BBC
Juventus want to sign Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips in January, with the 28-year-old said to be open to the move. (Tuttomercatoweb - in Italian)
Crystal Palace have expressed an interest in Arsenal and England striker Eddie Nketiah, 24, during the January transfer window, (Football Transfers)
Arsenal and Manchester City are both targeting Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 25, with neither club put off by Aston Villa's £100m valuation. (Football Insider)
English winger Jadon Sancho's representatives are trying to force a move away from Manchester United, but a swap deal involving the 23-year-old and Borussia Dortmund would be too complicated. (Givemesport)
Chelsea and Manchester City have asked to be kept informed about River Plate's Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri, 17. (Fabrizio Romano)
Manchester United want to clear players out next summer in order to sign Real Madrid and Austria defender David Alaba, 31. (Fichajes via Football Transfers)
Everton are interested in signing 23-year-old Marseille and Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye. (Teamtalk)
Fulham are considering a move for 24-year-old Feyenoord and Netherlands midfielder Mats Wieffer. (Football Insider)
Manchester City are set to join Real Madrid in the race for Girona's Spanish left-back Miguel Gutierrez, 22, (Manchester Evening News)
Tottenham and Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 28, is also on Juventus' January transfer list. (Tuttosport - in Italian)
Leeds United could sell 20-year-old Italy forward Wilfried Gnonto, who was a target for Everton this summer, in January. (Football Insider)
Manager Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid could sign a defender in January after Austria defender David Alaba, 31, suffered a serious knee injury. (ESPN)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY EXPRESS
Arsenal are monitoring Dominic Solanke's situation at Bournemouth if they are priced out of a move for Ivan Toney.
Virgil van Dijk and Andre Onana were involved in a tasty interaction in the tunnel that highlighted the moods in both dressing rooms after Liverpool and Manchester United played out a 0-0 draw on Sunday.
Ukrainian tennis ace Marta Kostyuk pulled out of a match against Russian rising star Mirra Andreeva in the final of the 2023 Negometal Open de Bourg-de-Peage tournament.
Gerwyn Price has called for the PDC World Championship to be hosted away from Alexandra Palace.
Rap superstar Drake lost a whopping $250,000 (£200,000) betting on Leon Edwards to knock out Colby Covington at UFC 296 in Las Vegas.
Ivan Toney is 'excited' about the chance to join Arsenal, according to reports.
Chelsea may end up with their future captain if they complete a reported £35m transfer for Wolves star Max Kilman.
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United have been given a boost in their pursuit of Newcastle's transfer chief Dan Ashworth as the Magpies themselves step up their efforts to bring Bournemouth's Richard Hughes to the club, according to reports.
Jose Mourinho has revealed why Chelsea sold future Premier League superstars Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, claiming the pair were 'just kids who couldn't wait' for opportunities.
A review into medical protocol is expected at Luton after captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch for the second time in seven months.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique revealed club superstar Kylian Mbappe has the 'liberty to play with freedom' in whatever position he wants within the team but questioned whether he was 'frustrated' in Paris.
Jose Mourinho claims he was once accused of bullying at Manchester United after substituting a player at half-time, as he opened up on how coaching is 'different' nowadays.
DAILY MIRROR
AC Milan are set to make a fresh attempt to sign Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior.
Liverpool have been handed a major boost to their hopes of signing Bayer Leverkusen's star Piero Hincapie.
Leicester plan to hold onto young striker Tom Cannon in the face of numerous loan bids this season.
Nottingham Forest captain Joe Worrall could be set for a move to the Championship with Middlesbrough keen to sign him.
Real Madrid are reportedly set to demand €60m (£51.5m) for David Alaba should he leave the club.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Liverpool and Manchester United will not be in the newly expanded 32-team 2025 Fifa Club World Cup after the world governing body agreed rules to limit it to two per nation - which will be Manchester City and Chelsea from the Premier League.
Tiger Woods has refused to rule out a sensational split with Nike as he continues his return following another injury-enforced lay-off.
Harry Brook aims to bowl off-spin during The Hundred as he continues to work on expanding his repertoire.
Saudi Arabia is becoming boxing's "new Las Vegas" and the top destination for heavyweight fights, according to legendary promoter Bob Arum.
THE GUARDIAN
Mary Earps has said she thinks Nike learned lessons over the "injustice" of not making her England replica shirt available for sale after the World Cup.
A banner bearing the same messages that Usman Khawaja had written on his shoes has been taken down by security during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Optus Stadium.
THE SUN
John Fury has sensationally revealed he is fearing the worst ahead of son Tyson's undisputed title fight against Oleksandr Usyk.
