Monday News (includes West Ham)
Posted: 07 Oct 2024, 11:02
BBC
Real Madrid had planned to sign England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, 25, on a free transfer next summer when his contract with Liverpool expires, but might move for him in January after Spain defender Dani Carvajal, 32, sustained a serious knee injury. (Sport - in Spanish)
Liverpool are progressing with contract talks for two key defenders - 21-year-old Jarell Quansah and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate, 25. (Mirror)
French midfielder Paul Pogba, 31, is in talks with Juventus aimed at ending his second stint with the Serie A club and making a fresh start after his doping ban was reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (Mail)
Wolves do not intend to sack manager Gary O'Neil and will give him time to turn his side's fortunes around after six defeats from their opening seven Premier League games. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he feared keeper Ederson would leave the club in the summer when Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr made an offer for the 31-year-old, but he convinced the Brazil international to stay. (Times - subscription required)
Manchester City have set aside £80m to spend on players in the January transfer window after Rodri's season-ending injury. (Football Insider )
West Ham are interested in bringing former Leicester and Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez back to the Premier League in the hope the 31-year-old Villarreal player can improve their attacking options. (Caught Offside)
Former Barcelona manager Xavi is seen as the ideal choice to lead a reconstruction project at Old Trafford should Erik ten Hag leave Manchester United. (El Nacional - in Spanish)
Newcastle United's attempts to sign Lille striker Jonathan David, 24, have been dealt a blow after Barcelona entered the bidding. (Shields Gazette)
Liverpool have joined Newcastle United and Tottenham in the race to sign 26-year-old attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. (Football Insider)
Barcelona are monitoring Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane, 28, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Sport - in Spanish)
Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Wolves, Everton and Chelsea have been monitoring Santos' 18-year-old Brazilian defender Joao Pedro Chermont. (Caught Offside)
Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has hinted the club are in talks with Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic, 24, about extending his deal with the club. (DAZN, via Tuttomercatoweb)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MIRROR
Real Madrid could be forced to rethink their pursuit of Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold after Dani Carvajal picked up a serious injury.
Ipswich Town's Omari Hutchinson has confirmed his allegiance to England despite already being capped by Jamaica.
Marcus Rashford's substitution against Aston Villa triggered a furious reaction at under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag has demanded improvement from his Manchester United forwards as he clings onto his job.
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could be in line for a shock Premier League return at the age of 34.
Erik ten Hag's former assistant Steve McClaren has admitted the Manchester United manager has been under pressure "every day" since taking the job.
Didier Deschamps is reportedly unhappy after Kylian Mbappe featured twice for Real Madrid, despite being left out of the France squad due to injury.
THE SUN
Manchester United have been swamped with offers to make a behind-the-scenes documentary of the club's planned revival under new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Harry Kane gave England an injury scare as he was forced off in Bayern Munich's dramatic 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Chelsea's Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana will be banned for this month's clash at Liverpool after becoming the first Premier League players to collect five yellow cards this season.
Nicolas Jackson appeared to slap a Nottingham Forest player in the face during their draw with Chelsea.
THE GUARDIAN
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is expected to discover on Monday whether there will be any repercussions after video appeared to show him putting his hand in the face of Morato during a fiery 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.
Mal Meninga has produced the most radical shake-up to the Kangaroos in years, ruthlessly dumping incumbent Australian skipper James Tedesco and snubbing State of Origin captains Jake Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans.
DAILY MAIL
Chelsea face yet another FA rap with a £50,000 fine on the way for the six yellow cards their players picked up in Sunday's ill-disciplined draw with Nottingham Forest.
Kai Havertz has been forced to withdraw from international duty in the latest injury blow for Arsenal.
Ezri Konsa faces a spell on the sidelines after the Aston Villa defender suffered an injury that is set to rule him out of England duty.
Paul Pogba is in talks with Juventus aimed at ending his second stint with the Serie A club.
Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah is in advanced talks to sign a bumper, long-term new contract at Anfield.
DAILY STAR
Romeo Lavia's Chelsea dream could be turning into a nightmare as club chiefs appear to be running out of patience with the 20-year-old.
