BBC
Paris St-Germain are set to sack manager Mauricio Pochettino with Tottenham boss Antonio Conte in the frame to replace him. (Le Parisien via GFFN)
Chelsea may revisit a move for Sevilla and France centre-back Jules Kounde, 23, in the summer after it was confirmed Antonio Rudiger will leave the club. (Football London)
Arsenal have taken steps to sign Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 23. (Gazzetta dello Sport via HITC)
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, 25, has refused to commit his future beyond the end of the season. (Guardian)
Arsenal believe they can complete a summer deal for the Brazil international. (Mail)
Chelsea and Tottenham are monitoring Inter Milan forward Martin Satriano, 21. The Uruguayan is currently on loan at French club Brest. (Mirror)
Newcastle-linked Brazil international midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 24, has told his current club Lyon he will make a decision on his future at the end of the season. (Evening Chronicle)
Leeds sent scouts to watch Cologne's German centre-back Timo Hubers, 25. (Football Insider)
Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has emerged as a surprise candidate for the vacant manager's position at Hibernian. (Times)
Roma have joined the race for Juventus and Argentina forward Paolo Dybala, 28. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
Real Betis are trying to sign Real Madrid and Spain playmaker Isco, 30. (Marca)
Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny, 29, says he would sign a new contract at Arsenal even if he is not given assurances over his playing time. (Irish Examiner)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
Paris Saint-Germain are finalising the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino and will consider Tottenham's Antonio Conte as a contender to replace him.
Organisers of the Italian Open are waiting to hear whether players from Russia and Belarus are permitted to compete after Wimbledon's decision prompted the Italian government to make a sudden intervention.
The England Under-20 team doctor has received a four-week ban for "grave" and "unacceptable" conduct in an altercation with the referee during a 6-0 Six Nations defeat by Italy in February.
DAILY EXPRESS
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly chatting 'incessantly' to Mauricio Pochettino, after recent news states the former Spurs boss is set to be sacked by Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea could be set to rekindle their interest in Jules Kounde this summer after a new report revealed that the defender 'has already decided' to quit Sevilla at the end of the season.
DAILY MIRROR
Arsenal's technical director Edu has revealed that the Gunners are eyeing 'two marquee signings' as the Brazilian discussed their plan for this summer.
Barcelona want to make Mohamed Salah their key summer signing after clinching a multi-million-pound sponsorship deal with music platform Spotify.
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo insists Kylian Mbappe is still thinking about his future amid rumours linking him with Real Madrid.
Chelsea and Newcastle are keeping tabs on Arminia Bielefeld and Germany Under-21 defender Amos Pieper, who is a free agent this summer.
THE SUN
Robert Lewandowski will not leave Bayern Munich this summer, the club's sporting director confirmed.
Tottenham and Leeds are reportedly interested in signing Bristol City wonderkid Alex Scott.
Arsenal will reportedly have to fork out £67m to land striker target Victor Osimhen.
Pep Guardiola will give England pair Kyle Walker and John Stones until the last minute to prove their fitness for tomorrow's night clash with Real Madrid.
Oldham will face an FA probe after Saturday's loss to Salford - which saw the club relegated out of the League - ended behind closed doors.
Women's tennis chief Steve Simon has warned Wimbledon organisers of "strong reactions" to their banning of players from Russia and Belarus.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Aston Villa will make a decision on the future of Philippe Coutinho next month, in what appears to have gone from a no-brainer to a potential dilemma.
The consortium fronted by Stephen Pagliuca has been left mystified by a claim that it is likely to be eliminated from the Chelsea bidding, amid fears of a last-minute "dirty tricks" campaign.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is in talks with Gary Kirsten to take over as England's Test head coach while Justin Langer is out of the running, as Rob Key's plans to reshape the top of the game gather pace.
DAILY MAIL
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly set to sack manager Mauricio Pochettino less than 24 hours after winning the Ligue 1 title, according to reports in France.
THE GUARDIAN
Tyson Fury's claims that he will retire following his sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte on Saturday have been greeted with scepticism by his family and the bookmakers, who believe he will be lured back by the opportunity to become undisputed champion.
