BBC
West HamUnited's Declan Rice is leaning towards joining Arsenal in the summer, with Chelsea and Manchester United also expected to compete for the 24-year-old England midfielder's signature. (Guardian)
Everton's majority owner Farhad Moshiri has held talks with the club's board about manager Frank Lampard's future and possible replacements for the ex-England midfielder. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Former Burnley manager Sean Dyche is not under consideration for the job at Goodison Park. (Mail)
Aston Villa remain hopeful of completing a deal for Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, 23, before the transfer deadline. (Express & Star)
Chelsea still have an interest in Moises Caicedo despite having a £55m bid for the 21-year-old Ecuador midfielder rejected by Brighton. (Football.London)
Wolverhampton Wanderers have told Liverpool they have no intention of selling Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves, 25, this month. (Football Insider)
TottenhamHotspur coach Antonio Conte's contract expires this summer and, while he has been offered a new deal, the 53-year-old has asked Spurs to put it on standby because he does not want to think about his future at the moment. (Sky Sports)
Belgium forward Leandro Trossard's agent says Tottenham were in talks to sign the 28-year-old before he joined north London rivals Arsenal, who were more decisive in securing the move. (Mirror)
Spanish winger Bryan Gil, 21, is believed to be one of three players Tottenham are offering Roma as part of a potential swap deal for Italy midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, 23. (Football Insider)
Roma manager Jose Mourinho thinks Zaniolo may not leave because the offers for the player "are unworthy of him or the club". (Football Italia)
Roma have made initial contact with Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech's agent and could make a move for the 29-year-old Morocco winger if they sell Zaniolo. (Sky Sports Italia, in Italian)
Everton also want to bring in Ziyech to help their fight against relegation and would prefer to sign him on loan with a view to making the move permanent if they stay up. (Mail)
The Toffees hope to complete the loan signing of Netherlands forward Arnaut Danjuma, 25, from Villarreal later today. (Fabrizio Romano)
Everton are also considering a £15m move for Sheffield United's Senegal striker Iliman Ndiaye, 22. (Sun)
Manchester United have joined Paris St-Germain in the chase for 17-year-old Brazilian Vitor Roque, who has a £52m release clause in his Athletico Paranaense contract. (Gazzetta dello Sport, via Express)
Nottingham Forest are looking at bringing in PSG keeper Keylor Navas with England's Dean Henderson, 25, facing a spell out injured, although Bournemouth and Leicester City are also interested in the 36-year-old Costa Rican. (Mundo Deportivo, in Spanish)
Leicester City are showing a strong interest in Brazilian winger Tete, who is on loan at Lyon from Shakhtar Donetsk. Everton and Nottingham Forest also have the 22-year-old among their targets. (Mail)
The Foxes are also planning fresh talks with Stoke City this week over a deal for Harry Souttar after an initial bid for the 24-year-old Australia defender was rejected. (Telegraph)
Barcelona are happy with Spain defender Marcos Alonso's performances and plan to hold talks about extending the 32-year-old's deal once the January transfer window closes. (Sport)
Inter Milan are interested in signing England centre-back Chris Smalling on a free transfer. The 33-year-old's contract at Roma runs out in the summer but has the option of being extended by a year. (Gazzetta dello Sport, in Italian)
Netherlands defender Stefan de Vrij's agent says Inter Milan have contacted him about extending the 30-year-old's contract, which runs out in the summer. (Rai Sport, via Football Italia)
Burnley are in the final stages of talks as they look to bring in 22-year-old South Africa striker Lyle Foster from Belgian club Westerlo. (Athletic - subscription required)
Guardian Rumour Mill
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Sky Paper Talk
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Everton have held talks over the future of manager Frank Lampard as the 44-year-old waits to find out his fate. Sources on Sunday believed Everton were preparing to sack Lampard, but there was no confirmation from the club over their plans.
Tottenham Hotspur are nervously waiting to find out whether or not the club's managing director of football Fabio Paratici will be banned from operating on transfers.
Brendan Rodgers is targeting two new signings this week as he prepares for a potentially pivotal month in Leicester's season.
A British shot put champion has heavily criticised leaked plans to allow transgender women to compete in the female category in international track and field, saying it could lead to a "free-for-all" which would "screw" biological women like her.
Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has suggested the Bundesliga giants could not afford Tottenham's £130m asking price for Harry Kane.
Fabio Paratici's future at Tottenham is under increasing scrutiny after allegations he offered to pay over the odds to sign Cristian Romero from Atalanta to solve a problem for his former club Juventus.
Frank Lampard is waiting to hear he has been sacked as Everton prepare to begin the process of another new manager search.
Former Chelsea and Derby boss Lampard spoke with owner Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright over the weekend, along with director of football Kevin Thelwell, and has accepted things will change after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at West Ham.
