BBC
Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 25, is among Paris St-Germain's leading candidates to replace 25-year-old France forward Kylian Mbappe, who has told the French club he is leaving them at the end of the season. (Athletic - subscription required)
Bayern Munich are increasingly likely to part ways with manager Thomas Tuchel in the summer and are set to rival Liverpool in trying to appoint Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso. (Times - subscription required)
Former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick is on Barcelona's shortlist to replace Xavi, while Bayern Munich will also consider the 58-year-old should they decide to sack Tuchel. (Bild)
Arsenal target Pedro Neto, 23, could cost £60m with Wolves looking to bring in a club-record fee for the Portugal forward. (Standard)
Former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner has agreed to take charge of Crystal Palace, who are expected to part ways with Roy Hodgson. (Times - subscription required)
Brighton are braced for the possible departure of boss Roberto de Zerbi at the end of the season, with the Italian attracting interest from Liverpool and Manchester United. (Mail)
Barcelona and Spain midfielder Gavi, 19, is a summer transfer target for Paris St-Germain. (Athletic - subscription required)
Barcelona want to bring in a left winger in the summer and are monitoring Arsenal's 22-year-old Brazil international Gabriel Martinelli, Brighton and Japan's Kaoru Mitoma, 26, and Napoli's 23-year-old Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, of Georgia. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish)
Arsenal value 22-year-old England winger Bukayo Saka at between £150m and £200m. (Football Insider)
Chelsea and Arsenal are keen on West Ham and Ghana attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus, 23. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
Chelsea have made an offer to bring Brighton's head of recruitment Sam Jewell to Stamford Bridge. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Norwich City are interested in replacing manager David Wagner with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's assistant, Carlos Cuesta, in the summer. (Guardian)
Newcastle United are confident they can demand a compensation fee of more than £10m if sporting director Dan Ashworth leaves the club to join Manchester United. (Standard)
Manchester United are also working on a deal to hire Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox. (Athletic - subscription required)
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is in line to be offered an improved deal if he manages to get the Elland Road club promoted into the Premier League. (Football Insider)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
Thomas Tuchel is increasingly likely to be removed from his role as Bayern Munich head coach in the summer, with the Bundesliga side keen to jump ahead of Liverpool in the race to tempt Xabi Alonso away from Bayer Leverkusen.
Steve Borthwick has used his first England A squad to try and capture a number of dual-qualified players, including Exeter's Josh Iosefa-Scott and Gloucester scrum-half Caolan Englefield.
Leigh Leopards back Zak Hardaker has been banned from driving for a second time, this time for three years, after overturning his car in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, while driving way over the speed limit and legal limit on alcohol.
DAILY MAIL
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have already sounded out potential investment partners at home and abroad as they seek funds to redevelop Manchester United's historic Old Trafford stadium, with the group now leaning away from using a nearby site.
Jose Mourinho has revealed he rejected the chance to take over as England manager back in 2007, with a contract offer on the table, before Fabio Capello eventually took over.
Manchester United may not need a huge squad overhaul in the summer, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe reported to have been impressed by four of their younger squad members - Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot - that he can build around.
Manchester United's players and staff could hear from Kenyan marathon runners and New Zealand rugby union stars as the club's new investors seek to bring "marginal gains" into football after consistent success in cycling.
Brighton are drawing up contingency plans to make sure they are ready if head coach Roberto De Zerbi departs at the end of the season for one of a number of high-profile vacancies coming up.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli is, according to reports in Spain, one of five names on Barcelona's summer shopping list alongside Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Everton's Amadou Onana.
Former US international Taylor Twellman is concerned the Kansas City shooting will affect plans for supporters aiming to attend any of the six World Cup 2026 games scheduled to be held there.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Chelsea have made an offer to Brighton's head of recruitment Sam Jewell just 18 months after poaching his predecessor Paul Winstanley.
Everton and 777 Partners are expecting contact from the Premier League this week as their directors and owners test finally comes close to a conclusion.
Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has revealed Pep Guardiola called him to get as much information as possible about Huddersfield Town's tactical approach and players before Man City met them in the FA Cup last month, such is his desire to win.
British triathlete Louis Walker was allowed to compete, including at a World Championship age-group event in Spain, for six months after having confessed to taking a banned substance.
THE GUARDIAN
Arsenal are expecting to have to fend off interest in Mikel Arteta's assistant Carlos Cuesta in the summer from Norwich City and other Championship clubs.
