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BBC
Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 31, French defender Raphael Varane, 30, and England centre-back Harry Maguire, 30, are among 11 players who could be part of a squad clearout at Manchester United this summer. (ESPN)
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has made securing Champions League football a priority, wants to wait until the end of the season before deciding on manager Erik ten Hag's future. (Star)
The Manchester United manager's job appeals to Thomas Tuchel, who will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season. (Sky Germany)
Mason Greenwood would snub a move to Barcelona if Manchester United are willing to let the English forward, 22, play for them again after his loan at Getafe. (Sun)
Liverpool rejected an approach from Chelsea for 24-year-old Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez last summer. (Times - subscription required)
Arsenal are determined to sign Belgium and Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, 22, this summer. (Teamtalk)
Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has emerged as a leading contender for Liverpool if they miss out on bringing in Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as Jurgen Klopp's replacement in the summer. (Independent)
Tottenham and England defender Eric Dier, 30, is unlikely to stay at Bayern Munich beyond the summer with the German side concerned about his lack of pace. (Bild via Mail)
Manchester City are close to tying down Norway attacker Oscar Bobb, 20, to a new long-term contract. (Mail)
Tuchel's successor as Bayern Munich boss will have a say in whether Mathys Tel stays with the German giants after Manchester United were linked with the 18-year-old French forward. (Fabrizio Romano)
Tottenham do not expect midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 28, to remain at the club this summer with several Serie A sides interested in the Denmark international. (Football Insider)
Arsenal are closing in on Rangers' 15-year-old starlet Alexander Smith, with the Scotland-born attacking midfielder holding dual nationality, having represented the USA Under-15s and Scotland's Under-16. (Sun)
Juventus are keen on Monza goalkeeper Michele di Gregorio and see the 27-year-old Italian as a possible replacement for their current number one, Wojciech Szczesny, with the Poland international now 33. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)
Brighton and Celtic are among several clubs watching Charlton Athletic's 18-year-old Irish forward Patrick Casey. (Football Insider)
Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 30, says he had an offer to move to Saudi Arabia but he wants to stay with Inter Milan. (DAZN via Gazzetta dello Sport)
Sky Paper Talk
THE EXPRESS
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is set for showdown talks over his future at the end of the season.
Manchester United staff members Darren Fletcher and Matt Hargreaves have reportedly not been reassured of their futures by INEOS chiefs.
Bayern Munich are reportedly attempting to avoid triggering the purchase clause in Eric Dier's contract, with the England defender failing to impress in Germany.
Chelsea are reportedly transfer-listing Robert Sanchez - just seven months after signing the goalkeeper.
DAILY MAIL
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to sanction a significant transfer spend at Manchester United this summer with the club's financial restrictions easing and a number of player sales planned.
The Premier League will delay a ballot on the 'New Deal for Football' until they are almost sure it will be passed, with some clubs claiming a defeat would be seen as a vote of no confidence in chief executive Richard Masters.
Law-makers IFAB's discussion of 10-minute sin-bin trials at their meeting in Scotland next Saturday will be monitored closely by dementia campaigners, who have noted with a sense of irony that the same group rejected proposals to trial 10-minute concussion substitutes 12 months ago.
THE SUN
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is plotting a huge summer clearout at Manchester United, with the INEOS chief reportedly willing to let as many as 11 first-team players leave.
Thomas Tuchel is not interested in managing West Ham despite being desperate for a Premier League return.
Arsenal are closing in on Rangers' 15-year-old starlet Alexander Smith.
Former Barcelona and Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu has admitted to fearing he may never play again after his latest knee injury.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Todd Boehly will fly into London to make what has become an increasingly rare public appearance next to co-owner Behdad Eghbali at Sunday's Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Sean Dyche has called for an immediate decision on Everton's appeal against a Premier League points deduction insisting the uncertainty is having a "psychological impact" on his dressing room.
THE MIRROR
Brighton have not received any approaches for Roberto De Zerbi and are confident of keeping their in-demand manager.
Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has little chance of using taxpayers' money to redevelop Old Trafford.
THE GUARDIAN
Luke Shaw is in serious danger of missing the European Championship with England this summer after Manchester United said he would be out of action for "a few months" with a muscle injury.
A coalition of Ukrainian human rights groups has written to Rishi Sunak, calling on him to "end the impasse" over using funds from the sale of Chelsea to help victims of war in the country.
THE TIMES
Chelsea were interested in signing Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez last summer.
THE ATHLETIC
Chelsea and Manchester City are scheduled to play a pre-season friendly in Columbus, Ohio this summer.
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha is targeting a return to action immediately after the international break at the end of March.
Leeds are set to name Liverpool's Martin Diggle as their new academy manager.
Real Madrid have filed a request to LaLiga to move their final game of the season to enable more time to set up for Taylor Swift's concert at the Bernabeu the following week.
Toni Kroos has made the decision to return to the German national team ahead of this summer's European Championships.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has agreed a contract extension through to the World Cup in 2026.
DAILY RECORD
Bobby Wales has caught the eye of scouts from England as the Kilmarnock kid impresses while out on loan.
The Athletic
Tim Steidten’s West Ham influence is growing – but immediate future could define his legacy
By Roshane Thomas
It was during Tim Steidten’s first interview at West Ham United that he outlined his long-term vision for the club. In the next few months, he should have the chance to make it a reality.
David Moyes’ contract expires at the end of the season and there is uncertainty over whether he will receive a new deal. Pressure is ramping up on Moyes, with West Ham winless in their last eight games. Steidten, who joined in July as technical director, will have a significant say on who will be in charge next season. The Athletic has been told by sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, of tension between Moyes and Steidten, although the club deny this.
