BBC
Liverpool have joined Chelsea and Arsenal in the chase for 24-year-old Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, who is rated at around £95m. (Sun)
Argentina forward Lionel Messi, 36, has quashed speculation that he will leave Inter Miami on loan to play for another club once the MLS season ends. (ESPN)
Inter Miami hope to bring Uruguay and Gremio striker Luis Suarez, 36, to the club to join up with former Barcelona team-mate Messi. (Mirror)
Chelsea's Brazilian defender Thiago Silva, 39, has hinted at a return to Fluminense next year, with his contract with the Blues expiring in the summer. (Sun)
Borussia Dortmund are ready to offer England forward Jadon Sancho, 23, an escape route from Manchester United in January. (ESPN)
Bayern Munich are considering an emergency move for Greek former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 35, as they try to minimise the impact of a growing injury crisis. (Mirror)
Borussia Monchengladbach have triggered an option to extend France midfielder Manu Kone's contract amid interest from Liverpool, Juventus and Bayern Munich in the 22-year-old. (90min)
Newcastle are weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen and Nigeria striker Victor Boniface, 22. (Sun)
Bayern Munich are confident of tying Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala down to a new deal amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester City, with the 20-year-old's current contract running until 2026. (90min)
Arsenal loanee David Raya, 28, says he would be interested in moving to La Liga with the Spain goalkeeper looking unlikely to return to Brentford. (Sun)
Italian former West Ham forward Paolo di Canio has revealed he turned down the chance to join Roberto Mancini's coaching set-up with the Saudi Arabia national team. (La Stampa, via Sun)
England legend Chris Waddle could be making a remarkable comeback to football aged 62 with the world's second oldest club. (Alan Biggs)
Rangers have approached Brighton's head of recruitment Sam Jewell, who is behind some of the Seagulls' biggest signings. (Star)
Sky Paper Talk
THE SUN
Newcastle are weighing up a move for in-form Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface, while they could also target Manchester City's out-of-favour midfielder Kalvin Phillips in January.
Liverpool have been keeping a very close eye on Chelsea and Arsenal target Victor Osimhen, Napoli's star striker.
Sofyan Amrabat has become the latest Manchester United star to suffer an injury.
Controversial ex-referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz is reportedly set to replace disgraced Luis Rubiales as president of the Spanish Football Federation.
The squad size for countries competing at Euro 2024 will be back to 23 players - giving Gareth Southgate an even bigger selection headache.
Thiago Silva has hinted at a return to Fluminense next year.
Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino has confirmed he is keen on signing former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez.
The French Professional Football League is at risk of disappearing from TV screens as they received zero bids for broadcasting rights.
DAILY MAIL
Everton's disciplinary hearing into the club's alleged breach of Premier League spending rules is taking place in secret this week.
San Marino's players have refused to back down over Rasmus Hojlund's claims that he was targeted during Denmark's Euro 2024 qualifier against the nation on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi has shot down the rumours that he will leave Inter Miami on loan once the Major League Soccer season completely concludes.
Harry Maguire has been slammed by England's LGBT supporters after claiming those that booed Jordan Henderson were "not proper fans".
The NFL has entered discussions with Madrid's city council over staging a game in the Spanish capital next season.
DAILY MIRROR
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is hoping his proposed deal to buy a minority stake in Manchester United will go through in time for the January transfer window.
Thierry Henry admits he was speechless during the first half of France's World Cup quarter-final against South Africa and was left in awe of Antoine Dupont.
THE GUARDIAN
Jadon Sancho has been urged by senior members of Manchester United's squad to apologise to Erik ten Hag and will be made available for transfer in January if he fails to act on that advice.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe questioned Manchester United's recent transfer policy during his visit to the club in March, with the prospective new minority owner citing the previous summer's acquisition of Casemiro as an example of what he views as questionable recruitment.
THE ATHLETIC
The Premier League will issue guidance to its clubs later this week advising them to prohibit Israel and Palestine flags inside stadiums.
Sergi Roberto has sustained a calf injury and is set for a spell on the sidelines, Barcelona have confirmed.
Manchester United have opened a new "high-performance training base" for their women's and academy teams.
Jose Reyes Lopez, the son of the late Jose Antonio Reyes, has signed his first professional contract with Real Madrid.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Kalvin Phillips is set to be offered a January route out of Manchester City to keep his Euro 2024 dream alive thanks to the Italian betting scandal - with Juventus and Newcastle expected to be forced into the market.
Everton could owe 777 Partners £60m by the time its planned takeover of the club is approved or blocked after being loaned another £20m by their prospective new owners.
