he contributed greatly to the club‚Äôs survival in Ligue 1. A defensive midfielder by trade, he made his impact in defence last season and he could now be about to get a move. Kinkou?© is attracting great interest, notably from Marseille. Guardian Lopetegui has Kilman among West Ham targets but Paquet?° charge hits plans At least six signings wanted but budget will depend on sales Lopetegui arrives as head coach vowing to make ‚Äòbig, big noise‚Äô Jacob Steinberg West Ham‚Äôs plans to overhaul their squad after confirming the appointment of Julen Lopetegui, who wants the Wolves defender Maximilian Kilman among at least six signings, will be affected by the Football Association charging Lucas Paquet?° with alleged betting breaches. Paquet?° has an ¬£85m release clause and was a target for Manchester City. But he is unlikely to move this summer and West Ham had factored his potential sale into their budget. It is understood that they have been preparing for both scenarios but the absence of a big sale would leave Lopetegui with less money to spend. West Ham are determined to keep the Ghana attacker Mohammed Kudus, whose release clause becomes active next year. Lopetegui, who vowed to ‚Äúmake a big, big noise‚Äù after replacing David Moyes, has held talks over plans to make six to eight signings. West Ham are looking for two central defenders, a right-back, a midfielder, a right-footed left winger and a forward. They are also looking to sign a third-choice goalkeeper. West Ham, who have handed Lopetegui a two-year deal with the option of a one-year extension, are prioritising defensive reinforcements after conceding 74 goals in the Premier League. They have explored a deal to sign the 28-year-old Brazil centre-back Fabr??cio Bruno from Flamengo, and intend to revive their move for Kilman, who was targeted by Moyes in January. Wolves will want about ¬£45m for Kilman, who is one of their most important players. It will not be easy to sign Gary O‚ÄôNeil‚Äôs captain, even though Wolves have financial challenges. West Ham have also been monitoring the Hull centre-back Jacob Greaves. Moyes‚Äôs back four struggled with form and fitness last season. Kurt Zouma, the captain, has had injury problems and Nayef Aguerd wants to leave. Angelo Ogbonna has not been offered a new deal and Konstantinos Mavropanos has been unconvincing since joining from Stuttgart. West Ham also need an upgrade on Vladimir Coufal at right-back, particularly with Ben Johnson due to depart. Ademola Lookman, who scored a hat-trick in Atalanta‚Äôs triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, has been mentioned as a possibility on the left wing. There is interest in Sporting Lisbon‚Äôs Marcus Edwards and Coventry‚Äôs Callum O‚ÄôHare. Stuttgart‚Äôs Serhou Guirassy is an option up front and West Ham will be offered the chance to sign Chelsea‚Äôs Armando Broja. Lopetegui has brought five backroom staff with him and will consult with Tim Steidten, the technical director, on transfers. The Spaniard has arrived after Moyes departed at the end of four and a half successful years. Lopetegui, who won the Europa League with Sevilla, has been out of work since leaving Wolves last summer. ‚ÄúWe had other opportunities but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this,‚Äù Lopetegui said. ‚ÄúWe came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise.‚Äù The 57-year-old, who will officially start on 1 July, said of setting his sights high: ‚ÄúI feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but my ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this ‚Äì to compete. We are very ambitious about this.‚Äù Standard Baylee Dipepa: West Ham join race for teenage English striker The Hammers are one of a number of clubs keen on the Port Vale teenager Simon Collings West Ham have joined the race for Port Vale's teenage striker Baylee Dipepa. The 17-year-old made his debut this season and became Port Vale's second-youngest goalscorer in March. He was then called up to the England squad for the European Under-17 Championship. Dipepa scored in England's opening 4-0 win over France and is hoping to keep his place for Friday night's game against Portugal. Scouts are keeping a close eye on Dipepa and it is understood that West Ham are one of a number of clubs tracking him. The Hammers are expected to face competition from clubs in the Midlands for Dipepa, who signed his first professional contract in January. The deal runs until the summer of 2026 and Port Vale have high hopes for the striker, who has been with them since he was eight. ‚ÄúHis profile as a player is an exciting one, he possesses a lot of attributes and qualities required to be a successful striker in the modern game,‚Äù Port Vale‚Äôs director of football David Flitcroft said when Dipepa signed his contract. ‚ÄúProfessional contracts at this club are not given, they‚Äôre earned and Baylee has certainly earned his. If he continues his hard work and focus, there is no ceiling to what he can achieve at the club.‚Äù"