Thursday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo, 22, has agreed terms on a new contract with Manchester United. (ESPN)

England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 19, and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, 20, both still have a future at Manchester United, despite concerns about breaching profit and sustainability (PSR) rules. (Sky Sports)

Manchester United need to make a sale to finance a 60m euros (£50m) move for Portugal and Paris St-Germain defender Nuno Mendes, 22. (Independent)

AC Milan are interested in taking Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, on loan - but only want to pay half of his wages. (Times - subscription required)

Manchester United are aware the representatives of Rashford are in talks with AC Milan. (Sky Sports)

Brentford and Cameroon striker Bryan Mbeumo, 25, is on Arsenal's shortlist for a summer transfer. (Florian Plettenberg)

German clubs Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart are all chasing Manchester City's England Under-21 midfielder James McAtee, 22. (Telegraph - subscription required)

Manchester City remain interested in £50m-rated Omar Marmoush, 25, but may struggle to prise the Egypt forward away from Eintracht Frankfurt in January as the German club push for a Champions League place. (Guardian)

City are also considering a move for Nottingham Forest and Nigeria full-back Ola Aina, 28. (GiveMeSport)

Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo wants to reunite with former Manchester United team-mate Casemiro, 32, and has urged Al-Nassr to move for the Brazil midfielder. (Mirror)

Manchester City are in advanced talks to sign Uzbekistan centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov, 20, in a £30m deal from Lens. (Teamtalk)

Brazil winger Antony, 24, has rejected the chance to join Greek club Olympiakos but still wants to leave Manchester United. (Mirror)

West Ham are interested in English midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, 26, and could push for a loan deal with Chelsea. (Independent)

Technical director Tim Steidten could also leave West Ham following the sacking of Julen Lopetegui. (Guardian)

Inter Milan are preparing a bid for 28-year-old Ukraine and Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko. (Sun)

Aston Villa are tracking Borussia Dortmund's English winger Jamie Jermaine Bynoe-Gittens, 20. (Caught Offside)

Crystal Palace have made contact with Millwall about the possibility of signing 19-year-old English winger Romain Esse. (Standard)

Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, 35, has an agreement in principle with Saudi club Al-Shabab but is waiting on a final decision from Newcastle. (Fabrizio Romano)

Swansea City have made a fresh bid for Wycombe Wanderers' 22-year-old Wales defender Joe Low after their initial approach was rejected. (Football Insider)




Sky Paper Talk

THE TIMES

AC Milan are expected to tell Manchester United that they will only pay half of Marcus Rashford's wages during any potential loan spell.

Sam Underhill's Six Nations campaign is in doubt after the England flanker suffered a third ankle injury in seven months.

THE SUN

Inter Milan are preparing a January bid for Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Third round losers will get prize money for the first time as the FA Cup kicks off for real on Thursday.

Celtic are rivalling Tottenham for Irish whizkid Mason Melia.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a move for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich as they look to strengthen their squad.

Jobe Bellingham looks set to stay at Sunderland this month - despite interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.

Ipswich have joined the growing race for Botafogo striker Igor Jesus.

DAILY MAIL

Manchester United have failed in their bid to have 1,000 seats given to neutrals at this weekend's FA Cup clash with Arsenal.

West Brom are believed to have held talks with former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Hake as they look to fill their vacant head coach role, according to reports.

A switch to Strasbourg is an option for Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka this month, but such a move would require the Premier League club recalling one of their three loanees already with their sister side in France.

Fenerbahce are increasingly confident of reaching agreement with Aston Villa for defender Diego Carlos.

Milan Skriniar has been offered to Aston Villa as the club seek a short-term replacement for the injured Pau Torres.

Barcelona have been given temporary permission to register Dani Olmo after lodging an appeal, but the star was not even named on the bench for their Spanish Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

Scotland are weighing up a Six Nations call-up for New Zealand-born Fergus Burke, who also qualifies to play for England.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Graham Potter is expected to appoint as his West Ham No 2 Spanish coach Narcís Pelach, who was Stoke City manager between September and December last year.

Gloucester will remove the Russia flag from the back of Kirill Gotovtsev's shirt for all matches moving forward and have issued an apology "for any offence this may have caused".

Transgender players will be banned from competing in women's hockey across England from the start of next season.

DAILY MIRROR

Manchester United have hoisted a metaphorical 'Everything Must Go' sign aloft at Old Trafford with the revelation they will listen to offers for every player.

