Monday News (includes West Ham)
Posted: 13 Oct 2025, 11:05
BBC
Barcelona will not renew the contract of Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 37, when his deal expires next summer. (Sport - in Spanish), external
Barcelona are ready to take up the option to make 27-year-old forward Marcus Rashford's loan move from Manchester United a permanent one following his impressive early season form. (Sun), external
Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane plans to return to management and would like to manage the France team. (Mirror) , external
Newcastle United will consider letting Danish forward William Osula, 22, leave on loan in January - but only if all their other striking options are fit. (Football Insider), external
Arsenal are considering a move for Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, 23, in the January transfer window. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Chelsea are interested in signing Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, 26, but are unlikely to make a move for him in the January window. (Football Insider), external
Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Aston Villa are among a host of Premier League sides to have sent scouts to watch FC Nantes' centre-back Tylel Tati, 17. (CaughtOffside)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
The England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is set to sign a new contract at Everton before their return to Premier League action next weekend against Manchester City.
THE SUN
Steve Parish is prepared to dig his heels in to keep "extraordinary talent" Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace. But the Eagles co-owner and chairman accepts he faces a difficult challenge to do that as the 21-year-old midfielder wants to play Champions League football in the next few years.
Harry Kane should be fit to fire England into the World Cup. The Three Lions can qualify for the finals next summer if they win in Latvia on Tuesday, thanks to Serbia's shock 1-0 loss at home to Albania on Saturday.
Barcelona are "ecstatic" with Marcus Rashford - and want to take up the option of turning his loan from Manchester United into a permanent move.
Roma are eyeing up a January move for out-of-favour Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.
Simon Grayson has been sacked by Hartlepool United after a torrid run of results.
England legend Sir Geoff Hurst has told superstar Jude Bellingham's dad to calm down.
DAILY STAR
Erling Haaland is poised to rejoin Manchester City earlier than expected, departing the Norway squad before their friendly clash with New Zealand.
DAILY MIRROR
Zinedine Zidane has made it clear he would "like to be the head coach of the France team one day" as he eyes a return to the dugout with the Real Madrid job still the only management role he's had.
THE ATHLETIC
Jack Wilshere is close to being appointed as manager of League One side Luton Town. The former Arsenal youth coach has been without a club since leaving Norwich City at the end of last season.
Wilshere has agreed a deal to take over after positive talks over the weekend.
THE TELEGRAPH
England are jeopardising their Ashes chances by not playing proper warm-up matches in Australia, according to Graham Gooch.
The Athletic
Assessing Nuno Espirito Santo’s defensive options for West Ham
Mavropanos and Julio are among the defenders at Nuno's disposal Ian MacNicol/Alex Pantlin/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo always intended to use the international break to learn about his squad, and a behind-closed-doors friendly has given him food for thought.
Nuno, who succeeded Graham Potter last month on a three-year deal, experimented with a back three in a defeat against Championship side Ipswich Town on Thursday. He is contemplating using the wing-back system in forthcoming games against Brentford (H), Leeds United (A) and Newcastle United (H).
The head coach selected a 4-2-3-1 formation in West Ham’s 1-1 draw against Everton and 2-0 away defeat against Arsenal. In those matches, he fielded the central defensive pairing of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Maximilian Kilman, both of whom featured heavily under Potter. West Ham yielded mixed results under Potter in a wing-back formation, but Nuno will hope for marked improvement.
Either Jean-Clair Todibo or Igor Julio, who joined on deadline day on a season-long loan from Brighton, would partner Mavropanos and Kilman in a back three.
The 27-year-old Julio, who is ahead of Todibo in the pecking order, played as a left-sided centre-back in the three-man defence against Ipswich. Todibo also featured but was not selected for the matchday squad against Everton and Arsenal. The 25-year-old endured a rocky relationship with Potter, who dropped the defender from the squad for the home loss to Tottenham Hotspur in September due to bad timekeeping.
Todibo joined on loan from Nice in August 2024 and West Ham activated a £32.8million ($43.9m) obligation to buy him 10 months later. Todibo, who has two caps for France, rejected a move to Juventus in favour of West Ham. Countryman Alphonse Areola also advised the defender to turn down the Italian side and join him at the London Stadium.
However, concerns arose following Todibo’s clash with former manager Julen Lopetegui. Under Nuno, the Frenchman will hope that history does not repeat itself, but his long-term future appears uncertain. He has not featured since the 5-1 home defeat to Chelsea in August.
It is a mitigating factor behind Julio being the obvious choice to partner with Mavropanos and Kilman. On deadline day, West Ham beat Crystal Palace to secure Julio’s signature. Oliver Glasner’s side had lined up a move for the 27-year-old as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Marc Guehi. But while Julio was on his way to Palace for a medical, he declined the move once it became clear Guehi was remaining at the south London side.
In the week leading up to deadline day, former head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay phoned Julio’s representatives to see if he would be interested in joining on loan. The Brazilian centre-back, who made his West Ham debut against Everton, was a long-standing target, with scout Maximilian Hahn also holding talks with Julio’s camp over the past 12 months. The club needed a replacement for outgoing Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd, who eventually joined French side Marseille.