SCOTTISH SUN
Rangers are monitoring German Under-21s ace Eric Martel, who has been told he can leave Europa League semi-final opponents RB Leipzig.
Guardian
Christian Pulisic spares stuttering Chelsea against West Ham
Sam Dalling at Stamford Bridge
Craig Dawson had enjoyed virtually the perfect afternoon. West Ham’s only fit centre-back had been a man mountain, repelling everything thrown at him. The “Ballon D’Orson” flag his own fans had put together was looking apt.
Then the Chelsea substitute Romelu Lukaku burst through and, out of desperation, Dawson pulled. Down Lukaku went, and the penalty was given, a yellow card turning red following a video consultation. Dawson trudged off forlorn.
But Jorginho’s run was stuttered, unconvincing. Like Chelsea, some might say. Lukasz Fabianski will scarcely save an easier penalty. Mercy then. But no: on 90 minutes Marcos Alonso’s cross was converted by another substitute, Christian Pulisic. Football can be cruel.
“He played ever so well,” David Moyes said of Dawson, whose suspension means West Ham will be without a senior centre-back this Sunday against Arsenal. “But he gave the referee a decision to make and today it went against us. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. We didn’t defend well enough in those last four or five minutes.”
And so three successive home defeats did not become four for Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel. When advent started they led the league by one but they will have spent Sunday morning shooting nervous glances over their shoulder. A one-time inevitable Champions League spot needed a little TLC. It came, but only just.
“Honestly games like West Ham are very hard to have spectacular, open games,” said Tuchel, who praised the visitors. “We were a bit stuck in the first half. But that was because of the uncertainty because of the latest results at home. We never lost patience. We understood the situations a bit better. We joined with more courage and with more players when the acceleration was there.”
Tuchel barely left his seat for the first hour, much of it spent scrawling furiously in his notebook. Dawson’s name may well have been added in biro. He requires new centre-backs. Andreas Christensen, a late withdrawal with illness, and Antonio Rüdiger – who Tuchel confirmed after the game would not be signing an extension – are heading to La Liga. Age might even be catching up with Thiago Silva. Moyes on the other hand, until the late drama, had cut largely a relaxed figure, likewise his assistant Kevin Nolan who bellowed instructions sat on a white box. Their one moment of first‑half concern came when Tomas Soucek and Silva clashed heads. Fortunately for those in claret and blue, Soucek was OK.
West Ham’s European exertions have stretched a wafer-thin squad, and six points now from eight games makes them top-four outsiders. Their likeliest Champions League entry route comes via silverware, which Moyes had clearly determined before kick-off making half-dozen changes to his side.
He had virtually a whole eye on the Europa League semi-final first leg with Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday – Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice were all rested.
“I did because I thought it’s such a big event on Thursday night,” Moyes said. “I wanted to give the players the best available opportunity.”
There was a healthy dollop of pre‑season to the afternoon, sunshine and empty seats aplenty. Chelsea did plenty to shape their own downfall in the first half, with César Azpilicueta – distanced from the front row through a switch to the left of a back three after his confrontation with a fan following the defeat to Arsenal – more nervous debutant than senior pro.
When he dallied too long, Saïd Benrahma nicked in and drew a save from Édouard Mendy. Ukrainian Andriy Yarmolenko almost marked his first league start in 17 months with the opener, flashing a half-volley wide.
Each time Chelsea ventured forward in the first half, they struggled to create. Timo Werner ran into Ben Johnson on the edge of the box, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek hit a tame cross-cum-shot at Fabianski. That was it.
Tuchel reoccupied his seat several minutes before his players returned to the pitch; most likely there was little more he could say. Another docile few minutes followed and then, finally, life. Werner’s point‑blank header was blocked by Dawson. Soon after he did likewise to N’Golo Kanté’s left‑footed shot, Fabianski reacted sharply to hold, having already gone to ground. Chelsea had some wind.
When Fabianski was tested again, pushing Trevoh Chalobah’s effort from distance wide, Moyes determined it was Rice time. Immediately, he drew a foul. More Chelsea pressure followed, this time Mason Mount getting a pair of shots away. Who was there to block? Dawson is not a pointless answer. On came the Chelsea cavalry, and eventually it worked.
