Wednesday news (includes West ham)
Posted: 16 Oct 2024, 09:31
BBC
Manchester City are strongly considering the Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim, 39, as their next manager if Pep Guardiola, 53, leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Guardian)
Bayern Munich's Canada defender Alphonso Davies, 23, is a key target for Manchester United next summer. (Sky Germany)
Manchester United are open to selling 24-year-old Brazil winger Antony for £40m or could let him leave on loan in January. (Mail via Goal)
Barcelona could target Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia and English attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, both 20, from Chelsea in January. (Sport - in Spanish)
Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 25, has put clubs including Arsenal on alert as he continues to stall on signing a new contract at Newcastle. (talkSPORT)
Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, 34, had a medical at Leeds on Tuesday as a free agent following his departure from Nottingham Forest. (Football Insider)
Paris Saint-Germain remain interested in signing 26-year-old England forward Marcus Rashford from Manchester United after their summer approach was knocked back. (Team talk)
Chelsea are not prepared to entertain offers for France forward Christopher Nkunku, 26, amid links with Paris St-Germain. (Football Insider)
Tottenham and Crystal Palace are both interested in 21-year-old Lille and Iceland winger Hakon Arnar Haraldsson. (Football Transfers)
The release clause for Espanyol's 23-year-old Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was wanted by Arsenal in the summer, has been cut to 25m euros (£20.83m). (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish)
Manchester City are likely to demand a world record transfer fee for Norway striker Erling Haaland, 24, to join either Real Madrid or Barcelona. (Team talk)
Meanwhile, City have joined Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in keeping tabs on Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, 22. (I Sport)
Manchester City will bring 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri back in January, having let him stay at River Plate on loan after signing him in January. (Manchester Evening News)
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, 23, hopes to be fit for the Premier League game at Bournemouth on Saturday after withdrawing from England duty with a hamstring injury. (Athletic - subscription)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United are open to letting £86m winger Antony go out on loan in January to help secure a permanent move for the Brazilian next summer.
Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United football board have been asked not to enter the dressing room at Old Trafford - breaking a tradition that stretches back to the days of Sir Matt Busby.
Barcelona are interested in signing Erling Haaland to mark the re-opening of the Nou Camp, according to reports in Spain.
Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon has revealed how close the club came to signing Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho in 2003.
THE GUARDIAN
Manchester City are strongly considering the Sporting Lisbon head coach, Ruben Amorim, as their next manager if Pep Guardiola leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season.
THE ATHLETIC
La Liga boss Javier Tebas has told FIFA president Gianni Infantino to "scrap" next summer's Club World Cup, claiming the expanded tournament is not wanted by broadcasters, clubs, players or sponsors.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Chelsea's sporting directors have staunchly defended the club's eye-catching transfer and contracts policy, insisting it will help them 'win trophies consistently'.
Manchester United are the most injury-hit Premier League club, according to new research which shows player burnout is taking a record toll on other European divisions.
The 20-minute red card is one of several innovations that will be debated at a meeting of the World Rugby Council on November 14, with those discussions set to determine whether the initiative will be rolled out on a wider basis.
The man leading rugby's multi-million pound brain-injury lawsuits is facing "serious questions" from MPs and scrutiny from the Solicitors Regulation Authority over claims he pressured a former England player to lie about having dementia.
Bangladesh have replaced their head coach Chandika Hathurusingha after he was accused of slapping a player.
THE SUN
Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has axed the club's Christmas party.
Barcelona will move for two of the Premier League's biggest stars if they fail in their bid to land Erling Haaland.
Manchester United are targeting Bayern Munich stars Leroy Sane, Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies, according to reports.
THE I
Manchester City's succession planning continues in earnest despite their ongoing disputes with the Premier League, as they become the latest English giants to keep tabs on Shakhtar Donetsk superstar Georgiy Sudakov.
THE TIMES
Hearts have appointed Neil Critchley as their new head coach after using data from the analytics company owned by Tony Bloom, the Brighton & Hove Albion chairman.