West Ham have splashed out £3.3m in compensation to sack Julen Lopetegui.

Chelsea could brutally axe up to nine players - including Christopher Nkunku - in an effort to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.

Ruben Amorim has handed opportunities to four academy players in a bid to shake up Manchester United's training sessions.

THE GUARDIAN

Sportsbank, a group of investors fronted by two Crystal Palace supporters, has announced that it has signed an exclusivity agreement with John Textor's Eagle Football Holdings - the south London club's co-owner - and intends to make a "significant financial investment".

THE ATHLETIC

Manchester City are working on deals to sign Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov this month.

Lamine Yamal is hoping to sign a long-term contract at Barcelona and believes the deal will be finalised "soon".

Borussia Dortmund have an interest in signing Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on a loan deal with an option to buy in the January transfer window.

Joe Hugill has returned to Manchester United after spending the first half of the season on loan at Wigan Athletic but is expected to go back out on loan imminently with several EFL clubs interested.

DAILY EXPRESS

David Wagner has walked away from talks to replace Wayne Rooney at Plymouth Argyle.

Alejandro Garnacho is open to leaving Manchester United after growing frustrated with his reduced role during the early stages of Ruben Amorim's tenure, according to reports.

DAILY STAR

Promising goalkeeper Elyh Harrison has cut short his loan spell at Chester FC and returned to Manchester United, where he's set to be part of Ruben Amorim's first-team squad for the rest of the season.

DAILY RECORD

Rangers are weighing up a move for Jamaican international Richard King as they continue their hunt for a central defender.

Philippe Clement has told the Rangers board to think twice before even considering selling Hamza Igamane this month.

SCOTTISH SUN

Cagliari are weighing up a fresh move for Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers




Guardian Rumour mill

Michael Butler

With two left-footed right wingers out in Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri, Arsenal are in the market for another. Mohamed Salah might be a little too ambitious, even with the Egyptian’s current contract situation but Bryan Mbeumo would fit the bill nicely, although Brentford would be loathe to let their talisman go halfway through the season. A summer move might be more likely, with Mbeumo’s contract due to expire in June 2026.

One of the most predictable things about Nottingham Forest’s unlikely charge up the table is that the big wigs come knocking for their talent, even at this early stage. Ola Aina, Forest’s lightning-fast and versatile full-back, is on the hitlist for Manchester City.

New underachievers City seem intent on multiple defensive reinforcements, and have reportedly made £30m offers for Lens’s Abdukodir Khusanov, 20, and Palmeiras’s teenage centre-back Vitor Reis. City may have to balance the books by selling James McAtee, with German quintet Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Mainz and Borussia Dortmund all hoping to convince another young Englishman to hop over to the Bundesliga.

Ipswich were this close to finalising a deal with Hull for Jaden Philogene in the summer before Aston Villa nipped in to nab the winger from under the Tractor Boys’ noses for £18m. But with Philogene struggling for minutes under Unai Emery, Ipswich have swooped again and will confirm a £22m deal with Villa this week. Villa may use the funds to move for Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens, who has been lighting up the Champions League this season (and would be cup-tied for Villa in that competition should he make the move to Birmingham). One of Villa’s former stalwarts, Douglas Costa, has also been struggling for game time since his big-money move to Juventus. The Brazilian is being monitored by Forest.

One of Graham Potter’s first tasks as West Ham’s new manager could be to convince Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to sign on loan from Chelsea. The 26-year-old hasn’t started a league game for the Blues since his £30m move in the summer.

Liverpool fans might be stressed about losing Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk for diddly squat in the summer. But don’t worry, Reds! Joshua Kimmich, also out of contract in June at Bayern, could arrive at Anfield on a free transfer, with Liverpool making an enquiry with the German’s agent for a pre-contract agreement.

It’s looking like Roma midfielder Enzo Le Fée will soon by swapping the Spanish Steps for Sunderland’s Bridges Shopping Centre after the French 24-year-old agreed a loan deal that includes a permanent option for the Black Cats, who remain in the hunt for promotion from the Championship.

And Sean Dyche’s bizarre admission that Everton should be exploring other managerial options has got the mill turning. Renowned wallflower and Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho has been linked, alongside Max Allegri, Gareth Southgate and former Toffees boss David Moyes. Mourinho barking orders at Jordan Pickford? Yes, please.