Lyon are expected to allow head coach Sonia Bompastor to have discussions with Chelsea over replacing US-bound Emma Hayes next season.
THE SUN
Roy Hodgson will step aside as Crystal Palace manager, to be replaced by Oliver Glasner, but the official announcement has been delayed by Friday's training ground drama which ended with the 76-year-old undergoing tests in hospital.
Reports in Italy have claimed Lazio will make a double transfer raid on Sunderland this summer to sign Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham.
DAILY MIRROR
Wayne Rooney has confirmed Misfits have contacted him about the possibility of him fighting in one of their events but says his focus remains on getting back into football management.
Jermain Defoe got a welcome phone call from rapper Drake when he traded Tottenham for Toronto late in his career, but the England international thought it was a team-mate on the wind-up.
Arsenal target Jorrel Hato is set to sign a new four-year contract at Ajax next month.
THE ATHLETIC
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen features prominently on Paris Saint-Germain's transfer shortlist after Kylian Mbappe informed the club of his intention to leave this summer.
Barcelona midfielder Gavi is a summer transfer target for Paris Saint-Germain.
DAILY RECORD
Marco Tilio has rejected talk that he left Australia too early in his career and says it was an injury he suffered before joining Celtic which ruined his first season in Scotland and eventually saw him sent back to the A-League's Melbourne City on loan.
Neil Warnock is pushing to bring Junior Hoilett to Aberdeen. The 33-year-old is a free agent after leaving MLS franchise Vancouver Whitecaps and can join the reds immediately.
The Athletic
Assessing West Ham’s manager next season: Moyes to stay – or Potter, Carrick or Hoeness?
By Roshane Thomas, Thom Harris
There are no immediate plans from West Ham United’s board to offer David Moyes a contract extension.
Moyes’ deal expires in June but the 60-year-old, who ended the long wait for a trophy last season by winning the Europa Conference League, could yet stay.
But amid rancour and rumour, a seven-game winless streak has led to speculation over whether West Ham should make a change.
Moyes will hope to end the season on a high to justify his position. The 6-0 defeat against Arsenal did little to support his argument but the impending returns of Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio from injury could solve some of his problems.
West Ham now have technical director Tim Steidten to assess footballing matters and, alongside joint-chairman David Sullivan, he will have a considerable say in the next manager.
Here, The Athletic has looked at some of the options available if the board opts to go in a new direction.
Does Moyes deserve to stay?
If he is offered a new deal, many factors could work in his favour. Moyes is regarded as one of the club’s most successful managers, having won the Europa Conference League last year, delivered European football for three consecutive seasons and transformed the recruitment team.
When Moyes returned for his second spell in December 2019, Henry Newman was West Ham’s only contracted scout. Now Moyes’ recruitment team consists of Steidten (technical director), Rob Newman (head of recruitment), Mark Noble (sporting director), Georges Santos (European scout), Adam Clarke (the first-team scout) and others.
Moyes has exceeded expectations, although there is a belief among supporters he has reached his ceiling. The hierarchy was left to rue their decision when they jettisoned Moyes in his first spell. Despite helping the club avoid relegation, the board wanted a “high-calibre” manager and appointed Manuel Pellegrini.
But Pellegrini’s appointment yielded mixed results and he was not a good fit for West Ham. He was a Premier League winner with Manchester City and previously managed Real Madrid, but it did not work out at West Ham and Moyes was brought back to turn things around.
Although the loss of form, style of play and decision-making are factors behind supporter frustration, Moyes has been a relative success at the club — and, unlike some potential replacements, he does not view West Ham as a stepping stone. He wants to continue building, as he did with Everton.
There are many factors the board will have to consider: would a new manager bring stability as Moyes has? Is it worth the risk of going in a new direction if they are open to selling the club soon? How integral is it for West Ham to reach ‘the next level’?
Following the 5-1 quarter-final Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool in December, Moyes spoke about the increase in expectations.
“The facts are we’ve been doing pretty well,” said Moyes. “We’ve had an unbelievable run. What would West Ham’s expectations be? Would you expect us to win a European trophy? Would you expect us to be challenging for the Champions League? Not many nodding their head in here, so that’s the facts.”
Would Potter receive the freedom he did at Brighton?
When assessing potential alternatives to Moyes, Graham Potter is a strong candidate. The former Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea head coach has not lost in eight games against West Ham (all against Moyes; won two, drawn six).