Brazilian winger Tete is targeting a move to the Premier League this month with Leicester among the clubs showing a strong interest in the Lyon player.
Leandro Trossard's agent has revealed Tottenham were interested in signing the Belgian before he completed a £27million move to north London rivals Arsenal.
THE SUN
Hakim Ziyech could be the first victim of Chelsea's January transfer spree by joining Roma. The winger has been targeted by the Italians as he finds himself squeezed out at Stamford Bridge.
Soon-to-be Arsenal player Jakub Kiwior was spotted in the directors' box for Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Everton are considering a £15million move for Sheffield United star Iliman Ndiaye. Senegal international Ndiaye has 10 goals and seven assists for the Blades this season in the Championship and has caught the eye of Premier League strugglers Everton.
Southampton are planning to raid Chelsea again for top young full-back Silko Thomas. The Blues youngster, 18, has caught the eye at youth level but is out of contract at the end of the season.
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Manchester United are monitoring Harry Kane's situation at Tottenham.
THE GUARDIAN
Chelsea and Liverpool players have condemned the merry-go-round of decision-making that led to Chelsea's match against Liverpool being postponed six minutes into the game due to a frozen pitch that manager Emma Hayes described as being like an "ice rink".
World Athletics is set to keep the door open for transgender women to compete at the highest level under controversial new proposals that will be voted on in March.
Novak Djokovic has added his voice to calls for changes to be made to the Australian Open schedule amid growing concern over player welfare and fairness at this year's tournament at Melbourne Park.
THE TIMES
Antonio Conte and Tottenham Hotspur have put contract talks on ice, threatening his future as head coach. Conte, whose deal expires at the end of the season, would prefer to focus on turning around the team's form after three defeats in four Premier League matches rather than discussing his long-term position.
Seb Coe has not ruled out a bid to become the first British president of the International Olympic Committee. With only two years of Thomas Bach's term remaining, an election is expected in 2025.
Jamie George's involvement in the Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland in two weeks' time has been thrown into doubt as the England hooker faces a 12-day stand-down period after being taken off the field at half-time in this game with concussion.
DAILY MIRROR
Roma winger Nicolo Zaniolo is understood to be keen to join Spurs.
The 23-year-old wants out from the Italian club in this window and, with his contract expiring next year, Roma are ready to cash in. Roma are understood to want £35million for the Italy international who also has interest from West Ham.
Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing is considering a shock January exit from the Vitality Stadium amid interest from Valencia.
DAILY RECORD
Rangers midfielder Charlie McCann has completed his £350,000 move to English League One side Forest Green Rovers.
The Athletic
Nayef Aguerd’s passing range gives West Ham a different dimension
By Roshane Thomas
Nayef Aguerd is making up for lost time.
The defender impressed in West Ham United’s 2-0 victory over Everton, their first league win since October 24. Jarrod Bowen’s two goals have eased pressure on David Moyes’ future, but it was Aguerd’s measured performance that left a lasting impression.
The 26-year-old played alongside Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma in a three-man defence. Ogbonna (15), Aguerd (11) and Zouma (nine) made 35 clearances between them as they came under pressure. But crucially, they didn’t concede and restricted the visitors to an expected goals (xG) of just 0.55, West Ham’s second-best figure at home in the league this season (after Bournemouth’s xG of 0.39 in the 2-0 win in October).
“It was the best game for us and Aguerd is maybe just beginning to get to his best level. I saw him leaping and heading the ball better and he defended the back post from corners incredibly well,” said Moyes.
“He’s going to take time to get used to the Premier League, but he played well today.”
Moyes has needed to wait to integrate Aguerd into his starting XI. In June, the centre-back joined from French side Rennes on a five-year deal for €31million (£26.7m, $31m), which could rise to €35million. But he was sidelined for three months, having sustained an ankle injury in the pre-season loss to Rangers.
The problem required three hours of surgery on July 25, then Aguerd started the first phase of his rehab in London while in a protective boot before continuing in Morocco. He worked at his national team’s camp, alongside three physios and a personal trainer, to aid his recovery. In October, he made his debut in the 1-0 win against Silkeborg. The centre-back completed the most passes (88) by any outfield player and was named man of the match.
Among Rennes players in 2021-22, Aguerd ranked first for successful passes (1,954), forward passes (822), successful long passes (173) and aerial duels won (95). Moyes is keen for his defenders to play from the back and Aguerd is capable of doing this, as he showed against Everton. The yellow lines are successful passes, the black lines are unsuccessful passes.
After returning from injury, Aguerd played a key role in Morocco reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup. He made four appearances in Qatar, taking him to 30 caps, but a thigh injury ruled him out of the semi-final tie against France. His World Cup performances showed why West Ham made him their first summer signing.