The Athletic

Inside Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham exit: Lack of days off, tension with players, on the brink for months

Roshane Thomas and Guillermo Rai

Julen Lopetegui arrived in a blaze of positive publicity, lauded as the coach to take West Ham United to the next level. But he departs under a cloud as the shortest-lived managerial appointment in the club’s 124-year history, sacked after just 22 games.

And it could have been over even quicker than that. At least one member of West Ham’s hierarchy would have fired him in early November if they had it their way.

Concerns over former Spain and Real Madrid head coach Lopetegui’s future in the role were heightened after the 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest on November 2. The main factors were the lack of tactical identity in the team and the Spaniard not being the right fit for West Ham. He was given more time in the hope of conjuring a marked improvement, but internally it was felt to be a short-term reprieve.

Further heavy defeats and fractious relationships with players — and with the club’s technical director Tim Steidten — contributed to Lopetegui’s underwhelming eight-month spell in east London.

By the turn of the year, Steidten had actively begun to sound out potential replacements, including Edin Terzic, who steered Borussia Dortmund to last season’s Champions League final; Sergio Conceicao, since appointed as Milan manager; Paolo Fonseca, the man Conceicao replaced at San Siro; and the eventual appointee, former Swansea, Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter.

Lopetegui oversaw training on Wednesday morning before being informed of his sacking. He was dismissed along with his backroom staff of Pablo Sanz, Oscar Caro, Juan Vicente Peinado, Borja De Alba and Edu Rubio. Potter takes over on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He had been out of work since a seven-month spell at Chelsea ended with him being fired in April 2023.

Lopetegui lost nine of his 20 league games as head coach. The 4-1 defeat to Manchester City last Saturday was considered the final straw. The mood in the away end at the Etihad Stadium was bleak, with his own team’s supporters singing “You’re getting sacked in the morning” at him.

West Ham are seven points above the relegation zone, and Lopetegui being jettisoned just over halfway through his first season in charge was long in the making. The Athletic has talked to people at the club, people close to the hierarchy and to the players and people close to the outgoing manager. All of those who spoke to us for this article did so under the condition of anonymity, to protect relationships.

The Athletic can reveal for the first time what went wrong for Lopetegui at West Ham, including how:

    A lack of days off affected morale at the club
    Ruben Amorim and Fabian Hurzeler were also on the initial shortlist for the job
    Players arranged a night out after a heavy defeat to local rivals Tottenham to improve morale
    Jean-Clair Todibo clashed with Lopetegui at half-time of one game — and the pair had to be separated
    Players found instructions in training and matches confusing — and goalkeepers trained with the outfielders

Lopetegui, who turned down interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League and elsewhere in Europe, was named as David Moyes’ successor in May, shortly after the end of last season. He signed a two-year contract, with the option of a further season, having been out of work since leaving fellow Premier League side Wolves in summer 2023.

Steidten and Rubio, as first-team coach, accompanied Lopetegui at his official unveiling in July. Other backroom staff members were in the audience that day, along with his representatives and West Ham director Jack Sullivan, son of the club’s majority shareholder David Sullivan.

Lopetegui spoke passionately about his plans for the future and not wanting to put a limit on what West Ham could achieve. It was also Steidten’s first time addressing the media since his arrival from German side Bayer Leverkusen in July 2023.

“We are a club with big potential,” said Lopetegui. “We have a very good platform — talking about the squad, the team and the players — to be able to do one step and to make a big noise. That is the aim that we want to make here.”

These words resonated with the club’s owners, but might have prompted a sense of deja vu among the fans, who have become sceptical after previous promises of what proved false dawns under big-name coaches.

Lopetegui’s appointment was, like Manuel Pellegrini’s six years earlier, viewed internally as a glamorous, ambitious upgrade on the work done by Moyes. Pellegrini’s tenure was short-lived, but the Chilean still lasted 12 months longer than Lopetegui, whose brief and unhappy tenure will lead to questions about the West Ham board’s football vision and strategy.

Steidten said Lopetegui was a standout candidate for the role. He was also interested in Amorim, since made Manchester United head coach, who held talks with West Ham’s representatives in April while manager of Lisbon’s Sporting CP. Amorim later admitted it was a mistake to meet West Ham and that the timing of his trip to London was inappropriate but Steidten had been determined to secure his signature.

A source close to the technical director said he also had 31-year-old countryman Hurzeler, now of Brighton & Hove Albion after taking St Pauli to top-flight promotion in Germany last season, on the shortlist. But majority shareholder Sullivan wanted an experienced head coach with Premier League experience.

