BBC
Tottenham are set to make a bid for Genoa's Romania defender Radu Dragusin, with the 21-year-old's agent saying the player is keen on the move. (SportItalia via Standard)
Spurs have switched their attention to Dragusin because their move for Nice's 24-year-old France centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo is on the brink of collapse. (Fabrizio Romano)
Juventus manager Max Allegri may veto the club's move for Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips because he does not think the 28-year-old England midfielder suits his tactical system. (Calciomercato - in Italian)
Barcelona are unlikely to make a move for Mason Greenwood because they cannot afford Manchester United's £40m valuation of the 22-year-old England forward, who is on loan at fellow La Liga side Getafe. (Sport - in Spanish)
Atletico Madrid have already made an initial approach over a potential move for Greenwood. (Marca - in Spanish)
Manchester United are prepared to accept offers for 30-year-old France defender Raphael Varane in January. (Football Insider)
Manager Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to offer Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans, 35, a new one-year deal. (Star)
Lyon want to make a new move for West Ham's 28-year-old Algeria winger Said Benrahma. (Sun)
Brentford are set to make an offer for Real Betis winger Assane Diao that is close to the 18-year-old Spain Under-21 international's 30m euro (£26m) release clause. (Diario de Sevilla via Sport Witness)
Newcastle are set to terminate Issac Hayden's loan at Standard Liege with several Championship clubs interested in the 28-year-old English midfielder. (Football Insider)
Manchester United have activated an option to extend Sweden defender Victor Lindelof's contract to June 2025. The 29-year-old's previous deal was due to expire this summer. (Athletic - subscription required)
Borussia Dortmund are interested in signing Chelsea's 21-year-old Netherlands full-back Ian Maatsen in January. (Voetbal international - in Dutch)
Everton are monitoring the progress of Manchester City's 20-year-old Australia midfielder Alex Robertson, who is on a season-long loan at Portsmouth. (The News)
Nottingham Forest hope to complete a £6m deal for Fluminense's 26-year-old Brazilian centre-back Nino early in the January window and are in advanced talks with Monaco over a move for 28-year-old Portugal winger Gelson Martins. (Mirror)
Ryan Giggs could be considered for the vacant managerial position at Salford City. Giggs is a co-owner of the League Two club, who sacked Neil Wood on Wednesday. (Sun)
Sky Paper Talk
SUNDAY MIRROR
Arsenal could field loan offers for Reiss Nelson next month - even though the homegrown winger wants to stay at the Emirates.
Teenage sensation Claudio Echeverri has infuriated fans of Argentine giants River Plate over the way he has engineered his £21.75m move to Manchester City.
Manchester United and Tottenham transfer target Radu Dragusin claims he "will reach an agreement" with Genoa over a new deal - potentially scuppering a move to the Premier League.
THE SUN ON SUNDAY
Arsenal are reportedly open to letting Takehiro Tomiyasu leave on loan next month.
Lyon are ready to make a new move for West Ham's Said Benrahma.
Kieran McKenna may be in the middle of a managerial tug-of-war, with Brighton and Crystal Palace lining him up.
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
Arsenal are investigating whether a deal can be done for Ivan Toney this January, as Mikel Arteta wants the Brentford forward and now leans towards a striker for this window's business.
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Eric Bailly has joined Villarreal as a free agent on an 18-month contract following the termination of his contract with Turkish side Besiktas after only four months at the club.
Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has admitted he would love to end his career in Major League Soccer.
Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is attracting interest from Premier League and European sides following a string of impressive performances in Serie A.
Dominic Thiem's qualifying win at the Brisbane International on Saturday was disrupted by the presence of a deadly snake courtside.
THE ATHLETIC
Manchester United have activated an option to extend defender Victor Lindelof's contract to 2025.
FIFA has temporarily suspended the worldwide introduction of the new football agent regulations.
Valerien Ismael says that Imran Louza's future at Watford hinges on discussions that will take place during the January transfer window.
Aston Villa's talented centre-half Kerr Smith is set to join St Johnstone on loan.
DAILY STAR ON SUNDAY
Erik ten Hag will recommend Jonny Evans is given a new one-year deal at Manchester United.
SCOTTISH SUN ON SUNDAY
A steward was left in distress after celebrating Celtic fans caused a digital advertising hoarding to collapse.
Ryan Kent has reportedly submitted a transfer request at Fenerbahce just six months after his move to Turkey.