Across his eight games for Moyes’ side, his range of passing has been a standout attribute and marks him out from the rest of the defence. Against Everton, for example, he attempted nine long balls, far more than Ogbonna (two) and Zouma (zero) combined, and the most by any West Ham player.
“He passed the ball out very well,” said Moyes. “He had a couple of great diagonal passes that relieved the pressure on us — he’s a very stylish player.”
Aguerd made eight passes into the final third and often looked for Bowen and right-back Vladimir Coufal. Bowen makes plenty of good runs in behind the defence, but his team-mates decide against attempting through balls, instead opting to keep possession. But in the grab below from the Everton game, Aguerd spotted the winger’s run and played a long ball.
The England international controlled the pass on his chest, but Everton’s defence were able to repel the threat on goal. The likelihood of Ogbonna, Zouma or Thilo Kehrer attempting that pass is unlikely.
Only four of Aguerd’s nine long balls were accurate. But it is encouraging that he doesn’t shy away from switching the play if a pass doesn’t come off. With 12 minutes remaining, Aguerd attempted another long delivery for Bowen.
The pass was headed away by Everton defender James Tarkowski. But Bowen continued his run in the hope the defender would head it back to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Aguerd and Bowen have already developed an understanding and it is only a matter of time before this move comes off.
“He’s been a great addition to the side,” said Ben Johnson. “He’s helped us a lot with a different option. He has unbelievable pace, can play out from the back, is comfortable on the ball and makes good decisions. His return from injury has been a real boost. He’s settled in really well.”
What appears to have gone largely unnoticed is how good Aguerd is in one-on-one situations. In the 2-2 draw against Leeds United, Rodrigo made an advancing run into the box…
… but the defender made an excellent last-ditch tackle, denying Rodrigo a goalscoring opportunity.
Aguerd showed that wasn’t a fluke against Everton. Almost identical to Rodrigo’s run, winger Demarai Gray was through on goal.
Aguerd tracked Gray’s run and made a brilliant tackle.
With upcoming league games against Newcastle United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, Aguerd will hope to produce more impressive defensive displays to ease West Ham’s struggles and maybe create the chances that will see Moyes’ side climb further up the table.
HITC
West Ham can show Wolves what they’re missing with £21m Samu Costa swoop
Dan Owen
West Ham United are showing an interest in Almeria and La Liga enforcer Samuel ‘Samu’ Costa after Premier League rivals Wolves missed out on the Portugal youth star, according to Estadio Deportivo.
Swatting aside an insipid Everton 2-0 at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Hammers are celebrating their first league win since late-October. And is it any real nocoincidence that their long winless run came to an end after David Moyes relegated Tomas Soucek to the substitute’s bench?
The Czech Republic international is far from the only West Ham player who’s form has taken a nosedive over the last eight months or so, but arguably no one in claret-and-blue epitomised the club’s decline from Champions League-chasers to relegation-battlers more than Soucek.
The goals have dried up. And, while Soucek has never been the most cultured or technical of footballers, his lack of precision or guile in possession has become a major bone of contention amongst a concerned fanbase; attacks breaking down quicker than your new Smart Meter.
Lucas Paqueta started in place of Soucek against Everton. And while the former Lyon did a serviceable job in a deeper role, a withdrawn position is hardly capable of getting the best out of Brazil’s go-to ‘number ten’. Like asking a Michelin star chef to pour you a bowl of cereal.
The arrival of 22-year-old Samu Costa would, in theory, free up Paqueta to strut his stuff further forward, while giving Soucek some much-needed time away from the spotlight. According to Estadio Deportivo, West Ham are one of a number of clubs taking an interest in Almeria’s former Braga ace, alongside Valencia, Lyon and at least one Serie A outfit.
Samu Costa is valued at around £21 million. Wolverhampton Wanderers held talks in the summer of 2021, but Costa opted to stick around at an ambitious Almeria outfit pushing for promotion from Spain’s second tier at the time.
Now playing La Liga football for the first time in his career, Costa’s dynamic displays have not gone unnoticed. Estadio Deportivo believe that Almeria are already scouring the market for potential replacements; Villarrael’s Manuel Morlanes on their radar.
Costa averages fewer successful tackles per game than the hard-working Soucek. His pass completion rate is far higher than the Czech’s 74 per cent, however, with Costa capable of giving West Ham more quality and composure in the centre of the park (WhoScored).
Wolves, meanwhile, are also targeting a deep-lying midfielder this month. They appear to have moved on from Costa, however. Flamengo enforcer Joao Gomes is now at the top of Julen Lopetegui’s radar; the Copa Libertadores winner hoping to join the Molineux outfit despite interest from France.
