Paper Talk
Roy Hodgson accepts that he will be axed if England flop at next summer's European Championship following clear-the-air talks with the FA's new chief executive Martin Glenn.
Jose Mourinho will resist all calls to reinstate Eva Carneiro despite a backlash over the Chelsea manager's treatment of their team doctor.
Southampton have signed Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu for £5million.
Tottenham hope to sign Clinton N'Jie this week after agreeing a fee of £10million with Lyon.
Manchester United have no plans to sell Javier Hernandez.
Everton have beaten Bournemouth to the signing of Barnsley defender Mason Holgate.
Manchester City have joined the race to sign Pedro. The Barcelona star remains favourite to head to Manchester United but City are considering all options in case their £46m move for Kevin De Bruyne falls through.
Juventus have enquired about Chelsea midfielders Juan Cuadrado and Ramires. The Serie A champions are desperate to replace Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. They are also keen on Schalke's Julian Draxler.
Fernando Torres says Manchester United target Pedro has "everything" needed to succeed in the Premier League.
Exiled West Ham midfielder Morgan Amalfitano is a target for St Etienne.
Rafael has aimed a parting shot at Louis van Gaal, claiming the Man United boss disliked him.
Jose Enrique has hit out at Brendan Rodgers for leaving him stranded in the Anfield wilderness.
Fabricio Coloccini has explained how he could have quit Newcastle.
Tottenham hope to sign up £12million Clinton N'Jie before they tackle Stoke on Saturday.
Sunderland still want midfielder Mousa Dembele - but Tottenham remain adamant that they do not want to sell him.
Southampton have landed Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu for £4million.
Edin Dzeko is joining Serie A side Roma from Manchester City.
Sports doctors have blasted Jose Mourinho's behaviour as "appalling" for his treatment of club doctor Eva Carneiro and have demanded an apology from the Chelsea boss.
Vincent Kompany has warned Chelsea that Manchester City's top stars are finally ready to deliver again and says it will be like unveiling half a dozen new signings.
Roy Hodgson now accepts he will not deserve to keep the England job if we flop at Euro 2016 in France.
Rafael has slammed boss Louis van Gaal for forcing him out.
Joey Barton confirmed he will not join West Ham after the club pulled out following protests from their fans.
Jose Enrique reckons he has been "alienated" by boss Brendan Rodgers.
Chris Ramsey has praised Charlie Austin for not rocking the boat to get away from QPR.
Ashley Westwood has signed a new five-year deal at Aston Villa.
Garry Monk has told Michu it is his own fault he is in football limbo.
Paul Scholes is itching to be a football boss - because he misses the "madness".
Dwight Gayle is set to turn down a £6million move to Bristol City because he wants to stay in the Premier League.
Bayern Munich legend Stefan Effenberg has blasted Xherdan Shaqiri and raged: Your'e only at Stoke for a Pott of cash.
Southampton have signed Chelsea reject Oriol Romeu for £5million.
Roy Hodgson will face the boot if his England side flops at Euro 2016.
Manchester United bound Pedro insists he is leaving Barcelona for games rather than for the money.
Vincent Kompany reckons Kevin De Bruyne is a phenomenal player who would improve any side on the planet.
Tottenham have slapped a £15m valuation on midfielder Mousa Dembele.
Eva Carneiro's decision to post her thoughts on Facebook in the wake of her public dressing-down by Jose Mourinho sealed her fate at Chelsea.
Roy Hodgson's position as England coach will become untenable if the country under-performs at Euro 2016 next summer.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has given barbed confirmation that they are on the verge of agreeing a deal with Tottenham for the £12million sale of Clinton Njie.
Arsène Wenger is weighing up a £22million bid for Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak after Arsenal scouts flew out to watch him in action on Tuesday.
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere looks set to return in weeks rather than months after he was sent to Dubai for a relaxing sunshine break to help speed along the recovery of his leg injury.