The former Manchester United manager Casey Stoney would be interested in a return to English football after Jonas Eidevall resigned as Arsenal head coach.
Alex Mitchell is a serious doubt for England's autumn internationals after the Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson said there was still no time frame for his scrum-half to return from a neck injury.
DAILY MIRROR
Pep Guardiola will finally welcome Claudio Echeverri to Manchester City in January once his loan spell with River Plate ends.
DAILY EXPRESS
Arsenal could reportedly sanction an emotional return to Celtic for Kieran Tierney in the January transfer window.
Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski has claimed Bruno Fernandes was pushing to reunite at Manchester United after the pair played together at Udinese.
SCOTTISH SUN
A Highland businessman's £1.2m bid to save Caley Thistle from administration has been rejected by the club.
DAILY RECORD
Former Aberdeen star Joe Lewis has hung up his professional gloves to train the goalkeepers of the future.
Lewis also revealed Steven Gerrard wanted to take him to Rangers but he couldn't do the dirty on Aberdeen.
Brendan Rodgers expects Celtic to be playing all year round before too long as he sees football becoming a "12 month sport."
The 72
‘Big difference’ – West Ham man enjoying new EFL loan after West Brom spell
Huddersfield Town loanee Callum Marshall has said getting regular game time away from West Ham makes a ‘big difference’ to his development.
Huddersfield Town landed the attacker on a temporary basis in the last transfer window and he made the switch to League One.
Marshall, 19, spent time last season at West Brom but struggled for minutes with the Championship side.
He has enjoyed his spell with the Terriers so far and has said, as per a report by YorkshireLive: “I’ve been really enjoying playing regular football. This loan, I’ve really enjoyed it 100 times more and I’ve only been here a few weeks so it’s been great. It’s a big difference for me.
“It’s going through the highs and lows as well. We won the first five games at Huddersfield and then lost the second five so we had the fans on our backs a lot which obviously happens anywhere. Then we won on Saturday.
“It’s making sure we turn up every week and we’re doing what we can to win the game and trying to keep the consistency.”
Huddersfield Town brought in Marshall to add more competition and depth to their attacking ranks.
He has since made 11 appearances for the Terriers in all competitions to date, chipping in with two goals and two assists.
The Northern Ireland international, who has eight caps under his belt so far in his career, joined West Ham back in 2022.
Prior to his switch to England, he played for Bangor Rangers, Glentoran and Linfield.
Marshall has played once for the Hammers’ first-team in an FA Cup clash against Bristol City last January.
He was loaned to West Brom last winter but only ended up playing three times for the Baggies under Carlos Corberan.
What now?
The player’s move to Huddersfield Town in the third tier has given him more opportunities to play.
He needs games and he is getting them at the John Smith’s Stadium which will be beneficial to his development.
The Athletic
Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman look like a partnership – this can only help West Ham progress
By Roshane Thomas
Moments after the final whistle against Ipswich Town, there were two people Jean-Clair Todibo wanted to embrace.
After an important 4-1 home victory, the French defender hugged and high-fived his defensive partner Maximilian Kilman and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. Kilman, 27, had continued his solid start following his £40million ($52.3m) summer switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers. In different circumstances, Todibo, 24, could have been playing for Juventus, but it was West Ham who secured his signature from Nice on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £34million ($44.7m).
The win against Ipswich proved that Todibo and Kilman are developing a promising partnership. They displayed the hallmarks of a good defensive pairing by limiting Ipswich’s attacking quartet of Liam Delap, Jack Clarke, Omari Hutchinson and Wes Burns.
Todibo and Kilman have now started the games against Bournemouth, Liverpool, Brentford and newly-promoted Ipswich. Bryan Mbeumo, of Brentford, scored in the first minute against West Ham, but Kilman and Todibo nullified the threat of Mbuemo and his attacking colleagues Fabio Carvalho and Kevin Schade for the rest of the game, allowing the team to pick up a 1-1 draw.