Potter has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in April, but the 48-year-old is known for his tactical flexibility.
His sides at Swansea City, Brighton and Chelsea were wasteful in front of goal. That said, they often had strong underlying numbers (particularly expected goals, xG, which measures the quality of goalscoring opportunities) and the success of his Brighton side at the start of the 2022-23 season (before he left for Chelsea) showed that he could balance style with substance.
An underrated part of his tenure at Brighton was cementing the academy-to-first-team pathway and bringing down the average age of the squad. Although this was a club-wide effort, Potter’s ability to overhaul the squad and transform the style created solid foundations for Roberto De Zerbi to build on.
Moyes has given first-team debuts to 16 players from the academy, but none have been able to integrate into the first team. Divin Mubama has rejected several contract offers, while Harrison Ashby, Sonny Perkins, Jamal Baptiste and others rejected professional contracts for moves elsewhere. Further down the age groups, Divine Mukasa and other youngsters have rejected scholarship deals.
Considering where Brighton were at the end of 2018-19 under Chris Hughton — 17th in the Premier League and heavily reliant on counter-attacking football — Potter, who is taking time to make sure his next job is the right one, has experience of undergoing the sort of rebuild that many West Ham fans are craving.
Could Carrick return to where it all started?
Michael Carrick began his playing career at West Ham and made 136 league appearances from 1999-2004 before a long and successful career via Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and England.
He has been Middlesbrough’s manager since October 2022 and last season led the club to the Championship play-off semi-finals. It was a remarkable feat considering they were 21st in the table when he took over from Chris Wilder.
While West Ham’s board have preferred experienced managers and are yet to approach a club and pay compensation, Carrick could be an exception if they decide to go in a new direction. Moyes has struggled to get the best out of big-money strikers such as Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca. Carrick, in comparison, got Chuba Akpom firing at Boro, leading to a move to Ajax.
“He’s the manager I’ve been dreaming of my whole career,” Akpom told Sky Sports last season. “He’s just a pleasure to work with. I go out there and I give 110 per cent and I want to fight for the manager because he’s shown so much trust and confidence in me.”
In an interview with The Athletic, midfielder Jonny Howson spoke about how Carrick has reinvigorated Middlesbrough.
“Until you deal with someone day-to-day, you don’t realise why he was at the top for so many years,” Howson said of Carrick. “He never accepted, or accepts, where he’s at. He always wanted to get better — he’s said that to us numerous times.
“It’s a good atmosphere, calm, inside the building — but when you’re out on the training pitch he will let you know if it’s not being done right. We’ve seen that a few times. He will stop a session or a drill and tell you it’s not good enough.”
Middlesbrough are not hitting the same heights as last season under Carrick, with Akpom sorely missed as they sit 13th in the table. They are under-performing their xG by 3.8, the third-biggest negative differential in the Championship, while they have conceded around 4.0 goals more than the data suggests they should have.
They are only behind leaders Leicester City, Southampton and Hull City for passes per sequence, indicating they like to build up with lots of passes. Carrick’s teams are set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, similar to Moyes’ West Ham, although he demands his team dominate possession to create chances from open play.
Middlesbrough also aim to keep their passes short; only Leicester, Sunderland, Leeds and Southampton play a lower proportion of their passes long (nine per cent).
West Ham, whose under-18s won the FA Youth Cup last season, have always prided themselves on being the academy of football. But this season, they rank second bottom in the league for minutes to players aged 21 and under.
Carrick is aware of the importance of giving opportunities to academy prospects. “I love that feeling of giving the young lads a chance and being in a position to do that,” he said.
“Everyone needs a chance — I needed to be given a chance at one stage. It’s something I’ve been brought up on. It’s a big part of the club at West Ham and then going to United later, they obviously have a huge history of it as well.”
Would Carrick be so bold to do it in the Premier League, if given the chance?
Will Steidten return to Germany for Hoeness?
Sebastian Hoeness’ impact on Stuttgart is impossible to overstate.
He was appointed in April 2023, inheriting a side who were last in the Bundesliga and five points from safety. He brought a revolution in style and belief. Stuttgart had been a counter-attacking team, playing with a back three and often relying solely upon their speed on the break to create chances.
Less than a year later, their balance has shifted entirely. The back three has been replaced with a four-man defence and a team happy to cede possession looks comfortable in command.
