We’re now into that strange period of the season where the starting gun has been fired but the transfer window remains open. In other words, there’s even more howling to be done as fans bemoan the glaring holes in their teams that were brutally exposed on opening day.
In the battle for who needs most reinforcements, surely West Ham are leading the race after starting the season in shambolic style with a 3-0 defeat by newly promoted Sunderland. When the oddsmakers updated their ‘next Premier League manager to go’ markets on Monday morning, it was no surprise to see Hammers boss Graham Potter listed as the favourite.
The crumb of comfort for disconsolate West Ham supporters this morning is at least the rumour mill is whirring when it comes to their club and one name that keeps popping up is Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos. It’s believed that the Hammers have already made a £45m bid for the 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder, who scored 11 times in Ligue 1 for Chelsea’s sister club, Strasbourg, when on loan last season. That was rejected so the Hammers may need to test Chelsea’s resolve by flashing cash that adds up to nearly £50m.
The Hammers may also make another another knock on the door for Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes. A £30m bid was turned down for the Portuguese midfielder but West Ham could go back in. The good news: Southampton boss Will Still has said the Saints need to sell before they make moves in the transfer market. The bad news: West Ham may need to up that bid significantly – £50m has been suggested – to prise Fernandes away. Finally, and perhaps least likely, is a move for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz, who probably added a few million to his price tag by scoring a late, late equaliser in the Cottagers’ 1-1 draw at Brighton on the opening weekend.
After watching the performance of Viktor Gyokeres on Sunday, the Rumour Mill suggests Arsenal still need a striker. Early days for that gag but the Gunners are still being linked with a move for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, with a fee of €100m (£86.3million) being mooted. In what looks a rather wild suggestion, Defensa Central believe that would release the funds for Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso to make a double Premier League raid for Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton.
Konaté’s rather skittish performance in Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Bournemouth, worthy of a “what is he doin’?” screech from Jamie Carragher after being turned inside out by Antoine Semenyo for the Bournemouth equaliser, does seem to have increased calls for Liverpool to beef up the defence. They did that by signing 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £26m on Friday but, as for the here and now, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi remains the big rumour. The England defender helped Palace keep a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday but Liverpool fans are excited by a video showing Guehi being a bit frosty towards boss Oliver Glasner as the pair walked down the tunnel.
Eberechi Eze also played in that goalless draw but his move to Tottenham seems to be getting ever closer with reports of an opening £60m bid being made over the weekend. If the 27-year-old moves across London, Palace need a replacement and Leicester’s Bilal El Khannouss is the name drawing most attention. Palace may have to fork out close to £30m for the 21-year-old Moroccan international as Leicester are reluctant to sell. Club Brugge’s 23-year-old Greek attacker Christos Tzolis is also a target for Palace but reports suggest an opening bid has already been rejected.
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After Altay Bayindir flapped at the Declan Rice cross that led to Arsenal’s winner at Old Trafford – a moment replayed close to 150 times in the Sky Sports studios to presumably keep winding guest Roy Keane up further and further – will Manchester United move for a new goalkeeper? And perhaps this is where we’ve reached peak opening weekend knee-jerk madness. PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma is a fair enough link given that he now seems to be second choice in Paris but several outlets are talking about a shock return to Old Trafford for David De Gea. Phew, it’s time to lie down.