A solid centre-back partnership is key to the success of any team. When West Ham qualified for Europe, the settled pairing of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson proved crucial. But following Dawson’s departure to Wolves in January 2023, Zouma and Nayef Aguerd never reached the same heights. They struggled with consistency, were error-prone and were part of a porous defence.
The pair did not feature in Julen Lopetegui’s plans. Aguerd and Zouma joined Real Sociedad and Saudi Pro League club Al Orobah respectively on season-long loans in the summer.
But there have been other partnerships that have been the foundations of great West Ham sides.
Under former manager John Lyall, Tony Gale and Alvin Martin excelled in 1985-86, as West Ham finished third in the old First Division.
Rio Ferdinand and Slaven Bilic caught the eye in the 1996-97 season. One of Ferdinand’s best seasons at West Ham was in 1998-99 alongside Ian Pearce and Neil Ruddock in a back three. West Ham won the Intertoto Cup and finished fifth — their highest in the Premier League. The defensive trio Ferdinand, Steve Potts and Igor Stimac were solid in 1999-2000.
Anton Ferdinand and Danny Gabbidon helped Alan Pardew’s side reach the FA Cup final in 2006, which they lost against Liverpool on penalties. More recently, James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna impressed, as did Winston Reid and Ogbonna between 2015 and 2018.
On paper, Todibo and Kilman is West Ham’s most promising defensive partnership in years. Lopetegui made Kilman one of his defensive targets when he was appointed head coach in May. But before Kilman’s arrival, 28-year-old Brazil defender Fabricio Bruno was on course to become Lopetegui’s first signing for £15million. But he was not satisfied with West Ham’s contract offer and the deal collapsed. It proved to be a blessing in disguise.
In June, technical director Tim Steidten and Lopetegui identified Todibo as a transfer target, but the defender had interest from other European clubs. Red Bull Salzburg defender Oumar Solet was lined up as an alternative, but Steidten and Areola — who asked for daily updates about his compatriot’s move — managed to convince Todibo to join.
And the partnership works. In part, that is due to individual quality. Last season in the league, Kilman ranked eighth among defenders for interceptions made. This campaign he has made 10 interceptions, the sixth highest. It is a strong area of his game. An example below shows Kilman, Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos forming a solid defensive line, as Mbeumo aims to thread a pass to Schade.
Schade runs in between Todibo and Kilman but the latter makes a key interception to repel the threat on goal.
Near the hour-mark, Keane Lewis-Potter makes a surging run into the box. His two options are Carvalho and Mbeumo.
Keane-Potter tries to tee up one of his team-mates, which Todibo fails to intercept, but Kilman is on hand to make the clearance.
While their defensive attributes will help the team in the long-term, so too will their offensive traits. In the 2-0 away win against Crystal Palace, Kilman showed he is capable of playing out from the back, providing an assist for Jarrod Bowen.
In the 4-1 home win against Ipswich, Todibo showed he can also be a ball carrier. The defender is in possession and decides to initiate an attack.
He advances forward, unchallenged and Michail Antonio sets off on a run.
Todibo surges past Kalvin Phillips and Jack Clarke. Once he is in the opposition half he threads a pass to Antonio. It is a simple passage of play but something we seldom saw from Zouma and Aguerd.
Lopetegui was slow to integrate Todibo into the XI because he did not have a full pre-season, but the centre-back has dislodged Mavropanos. The Todibo-Kilman axis could be a turning point for West Ham’s slow start to the season. The club have yielded eight points from their first six league games, but Lopetegui could now benefit from a settled back four, with the additions of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri.
Kilman and Todibo are clearly going to be first choice, even if West Ham also have Mavropanos and Kaelan Casey available. Aaron Cresswell and Edson Alvarez are also capable of playing centre-back. It is why the club opted against signing centre-back John Egan, who was on trial in September.
