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Re: Wednesday news (includes West Ham)

Posted: 01 Aug 2024, 12:48
by Matthew Holmes
Thanks Alan

Re: Wednesday news (includes West Ham)

Posted: 31 Jul 2024, 23:39
by Texas Iron
Cheers…

Re: Wednesday news (includes West Ham)

Posted: 31 Jul 2024, 22:33
by Mex Martillo
Thanks Alan

Wednesday news (includes West Ham)

Posted: 31 Jul 2024, 12:24
by Alan
"BBC Brighton have agreed a £5.9m deal to allow Germany midfielder Pascal Gross, 33, to join Borussia Dortmund. (Guardian) Chelsea are in talks over 31-year-old Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku permanently joining Napoli, while 25-year-old Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen could move in the opposite direction on loan. (Athletic - subscription required) Lukaku has already agreed to take a pay cut and sign a three-year contract with the Serie A club. (Ben Jacobs) Chelsea and Aston Villa have submitted offers for 21-year-old Bayer Leverkusen and Germany forward Maximilian Beier. (Sky Germany) Monza's move for Costa Rica and former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas, 37, could collapse over differences between the two parties during negotiations. (Fabrizio Romano) Manchester United are close to signing Arsenal's 16-year-old Denmark youth international forward Chidozie Obi-Martin. (Fabrizio Romano) Chelsea have agreed a £16.7m deal with Genk for 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders. (HLN - in Dutch) West Ham are on the verge of pulling out of the race for Dutch Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville, 22. (Talksport) Manchester United and Tunisia winger Hannibal Mejbri, 21, is close to joining Rangers. The Scottish club want a loan deal but United prefer a permanent exit. (Teamtalk) Aston Villa are interested in Crystal Palace's 27-year-old French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. (Express) Everton are considering a bid for 26-year-old English Roma striker Tammy Abraham. (Sportitalia) Manchester United are working to reach an agreement with out-of-contract France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 29, who left Juventus this summer. (Caughtoffside) England Under-21 centre-back Rhys Williams, 23, and 21-year-old French defender Billy Koumetio are set to leave Liverpool. (Athletic) Liverpool are planning to sign a defensive midfielder before the transfer window closes at the end of August. (Football Insider) Manchester United are expected to sign a replacement if they complete the sale of Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 27, with Fulham set to make a new offer. (Football Insider) Sporting Lisbon have paid to reduce Coventry City's sell-on clause from 15% to 10% for any future deal involving 26-year-old Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, who is wanted by Arsenal. (Mirror) Fulham are trying to secure a deal with Fluminense's Brazil midfielder Andre, 23. (Bruno Andrade) Sky Paper Talk DAILY MAIL Ruud van Nistelrooy is trying to get Marcus Rashford back to his best after making an instant impact on his Manchester United return. Enzo Fernandez apologised to his Chelsea team-mates and pledged a charity donation after joining up with the squad in the US. Julian Alvarez has hinted he could leave Manchester City due to frustration at not starting in the club's biggest matches. Amanda Staveley admits she's 'devastated' over her Newcastle exit but insists the club are in 'incredibly safe hands', before revealing she could 'move on to other projects' amid Tottenham links. Chelsea coaches are trying to find a position for Ben Chilwell as his skillset is not seen as entirely suited to Enzo Maresca's system of choice, casting some doubt on the England full back's future. Pep Guardiola is managing Erling Haaland's minutes as Manchester City worry about their star striker's fitness ahead of the new season. Liverpool have held talks with Spanish side Las Palmas over adding a further friendly to their schedule as the Reds look to get up to speed with Arne Slot's style after a significant number of star men missed the three-game tour of America. Paulo Bernardo was undergoing a medical examination on Tuesday night before completing his £3.4m move to Celtic. Organisers continue to claim Covid rates are 'quite low in France'. However, that is at odds with the word from inside the Athletes' Village. GUARDIAN Napoli are poised to make new £10m bid for Billy Gilmour. Brighton will reluctantly allow Pascal Gross to join Borussia Dortmund after agreeing a deal worth an initial £5.9m. Having spent more than £70m bringing in Mats Wieffer, Ibrahim Osman and Yankuba Minteh, Brighton have been linked with a move for Ferdi Kadioglu. Chelsea are exploring the possibility of signing Victor Osimhen on an initial loan from Napoli and are in talks with Atletico Madrid over the sale of Conor Gallagher. A ""heartbroken"" Jack Grealish intends to use his omission from England's Euro 2024 squad as motivation for the new season. Crystal Palace are poised to sign the New Zealand forward