SUNDAY MAIL
Raging Barry Robson read the riot act to his Aberdeen players and apologised to the fans after their sorry St Mirren showing.
GiveMeSport
West Ham like Jonathan Tah and 'David Moyes has watched him personally'
By Matt Smith
West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, and journalist Paul Brown has provided some insight to GIVEMESPORT on David Moyes' previous interest in him, stating whether they could pursue a move in January.
Signing a new defender might not seem like an immediate priority for the Hammers, but with Moyes' side in a comfortable position in the Premier League, they could look to add depth in multiple areas of the pitch over the next two transfer windows.
Tah is a player that West Ham have been linked with in the past, so he's clearly been scouted extensively by the capital club. A move in the January transfer window might be a little difficult considering Leverkusen won't want to lose a player in the middle of the season, but it will be interesting to see if they can tempt Tah with a transfer to the Premier League next summer.
West Ham could reignite their interest in Tah
During the most recent summer transfer window, Sky Sports reported that West Ham were considering a move for Leverkusen's Tah. The Hammers were initially trying to bring in Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, with Tah among the list of alternatives if a deal fell through. Moyes' side eventually signed Konstantinos Mavropanos, who has flattered to deceive since arriving at the London Stadium.
Journalist Brown has previously told GIVEMESPORT that Mavropanos will be frustrated with the lack of opportunities he's been given since arriving in England. The transfer hasn't worked out so far for West Ham, so they could look to bring in a new addition to their defensive line in January.
According to reports in Germany, West Ham remain interested in signing Tah, but they could face competition from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. However, it's understood that Tah would prefer a move to the Premier League, with England being his dream destination, so the Hammers could be leading the race to secure his signature.
Reports in Italy have also suggested that West Ham could make a play to sign Torino star Alessandro Buongiorno, while it's also been suggested that Moyes is eyeing a move for Stuttgart star Dan Axel-Zagadou. It appears that signing a centre-back could be one of their major priorities heading into the January transfer window.
Paul Brown - Moyes a big fan of Tah
Brown has suggested that Moyes has personally watched Tah over the years and he's a big fan of the player, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they reignited their interest. The journalist adds that it could be a hint that one of their current crop of defenders is set to depart due to West Ham being well-stocked in that position. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown said...
"It's interesting that they'd be going for a central defender because they seem quite well stocked there. That would suggest that somebody is leaving if they were to do a deal like that. Tah is actually someone who's been on their radar for two or three years. I know that Moyes personally is a big fan of that player. He's been to watch him personally over the years. There was a time when West Ham potentially even did make a bid for Tah. For whatever reason the transfer didn't come off. I think he's remained on their radar since and it wouldn't surprise me if they resurrect that one. I think the squad has needs in other areas that are probably greater than centre-back. So it will be interesting to see which way they invest their money in January. I do think there'll be signings coming in if they can make them."
West Ham set to be busy in January
Although the Hammers are in a strong position in the Premier League, they could look to add reinforcements to take Moyes' side to the next level. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that he expects West Ham to be busy in the winter window with the owners and directors working on new additions.
It's rare that teams spend big in January, but West Ham might be hoping to build on an impressive start to the season. The Hammers currently sit in seventh place in England's top flight, so they have a genuine chance of qualifying for Europe.
The Athletic
West Ham’s 2023: European glory, Rice’s exit and an evolving mood around Moyes
By Roshane Thomas
What a year it has been for West Ham United.
To think it started with David Moyes’ team in a relegation battle. That was avoided before winning the Europa Conference League and Declan Rice’s record transfer to Arsenal.
Rice’s exit triggered a spending spree on Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus. And the drama has not stopped, with the ending of the Brighton & Hove Albion curse with a league win in August, Jarrod Bowen singing a new seven-year deal, a section of the fanbase turning on David Moyes, loving him, turning on him again, only to love him once more — what a remarkable year.
Here is The Athletic’s review of it.
The high point
Winning silverware in Prague!
There were so many highlights on June 7, 2023. From seeing Lucas Paqueta and Moyes dancing, capturing the moment the squad ran on the pitch after the final whistle, everyone who witnessed was fortunate to do so. The club won their first major trophy since 1980 and it was long overdue. The squad celebrated long into the night at the Mandarin Oriental hotel with Alphonse Areola, the goalkeeper-turned-DJ for the night, held a speaker aloft as Gala’s “Freed From Desire” blared out.