Upcoming games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will be good tests for Todibo and Kilman. A leaky defence has often undermined West Ham’s progress, but early signs suggest Todibo and Kilman will be an exception.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
Manchester City are strongly considering the Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim, 39, as their next manager if Pep Guardiola, 53, leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Guardian)
Bayern Munich's Canada defender Alphonso Davies, 23, is a key target for Manchester United next summer. (Sky Germany)
Manchester United are open to selling 24-year-old Brazil winger Antony for £40m or could let him leave on loan in January. (Mail via Goal)
Barcelona could target Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia and English attacking midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, both 20, from Chelsea in January. (Sport - in Spanish)
Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 25, has put clubs including Arsenal on alert as he continues to stall on signing a new contract at Newcastle. (talkSPORT)
Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, 34, had a medical at Leeds on Tuesday as a free agent following his departure from Nottingham Forest. (Football Insider)
Paris Saint-Germain remain interested in signing 26-year-old England forward Marcus Rashford from Manchester United after their summer approach was knocked back. (Team talk)
Chelsea are not prepared to entertain offers for France forward Christopher Nkunku, 26, amid links with Paris St-Germain. (Football Insider)
Tottenham and Crystal Palace are both interested in 21-year-old Lille and Iceland winger Hakon Arnar Haraldsson. (Football Transfers)
The release clause for Espanyol's 23-year-old Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was wanted by Arsenal in the summer, has been cut to 25m euros (£20.83m). (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish)
Manchester City are likely to demand a world record transfer fee for Norway striker Erling Haaland, 24, to join either Real Madrid or Barcelona. (Team talk)
Meanwhile, City have joined Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in keeping tabs on Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, 22. (I Sport)
Manchester City will bring 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri back in January, having let him stay at River Plate on loan after signing him in January. (Manchester Evening News)
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, 23, hopes to be fit for the Premier League game at Bournemouth on Saturday after withdrawing from England duty with a hamstring injury. (Athletic - subscription)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United are open to letting £86m winger Antony go out on loan in January to help secure a permanent move for the Brazilian next summer.
Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United football board have been asked not to enter the dressing room at Old Trafford - breaking a tradition that stretches back to the days of Sir Matt Busby.
Barcelona are interested in signing Erling Haaland to mark the re-opening of the Nou Camp, according to reports in Spain.
Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon has revealed how close the club came to signing Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho in 2003.
THE GUARDIAN
Manchester City are strongly considering the Sporting Lisbon head coach, Ruben Amorim, as their next manager if Pep Guardiola leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season.
THE ATHLETIC
La Liga boss Javier Tebas has told FIFA president Gianni Infantino to "scrap" next summer's Club World Cup, claiming the expanded tournament is not wanted by broadcasters, clubs, players or sponsors.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Chelsea's sporting directors have staunchly defended the club's eye-catching transfer and contracts policy, insisting it will help them 'win trophies consistently'.
Manchester United are the most injury-hit Premier League club, according to new research which shows player burnout is taking a record toll on other European divisions.
The 20-minute red card is one of several innovations that will be debated at a meeting of the World Rugby Council on November 14, with those discussions set to determine whether the initiative will be rolled out on a wider basis.
The man leading rugby's multi-million pound brain-injury lawsuits is facing "serious questions" from MPs and scrutiny from the Solicitors Regulation Authority over claims he pressured a former England player to lie about having dementia.
Bangladesh have replaced their head coach Chandika Hathurusingha after he was accused of slapping a player.
THE SUN
Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has axed the club's Christmas party.
Barcelona will move for two of the Premier League's biggest stars if they fail in their bid to land Erling Haaland.
Manchester United are targeting Bayern Munich stars Leroy Sane, Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies, according to reports.
THE I
Manchester City's succession planning continues in earnest despite their ongoing disputes with the Premier League, as they become the latest English giants to keep tabs on Shakhtar Donetsk superstar Georgiy Sudakov.
THE TIMES
Hearts have appointed Neil Critchley as their new head coach after using data from the analytics company owned by Tony Bloom, the Brighton & Hove Albion chairman.