BBC
Manchester United are close to completing a deal to sign Valencia's 27-year-old centre-back Nicolas Otamendi. (Independent)
But Manchester City want to beat their rivals to the signing of the Argentina international, who is valued at £35m. (Mirror)
United manager Louis van Gaal's hopes of signing Spain defender Sergio Ramos seem to be over after the 29-year-old agreed a new contract at Real Madrid. (Evening Standard)
The Red Devils are now preparing to rival Chelsea's bid for Everton's 21-year-old England defender John Stones and are prepared to offer Northern Ireland international Jonny Evans, 27, plus cash. (ESPN)
Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, 25, says the experience of playing in League One with Southampton "toughened him up physically and mentally" to play for the United. (Manchester Evening News)
Left-back Jose Enrique, 29, wants to "stay and fight" for his place at Liverpool, despite being "alienated" by manager Brendan Rodgers. (Marca via Liverpool Echo)
Roma are interested in signing Liverpool's 25-year-old France defender Mamadou Sakho, who was left out of the opening game against Stoke. (Calciomercato via Daily Express)
Tottenham have put a £15m price tag on 28-year-old Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele to ward off interest from Sunderland. (Daily Star)
Spurs hope to finalise the signing of Lyon forward Clinton N'Jie this week after agreeing a £10m fee for the 21-year-old Cameroon international. (Telegraph)
N'Jie could be the first of at least three more signings at White Hart Lane as Spurs look for another midfielder and striker. (Daily Star)
The north London side are confident of signing West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino, 22, but are unwilling to meet the £25m asking price. (Daily Mail)
Meanwhile, the Baggies have put strikers Brown Ideye, 26 and Victor Anichebe, 27, up for sale after the arrival of £12m record signing Salomon Rondon, 25. (Express & Star)
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 23, could return to the side in weeks rather than months as signs show his left fibula injury is healing faster than expected. (Express)
Midfielder Mathieu Flamini, 31, has been told by Arsenal he can leave the club, but the Frenchman is holding out for a pay-off. (Goal.com)
The Gunners are considering a £22m bid for Sevilla midfielder and Poland international Grzegorz Krychowiak after watching the 25-year-old in action in the Super Cup. (Telegraph)
Aston Villa are close to signing Spanish winger Adama Traore, 19, from Barcelona for £12m. (Daily Mail)
The Stoke City ticket office has been inundated with requests to purchase season cards and tickets for upcoming matches after the club-record £12m signing of Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri, 23. (Stoke Sentinel)
Bayern Munich legend Stefan Effenberg says Shaqiri has been "badly advised" after moving to the Potters. (Eurosport via Sky)
Manchester City will break their attendance record at the Etihad Stadium when Chelsea visit on Sunday as their expanded South Stand has been granted a safety certificate. (Manchester Evening News)
Swansea manager Garry Monk is surprised Spanish striker Michu, 29, has not yet left the club and says an exit is best for both parties. (South Wales Evening Post)
Newcastle United fans voted 72% in favour of re-signing 32-year-old midfielder Joey Barton on a free transfer after a potential move to West Ham collapsed. (Chronicle)
However, two Premier League clubs and two French Ligue 1 clubs are interested in signing the one-cap England international. (Sky Sports)
Everton have agreed a £1m deal for Barnsley's English defender Mason Holgate, 18, who is also a target for Bournemouth. (Guardian)
Leicester City striker David Nugent, 30, is to have a medical at Championship side Middlesbrough after the Foxes accepted a £4m offer. (Leicester Mercury)
Blackburn Rovers have taken Swedish striker Denni Avdic, 26, on trial from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. (Voetbal International - in Dutch)
Leeds have opened contract talks with 21-year-old full-back Sam Byram, amid rumours of interest from Newcastle. (Mirror)
Crystal Palace's English striker Dwight Gayle, 25, is set to turn down a £6m move to Championship side Bristol City. (Sun - subscription required)
Former Birmingham Ladies player Amy Laban, 25, has been jailed for two months after faking a personal injury claim to try to win £3,000 in compensation. (Birmingham Mail)
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic believes his side should not to get ahead of themselves after Sunday's win over Arsenal. (Sun - subscription required)
Best of social media
Manchester City playmaker David Silva is trying to claim his side's second goal against West Brom. It was awarded to Yaya Toure, despite taking a slight deflection off the Spain international.
And finally
A customer for an online betting company placed a £5 bet before kick-off for Portsmouth to beat Derby in the League Cup and stood to win £273,800, but cashed out early meaning he pocketed £50,000.
At £23m, Norwich owners Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn Jones find themselves bottom of the Premier League table in a list of the division's richest owners. (Mirror)
They haven't won a title since 2004, but Arsenal can claim to be champions of the Premier League when it comes to Twitter. The Gunners have more Twitter followers, 6.1 million, than any other club in England. Chelsea are second with 5.94 million and Manchester United third on 5.78 million. (Sky Sports)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Jacob Steinberg
Tottenham Hotspur hope to wrap up the signing of the Lyon forward, Clinton N’Jie, before the weekend and also want West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino, but everyone knows that they are going to end up with Andy Booth and Grzegorz Rasiak up front once the transfer window closes.
Morgan Amalfitano is a target for St Etienne after the West Ham midfielder fell out with Slaven Bilic. But everyone knows that just means he’ll be West Ham’s captain by the end of the season.
Sunderland hope to sign Tottenham’s Mousa Dembélé, but everyone knows they’re accidentally going to sign Fulham’s Moussa Dembélé instead.
Mathieu Flamini has been told he can leave Arsenal, but everyone knows that just means he’ll be starting for them in a big Champions League match come February.
Roma want Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho, but everyone knows that he is the best defender in the world and must never ever be criticised.
Once Manchester City have signed Kevin De Bruyne, they fancy pipping Manchester United to Valencia’s Nicolás Otamendi, but everyone knows that this one makes perfect sense.