Since taking co-ownership of the club in January 2010, Sullivan has never appointed a manager who had been in employment elsewhere. Amorim and Hurzeler both had jobs.

So it was Lopetegui who got the nod, and he officially started work in early July. In his first week, he travelled with the team to Austria for a week-long training camp, which featured a friendly against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. Three of the nine summer signings — Luis Guilherme, Wes Foderingham and Maximilian Kilman — had already joined by then, with Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Carlos Soler, Guido Rodriguez, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug arriving before the end of the window.

West Ham’s performances during pre-season were far from convincing. Their sole win came against neighbours Dagenham & Redbridge, who play in the fifth tier of English football, with defeats to Crystal Palace and Wolves on tour in the United States, and draws to Ferencvaros and Spain’s Celta Vigo.

Issues over training also came to the fore early in Lopetegui’s reign. Sources close to the dressing room said pre-season was one of the hardest many players had experienced in their careers, with the lack of downtime proving difficult.

One of Lopetegui’s first acts as head coach was to reduce the number of days off given to the team. This was intended to improve work ethic but hurt morale, sources close to the dressing room said. After complaints about long hours at the training ground, Lopetegui later increased the players’ time off but it was too little, too late.

After the 4-1 away loss against Tottenham Hotspur on October 19, Lopetegui admitted he needed to improve his communication with the players.

Dressing-room sources said the squad found it hard to understand what he was trying to achieve, with the coaches’ instructions causing confusion. The team often played a possession-based style in training, with the goalkeepers sometimes mixing in with their outfield colleagues. But this differed from what Lopetegui would then implement on matchday.

Constant changes to his starting XI prevented West Ham from finding consistency. There were occasions when the players would not know the line-up until the day of a game. And Lopetegui often tweaked the team again at half-time — West Ham are first in the Premier League for substitutions at the interval (19).

Another concern was the extent to which Lopetegui clashed with key players.

In September, he had a frank exchange of words with Mohammed Kudus at half-time in the 1-1 draw away to Brentford. Lopetegui said Kudus’ substitution at half-time that day was for tactical reasons. He was not impressed with the Ghana international forward’s performance and Kudus felt the criticism was unfair. The Athletic reported that, according to dressing-room sources, members of West Ham’s hierarchy reached out to Kudus’ camp to reassure them there were no lingering issues between player and head coach.

Kudus received a three-match ban, later increased to five games, for his red card in the next away match, against Tottenham. That evening, most of the squad arranged to have a night out in central London’s Soho to try to improve morale, dressing-room sources said.

West Ham won their next fixture, at home against Manchester United, but days later Lopetegui clashed with goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. The France international was frustrated at losing his place — he was dropped against United having started every previous league match, then not in the matchday squad for the ensuing games against Nottingham Forest and Everton. Lopetegui explained his absence was due to a minor knock, but their relationship was fractious, according to people close to the players. Areola is a popular member of the squad and is a very calm person off the field.

Lopetegui’s inability to create a harmonious dressing room was his undoing.

Another incident was a heated disagreement with defender Todibo at half-time of the 5-2 home defeat against Arsenal at the end of November. The pair had to be separated. Todibo was understandably angry at conceding five goals in a half. He also felt he had been harshly criticised by Lopetegui over his performance.

The 25-year-old has also been frustrated by a series of injuries. He picked up a small calf issue in that match against Tottenham and was still carrying the knock when he appeared as a half-time substitute against Manchester United the following weekend. The France international then sustained a groin injury in the win against Newcastle United at the end of November, which was the reason for his absence against Leicester City a week later, and suffered another setback during Saturday’s loss to Manchester City.

It wasn’t just players who Lopetegui clashed with. He and Steidten disagreed over the signing of midfielder Rodriguez, according to sources close to the West Ham hierarchy.

Aleix Garcia, who joined Leverkusen from Spain’s Girona, and former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, now of Saudi club Al Ittihad, were the initial intended midfield targets. Lopetegui lobbied hard for Rodriguez’s arrival as a free agent having left Real Betis of La Liga, but Steidten wanted to veto the deal. Despite pushing for the 30-year-old, a member of the Argentina squad who won the 2022 World Cup, people close to Lopetegui said he did not view him as good enough to start regularly.

