Jens Cajuste has joined Ipswich Town on loan from Napoli for the 2024-25 season.
The midfielder, who made 35 appearances for the Partenopei in all competitions last season, will be available for Ipswich's second Premier League outing against Manchester City.
Cajuste joined Napoli in August 2023 from Reims, signing a five-year contract in a deal reported to be worth €12million.
"This feels great, and I'm happy to be here," Cajuste told TownTV.
"It took a little while with the negotiations, but I'm finally here, and I'm very excited.
"I've had great conversations with the manager, and this seems like a very interesting project. It's an ambitious club and a team that is progressing.
"I'm a player that works hard, and I want to contribute in attack and defence. I want to play as much as possible, and I'll be looking to get some good tackles in!"
Cajuste is the ninth player to join Ipswich this transfer window, following their double transfer announcement of Sammie Szmodics and Kalvin Phillips, on loan from Manchester City, on Friday.
Manchester City drew 2-2 with Barcelona but then lost 4-1 on penalties in a delayed friendly on Tuesday.
A storm around Orlando caused the pre-season meeting at Camping World Stadium to be pushed back by over an hour.
When the match did get going, fans were treated to a first half featuring three goals – City's Nico O'Reilly cancelling out Pau Víctor's opener before Pablo Torre put an inexperienced Barca side back into the lead.
Playing their first game under new coach Hansi Flick, Barca were pegged back by Jack Grealish's goal on the hour mark.
However, the Blaugrana, who introduced first-teamers Alejandro Balde, Inigo Martinez and Robert Lewandowski after the break, came out on top in the shootout, with Kalvin Phillips and Jacob Wright failing to convert from the spot.
City take on Premier League rivals Chelsea in the final match of their American tour this weekend, while Barca have a friendly Clasico against Real Madrid to come on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Grealish and Bobb lively
Grealish said he has extra motivation after missing out on Euro 2024, and the winger impressed in Florida, having five shots overall, successfully completing three dribbles and winning six of his 13 duels.
Oscar Bobb has had a fine pre-season and maintained that form, creating a game-leading four chances.
England manager Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 selection headaches could soon ease a little as UEFA considers whether to return to 26-man squads.
Teams have been back to preparing for 23-strong selections this summer after being allowed expanded groups to help cope with the knock-on impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
But a return to 26 is understood to have been backed by the majority of coaches at a Euro 2024 workshop on Monday, with UEFA saying it will make a final decision in the coming weeks.
Previous expanded selections allowed Southgate to take a calculated gamble on the fitness of Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson at Euro 2020 as the pair recovered from injury.
The same went for Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips at the 2022 World Cup as they worked their way back to fitness and, here, the PA news agency has looked some of the potential beneficiaries if it returns to 26 this time.
Luke Shaw
A key figure in England’s last two tournaments, the Euro 2020 final goalscorer has endured a difficult, injury-impacted campaign. The 28-year-old has only managed 15 appearances for Manchester United this term and has not featured for the national team since last June. Shaw is expected to return for United from his latest setback next month and feature before the end of the season. Southgate would surely include someone he calls “one of the best left-backs in world football” if the squad is enlarged.
Reece James
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Right-back is nowhere near as much of a pressing issue as left-back given England’s options, but a selection of 26 would offer James a glimmer of hope. The Chelsea captain has only managed nine appearances this term and is at risk of missing his second successive international tournament, having been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar with a knee injury. This time James is dealing with a hamstring issue and the Football Association has been in close contact with Chelsea throughout the 24-year-old’s rehabilitation.
Jack Grealish/Marcus Rashford
Southgate warned at March’s squad unveiling that Rashford and Grealish had a battle on their hands for a place at the Euros. That fight increased as Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen impressed, plus Cole Palmer has kicked on again with Chelsea after overcoming a knock during the camp. Grealish has since started Manchester City’s last two matches, with Pep Guardiola saying he had a “feeling that he’s back”. Rashford is getting minutes but remains short of last season’s form. Despite the competition, the established duo surely both get into an expanded squad.
Mason Mount
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The 25-year-old is a favourite of Southgate but was still a Chelsea player when he last represented England. In fact, injuries have prevented Mount from adding to his 36 caps since coming off the bench 16 months ago in England’s World Cup quarter-final loss to France. Now a Manchester United player, the midfielder is looking to end a frustrating first season at Old Trafford on a high having returned from his latest injury issue. Last month Southgate said Mount will know he is an “outside bet” but an image of him posing for photos in the latest England kit set tongues wagging.