Talks to establish a British and Irish 'super league' that would also include clubs from South Africa and Italy have taken place between executives from the Home Unions and the leagues.
Andrew Flintoff's return to cricket is set to continue when he joins the England Lions coaching staff on their training camp in the United Arab Emirates next month.
Phil Mickelson has warned the PGA Tour that there will "undoubtedly" be another exodus of the circuit's players to the LIV Golf League, regardless of the ongoing merger negotiations with the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
EVENING STANDARD
Chelsea captain Reece James is a major doubt to face Arsenal after suffering an injury setback.
Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son has confirmed he wanted to play for South Korea despite ongoing injury struggles.
THE TIMES
Warren Gatland has backed England to surprise South Africa in the World Cup semi-final in Paris on Saturday and use the hurt of losing the final in 2019 as motivation.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has welcomed the return of Maik Nawrocki after injury.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is leaving the door open for a potential return to the Premier League one day.
DAILY RECORD
Steven Naismith has made his feelings clear on Rangers' option to recall Alex Lowry from his loan at Hearts - and the Gorgie boss reckons the midfielder has turned his potential in to 'real quality' since arriving in the capital.
Rangers chief James Bisgrove admits sacking Michael Beale was a painful process he hopes he won't have to repeat "for a long, long time".
The Athletic
Vladimir Coufal: West Ham’s unlikely creative force
By Roshane Thomas and Thom Harris
When West Ham United manager David Moyes signed James Ward-Prowse and Mohammed Kudus in the summer, he probably did not envisage Vladimir Coufal would be his most creative force.
The 31-year-old right-back has registered an assist in each of his last four Premier League games. It is the longest run of consecutive games with an assist by a West Ham player in the competition. Only 10 players in the top flight have assisted a goal in five straight appearances.
Ward-Prowse and Kudus, who arrived from Southampton and Ajax to give Moyes’ men more threat, have combined for four goals and three assists, but Coufal has been the club’s main provider. The Czech Republic international, who has earned 38 caps, is entering the final year of his deal, although negotiations over an extension continue.
He could continue his offensive streak against Aston Villa this weekend. Coufal’s form is in huge contrast to last season having had a paltry return of one assist in 38 appearances.
Between October and November, Moyes’ side had league games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Southampton, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Leicester City. Having lost his place in the starting XI to versatile defender Thilo Kehrer, Coufal only played a combined total of 92 minutes in two of those fixtures and his future appeared bleak.
After joining from Slavia Prague in October 2020 for £5million, Coufal had been an ever-present member of the team. In January he explored the possibility of leaving following interest from German side Bayern Leverkusen. The Athletic revealed how a phone call from Moyes convinced the defender to stay. Amid competition from Kehrer and Ben Johnson, Coufal has thrived and is back to his best.
Coufal has reprised his performances from 2020-21. That is considered his best season, having amassed seven assists across 34 appearances, the most he has managed in a season but a mark that is now within his sights before the end of October.
As would be expected from a player in his position, most of the goalscoring opportunities Coufal provides come from the right flank — however, unlike some full-backs, he attempts to get close to the byline rather than cross from deep. In 2020-21, 32 per cent of his Premier League open-play chances were created in the final third.
Last season, those forays to the end of the pitch increased but Coufal’s crosses struggled to have an impact. He played 310 successful passes into the opposition half, had a passing accuracy of 56 per cent in the final third and played 164 passes into the box but only created four ‘big chances’, which are defined by Opta as a chance where the player should reasonably be expected to score.
Those numbers were a big decline from 2020-21. The right-back played 517 successful passes into the opposition half, had a passing accuracy of 66 per cent in the final third, played 178 passes into the box and created nine big chances.
This season, only Ollie Watkins, of Aston Villa, has a greater discrepancy between his expected assists (xA), which measures the likelihood that a completed pass will become a goal assist, and actual assists than Coufal. The defender has four assists from an xA of 0.9 (+3.1, slightly lower than Watkins’ 3.2) — in short, the data suggests Coufal’s passes this season would normally be expected to result in just one assist, which implies West Ham’s attackers are putting away his chances at an above-average rate.
Coufal’s starting position is much higher this season, which explains his higher percentage for open-play chances created in the final third.
Coufal’s crossing has improved markedly. When he was the provider for Jarrod Bowen’s goal in the 3-1 loss away to Liverpool, many of Coufal’s team-mates made a point of congratulating him. Of the 19 assists Coufal has registered, six have been to Bowen.
The England international adding a new dimension to his game with his aerial ability will serve Coufal well.