And finally, Joey Barton is attracting interest from Marseille and two Premier League clubs, but everyone knows that the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
Mail
Reece Oxford is just the start... there are more youngsters ready for the first team, reveals West Ham boss Slaven Bilic
Reece Oxford made his Premier League debut for West Ham aged 16
West Ham beat Arsenal 2-0 on the opening weekend of the season
Slaven Bilic revealed there are more youngsters ready for their debut
Josh Cullen was one player singled out by the Hammers manager
By Martin Domin
Slaven Bilic has revealed Reece Oxford is the first of several teenagers ready to break into the West Ham first team.
The 16-year-old impressed on his Premier League debut as Billic's side began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Arsenal last Sunday.
And the Croatian manager backed the club's academy to continue rolling out the next generation of Hammers.
'I was 19 when I made my debut in Yugoslavia but these days 16-year-old kids are not like 16-year-old kids when I was 16,' Bilic told The Sun.
'I would not say they are more clever these days but they are certainly more mature and maybe better prepared as well to play these big games that are shown on TV.
'In my time, they were not mature at all or were exceptional like him. Of course there are other youngsters close to making the breakthrough here - midfielder, Josh Cullen at 19, is another.
Slaven Bilic backed 19-year-old Josh Cullen to break into the West Ham first team
'Those two are definitely knocking on the first-team door but there are more. It's so important to a manager like me what happens behind the scenes and not just on the pitch. The West Ham academy deserves huge credit.'
Goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate shocked the Gunners on the opening weekend at the Emirates.
And Bilic insisted his side were far from fortunate.
'We didn't go there and just steal the result, we deserved it. We were the better side,' he added.
London24
‘It’s all good’ West Ham handed injury boost ahead of Leicester showdown
Pedro Obiang of West Ham United in action (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
Pedro Obiang is back in training and says he is ready to make his West Ham debut on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Spanish midfielder has not pulled on a Hammers shirt since July 11 in a friendly against Peterborough due to a niggling leg injury and he was left out as a precaution against Arsenal.
Having watched on as West Ham shocked the Gunners Obiang is now back in full training and ready to be involed at Upton Park against the Foxes. Both sides started the season with emphatic victories and many are predicting a memorable encounter this Saturday.
“This week I was finally training with the whole squad, and I’m looking forward to giving a slight headache to the manager to show that I’m ready to play!” he told West Ham TV.
“Mainly my injury was fatigue, but I didn’t realise at first. I had a little bit of pain, but I kept training and may have overdone it a bit. I was just as a precautionary measure that I wasn’t ready for the Arsenal match. I could have been, but it I feel good now, and it’s all good.
“I have received a lot of messages showing the affection and support from all the West Ham fans, and yes, the truth is that I want to show them what I can do, so I want to show that I can play for this squad.”
Sport Witness
Aston Villa and West Brom move in for West Ham outcast, training with kids
French newspaper L'Equipe say on Thursday that Aston Villa and West Brom are again competing for the same player. It appears to have happened several times this summer that once West Brom or Aston Villa are linked to a player, the other club often is too. Anyway, L'Equipe say both clubs are interested in providing a rescue package for Morgan Amalfitano.
The West Ham player has hugely fallen out with new manager Slaven Bilic. Amalfitano turned up late for a team meeting and then gave the wrong kind of attitude to Bilic when questioned in front of teammates about it. L'Equipe say things have since been sorted out between the two men by text message, but that the footballer is training with the club's youth players and an exit is now almost a certainty.
French club Saint Etienne are also interested but the Ligue 1 side would find it impossible to get anywhere near Amalfitano's wages, which the French newspaper put at €242,000 a month. They reckon West Ham may be prepared to subsidise that on a loan but the biggest obstacle is the interest of Aston Villa and Amalfitano's previous club West Brom. Hull City and QPR are also said to be interested should the player be prepared to drop down a level in English football.
Evening Standard
Slaven Bilic: Why I disciplined Morgan Amalfitano
Richard Parry
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has explained the reasons behind the action taken against midfielder Morgan Amalfitano.
According to reports on Wednesday, Bilic ordered the French midfielder to keep away from the first team squad and report instead to the Under-21s following a bust-up in pre-season.
Writing in his weekly column for Standard Sport, Bilic confirmed the French midfielder had been disciplined following a ‘breach of rules’.
“The news is out that I have disciplined one of my players - Morgan Amalfitano - for a breach of rules,” said Bilic.
“I would just say that my first and foremost job is to protect the whole team - myself, the staff and players.”
“If I see anything or anyone threatening to harm the atmosphere and transgress those rules, then it has to be stopped. I haven’t changed much - Sam Allardyce had some great rules and I am sure they haven’t changed for a long time.
“They are basic rules and if they are under threat, then I have to step in. I have to protect the team.”