THE ATHLETIC
USA striker Folarin Balogun dislocated his left shoulder during AS Monaco's victory over Rennes on Saturday.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and defender Eder Militao will miss Brazil's October international fixtures due to injuries.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Jonny Evans admitted Manchester United players have been affected by uncertainty surrounding Erik ten Hag's future amid the club's worst start to a season in the Premier League era.
SCOTTISH SUN
Gutted Ross County manager Don Cowie put referee Kevin Clancy on the spot over Celtic's late winner - but was blanked.
The Athletic
What changed as West Ham finally clicked? Is this just the ‘beginning’ under Lopetegui?
By Roshane Thomas
Four different goalscorers, four different celebrations — and it was Jarrod Bowen’s which seemed most significant.
The West Ham United captain, Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta scored in the 4-1 home victory against Ipswich Town. Antonio was embraced by his team-mates, Kudus did his trademark stool celebration, and Lucas Paqueta opted for a boot-cleaning effort with Bowen (below). But the England forward’s ‘talking’ gesture celebration seemed to be in response to the criticism the team has faced this season.
Prior to facing Ipswich, head coach Julen Lopetegui’s future was in the spotlight with West Ham winless in their previous five matches. The quartet of Kudus, Bowen, Antonio and Kudus had only scored three goals between them. The team were struggling to perform to their full potential. But this was an afternoon where Lopetegui and supporters were treated to a splurge of goals.
All of Lopetegui’s methods belatedly clicked: West Ham were good with and without possession and played with intensity. In truth, they should have subjected Ipswich’s defence to further embarrassment, with Kudus being their chief tormentor. Lopetegui’s frank exchange of words with the Ghana international at half-time against Brentford had the desired effect. The attacker, who had not scored since May, had a point to prove and his impact was unmistakable.
Before opening his account for the season, Kudus’ header hit the post. But one of the loudest cheers came when he wheeled away in delight, picked up a stool and sat down with purpose. West Ham’s attack is far richer with him at his best. Paqueta scored his first goal since the season opener against Aston Villa. In keeping with his four goals against Norwich City in 2020, Antonio showed he is still able to dominate teams from East Anglia. The forward was back to his menacing best, tiring the opposition defence with his pace, and was deservedly applauded off the field.
Although Bowen was left out of Lee Carsley’s England squad, the winger responded to the disappointment with a performance of flair and fluency. Lopetegui will have observed that Bowen is not your quintessential loud captain. He is a quiet leader who prefers to do his talking on the pitch.
“We have worked for this,” said Lopetegui. “All our forwards scored, but our defensive work also pleased me. It was a good response from Jarrod. The best way to show your disappointment as a player is like this. He knows that. He is always ready to help the team, always ready to work hard, and that’s why he is a very good player.”
So what changed from the 1-1 draw against Brentford?
West Ham were potent offensively and although the caveat is they faced a promoted side, Ipswich have earned draws against Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa. In fact, this was their first league defeat since August against Manchester City. The opposition showed glimpses of their attacking potential, with Liam Delap impressing up front. But West Ham’s alertness, intelligence in possession and high-pressing tempo were a strong feature.
Lopetegui often conceals his emotions on the touchline, but the euphoria seeped through when his side established a three-goal advantage. Teams have capitalised on West Ham’s lack of urgency in recent weeks. Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer did in Chelsea’s 3-0 win, with Bryan Mbeumo doing similar for Brentford, having scored after 37 seconds. But against Ipswich, it was West Ham’s turn to score inside the first minute, courtesy of Antonio.
As Bowen advances, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is determined to make an overlapping run. Paqueta also shows desire to get further forward and Kudus makes it an attacking line of five, with Antonio perfectly positioned in Ipswich’s defensive line to score from the resulting cross.
Lopetegui’s gameplan had worked.
Kudus, Antonio, Bowen and Paqueta’s offensive efficiency markedly improved against Ipswich.
Remember when teams exploited the space West Ham left in midfield? Well, on Saturday, the tables turned. Paqueta is in acres of space before he surges into the box.
He remains unchallenged before scoring a tap-in to finish. The Brazilian playmaker has struggled with consistency — and has an FA charge for alleged betting breaches hanging over him — but his performance was a step in the right direction.