What Chelsea crave desperately is certainty. Expectations had been that the Raine Group would announce a preferred bidder this week, but reports Sunday morning suggest an additional stage.
And so, smoke continues to billow from Stamford Bridge. It is unclear though, whether the house is burning down or the Phoenix is mid-rise.
Telegraph
Christian Pulisic spares Jorginho's blushes as Chelsea confirm Antonio Rudiger exit
Matt Law, Football News Correspondent, at Stamford Bridge
Moyes prioritises Europa Leage semi with changes
Dawson sent off for pulling back Lukaku
Fabianski saves Jorginho's dreadful penalty
Pulisic pounces late
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Antonio Rüdiger has told him he has decided to leave Chelsea, admitting the club will “miss him a lot” and that the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich effectively ended their hopes of turning around the situation.
As reported by Telegraph Sport on Saturday, Rüdiger rejected Chelsea’s last offer worth more than £200,000 a week before Abramovich was sanctioned.
Those restrictions mean Chelsea cannot negotiate new contracts or sign new players, which has tied their hands while Rüdiger has held talks with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris St-Germain.
Chelsea were shocked by the size of the signing-on fee and agents’ fee demanded by Rüdiger and his camp, on top of his wages, and Madrid are now favourites to sign the defender when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Rüdiger missed the narrow victory over West Ham United on Sunday, which was secured by a late goal from substitute Christian Pulisic, with a groin injury and Tuchel said: “He wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk.
“We gave everything – me and the club – but we could not fight anymore because of the sanctions. Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don’t take it personally. It is his decision.
“He is a key figure and will stay that way until the end of the season. But it is disappointing. We will miss him a lot. He gives courage in the dressing room. The kind everyone is afraid of, but the kind to play 50-55 games at an outstanding level. There will be a Chelsea without Toni Rüdiger.”
While Chelsea have now given up on keeping one of their best players, West Ham manager David Moyes refused to concede defeat over his, despite the fact Declan Rice has turned down a third contract offer.
Rice is understood to have rejected an offer worth around £200,000 a week as the England international is desperate to play in the Champions League and win trophies.
He might yet do that with West Ham, as the club prepare for Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final first-leg against Eintracht Frankfurt. But Moyes claimed Rice’s decision to turn down another offer could simply be a negotiating tactic.
“Maybe he just wants more money,” Moyes said. “It is not unusual for players at clubs to turn down contracts, maybe it is a negotiation tactic.”
Rice has two years left on his contract and the club have the option to extend it by a third. Moyes added: “We like Dec and he’s got 3½ years to go on his contract, so I don’t think there is any big panic. We’ve got other priorities, trying to add to the squad and get other positions in.”
The fact that the futures of two players who had not started on Sunday were the most interesting post-match talking points demonstrated the sleepy nature of the game.
Chelsea looked to be sleep-walking their way to a goalless bore draw against a West Ham side who had clearly prioritised their Europa League campaign.
But Pulisic converted a late low cross from Marcos Alonso to stop Chelsea dropping more points at home, following successive Stamford Bridge defeats by Brentford, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
This was also a timely clean sheet for a Chelsea team who had conceded 11 goals in their previous three home games yet there was not an awful lot for Tuchel or anybody else to get excited about.
At least West Ham, who ended the game with 10 men after Craig Dawson was sent off for conceding the penalty, have got bigger fish to fry. Chelsea have no such excuse for this drab display.
Certainly, Jorginho had nobody else to blame for missing a late penalty. Jorginho hopped, skipped and jumped before side-footing a terrible shot far too close to Lukasz Fabianski, who comfortably gathered the ball low to his right.
Dawson, who had been man of the match, was shown a straight red card following a Var review for his foul on substitute Romelu Lukaku that gifted Jorginho his big chance.
But a few minutes later Pulisic converted Alonso’s cross to get his team-mate off the hook.