They have not always agreed on transfer targets, but the duo work closely together. The pair often have brief discussions in the technical area before games.
“We have got on very well actually,” said Moyes in August. “There has been a lot of rubbish spoken. We may not agree on every player, but there would be something wrong if we did. The longer we are together, the longer we work together, the better it will become.”
The 44-year-old’s influence behind the scenes is continuing to grow. Moritz Steidten, his brother, joined in February as head of international scouting and recruitment from Werder Bremen. Steidten recommended Maximilian Hahn, who joined as head of technical scouting and analysis from the German side. The use of casual scouts across Europe has been more frequent following Steidten’s arrival.
Steidten has taken the lead for their player recruitment strategy and West Ham supporters have been impressed with his contributions. He and Moyes accelerated contract talks with Jarrod Bowen, who signed a seven-year contract in October. In January, members of the hierarchy were reluctant to engage in further contract talks with Ben Johnson, who is entering the final months of his deal. The versatile defender has turned down two contract offers and Steidten wants to keep him.
His office is based at the training ground and adjacent to the head of recruitment Rob Newman, European scout Georges Santos, first-team scout Adam Clarke, and others, and it is in his remit to monitor the development of academy prospects.
Steidten impressed majority shareholder David Sullivan and other figures of influence during his interviews for the job. He did a presentation on the players he helped recruit while at Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen. The list included Jeremie Frimpong, Moussa Diaby, Serge Gnabry, Davy Klaassen, Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapie. He highlighted the importance of identifying young talents and how, if given the chance, he could do the same for West Ham.
There would be follow-up interviews, but the last impression he made with Sullivan was forged in that sales pitch. As far as West Ham’s hierarchy was concerned, he was the best candidate for the technical director role to work alongside Moyes and sporting director Mark Noble, the club’s former captain.
Besides Steidten’s proven track record, they were drawn to how affable he was. “We aim to continue to grow and evolve across all areas of the club,” said Sullivan when confirming the German’s arrival. “Tim’s appointment is key to our wider plans to drive our football strategy forward.”
Steidten’s stock has grown and he has been linked with the sporting director role at Liverpool following Jorg Schmadtke’s departure at the end of the January transfer window. West Ham are confident they can keep hold of Steidten and it would require a substantial compensation package to take him from them.
“I’ve heard I am supposed to be on the list at Liverpool,” Steidten told Sky Germany last week. “It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it’s an honour, but so far nobody from Liverpool has contacted me.
“I feel very comfortable at West Ham. I quickly realised how intense this league is. Accordingly, we signed the right players in the last transfer windows. The squad is strong, so we can achieve our goals. We are already planning the next window. What happens to the future, we will see.”
Steidten was a defensive midfielder and played in the lower tiers of German football before a spell in the United States with the now-defunct Seattle Sounders (who folded in 2008 as part of a transition to a new Major League Soccer team named Seattle Sounders FC).
He initially started as an academy scout for Werder Bremen in 2008 before climbing up the ranks, where he adopted a data-led approach to identifying targets. When he moved to the first team, he worked closely with sporting director Frank Baumann and lawyer Tarek Brauer. Steidten was credited with the arrivals of midfielder Thomas Delaney and full-back Ludwig Augustinsson.
At Werder Bremen, Steidten had a few rules. He refused to sign players on loan if he could not sign them on a permanent deal and used external companies, including Impact and Opta, for data on targets. He preferred to sign players earlier in the window to ensure a strong start to the season and would always have a list of replacements ready should a star player be sold.
If a signing did not work, Steidten would take responsibility, which was his way of ensuring he would not make the same mistake twice. His way of thinking and approach led to him joining Leverkusen in June 2019. He worked alongside Simon Rolfes, the managing director of sport, and former sports director Rudi Voller.
“Tim Steidten has consistently proved himself in an extremely demanding field over a long period,” said Rolfes. “He had a strong influence on the impressive development and success of Werder Bremen and made a significant contribution.”
Steidten would often delegate responsibilities to Kim Falkenberg, the then chief scout, who would be tasked with closely monitoring transfer targets, then would approach Rolfes and Voller with a list of recommendations that highlighted their strengths and weaknesses. Steidten was previously under consideration for the sporting director role at Chelsea.
One of his first acts as technical director was identifying targets following Declan Rice’s £105million ($132.9m) switch to Arsenal. Moyes did due diligence on Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez before they arrived from Ajax, having sought the opinion of Steven Pienaar and John Heitinga, both of whom played under Moyes and worked with the duo at the Dutch side. But, after favourable feedback, it was Steidten who completed the deals amid interest from Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
Kudus has scored nine goals across 28 appearances, while Alvarez has helped fill the void left by Rice. Steidten recommended Konstantinos Mavropanos to Moyes following his failed attempt at signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire. The recruitment team suggested Sofyan Amrabat, but Moyes was less inclined to pursue a deal. They were unanimous about targeting Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke but had an offer rejected.
The forward position is an area West Ham have struggled with in Moyes’ second spell. Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca signed for a combined total of £75million but struggled to play the lone striker role. Danny Ings, who joined from Aston Villa for £15million in January 2023, has a paltry return of three goals in 44 appearances and Bowen, who usually plays wide, has been used in that role in Michail Antonio’s absence.
At Leverkusen, however, Steidten and his recruitment team had success in this position, with Patrik Schick being the best example. Since joining from Roma in 2020, the Czech Republic international has registered 39 goals in 78 league appearances.
Steidten is proving to be a significant arrival at West Ham, but the management situation and signing the right striker could define his legacy.
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