Ollie Watkins/Ivan Toney
England captain Harry Kane is sure to be the main man this summer, fitness permitting, but the back-up striker slot is up for grabs. Dominic Calvert-Lewin filled that role at the last Euros and then Callum Wilson did at the World Cup, with it a straight shootout between Aston Villa frontman Watkins and Brentford’s Toney this time. Southgate acknowledged the difficulty of selecting three out-and-out strikers in a 23-man squad, but an increased squad may tempt him to add another specialist.
UEFA will consider a possible increase in the size of squads for Euro 2024 at a meeting next month.
A number of coaches have called on European football’s governing body to allow countries to take 26 players to Germany instead of 23, a move England boss Gareth Southgate may be glad to accept as he deals with a number of injuries.
“We have taken note of comments expressed by some national team coaches on the squad size for Euro 2024,” UEFA said in a statement released on Friday.
“A workshop with the participating teams will be held on 8 April and on that occasion UEFA will listen to the views of the coaches.
“Any idea in this respect will then be considered and assessed.”
This summer’s finals is the first time since the 2018 World Cup that national team managers are having to pick a 23-man squad for a major tournament after it was expanded to 26 following the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw with Belgium at Wembley, Southgate said: “It seems to be (settled at 23).
“There is one more UEFA meeting where there’s been a little bit of talk amongst some of the coaches about possibly increasing that.”
That meeting will be part of a wider finalists’ workshop on April 8 and 9 in Dusseldorf, where Southgate will not push for 26 but will accept it if the decision goes that way.
Southgate, who has previously said it is a “bigger skill to pick a 23”, was asked if he was in favour of a move to an expanded selection and said with a smile: “Well, given where we are now!
“We’ve got to make the best decisions with what we know and some of those currently are going to be medical decisions.
“And we’ve been able to get those right in the previous tournaments. We’ve been able to give people time, but with 23 that’s definitely more difficult.”
Previous expanded selections allowed Southgate to take a calculated gamble on the fitness of Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson at Euro 2020 as the pair recovered from injury.
The same went for Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips at the 2022 World Cup as they worked their way back to fitness, with injured duo Luke Shaw and Reece James potential beneficiaries if it goes to 26 this time.
Gareth Southgate would love Kalvin Phillips to fight his way into England’s Euro 2024 squad but felt he had to drop the out-of-sorts midfielder this month as he was not confident about his performance levels.
The 28-year-old has established himself as a key figure in the national team set-up since winning the first of his 31 caps away to Denmark in September 2020.
Phillips was named England men’s player of the year for 2020-21 after shining in the run to the European Championship final, but pressure has mounted on his position since leaving Leeds for Manchester City in 2022.
The midfielder barely made an impact under Pep Guardiola and joined West Ham on loan in January, but a disastrous start there led to his omission from Southgate’s final squad before naming his Euros selection.
“There are times when you know your best players are your best players,” the England boss told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Other people might doubt it but you’re going with them because you know that you can get that level of performance from them.
“At the moment, I couldn’t be confident on the performances Kalvin’s had in the last few weeks that he could go onto the field and do the job we know that he’s capable of.
“So, there’s absolutely no reason why he can’t find that form. Nothing would give us more pleasure than having a Kalvin that’s back in the rhythm of playing and back to full confidence.
“We will be a better team, squad, whatever that might be, if that’s the case, so we’re hoping he can find that.
“Maybe a moment like this where you think, well, that’s perhaps the lowest it can get for him in terms of the last few months, now he can just go for it and be himself.”
Southgate last year warned that Phillips’ place was in jeopardy if he continued to be a peripheral figure at City but believes the “outstanding player” has the attributes to bounce back.
“I think he knows exactly what we think of him,” Southgate at the Wembley press conference. “I think we’ve shown that support.
“A good version of him is an important player for us and that’s why we’ve supported him as we have. We don’t have many players of that profile.
“Unfortunately, his form just hasn’t been good enough. I’ve spoken to him about that, he understands.”
Phillips was omitted from the 25-man squad for March’s Wembley double-header against Brazil and Belgium, which has seen Southgate have to juggle a swathe of injuries among other things.
But setbacks for some means opportunities for others, with Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, and Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon, 23, receiving their first senior call-ups.