It was always Julio’s intention to leave Brighton on loan, having been limited to one Carabao Cup appearance this season. He had an agreement with Brighton’s then-technical director David Weir that he could leave as his suitor paid a £1m loan fee. West Ham duly accepted. Although there is no option to buy in the deal, it features penalties if Julio fails to play a certain percentage of matches. He hopes his performances will convince West Ham to sign him permanently. It is why a switch in formation would be favourable for the former Fiorentina defender.
Kilman has struggled with consistency since joining for £40m from Wolves in the summer of 2024. He was part of a West Ham defence which conceded 62 goals last season, the sixth-highest in the Premier League. This campaign, West Ham have conceded seven goals from corners, the highest in the top flight. It is only one fewer than they conceded from corners in the whole of 2024-25 (eight).
Kilman has been vulnerable on set pieces by opposition teams, a case in point being Guehi towering over Kilman before Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal in Palace’s 2-1 victory. Nuno worked with the centre-back during his managerial spell at Wolves, and Kilman will hope to reprise his best form under the head coach once more.
“I was a big, strong boy, but I had so much to work on,” Kilman told the Birmingham Mail in 2020. “He (Nuno) improved my game, understanding and my physicality. When I came in, I had never played five at the back, so I’ve had to adapt and understand my role as a defender. I’ve had to become stronger and sharper, and that’s what I lacked when I first came into Wolves.
“I had to know when to press, when to get tight to my man, when to cover, and understand how to cover around my wing-back and work as a five. Nuno and the whole staff don’t just say, ‘It’s good enough’. There’s always room for improvement and they’re always trying to find ways to make us that little bit better.”
Kilman will hope to follow Mavropanos’ lead. The Greece international has polarised opinion since his arrival from Stuttgart in August 2023, but is belatedly making up for lost time this season. He has been a solid performer and did well to nullify forward Viktor Gyokeres’ impact, along with Kilman, in the loss to Arsenal.
Despite Mavropanos’ struggles last season, he received interest from clubs in Europe in the summer transfer window. West Ham were against sanctioning his departure, given their lack of central defensive options.
In April, Mavropanos was booed by some fans at the London Stadium after being introduced in the second half during the 2-0 defeat to Leicester. It was the nadir of his two-year spell, but six months later the negativity has faded.
It is a boost to Nuno that he has inherited a squad capable of playing a different system. Sorting out West Ham’s defensive frailties is a priority, but there can be relief that this is an area he remains proficient in.
Barcelona will not renew the contract of Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, 37, when his deal expires next summer. (Sport - in Spanish), external
Barcelona are ready to take up the option to make 27-year-old forward Marcus Rashford's loan move from Manchester United a permanent one following his impressive early season form. (Sun), external
Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane plans to return to management and would like to manage the France team. (Mirror) , external
Newcastle United will consider letting Danish forward William Osula, 22, leave on loan in January - but only if all their other striking options are fit. (Football Insider), external
Arsenal are considering a move for Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, 23, in the January transfer window. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Chelsea are interested in signing Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, 26, but are unlikely to make a move for him in the January window. (Football Insider), external
Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Aston Villa are among a host of Premier League sides to have sent scouts to watch FC Nantes' centre-back Tylel Tati, 17. (CaughtOffside)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
The England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is set to sign a new contract at Everton before their return to Premier League action next weekend against Manchester City.
THE SUN
Steve Parish is prepared to dig his heels in to keep "extraordinary talent" Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace. But the Eagles co-owner and chairman accepts he faces a difficult challenge to do that as the 21-year-old midfielder wants to play Champions League football in the next few years.
Harry Kane should be fit to fire England into the World Cup. The Three Lions can qualify for the finals next summer if they win in Latvia on Tuesday, thanks to Serbia's shock 1-0 loss at home to Albania on Saturday.
Barcelona are "ecstatic" with Marcus Rashford - and want to take up the option of turning his loan from Manchester United into a permanent move.
Roma are eyeing up a January move for out-of-favour Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.
Simon Grayson has been sacked by Hartlepool United after a torrid run of results.
England legend Sir Geoff Hurst has told superstar Jude Bellingham's dad to calm down.
DAILY STAR
Erling Haaland is poised to rejoin Manchester City earlier than expected, departing the Norway squad before their friendly clash with New Zealand.
DAILY MIRROR
Zinedine Zidane has made it clear he would "like to be the head coach of the France team one day" as he eyes a return to the dugout with the Real Madrid job still the only management role he's had.
THE ATHLETIC
Jack Wilshere is close to being appointed as manager of League One side Luton Town. The former Arsenal youth coach has been without a club since leaving Norwich City at the end of last season.
Wilshere has agreed a deal to take over after positive talks over the weekend.
THE TELEGRAPH
England are jeopardising their Ashes chances by not playing proper warm-up matches in Australia, according to Graham Gooch.