In mid-December, Steidten began staying away from the training ground. West Ham said he was instead focusing on the approaching winter transfer window.

The technical director has also come under scrutiny for overseeing a summer expenditure of over £120million. Guilherme, a £25m signing from Brazilian side Palmeiras, is yet to start a league game for the club, though he is still just 18 years old. The 31-year-old Fullkrug, who cost £27m from Dortmund, has been injury-prone during his career and that pattern has continued with West Ham. Only Summerville, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo and Kilman have emerged as solid additions.

It was Daniel Kretinsky, West Ham’s second-largest shareholder, who pushed for Steidten’s appointment in July 2023, according to sources close to the club’s hierarchy. In that first transfer window, the German convinced Kudus, Edson Alvarez and Konstantinos Mavropanos to move to the London Stadium. But Steidten’s track record for summer 2024 has not been viewed positively.

Lopetegui wanted to be a success at West Ham but is now looking for his fourth job in 27 months.

His time at the London Stadium has done little to restore his reputation after his stints at Real Madrid, where he only lasted 14 games in 2018, and Wolves, who he left by mutual consent less than a week before the 2023-24 season kicked off. He may have an impressive CV, which includes leading Sevilla to a Europa League final win in 2020 and Spain to European titles at under-19 and under-21 levels, but West Ham regressed under him, losing seven of his first 14 league games.

A source close to Lopetegui said he found it difficult working under West Ham’s ownership. He believes a spate of injuries hit him hard in attacking areas, with the Achilles problem that kept Fullkrug out for over two months from early September forcing him to field a 34-year-old Michail Antonio up front. Lopetegui felt the Jamaica international had limitations in terms of the style of football he wanted the team to play.

Lopetegui had confidence in his own ability but believes many different circumstances prevented him from doing well at West Ham, and people close to the 58-year-old highlighted the commitment of the players during his time in charge.

Wednesday’s news means he will not get a chance to bid a proper farewell to supporters at the London Stadium. But that may be the best outcome, as getting booed off at home had become a regular theme of the Lopetegui era.




Talksport

West Ham emerge as shock contenders to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United

    Alex Crook & Robert Calcutt

West Ham have asked to be kept informed on Marcus Rashford's situation, talkSPORT understands.

Rashford faces an uncertain future at Manchester United having recently been dropped by head coach Ruben Amorim.

The 27-year-old has admitted he is 'ready for a new challenge' away from Old Trafford, with United open to offers.

West Ham would consider a loan move for Rashford but know he is more likely to join a top European side.

Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund have all been credited with an interest in the England forward.

It is understood the Red Devils are resigned to the fact they cannot sell Rashford this month and a loan deal is their only option.

The news coincides with the Hammers appointing Graham Potter as their new manager on Thursday morning.

Julen Lopetegui was sacked on Wednesday after a dismal eight months in charge and left West Ham 14th in the Premier League.

Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Potter has signed a two-and-a-half year contract at the London Stadium.

"Very excited, very proud day to be head coach of this amazing club," he said in his debut press conference.

"It's a big tradition, big history, big expectation. A big challenge. It's a bit like Christmas for the adults.

"Excited, not the best of sleeps last night just from excitement. Really looking forward to meeting the players, meeting our supporters and getting going."

Rashford may become the latest player to swap United for West Ham after Aaron Wan-Bissaka completed a move last summer.

The right-back has impressed in his first season at the club having started in 18 of his 20 Premier League appearances so far.

Jesse Lingard enjoyed a strong spell in east London when he signed on loan from United for the second half of the 2020/21 season.

He netted nine goals and assisted another four in 16 outings but, despite being linked with a permanent switch, he left in the following summer.

Rashford is thought to be the highest earner at United on more than £300,000-a-week.

The forward has scored seven goals in 24 appearances this season but hasn't played in the Premier League since December 7.

Amorim omitted Rashford from his squad for four consecutive league matches before naming him on the bench in their 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle.

He also missed the 2-2 draw against rivals Liverpool on Sunday but this was due to illness.

[chim chim cha boo]

Thanks Alan. You can't beat your summing up (especially with the Athletic articles) for all things West Ham related. I'm fucking sick of NewsNow 'twenty- four million striker has five words that damn West Ham's worst performer' click- bait shit.

Consider yourself the fourth emergency service for us half dead cynical old boys who leave ourselves open to shit that contains five paragraphs that all say the same bollocks that evaporates as you read it.

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.

And Rashford? No thank you.