“He’s good with the ball, shows good composure, good mentality,” Southgate said of Branthwaite.
“He’s a left footer and we don’t have many left-footed defenders, so he’s in our merit and we’re really keen to work with him and find out a bit more about him.”
On Gordon, the England boss said: “Consistently good performances. He was very close in November, as we said at the time.
“He’s continued his form, he’s scoring, his work for the team is excellent. He competes, which is important, so I really like his attitude.”
Arsenal’s Ben White ruled himself out of a call-up and there was a return from the international wilderness for versatile Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, who won the last of his 11 England caps in 2020.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney is also back at first time of asking, having returned from an eight-month Football Association betting ban in January.
Southgate does not know whether there is enough room in the Euros squad for him and Ollie Watkins to back up Harry Kane this summer, but he wanted to work with the one-cap striker again.
“I think we feel that Ivan is one of the contenders in that role, so it’s important to bring him back in and for him to be able to work with us again,” Southgate said.
“He’s shown straight away, getting back into Brentford’s team the quality and the impact that he can have.”
Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon have received their first England call-ups but there was no place for Kalvin Phillips in Gareth Southgate’s last squad before making his Euro 2024 selection.
Joe Gomez, who won the last of his 11 senior caps in October 2020, has returned from the international wilderness for March’s Wembley friendlies against Belgium and Brazil.
Ivan Toney is back involved at the first opportunity after serving an eight-month Football Association betting ban, but Raheem Sterling was conspicuous by his absence once again.
Phillips has been dropped after a torrid run of form since he joined West Ham on loan in January.
Phillips was at fault for a goal on his debut against Bournemouth before he was sent off at Nottingham Forest last month and hooked at half-time of Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Burnley.
England boss Gareth Southgate said: “Well, I think he knows exactly what we think of him. A good version of him is an important player for us and that’s why we’ve supported him as we have.
“Unfortunately his form hasn’t been good enough and I’ve spoken to him about that. He understands.
“He has all the attributes to force his way back in. He just needs to find that rhythm and confidence because there is an outstanding player in there.”
Gareth Southgate has some headaches to contend with as the England manager prepares to select his squad for a pair of high-profile Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies on Thursday.
With just three months to go until their tournament opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, preparations ramp up with March meetings against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley.
This is the last camp before Southgate names his provisional Euros squad just after the Premier League season concludes, with the final selection to be submitted to UEFA on June 8.
Southgate will be hoping to avoid injury to key players before then but first he has to deal with issues over availability, game time and form in this meet up.
Joe Gomez and Jack Butland have been tipped for recalls, while Kalvin Phillips will be hoping he has enough credit in the bank to earn a call-up despite a disastrous start to life at West Ham.
The 28-year-old’s loan from Manchester City has not gone to plan and on Sunday he was culpable for the opener against Burnley, then hauled off at half-time.
The selection of Jordan Henderson, another of Southgate’s favourites, has been another major talking point in the build up to the Euros after he joined Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq.
The 33-year-old was included in every squad despite last summer’s controversial move but has now returned to Europe, joining Dutch giants Ajax in January.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, seen as a midfielder by Southgate, has been out for a month due to a knee issue, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley among those knocking on the door.
Kobbie Mainoo has been tipped in some quarters for a call-up after bursting onto scene impressively at Manchester United, but the 18-year-old could instead join up with the Under-21 set-up.
United team-mate Marcus Rashford has been less impressive and has hot competition in his area of the field, although Jack Grealish is set to miss out this time due to a groin injury.
Anthony Gordon’s hopes of a maiden senior call-up appear to have been dashed by a knee issue and Southgate is sure to be quizzed about Raheem Sterling’s future if the forward is omitted again.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney is pushing to be involved after the one-cap player completed his Football Association betting ban and returned to action in January.
Arguably Southgate’s biggest headache comes at left-back.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag does not expect Luke Shaw to be back fit until May and Chelsea have announced Ben Chilwell is “undergoing specialist medical assessment” on a knee complaint.
Kieran Trippier has regularly filled in at left-back but he too looks set to miss March’s fixtures, while versatile defender Levi Colwill’s toe complaint could rule him out as well.
Rico Lewis made his bow at left-back and was named man of the match in November’s debut display in North Macedonia, but he has only made four Manchester City appearances in 2024.
Gomez, who won the last of his 11 England caps in 2020, is pushing for a recall having done brilliantly as left-back for Liverpool, while talented Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento has impressed.