The Athletic
Assessing Nuno Espirito Santo’s defensive options for West Ham
Mavropanos and Julio are among the defenders at Nuno's disposal Ian MacNicol/Alex Pantlin/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo always intended to use the international break to learn about his squad, and a behind-closed-doors friendly has given him food for thought.
Nuno, who succeeded Graham Potter last month on a three-year deal, experimented with a back three in a defeat against Championship side Ipswich Town on Thursday. He is contemplating using the wing-back system in forthcoming games against Brentford (H), Leeds United (A) and Newcastle United (H).
The head coach selected a 4-2-3-1 formation in West Ham’s 1-1 draw against Everton and 2-0 away defeat against Arsenal. In those matches, he fielded the central defensive pairing of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Maximilian Kilman, both of whom featured heavily under Potter. West Ham yielded mixed results under Potter in a wing-back formation, but Nuno will hope for marked improvement.
Either Jean-Clair Todibo or Igor Julio, who joined on deadline day on a season-long loan from Brighton, would partner Mavropanos and Kilman in a back three.
The 27-year-old Julio, who is ahead of Todibo in the pecking order, played as a left-sided centre-back in the three-man defence against Ipswich. Todibo also featured but was not selected for the matchday squad against Everton and Arsenal. The 25-year-old endured a rocky relationship with Potter, who dropped the defender from the squad for the home loss to Tottenham Hotspur in September due to bad timekeeping.
Todibo joined on loan from Nice in August 2024 and West Ham activated a £32.8million ($43.9m) obligation to buy him 10 months later. Todibo, who has two caps for France, rejected a move to Juventus in favour of West Ham. Countryman Alphonse Areola also advised the defender to turn down the Italian side and join him at the London Stadium.
However, concerns arose following Todibo’s clash with former manager Julen Lopetegui. Under Nuno, the Frenchman will hope that history does not repeat itself, but his long-term future appears uncertain. He has not featured since the 5-1 home defeat to Chelsea in August.
It is a mitigating factor behind Julio being the obvious choice to partner with Mavropanos and Kilman. On deadline day, West Ham beat Crystal Palace to secure Julio’s signature. Oliver Glasner’s side had lined up a move for the 27-year-old as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Marc Guehi. But while Julio was on his way to Palace for a medical, he declined the move once it became clear Guehi was remaining at the south London side.
In the week leading up to deadline day, former head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay phoned Julio’s representatives to see if he would be interested in joining on loan. The Brazilian centre-back, who made his West Ham debut against Everton, was a long-standing target, with scout Maximilian Hahn also holding talks with Julio’s camp over the past 12 months. The club needed a replacement for outgoing Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd, who eventually joined French side Marseille.
It was always Julio’s intention to leave Brighton on loan, having been limited to one Carabao Cup appearance this season. He had an agreement with Brighton’s then-technical director David Weir that he could leave as his suitor paid a £1m loan fee. West Ham duly accepted. Although there is no option to buy in the deal, it features penalties if Julio fails to play a certain percentage of matches. He hopes his performances will convince West Ham to sign him permanently. It is why a switch in formation would be favourable for the former Fiorentina defender.
Kilman has struggled with consistency since joining for £40m from Wolves in the summer of 2024. He was part of a West Ham defence which conceded 62 goals last season, the sixth-highest in the Premier League. This campaign, West Ham have conceded seven goals from corners, the highest in the top flight. It is only one fewer than they conceded from corners in the whole of 2024-25 (eight).
Kilman has been vulnerable on set pieces by opposition teams, a case in point being Guehi towering over Kilman before Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal in Palace’s 2-1 victory. Nuno worked with the centre-back during his managerial spell at Wolves, and Kilman will hope to reprise his best form under the head coach once more.
“I was a big, strong boy, but I had so much to work on,” Kilman told the Birmingham Mail in 2020. “He (Nuno) improved my game, understanding and my physicality. When I came in, I had never played five at the back, so I’ve had to adapt and understand my role as a defender. I’ve had to become stronger and sharper, and that’s what I lacked when I first came into Wolves.
“I had to know when to press, when to get tight to my man, when to cover, and understand how to cover around my wing-back and work as a five. Nuno and the whole staff don’t just say, ‘It’s good enough’. There’s always room for improvement and they’re always trying to find ways to make us that little bit better.”
Kilman will hope to follow Mavropanos’ lead. The Greece international has polarised opinion since his arrival from Stuttgart in August 2023, but is belatedly making up for lost time this season. He has been a solid performer and did well to nullify forward Viktor Gyokeres’ impact, along with Kilman, in the loss to Arsenal.
Despite Mavropanos’ struggles last season, he received interest from clubs in Europe in the summer transfer window. West Ham were against sanctioning his departure, given their lack of central defensive options.
In April, Mavropanos was booed by some fans at the London Stadium after being introduced in the second half during the 2-0 defeat to Leicester. It was the nadir of his two-year spell, but six months later the negativity has faded.
It is a boost to Nuno that he has inherited a squad capable of playing a different system. Sorting out West Ham’s defensive frailties is a priority, but there can be relief that this is an area he remains proficient in.