Indiah-Paige Riley as they accelerate efforts to strengthen their squad after promotion to the Women's Super League. EVENING STANDARD West Ham have entered talks over a possible deal to sign Borussia Dortmund and Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug. Chelsea are in talks over a stunning swap deal, with Victor Osmihen pushing to leave Napoli. THE SUN BBC bosses are lining up Gareth Southgate as Ian Wright's replacement on Match of the Day, according to reports. Man Utd fans are getting excited about the prospect of signing Jamal Musiala after a comment from new signing Joshua Zirkzee. Chelsea locked in talks with Napoli over Romelu Lukaku. Man Utd have knocked back a minuscule bid for midfielder Scott McTominay from Galatasaray. Chelsea hope they have drawn a line under the Enzo Fernandez race row after he rejoined the group. Eddie Howe has admitted his admiration for AC Milan star Malick Thiaw for the first time. THE MIRROR Liverpool star Harvey Elliott is planning to be 'selfish' in order to impress Arne Slot. Mikel Arteta shut down suggestions that Arsenal could be in for another record-breaking summer transfer window. Erik ten Hag has been told to forget about challenging for the Premier League title this season, by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. THE ATHLETIC Kelechi Iheanacho has travelled to Spain to undergo a medical at Sevilla, the club have confirmed. Marseille have stepped up their efforts to sign Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal after submitting an improved proposal for the striker on Tuesday. Amad has said he is ""very happy"" at Manchester United and would like to stay at the club for the rest of his career. Troyes, the French club owned by the City Football Group, have been reinstated into Ligue 2 following Bordeaux's administrative relegation. Chelsea are set to appoint Newcastle United scout Delroy Ebanks as their head of academy recruitment as an overhaul of the youth structure at Stamford Bridge approaches completion. Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid are not expecting any further additions or departures this summer, describing his squad as ""closed"". Watford are in advanced talks with Troyes for the loan signing of left-back Yasser Larouci. Joao Palhinha has thanked Bayern Munich and former head coach Thomas Tuchel for ""fighting"" to secure his services. DAILY TELEGRAPH Norwegian football will hold a vote on the future of VAR in response to a wave of protests against the refereeing technology, including a fishcake protest earlier this month. British No 1 Jack Draper slammed the organisation of the Olympic tennis event after being denied cold water to drink during his three-set loss to seventh seed Taylor Fritz. DAILY EXPRESS Arsenal have reached an agreement over personal terms with Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino ahead of a potential transfer, according to reports. Aston Villa have registered an interest in Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Manchester United have reportedly reignited their interest in France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is available on a free transfer after his Juventus contract expired this summer. THE TIMES Atletico Madrid have made an approach to sign Conor Gallagher, who has been valued at up to £50m by Chelsea. DAILY RECORD Celtic are interested in a loan for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles - but don't want to include him in a deal for Matt O'Riley. Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup admits Adam Idah faces disciplinary action after going awol for their pre-season flight to Germany. Aberdeen have kicked out a bid for striker Bojan Miovski from Espanyol. Wantaway Todd Cantwell has declared he is ""thankful"" to have played alongside Connor Goldson as he spoke for the first time since his Rangers transfer request was made public. Hibs are considering offering Junior Hoilett a return to the Scottish Premiership. SCOTTISH SUN Philippe Clement lifted the lid on his clear-the-air talks with Willie Collum and is backing the SFA's head of refereeing to help improve the standard of officiating in Scotland. Former Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack has revealed he's spoken to managers in Scotland as he continues his search for a new club. Neil Lennon has accused Romanian refs of acting 'rudely' to him after he continued his disappointing start to his new job at Rapid Bucharest. The Athletic James Ward-Prowse: ‘Lopetegui’s modern methods are exciting – they suit me and West Ham’ By Roshane Thomas The change continues for James Ward-Prowse. The 29-year-old has a season under his belt as a West Ham United player but is in the middle of his first pre-season away from Southampton. The midfielder moved to the London Stadium last August for £30million ($38.6m at today’s rates), having played in the Championship opener for Russell Martin’s team and completed his preparations for the 2023-24 campaign. He was bought, along with Edson Alvarez, as part of David Moyes’ revamping of