Reece James remains out and in-form Ben White has been overlooked since leaving the 2022 World Cup squad.
Marc Guehi has been dealing with a knee injury, but fellow centre-back Harry Maguire should be fit enough to be involved and Eric Dier has made an impressive start to life at Bayern Munich.
Jarrad Branthwaite has also staked a claim with his fine displays at Everton, whose goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is the only definite selection among the shot-stoppers.
Aaron Ramsdale has made just two appearances for Arsenal since the turn of the year and Sam Johnstone has only recently returned to the Crystal Palace starting line-up.
Nick Pope is out with a dislocated shoulder and Southgate has been keeping a close eye on Butland’s performances at Rangers.
What the papers say
The Sun reports that Gareth Southgate has his eye on three uncapped midfield players – Manchester United teen Kobbie Mainoo, Everton’s James Garner and Fulham’s Harrison Reed – as concern grows over the form of Kalvin Phillips.
Coach David Moyes’ future with West Ham looks fraught as the club is understood to be sounding out Julen Lopetegui, Steve Cooper and Graham Potter to lead the Hammers, writes the Daily Mail.
Steve Bruce is keen to move abroad, with the ex-Newcastle boss looking to become the next manager for South Korea, writes the Daily Mirror.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Kylian Mbappe: The Paris Saint-Germain star put pen to paper with Real Madrid weeks ago, reports the Daily Mail.
Liel Abada: According to the Daily Record, Celtic will speak to the winger’s agent this week to sort out his future.
Yann M’Vila: West Bromwich Albion has signed the former France international, but only until the end of the season, says the BBC.
David Moyes admitted Kalvin Phillips was not up to speed after he endured a nightmare West Ham debut by gifting Bournemouth a goal with almost his first touch in claret and blue.
The England midfielder, whose loan switch from Manchester City was arguably the most high-profile deal in this transfer window, inadvertently set up Dominic Solanke to score with less than three minutes gone.
Fortunately for West Ham, a James Ward-Prowse penalty in the second-half was enough to secure a 1-1 draw.
“It’s not a goal we concede too often and it gave them a leg up,” said Moyes.
“Then we had to perform and we weren’t at a level to do that. It wasn’t as good as it should have been.
“Kalvin’s fine, he got best part of 70 minutes in. I said before we might have to go a bit gently with him.
“I thought as the game went on he was starting to get better, but he was a bit slow at the start and in getting into the way we play.
“I’m happy with a point but not happy with the performance. We got back in the game and I didn’t think we performed well after that either.
“It looked as if we had had 10 days off tonight, like we’d had a holiday, the players looked leggy.”
Moyes was annoyed that West Ham, for the second time this season, had to play on transfer deadline day.
The Hammers boss had planned to name midfielder Pablo Fornals on the bench, only to have to change his plans after the club agreed a fee with Real Betis.
Fornals was still in the tunnel at the final whistle with Moyes in the dark over his future less than an hour before the deadline.
“It’s strange day to have a game and also the deadline,” he added: “We were planning to have Pablo involved tonight. He might still be here, who knows?
“I think it could have been wrapped up last night. It’s our own fault in this country we do so many deals in the last day. This window has been a really slow burner and we’ve had it on a game night.”
West Ham equalised on the hour when Mohammed Kudus was fouled by Lloyd Kelly and Ward-Prowse slammed home the spot-kick.
Cherries boss Andoni Iraola said: “There is a part when you have to value the point, but I think if any team deserved to win today it was Bournemouth.
“We were 1-0 up and had very good chances but if you don’t punish these teams it can happen.”
Kalvin Phillips endured a nightmare West Ham debut after gifting Bournemouth a goal with almost his first touch in claret and blue.
The England midfielder, whose loan switch from Manchester City was arguably the most high-profile deal in this transfer window, inadvertently set up Dominic Solanke to score with less than three minutes gone.
Fortunately for West Ham, a James Ward-Prowse penalty in the second-half was enough to secure a 1-1 draw.
But Phillips, making a first Premier League start of the season having been reduced to less than a bit-part player at City, will not remember the opening moments of his debut fondly.
Kurt Zouma’s pass to him on the edge of the area was not great, admittedly, and Phillips was quickly closed down by Ryan Christie.
The Cherries midfielder appeared to have got a touch as the ball rolled to Solanke, who was clearly offside as he completed the simplest of finishes.