The former Manchester United manager Casey Stoney would be interested in a return to English football after Jonas Eidevall resigned as Arsenal head coach.
Alex Mitchell is a serious doubt for England's autumn internationals after the Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson said there was still no time frame for his scrum-half to return from a neck injury.
DAILY MIRROR
Pep Guardiola will finally welcome Claudio Echeverri to Manchester City in January once his loan spell with River Plate ends.
DAILY EXPRESS
Arsenal could reportedly sanction an emotional return to Celtic for Kieran Tierney in the January transfer window.
Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski has claimed Bruno Fernandes was pushing to reunite at Manchester United after the pair played together at Udinese.
SCOTTISH SUN
A Highland businessman's £1.2m bid to save Caley Thistle from administration has been rejected by the club.
DAILY RECORD
Former Aberdeen star Joe Lewis has hung up his professional gloves to train the goalkeepers of the future.
Lewis also revealed Steven Gerrard wanted to take him to Rangers but he couldn't do the dirty on Aberdeen.
Brendan Rodgers expects Celtic to be playing all year round before too long as he sees football becoming a "12 month sport."
The 72
‘Big difference’ – West Ham man enjoying new EFL loan after West Brom spell
Huddersfield Town loanee Callum Marshall has said getting regular game time away from West Ham makes a ‘big difference’ to his development.
Huddersfield Town landed the attacker on a temporary basis in the last transfer window and he made the switch to League One.
Marshall, 19, spent time last season at West Brom but struggled for minutes with the Championship side.
He has enjoyed his spell with the Terriers so far and has said, as per a report by YorkshireLive: “I’ve been really enjoying playing regular football. This loan, I’ve really enjoyed it 100 times more and I’ve only been here a few weeks so it’s been great. It’s a big difference for me.
“It’s going through the highs and lows as well. We won the first five games at Huddersfield and then lost the second five so we had the fans on our backs a lot which obviously happens anywhere. Then we won on Saturday.
“It’s making sure we turn up every week and we’re doing what we can to win the game and trying to keep the consistency.”
Huddersfield Town brought in Marshall to add more competition and depth to their attacking ranks.
He has since made 11 appearances for the Terriers in all competitions to date, chipping in with two goals and two assists.
The Northern Ireland international, who has eight caps under his belt so far in his career, joined West Ham back in 2022.
Prior to his switch to England, he played for Bangor Rangers, Glentoran and Linfield.
Marshall has played once for the Hammers’ first-team in an FA Cup clash against Bristol City last January.
He was loaned to West Brom last winter but only ended up playing three times for the Baggies under Carlos Corberan.
What now?
The player’s move to Huddersfield Town in the third tier has given him more opportunities to play.
He needs games and he is getting them at the John Smith’s Stadium which will be beneficial to his development.
The Athletic
Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman look like a partnership – this can only help West Ham progress
By Roshane Thomas
Moments after the final whistle against Ipswich Town, there were two people Jean-Clair Todibo wanted to embrace.
After an important 4-1 home victory, the French defender hugged and high-fived his defensive partner Maximilian Kilman and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. Kilman, 27, had continued his solid start following his £40million ($52.3m) summer switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers. In different circumstances, Todibo, 24, could have been playing for Juventus, but it was West Ham who secured his signature from Nice on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £34million ($44.7m).
The win against Ipswich proved that Todibo and Kilman are developing a promising partnership. They displayed the hallmarks of a good defensive pairing by limiting Ipswich’s attacking quartet of Liam Delap, Jack Clarke, Omari Hutchinson and Wes Burns.
Todibo and Kilman have now started the games against Bournemouth, Liverpool, Brentford and newly-promoted Ipswich. Bryan Mbeumo, of Brentford, scored in the first minute against West Ham, but Kilman and Todibo nullified the threat of Mbuemo and his attacking colleagues Fabio Carvalho and Kevin Schade for the rest of the game, allowing the team to pick up a 1-1 draw.