Stuttgart were conservative; now they are intricate and stylish, passing the ball with craft and building moves with changes of speed and smart angles. They are among the most potent teams in Germany. Only Bayern Munich have a higher xG total from open play in 2023-24. They press as astutely as anyone without the ball. Only Bayer Leverkusen have manufactured more shots from high turnovers.
So, they are keeping heady company. More importantly, a team who needed a play-off just to stay in the Bundesliga are now sitting third and heading for the Champions League.
And the list of players to profit from Hoeness’ arrival is extensive. Serhou Guirassy’s goalscoring is familiar to everyone across Europe. On-loan Brighton forward Deniz Undav is attracting similar attention for his white-hot form and left-winger Chris Fuhrich has won his first senior cap for Germany this season.
Silas, the incendiary right-winger, has been a playmaker as well as a direct threat. Enzo Millot, Atakan Karazor and Maximilian Mittelstadt are all in the form of their careers. Mittelstadt was a little-regarded Hertha Berlin full-back a year ago. Now, he has an outside chance of following Fuhrich into Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad.
Hoeness’ stock had tumbled before Stuttgart. As a youth coach, he was highly regarded — and not just because of his surname (he is the nephew of Uli Hoeness and the son of West German international Dieter Hoeness). He spent three years coaching within RB Leizpig’s youth system and, in 2020, won Germany’s third division with Bayern Munich’s second team.
That was a more significant achievement than it sounds because his Bayern team were hardly a group of burgeoning superstars — think Chris Richards, Lukas Mai, Leon Dajaku and Kwasi Wriedt — and Hoeness’s attacking football won him the 3 Liga coach of the year award.
It also earned him the attention of Hoffenheim, who gave him his first senior coaching position. A bright start with Hoffenheim and a flirtation with the top four was followed by a long slump in his second year, and he was dismissed in the summer of 2022.
But at Stuttgart, the players available seem to have suited him better — despite the sales of Borna Sosa, Konstantinos Mavropanos (to West Ham) and Wataru Endo in the summer.
Endo’s departure to Liverpool was particularly concerning; the Japan midfielder was influential on the pitch and away from it. His replacement, Angelo Stiller, has become an emblem of his coach’s effect. Stiller played for Hoeness in that Bayern II team. He then followed him to Hoffenheim. Now, at Stuttgart, he’s the centrepiece of a young, purposeful team but also another player whose individual improvement has kept pace with the evolution surrounding him.
The league table looks healthy for Stuttgart, but the atmosphere surrounding them feels that way too.
In the literal and holistic sense, then, Hoeness is the architect of one of the great turnarounds anywhere in Europe.
HITC
Huge name emerges on West Ham United radar
Graeme Bailey
HITC understands that West Ham United could offer Thomas Tuchel a route back to the Premier League with technical director Tim Steidten hoping he is given the chance to pick the club’s next manager.
West Ham are unconvinced about whether to extend the deal of current boss David Moyes – whose contract expires at the end of the season.
It is known that Moyes and Steidten have clashed and that has caused issues during the January transfer window – as HITC revealed.
Now there have been claims that Steidten could move on this summer, if Moyes remains – but as yet a decision has not been taking by West Ham owner David Sullivan.
Big plans
HITC understands that Steidten, though, has big plans for West Ham and if given the chance to help bring in a new boss – he is confident he can attract a big name to West London.
And HITC can reveal that one of those in his sights could be current Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel is to depart Bayern at the end of the season, but such is his struggles at the club – his exit from the club could come sooner that that.
Steidten does have a relationship with Tuchel and HITC is told that the two were close to working together at Chelsea. It is understood that Steidten had agreed to join Chelsea with Tuchel.
However, just as Steidten was getting ready to link-up with Tuchel – he fell out with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and departed the club. Steidten’s move to Stamford Bridge then also fell through.
West Ham target
Steidten has remained close to Tuchel and believes that he could be persuaded to join West Ham – if the chance arose. Tuchel is understood to have enjoyed his time in London with Chelsea.
HITC understands that Sullivan is yet to decide who he wants to take the club forward, but he is believed to realise that he can’t allow off-field issues to continue to impact on the club.
Steidten has himself been linked with other clubs including Liverpool, and Sullivan understands that one way to keep him would be be allowing him more freedom to make big decisions at the club – which could mean Moyes going.
Moyes’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the season and he has made it clear that he wants to stay.