“We played well and now we need to stay this way,” Emerson Palmieri told The Athletic.
“We played with high intensity, pressed well and had good possession of the ball. We were also good without the ball as well for 90 minutes. It’s good (that all four front players scored) for their confidence and they played well. Jarrod was unbelievable today. It’s normal that all our attacking players want to score. They are top players, sometimes you can’t impact every game but they have the quality to do so in every match.
“You can see that sometimes they are frustrated when they can’t, but they help set the tone with the high press. We’re happy for them because they helped us. Everyone is aware of their strengths and it’s not easy to train against them.
“Now we have to take this opportunity to improve — and that includes myself. Since the first day with the new manager, we’ve always tried to do everything well. When you don’t win, sometimes people say wrong things. But this is just the beginning. Our confidence is high and, ideally, we would like to play again (soon). But we can use the international break to improve in other areas to come back stronger.”
Sport Witness
West Ham could sign player with PL experience – Club thinking of swap deal with Hammers
By Naveen Ullal
West Ham United’s Edson Álvarez has ended up on AC Milan’s radar.
The Serie A side are looking for a midfielder who can play alongside Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana and provide cover for their defence.
MilanLive.it state the Rossoneri have a few targets and ‘pay attention’ to the West Ham player.
The 26-year-old has made five league appearances for West Ham this season, with three starts. The Italian club are thinking about the former Ajax man for their midfield.
Milan could have an opportunity to sign Álvarez, especially if Ruben Loftus-Cheek moves in the opposite direction.
The report states the former Chelsea man hasn’t fully adapted to Paulo Fonseca’s system. Milan’s desire is to bring in players who’ll suit the manager’s style and this could see Loftus-Cheek drop down the pecking order.
Therefore, 28-year-old Loftus-Cheek could return to the Premier League, by joining West Ham as part of the deal for the Mexico international. Milan are closely monitoring the situation. There’s no mention if both players are open to an exchange deal.
It may not make sense for the Hammers to carry out a direct swap deal. Transfermarkt values Loftus-Cheek, who has a deal until 2027, at €25m, €10m less than Álvarez.
Real Madrid had planned to sign England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, 25, on a free transfer next summer when his contract with Liverpool expires, but might move for him in January after Spain defender Dani Carvajal, 32, sustained a serious knee injury. (Sport - in Spanish)
Liverpool are progressing with contract talks for two key defenders - 21-year-old Jarell Quansah and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate, 25. (Mirror)
French midfielder Paul Pogba, 31, is in talks with Juventus aimed at ending his second stint with the Serie A club and making a fresh start after his doping ban was reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (Mail)
Wolves do not intend to sack manager Gary O'Neil and will give him time to turn his side's fortunes around after six defeats from their opening seven Premier League games. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he feared keeper Ederson would leave the club in the summer when Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr made an offer for the 31-year-old, but he convinced the Brazil international to stay. (Times - subscription required)
Manchester City have set aside £80m to spend on players in the January transfer window after Rodri's season-ending injury. (Football Insider )
West Ham are interested in bringing former Leicester and Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez back to the Premier League in the hope the 31-year-old Villarreal player can improve their attacking options. (Caught Offside)
Former Barcelona manager Xavi is seen as the ideal choice to lead a reconstruction project at Old Trafford should Erik ten Hag leave Manchester United. (El Nacional - in Spanish)
Newcastle United's attempts to sign Lille striker Jonathan David, 24, have been dealt a blow after Barcelona entered the bidding. (Shields Gazette)
Liverpool have joined Newcastle United and Tottenham in the race to sign 26-year-old attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. (Football Insider)
Barcelona are monitoring Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane, 28, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Sport - in Spanish)
Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Wolves, Everton and Chelsea have been monitoring Santos' 18-year-old Brazilian defender Joao Pedro Chermont. (Caught Offside)
Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has hinted the club are in talks with Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic, 24, about extending his deal with the club. (DAZN, via Tuttomercatoweb)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MIRROR
Real Madrid could be forced to rethink their pursuit of Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold after Dani Carvajal picked up a serious injury.
Ipswich Town's Omari Hutchinson has confirmed his allegiance to England despite already being capped by Jamaica.