When they started singing Jarrod Bowen’s chant, members of Moyes’ backroom staff and Mark Noble, the team’s long-time captain and talisman, now their sporting director, joined in. But none was as enthusiastic as Lukasz Fabianski.
The parade back in east London was equally memorable as thousands of fans packed the streets.
The low point
It has to be the 4-0 loss away to Brighton & Hove Albion in March. Moyes was under pressure, which culminated in West Ham supporters chanting “You don’t know what you’re doing”, and “You’re getting sacked in the morning”. It was the first time fans had turned on Moyes.
“We let ourselves down,” said Moyes. “It’s certainly one of the worst results in the time I’ve been here and I’d have to say probably one of the worst performances as well. I totally understand the chants. The fans have been watching a really good team for the last three years. I would hope the fans have seen enough in the last few years to have hope.”
Moyes would prove his critics wrong by securing West Ham’s Premier League status and winning silverware. Although those joyful scenes will live long in the memory, the defeat at Brighton was the nadir of 2023.
Most surprising moment
Bowen signing a seven-year contract. With Liverpool long-term admirers of the attacker, West Ham offered Bowen a long-term deal to underline his importance to the team. The contract has seen the forward broadly double his money and become one of the club’s highest earners. It is the longest contract a West Ham player has signed in the club’s 128-year history.
Best player
Before we unpack how incredible Bowen has been this calendar year, it is important to revisit what he said in January. The forward had a paltry return of two goals in 19 league appearances and missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad. He was candid about what was the contributing factor.
“You can put too much pressure on yourself and that’s what I did at the start of the season,” he said. “I was playing with a little bit of fear and anxiousness and that is normal. I don’t think I dealt with it very well but I will learn from that. You are trying to do things safely rather than playing your game.
“You want to look good instead of doing what you normally do to look good. You then end up playing worse than you were. That was the case for me. I am honest about that; I am not going to hide away from that.”
Bowen has thrived as West Ham’s main attacking outlet, has adapted well to transitioning from a winger into a centre-forward and has improved all aspects of his game. He is reaping the rewards for the noticeable change in his mindset. He has registered 11 goals this season and is set to have his best goalscoring campaign for West Ham — his previous highest was 18 goals in 2021-22.
Although we are approaching the midway stage of the season, there have been many highlights for Bowen from earning an England recall to becoming the first West Ham player to score in seven successive away Premier League matches. He is on a roll.
Best goal
Of all the goals scored, none was as memorable as Declan Rice’s terrific solo effort in the 3-1 win against Gent. The midfielder received the ball inside his own half, charged forward, and left Gent defenders in his wake to score a goal-of-the-season contender. It highlighted why the former West Ham captain was a sought-after talent, which led to a £105million switch to Arsenal in July.
The stat that sums up 2023
A noticeable difference in win percentage between West Ham’s league and European form. Moyes’ side won 39.5 per cent of their league games in 2023, but were markedly better in Europe with 84.6 per cent. One of their biggest achievements was going 17 games unbeaten, which ended in the 2-1 loss to Olympiacos in October.
Most memorable quote
There is one quote that remains uppermost in my mind when reflecting on the year. Following the 5-1 loss to Newcastle United in April, Rice revealed what happened after.
“Everyone was numb and hurt, because it was a bit of a freak game,” he said. “The manager came in and said, ‘I hope you’re all ready to play on Saturday. If I was you, I’d be wanting to go and play tomorrow’.”
Moyes’ words had the desired effect with West Ham going unbeaten in their next five matches.
Piece you most enjoyed writing
I enjoyed writing about Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus’ journeys to West Ham, interviewing Emerson Palmieri, Jamal Baptiste and former West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson. But the piece that I most enjoyed writing this year was West Ham’s path to European glory. When everyone was indulging in the fine beverages Prague had to offer, I was in the hotel trying to make sure the piece had all areas covered. It received a good reaction.
A wish for 2024 is…
Reaching the latter stages of the Europa League would be an incredible achievement. Having finished top of their group, West Ham will find out in February who they will face in the round of 16. Some fans have already booked their hotel and flights for Dublin, the final is at the Aviva Stadium.
But the ultimate wish is to see West Ham reach the final of a domestic cup competition. The club’s men’s team have not played at Wembley since beating Blackpool in the 2012 Championship play-off final. A return is long overdue.