A solid centre-back partnership is key to the success of any team. When West Ham qualified for Europe, the settled pairing of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson proved crucial. But following Dawson’s departure to Wolves in January 2023, Zouma and Nayef Aguerd never reached the same heights. They struggled with consistency, were error-prone and were part of a porous defence.
The pair did not feature in Julen Lopetegui’s plans. Aguerd and Zouma joined Real Sociedad and Saudi Pro League club Al Orobah respectively on season-long loans in the summer.
But there have been other partnerships that have been the foundations of great West Ham sides.
Under former manager John Lyall, Tony Gale and Alvin Martin excelled in 1985-86, as West Ham finished third in the old First Division.
Rio Ferdinand and Slaven Bilic caught the eye in the 1996-97 season. One of Ferdinand’s best seasons at West Ham was in 1998-99 alongside Ian Pearce and Neil Ruddock in a back three. West Ham won the Intertoto Cup and finished fifth — their highest in the Premier League. The defensive trio Ferdinand, Steve Potts and Igor Stimac were solid in 1999-2000.
Anton Ferdinand and Danny Gabbidon helped Alan Pardew’s side reach the FA Cup final in 2006, which they lost against Liverpool on penalties. More recently, James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna impressed, as did Winston Reid and Ogbonna between 2015 and 2018.
On paper, Todibo and Kilman is West Ham’s most promising defensive partnership in years. Lopetegui made Kilman one of his defensive targets when he was appointed head coach in May. But before Kilman’s arrival, 28-year-old Brazil defender Fabricio Bruno was on course to become Lopetegui’s first signing for £15million. But he was not satisfied with West Ham’s contract offer and the deal collapsed. It proved to be a blessing in disguise.
In June, technical director Tim Steidten and Lopetegui identified Todibo as a transfer target, but the defender had interest from other European clubs. Red Bull Salzburg defender Oumar Solet was lined up as an alternative, but Steidten and Areola — who asked for daily updates about his compatriot’s move — managed to convince Todibo to join.
And the partnership works. In part, that is due to individual quality. Last season in the league, Kilman ranked eighth among defenders for interceptions made. This campaign he has made 10 interceptions, the sixth highest. It is a strong area of his game. An example below shows Kilman, Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos forming a solid defensive line, as Mbeumo aims to thread a pass to Schade.
Schade runs in between Todibo and Kilman but the latter makes a key interception to repel the threat on goal.
Near the hour-mark, Keane Lewis-Potter makes a surging run into the box. His two options are Carvalho and Mbeumo.
Keane-Potter tries to tee up one of his team-mates, which Todibo fails to intercept, but Kilman is on hand to make the clearance.
While their defensive attributes will help the team in the long-term, so too will their offensive traits. In the 2-0 away win against Crystal Palace, Kilman showed he is capable of playing out from the back, providing an assist for Jarrod Bowen.
In the 4-1 home win against Ipswich, Todibo showed he can also be a ball carrier. The defender is in possession and decides to initiate an attack.
He advances forward, unchallenged and Michail Antonio sets off on a run.
Todibo surges past Kalvin Phillips and Jack Clarke. Once he is in the opposition half he threads a pass to Antonio. It is a simple passage of play but something we seldom saw from Zouma and Aguerd.
Lopetegui was slow to integrate Todibo into the XI because he did not have a full pre-season, but the centre-back has dislodged Mavropanos. The Todibo-Kilman axis could be a turning point for West Ham’s slow start to the season. The club have yielded eight points from their first six league games, but Lopetegui could now benefit from a settled back four, with the additions of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri.
Kilman and Todibo are clearly going to be first choice, even if West Ham also have Mavropanos and Kaelan Casey available. Aaron Cresswell and Edson Alvarez are also capable of playing centre-back. It is why the club opted against signing centre-back John Egan, who was on trial in September.
Upcoming games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will be good tests for Todibo and Kilman. A leaky defence has often undermined West Ham’s progress, but early signs suggest Todibo and Kilman will be an exception.
(Top photos: Getty Images)