Team-mates have paid tribute to a Sunday league footballer who was killed after a van ploughed into a crowd - with its driver arrested on suspicion of murder.
Marc Cucurella's WAG, Claudia Rodriguez, has shared a snap of the Chelsea star in a hospital bed after falling asleep trying to watch the Blues.
THE ATHLETIC
The first edition of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 will last 29 days and begin on June 15, finishing on July 13.
Jose Mourinho says he wants to stay at Roma despite his contract with the Italian club expiring next summer.
Endrick watched Real Madrid's game against Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu, the first game the 17-year-old has attended since signing for the club.
SCOTTISH SUN
Rangers were hit with a £50m body-blow as Fifa chiefs ruled them out of the new expanded Club World Cup.
Cameron Carter-Vickers has urged raging Celtic supporters to keep cool after tempers flared at Parkhead.
Guardian
Mohammed Kudus magic silences Wolves as West Ham find home comfort
Ed Aarons at the London Stadium
Mohammed Kudus scores his second goal while under pressure from Craig Dawson. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
The stadium announcer described him before kick‑off as a “wizard” and Mohammed Kudus certainly has magic in his boots at the moment. Two goals in the space of 10 first‑half minutes from the Ghana forward inspired West Ham to a fourth successive home victory that leaves David Moyes’s side clutching the coat-tails of the Premier League’s top six.
Kudus, who joined from Ajax in the summer for £38m, now has nine goals for West Ham including four in his past three appearances here at a stadium quickly becoming his spiritual home. The only issue for Moyes will be how to replace him next month during the Africa Cup of Nations.
“It’s a huge blow for us – he is great to work with,” the West Ham manager said. “He scores goals and makes goals and he’s doing all the work for us as well. We are going to have to find other ways. We’ll hugely miss him.”
Gary O’Neil’s battling Wolves team were denied a goal by the finest of margins courtesy of VAR but they were no match for Kudus and his co‑tormentor Lucas Paquetá, who provided assists for both opening goals and set up Jarrod Bowen’s clincher with 16 minutes to play.
“It’s great credit to our forward players – that’s what Lucas Paquetá can do for us,” Moyes said. “I’m pulling my hair out half the time and the other half I’m celebrating because he’s making passes that a lot of people can’t see.”
While West Ham’s victory against Freiburg on Thursday was their 10th successive home win in European competition, things have not been so straightforward in the Premier League this season. Before this game, Moyes’s team had picked up more points on the road despite the 5-0 hammering at Fulham last weekend and started here like they intended to consign that performance to history.
Dan Bentley – brought in to replace José Sá in the Wolves goal with the usual No 1 nursing a shoulder injury – survived an aerial bombardment inside the first 10 minutes courtesy of some pinpoint deliveries from James Ward-Prowse and Bowen.
Dawson has a bad away day as Jarrod Bowen also gets past him to score West Ham’s third goal. Photograph: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images
Wolves showed a glimpse of their threat on the break when Matheus Cunha forced Lukasz Fabianski into a simple save and almost took the lead 15 seconds before Kudus found the breakthrough at the other end. Craig Dawson’s header from a corner was going just wide but still needed Emerson to deal with the danger, with Edson Álvarez finding Paquetá in space before Kudus did the rest after cutting inside on to his favoured left foot. It was a stunning strike that left Bentley grasping at thin air.
Fabianksi was at full stretch to save another effort from Cunha as Wolves attempted to strike back but the visitors soon found themselves two goals down. Kurt Zouma intercepted a pass from Mario Lemina and once again it was Paquetá’s vision that opened the door to allow Kudus to finish with aplomb, this time with his right foot. “We were nowhere near good enough,” said O’Neil, who blamed the defeat on “disastrous decision‑making” for West Ham’s opening two goals. “Hopefully when we get a few more players back we will give a better account of ourselves.”
Wolves had found the net in every match this campaign since their controversial defeat against Manchester United on the opening weekend but could not find a way back into the game this time. They could have been three down at the break had Bowen’s shot not smacked off the post moments after the West Ham forward felt he had been brought down in the area. Emotions momentarily got the better of O’Neil just before half-time when he was booked after protesting when Vladimir Coufal was not sanctioned for seeming to use his forearm in a heavy challenge on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
“Over the course of the game I thought his challenges warranted two yellows and the fact he wasn’t booked for that challenge was strange,” the Wolves manager insisted.
O’Neil was back prowling the touchline at the start of the second half in the hope of rousing a comeback from his team, with Tomas Soucek blocking a goalbound shot from Hwang Hee-chan. The lifeline they craved seemed to arrive when Pablo Sarabia touched home a cross from Nélson Semedo but after a long delay VAR deemed the Spaniard to be marginally offside. O’Neil could barely believe his bad luck.