Telegraph
The rise of Vladimir Coufal: 'How I escaped playing for sausages and beer to find my home at West Ham'
West Ham defender still burns inside recalling his release by Banik Ostrava for being 'too small' for professional football
By Mike McGrath
There are traces of anger when Vladimir Coufal talks about rejection. As the gatecrashers to Europe’s elite, West Ham’s story has been one of players proving a point to those who told them they would never get to the top.
Coufal’s own journey was via the Czech Republic amateur leagues. Banik Ostrava told him he was too small for professional football and getting released still hurts. He headed to SSK Bílovec, which was a world away from the glamour of a Premier League fixture against Chelsea on Sunday or a Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt next Thursday.
Coufal rejected the chance to return to Banik and, after battling his way to a successful career in England, gives the impression that even the most lucrative contract in football would not persuade him to play for them again.
“Banik destroyed my dream to be a professional footballer and sent me to play for this team with 40-year-old men. These guys played for sausages and beer after the game, just to drink after work,” Coufal said. “It was the third lowest division in Czech Republic.
“I was really determined when I was released. Immediately, maybe a week after, I started to work really hard in the gym and started to go running a lot after school. I wanted to prove to them I would be able to play professional football.
“But it’s still inside of me, the feeling. When they offered to bring me back, I wouldn’t go. Inside I had feelings. They didn’t give me a proper chance just because I wasn’t tall enough for them, strong enough. But I was only 15 years old. You need to grow up slowly. But they didn’t give me a chance. So now when I’m here, it feels... nice.”
West Ham’s march to within striking distance of the top four has been underpinned by players who at various stages of their careers have been written off, and a manager who has been sacked by the club once already.
For Coufal, even before being released by Banik, he considered himself an outsider. His mother was an Olympic gymnast, his siblings - a brother and sister - figure skaters, so he fought for attention in the family. Only now has he moved into the limelight as his career peaks.
“When you have a very successful mother, she was very demanding,” he said. “Mostly she looked after my two siblings. We are three kids in the family, my father looked after me and my mother looked after my siblings because they were in similar sports. Figure skating and gymnastics, a lot of attributes are similar.
“It was not easy to grow up as my siblings were very successful when they were young. My brother won an Olympic games for youngsters. My sister was really successful and many times a champion.
“I wasn’t so successful when I was a kid because I was released from my club. It is a bit contrary now. They had to finish their figure skating careers and I was promoted to West Ham.”
Coufal (centre), representing Czech Republic, chats with West Ham team-mate Declan Rice of England (right) Credit: AP
Coufal’s move to West Ham was a straightforward decision, even if, at the time, they did not look like a team heading for European football. They had just finished 16th. David Moyes did not sell his vision of the club to Coufal because he could not. The manager had Covid and only met his new signing a fortnight later.
“It was just (assistant) Alan Irvine and I spoke with him about my work on the pitch. I spoke with the manager after 14 days of being here. He told me I’d played really well and he hadn’t expected it because he’d thought I’d need some time to adapt to the Premier League,” Coufal said.
Settling into English football has been helped by Czech Republic team-mate Tomas Soucek. They have since been joined by Alex Kral and the trio’s families spend time together away from the pitch.
They are now on the brink of arguably the biggest game in West Ham’s history. Defeating Frankfurt over two legs, then RB Leipzig or Rangers in the final, would take the club to the next level. Playing in the Champions League changes the club.
“Frankfurt, I can say, will be historical for West Ham,” said Coufal.
This season, Coufal, 29, has had to battle his way back into the Hammers first team after a debilitating groin injury picked up during last summer’s Euros. Initially, he was determined to carry on playing, fighting for his club, until the pain grew unbearable.
“Historically it is the West Ham DNA, to never give up. We are fighters,” he said. “After surgery I was thinking about this because I had a lot of time to think about my decision to continue playing with medication and tablets.
“It was my decision to play with pain. But after the Leicester game, I couldn’t train and play again. I couldn’t get out of the bath and couldn’t walk like normal people. My wife helped me a lot, medical staff too.
“I like every session, I am that guy who enjoys it, and when you are thinking that you cannot kick the ball properly or pass the ball without knowing the pain is coming, it is not a good feeling. But I started to enjoy it again and it is beautiful.”
Coufal has come a long way from playing for sausages and beer.