Coufal was nursing an injury in September. Following the European Championship qualifier against Albania, he withdrew from the Czech Republic squad and missed the 1-1 draw against Hungary. On the advice of medical staff, he was happy to put his club before his country.
“It was more for preventive reasons and West Ham asked for it,” said Coufal. “They contacted the people from the national team. I was also in favour of doing it this way. The friendly match against Hungary was not vital enough to risk aggravating the injury.
“Therefore, right after Albania, I flew to meet the spine and back specialist who operated on Tiger Woods. He figured that there was no need for injections or anything like that. He gave me tips on what to do. I already got better at the national team meeting because the physiotherapists took perfect care of me. And the improvement has continued recently.”
West Ham beating Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League on home soil was a proud moment for Coufal. He considers it to be the best night of his career and was determined to overturn the disappointment of the semi-final Europa League loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22.
But Coufal’s main motivation in Prague was through his seven-year-old son Nicolas and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Natalie. They attended the final in June and celebrated on the pitch with their father. Four months on, their passion for West Ham has not wavered. Coufal’s wife, Hana, recorded Natalie and Nicolas chanting “Irons” when captain Kurt Zouma scored the winner in the 2-1 victory against Luton Town.
London has become Coufal’s second home. If he continues his resurgence, the contract negotiations will need to step up so that he remains in the capital a lot longer.
Sport Witness
Player chased by Tottenham and West Ham – PL move can help him increase salary substantially
By Naveen Ullal
On October 9th, Turkish journalist Haldun Domaç said West Ham United clearly want to sign Kerem Aktürkoğlu. He made this claim days after Fotospor stated that Tottenham Hotspur will send scouts to watch the Galatasaray star in action against Bayern Munich later this month.
Three days ago, Akşam reported Spurs have initiated contact with Galatasaray to request for a meeting with the winger.
Aktürkoğlu’s deal expires in 2026 and Fotospor have a report discussing his contract situation, in which they mention Tottenham and West Ham.
It’s claimed the Turkey international currently earns €300,000 per year, and he and his agent, Erkut Söğüt, hasn’t listened to the renewal offer proposed by the Istanbul club.
The report states the Turkish champions offered 30m TL [€1m] per year but this didn’t please Aktürkoğlu, who has ‘made his decision’ on not renewing his contract at the Istanbul club.
Fotospor then add English clubs are on the hunt for the attacker and both Spurs and the Hammers are named.
They state that if the Premier League duo were to make offers for the Galatasaray player, there’s a possibility he could earn at least around €2-2.25m per year. This is more than double what the Istanbul club have currently offered.
Aktürkoğlu has managed five goals and seven assists from 17 games this season.
The Hard Tackle
Crystal Palace rival Everton, West Ham United in Willian Pacho pursuit
West Ham United and Everton are interested in Eintracht Frankfurt star Willian Pacho
Eintracht Frankfurt star Willian Pacho is one of the Bundesliga’s breakout players this season and continues to draw attention from several Premier League clubs including West Ham United and Everton.
The 22-year-old arrived at the Deutsche Bank Park in the summer of 2023 from Royal Antwerp and has immediately adjusted to life in the German top flight. The centre-back has made 12 appearances for Frankfurt across all competitions and is now a first-XI regular.
A solid defender with a good reading of the game and the ability to tackle, Pacho has what it takes to be a complete player. His ability on the ball and passing range also adds another flavour to a player who can thrive well in the modern game.
According to TeamTalk, Everton and West Ham are both keen on the 22-year-old’s services ahead of the 2024 January transfer window. Both teams could do with a new centre-back who can provide them with a solution in the role for the upcoming decade.
Crystal Palace are interested in the player as well. Players like Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi have been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park and they could look to bring in a replacement.
Everton have James Tarkowski and Michael Keane as their centre-back veterans with Jarrad Brantwaite and Ben Godfrey also in the fray. The former is attracting attention from several teams including Manchester United but signed a new deal at Goodison Park. Retaining him while also signing Pacho should future-proof the position for years to come.
West Ham also need a young defender given their current roster. David Moyes has Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd, Kort Zouma and Konstantinos Mavropanos. All four are in their mid-twenties and can hold the fort while Pacho learns his trade, should he mope to the London Stadium.
As things stand, West Ham are in a better position than Everton in terms of prospects but the youngster is more likely to secure more playtime at Goodison Park. The Ecuadorian is still a work in progress and is far from the finished product.
The Ecuadorian international was brought into the club as a replacement for Evan Ndicka and Frankfurt will not be in any mood to part ways with him any time soon. Any deal is likely to be worth around £35million, assuming Frankfurt are ready to even do business.