Another Cunha shot whistled over the crossbar from a tight angle but the game was up when Bowen picked up the ball in his own half and played a one-two with Paquetá. Suddenly the West Ham forward found himself in acres of space and there was only ever going to be one outcome as he slid the ball past Bentley to seal a comfortable win for the hosts before Kudus and Paquetá left the field to a richly deserved standing ovation.
The Athletic
Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and a chemistry to excite West Ham fans
By Roshane Thomas
It was a sales pitch from Tim Steidten, West Ham United’s technical director, that convinced Mohammed Kudus to join in the summer transfer window.
When Ajax accepted West Ham’s third offer of £38.2million ($48.4m), Steidten knew he needed to work the charm during negotiations. Chelsea were the front runners and Kudus, 23, seemed destined to join them. They made an offer to Ajax and agreed personal terms with the Ghana international but the deal stalled as they prioritised the £115m signing of midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Kudus waited more than two weeks for a response from Chelsea, who were informed by Ajax that they needed time to find a replacement. The Dutch side proposed a deadline of August 18, which was later extended. During that period, an unnamed Saudi Arabian club joined the race, but talks never reached an advanced stage. Brighton also then reached an agreement in principle with Ajax but failed to do the same on personal terms.
This is where Steidten comes into the picture. Ajax and Kudus’s representatives became frustrated and switched their focus to sanctioning a move to West Ham, who expressed interest in signing him on August 6. Steidten made a convincing sales pitch, but there was only one issue: Kudus wanted to know if he would be playing alongside Lucas Paqueta, who was the subject of interest from Manchester City.
Steidten assured Kudus that he and Paqueta would play together and that he would not receive less playing time if he joined. Four months on, the 3-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers was the best example yet of Kudus and Paqueta gelling as an offensive pair. Paqueta assisted two of Kudus’s goals and they showed encouraging signs they are developing a highly effective understanding.
Since joining from Ajax on a five-year deal with the option of a further year, Kudus has registered nine goals and one assist across 21 appearances. The Ghana international has exceeded expectations; it is no surprise why Ajax inserted a 10 per cent sell-on clause. The market analyst CIES Football Observatory now values Kudus at £80million — a huge increase in value on West Ham’s investment.
Two of Kudus’s nine goals have come from outside the box. The attacker has shown it is not a fluke, with five of his 27 goals from Ajax coming from distance.
It was before the half-hour mark against Wolves that Kudus showed his attacking flair. Paqueta initiates a break and threads a pass to Kudus
And the Ghana international advances and Wolves defender Toti Gomes keeps retreating, allowing Kudus to cut in on his left and shoot from distance…
It was a reminder of Kudus’s quality and why he will be missed in January when he represents Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“He is doing all the work for us as well,” said Moyes. “A really good boy to work with — his goals and assists are the ones that stand out. It’s a huge blow (Kudus being unavailable next month) because he scores goals and makes goals. We’re going to have to find other ways.”
Paqueta provided three assists in the win and played 50 passes. Only four of those were for Kudus, but the adage ‘less is more’ comes to mind.
When Paqueta is in possession, moments after registering an assist, Kudus surges forward and only briefly looks at his team-mate…
It is as if he has already foreseen the outcome of the move.
No player had previously scored twice in a league game at the London Stadium by such an early point in a match (the 32nd minute). As a result of Kudus’ impressive striking ability, there were various moments in the second half when the crowd urged him to shoot from distance.
He has proven popular with his willingness to work hard defensively and to deliver offensively. He is also great at winning fouls and ranks second among West Ham players for fouls won (25). Paqueta is first with 35.
It is worth remembering Moyes patiently integrated Kudus into his starting XI, with the play not making his first league start until the 1-0 loss to Everton in October. But he responded positively with a goal in his next start, against Brentford, provided an assist for Tomas Soucek in the victory against Burnley and scored the opener in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
Kudus has helped ease the burden on Jarrod Bowen, who is set to have his best goalscoring campaign for West Ham. A noticeable tactic from Moyes is to switch Kudus and Bowen’s positions during matches.
Most of Kudus’s joy has been down the right flank, as his touch map against Wolves shows…
Kudus — and his relationship with Paqueta — will be key if West Ham are to challenge for a top-six spot or reach the latter stages of European and domestic cup competitions.
As the midway point in the season approaches, it has become clear that Steidten’s sales pitch to Kudus may prove to be his most important contribution yet.