Marcus Rashford's substitution against Aston Villa triggered a furious reaction at under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag has demanded improvement from his Manchester United forwards as he clings onto his job.
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could be in line for a shock Premier League return at the age of 34.
Erik ten Hag's former assistant Steve McClaren has admitted the Manchester United manager has been under pressure "every day" since taking the job.
Didier Deschamps is reportedly unhappy after Kylian Mbappe featured twice for Real Madrid, despite being left out of the France squad due to injury.
THE SUN
Manchester United have been swamped with offers to make a behind-the-scenes documentary of the club's planned revival under new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Harry Kane gave England an injury scare as he was forced off in Bayern Munich's dramatic 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Chelsea's Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana will be banned for this month's clash at Liverpool after becoming the first Premier League players to collect five yellow cards this season.
Nicolas Jackson appeared to slap a Nottingham Forest player in the face during their draw with Chelsea.
THE GUARDIAN
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is expected to discover on Monday whether there will be any repercussions after video appeared to show him putting his hand in the face of Morato during a fiery 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.
Mal Meninga has produced the most radical shake-up to the Kangaroos in years, ruthlessly dumping incumbent Australian skipper James Tedesco and snubbing State of Origin captains Jake Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans.
DAILY MAIL
Chelsea face yet another FA rap with a £50,000 fine on the way for the six yellow cards their players picked up in Sunday's ill-disciplined draw with Nottingham Forest.
Kai Havertz has been forced to withdraw from international duty in the latest injury blow for Arsenal.
Ezri Konsa faces a spell on the sidelines after the Aston Villa defender suffered an injury that is set to rule him out of England duty.
Paul Pogba is in talks with Juventus aimed at ending his second stint with the Serie A club.
Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah is in advanced talks to sign a bumper, long-term new contract at Anfield.
DAILY STAR
Romeo Lavia's Chelsea dream could be turning into a nightmare as club chiefs appear to be running out of patience with the 20-year-old.
THE ATHLETIC
USA striker Folarin Balogun dislocated his left shoulder during AS Monaco's victory over Rennes on Saturday.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and defender Eder Militao will miss Brazil's October international fixtures due to injuries.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Jonny Evans admitted Manchester United players have been affected by uncertainty surrounding Erik ten Hag's future amid the club's worst start to a season in the Premier League era.
SCOTTISH SUN
Gutted Ross County manager Don Cowie put referee Kevin Clancy on the spot over Celtic's late winner - but was blanked.
The Athletic
What changed as West Ham finally clicked? Is this just the ‘beginning’ under Lopetegui?
By Roshane Thomas
Four different goalscorers, four different celebrations — and it was Jarrod Bowen’s which seemed most significant.
The West Ham United captain, Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta scored in the 4-1 home victory against Ipswich Town. Antonio was embraced by his team-mates, Kudus did his trademark stool celebration, and Lucas Paqueta opted for a boot-cleaning effort with Bowen (below). But the England forward’s ‘talking’ gesture celebration seemed to be in response to the criticism the team has faced this season.
Prior to facing Ipswich, head coach Julen Lopetegui’s future was in the spotlight with West Ham winless in their previous five matches. The quartet of Kudus, Bowen, Antonio and Kudus had only scored three goals between them. The team were struggling to perform to their full potential. But this was an afternoon where Lopetegui and supporters were treated to a splurge of goals.
All of Lopetegui’s methods belatedly clicked: West Ham were good with and without possession and played with intensity. In truth, they should have subjected Ipswich’s defence to further embarrassment, with Kudus being their chief tormentor. Lopetegui’s frank exchange of words with the Ghana international at half-time against Brentford had the desired effect. The attacker, who had not scored since May, had a point to prove and his impact was unmistakable.
Before opening his account for the season, Kudus’ header hit the post. But one of the loudest cheers came when he wheeled away in delight, picked up a stool and sat down with purpose. West Ham’s attack is far richer with him at his best. Paqueta scored his first goal since the season opener against Aston Villa. In keeping with his four goals against Norwich City in 2020, Antonio showed he is still able to dominate teams from East Anglia. The forward was back to his menacing best, tiring the opposition defence with his pace, and was deservedly applauded off the field.