the midfield following Declan Rice’s record-breaking move to Arsenal but his performances were mixed. Ward-Prowse registered 11 assists across 51 appearances for West Ham — that creativity, especially from set pieces, can be seen in the graphics below — but in his goal output, there was another change. Not one of his seven goals came directly from a free kick. He has converted 17 direct free kicks in the Premier League and is one away from equalling David Beckham’s record of 18 but the wait for West Ham goes on. His last came for Southampton in February 2023. “I keep telling myself that (I am saving it for a special moment),” he says. “It will come one day but you can’t force it, just have to wait for the right moment. Danny Ings scored one before me (against Ferencvaros) but his doesn’t count because it was a pre-season game! It was a great strike and I remember saying to Aaron Cresswell, I had a feeling Danny would do it. He’s a fantastic player and has that in his locker. I’ve played with him for a few years and I’ve seen him joke around and score free kicks in training. To see him pull one off in a game was great.” He managed to achieve something even Lionel Messi has not in the 2-1 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers when he scored an ‘Olimpico’ (direct from a corner), having had to cope with more change in the second half of the season. Ward-Prowse had lost his place under Moyes as winter turned to spring, not something the England international had been used to at Southampton, where he was captain and an influential leader. He appreciates the opportunities he received under Moyes, but is enjoying life under head coach Julen Lopetegui — there’s that theme of change again. The midfielder, who was linked to Wolverhampton Wanderers when Lopetegui was at Molineux, was involved in pre-season friendlies against Ferencvaros and non-League side Dagenham & Redbridge before heading off to the United States with the rest of the squad. “My first year was really positive but also with a lot of changes from joining a new club,” says Ward-Prowse. “It’s the first time it happened in my career and it wasn’t just about concentrating on the football side. “It was my first time moving and everything that comes with it, so I’ve learnt a lot. I’ve settled in really well and the way things started was very positive. I knew straight away it was the right fit. I immediately felt at home but being the perfectionist I am, there are always things I want to improve on. “This summer was the perfect time to go away and reflect. I was pleased with my contribution to the team but knew I could still improve. I want to do more and that’s what I’ll aim for this season. I want to bring leadership on the field. As a new player, you want make to sure you bed in and do the right things. I always try to lead in the best way I can. “I’ve really enjoyed working under the new manager. He’s shown a modern and exciting way of playing, which suits my game. It feels like I’m going to fit right in with him. The gaffer has managed some top teams and has fantastic experience. As a group, we’ll learn a lot from him. There’s a real meaning and a purpose to his sessions. It drills into the games and I’m really enjoying the work ethic and the feeling around the club.” Ward-Prowse says the summer signings Luis Guilherme, Wes Foderingham and Max Kilman have settled in well. West Ham remain in the market for a forward and are looking to finalise the £30m signing of Jhon Duran from Aston Villa. Although it is expected to be a transitional season, with the players needing time to adapt to Lopetegui’s methods, Ward-Prowse believes the club can compete in the upper reaches of the league. “In recent years, we’ve managed to qualify for Europe and have a European run,” says Ward-Prowse, who has been impressed in training by fellow midfielder Andy Irving, who was on loan at Austria Klagenfurt last season. “That should certainly be on the cards. We want to improve every year and with our manager’s experience, and how he’s handled the group, there’s no reason we can’t aim for that again.” Of the many targets Ward-Prowse hopes to achieve, an England recall remains an objective. The 29-year-midfielder watched England’s European Championship performances with family as they lost to Spain in the final. Ward-Prowse has not played for the national team since winning the last of his 11 senior caps in June 2022 against Italy. “On one hand, you’re always a proud Englishman looking at it in a positive light,” he says. “Equally as a player, you’re in a different position because you want to be there yourself and you might carry frustration with that. I’ve been part of that group so I know what it’s like, and it was disappointing to see how it ended. “I’ve always tried to be level-headed and let my football do the talking. I don’t need family or friends to tell the manager (I am capable of earning an England recall). I know myself and I’m an honest professional. I know when I feel I should be there and when I shouldn’t. It’s always up and down with that situation.”"