Although Bowen was left out of Lee Carsley’s England squad, the winger responded to the disappointment with a performance of flair and fluency. Lopetegui will have observed that Bowen is not your quintessential loud captain. He is a quiet leader who prefers to do his talking on the pitch.
“We have worked for this,” said Lopetegui. “All our forwards scored, but our defensive work also pleased me. It was a good response from Jarrod. The best way to show your disappointment as a player is like this. He knows that. He is always ready to help the team, always ready to work hard, and that’s why he is a very good player.”
So what changed from the 1-1 draw against Brentford?
West Ham were potent offensively and although the caveat is they faced a promoted side, Ipswich have earned draws against Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa. In fact, this was their first league defeat since August against Manchester City. The opposition showed glimpses of their attacking potential, with Liam Delap impressing up front. But West Ham’s alertness, intelligence in possession and high-pressing tempo were a strong feature.
Lopetegui often conceals his emotions on the touchline, but the euphoria seeped through when his side established a three-goal advantage. Teams have capitalised on West Ham’s lack of urgency in recent weeks. Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer did in Chelsea’s 3-0 win, with Bryan Mbeumo doing similar for Brentford, having scored after 37 seconds. But against Ipswich, it was West Ham’s turn to score inside the first minute, courtesy of Antonio.
As Bowen advances, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is determined to make an overlapping run. Paqueta also shows desire to get further forward and Kudus makes it an attacking line of five, with Antonio perfectly positioned in Ipswich’s defensive line to score from the resulting cross.
Lopetegui’s gameplan had worked.
Kudus, Antonio, Bowen and Paqueta’s offensive efficiency markedly improved against Ipswich.
Remember when teams exploited the space West Ham left in midfield? Well, on Saturday, the tables turned. Paqueta is in acres of space before he surges into the box.
He remains unchallenged before scoring a tap-in to finish. The Brazilian playmaker has struggled with consistency — and has an FA charge for alleged betting breaches hanging over him — but his performance was a step in the right direction.
“We played well and now we need to stay this way,” Emerson Palmieri told The Athletic.
“We played with high intensity, pressed well and had good possession of the ball. We were also good without the ball as well for 90 minutes. It’s good (that all four front players scored) for their confidence and they played well. Jarrod was unbelievable today. It’s normal that all our attacking players want to score. They are top players, sometimes you can’t impact every game but they have the quality to do so in every match.
“You can see that sometimes they are frustrated when they can’t, but they help set the tone with the high press. We’re happy for them because they helped us. Everyone is aware of their strengths and it’s not easy to train against them.
“Now we have to take this opportunity to improve — and that includes myself. Since the first day with the new manager, we’ve always tried to do everything well. When you don’t win, sometimes people say wrong things. But this is just the beginning. Our confidence is high and, ideally, we would like to play again (soon). But we can use the international break to improve in other areas to come back stronger.”
Sport Witness
West Ham could sign player with PL experience – Club thinking of swap deal with Hammers
By Naveen Ullal
West Ham United’s Edson Álvarez has ended up on AC Milan’s radar.
The Serie A side are looking for a midfielder who can play alongside Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana and provide cover for their defence.
MilanLive.it state the Rossoneri have a few targets and ‘pay attention’ to the West Ham player.
The 26-year-old has made five league appearances for West Ham this season, with three starts. The Italian club are thinking about the former Ajax man for their midfield.
Milan could have an opportunity to sign Álvarez, especially if Ruben Loftus-Cheek moves in the opposite direction.
The report states the former Chelsea man hasn’t fully adapted to Paulo Fonseca’s system. Milan’s desire is to bring in players who’ll suit the manager’s style and this could see Loftus-Cheek drop down the pecking order.
Therefore, 28-year-old Loftus-Cheek could return to the Premier League, by joining West Ham as part of the deal for the Mexico international. Milan are closely monitoring the situation. There’s no mention if both players are open to an exchange deal.
It may not make sense for the Hammers to carry out a direct swap deal. Transfermarkt values Loftus-Cheek, who has a deal until 2027, at €25m, €10m less than Álvarez.