However, a VAR check showed it was Phillips who had actually played the ball to Solanke, and the offside decision was duly overturned.
It was Solanke’s second goal against the Hammers this season following a late equaliser on the south coast in August – soon before West Ham failed in a big-money bid to sign the striker.
The arrival of Phillips left boss David Moyes with a selection dilemma of which three of his four central midfielders should start.
His answer was all of them, with Phillips alongside Edson Alvarez in the middle, Ward-Prowse stationed out on the left and, most curiously of all, Tomas Soucek lumbering around alongside Jarrod Bowen in attack.
For 40 minutes it plainly did not work, with an understandably off-the-pace Phillips conceding cheap free-kicks and Bournemouth attacking whenever they pleased.
Their best chance came when Alvarez gave the ball away to Christie, who found Solanke on the edge of the box.
Solanke could have shot but instead squared the ball to Antoine Semenya, who was free on the right but drove too close to Alphonse Areola.
It was a huge let-off for West Ham and they twice came close to equalising late in the first half, with Bowen glancing a Ward-Prowse delivery straight at Neto and Soucek heading Mohammed Kudus’ cross wide.
West Ham re-emerged with a slight reshuffle, Ward-Prowse now playing as the second striker, and they were thrown a lifeline when Kudus was clumsily brought down in the area by Lloyd Kelly.
Referee Tim Robinson did not award the spot-kick on the pitch, but he had little choice once he had checked the replay.
Ward-Prowse stepped up to blast the penalty down the middle as Neto dived right to earn a point for the hosts.
Kalvin Phillips has completed his loan move from Manchester City to West Ham, the clubs have announced.
The England midfielder will spend the rest of the season at the London Stadium.
The 28-year-old has been frustrated by a lack of game time at City since joining the club from Leeds in the summer of 2022.
Phillips told the Hammers’ website: “I’m really pleased to be here. There’s always been a lot of speculation about me moving to West Ham, so I’m really excited to get going now.
“There’s so much to look forward to in the second half of the season for the club and I can’t wait to be part of it.
“There’s an unbelievable group here and if I can come in and add the quality that I know I’m capable of, I’m sure we can give the West Ham fans plenty to be excited about between now and the end of the season.”
It had been reported the deal could include an option for West Ham to buy the player in the summer but it is understood that was not included in the final agreement.
Kalvin Phillips is undergoing a medical at West Ham on Thursday ahead of his loan switch from Manchester City.
The England midfielder has agreed a move to the London Stadium until the end of the season.
West Ham will have an option to buy Phillips once the loan deal is over.
The PA news agency understands the loan deal will be announced either later on Thursday or on Friday morning.
Phillips joined City from Leeds for £45million on a six-year contract in July 2022.
But the 28-year-old has never managed to hold down a regular spot in Pep Guardiola’s side and has not started a single Premier League match this season.
Crystal Palace and Newcastle were also interested in Phillips but he has opted for West Ham, who are currently sixth in the table and in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Phillips knows he needs game time with Euro 2024 coming up this summer.
Hammers boss David Moyes is also looking to offload players with Algeria winger Said Benrahma likely to leave before the transfer window closes.
Ajax’s Steven Bergwijn is a potential replacement for Benrahma with Moyes keen to build on West Ham’s strong first half of the season.
What the papers say
Manchester United are keen to offload embattled winger Jadon Sancho in a permanent deal, putting the England international – currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund – on offer to Saudi clubs for around £50million, the Evening Standard reports.
The club have also opened offers up for Brazil winger Antony, to Saudi sides for a similar price tag, writes the Standard, as United look to claw back some of the heavy investment they made in the two 23-year-olds.
West Ham are inching closer to striking a deal for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, however the Daily Mail reports that there may be some late interest from Juventus in the 28-year-old England international.
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Kieran Trippier: Newcastle are demanding that Bayern Munich pay a fee of around £12million for the 33-year-old England full-back who is open to moving to the German giants, says Sky Sports.
Armando Broja: West Ham’s hopes of signing the Albania forward in the January transfer window look slim, as Football Insider reports that Chelsea want at least £50million for the 22-year-old.
Abdoulaye Doucoure: The Everton and Mali midfielder is understood to be a target for Saudi side Al-Ettifaq, writes the Guardian.
What the papers say
Barcelona have joined the growing list of clubs interested in Manchester City’s 28-year-old midfielder Kalvin Phillips, the Telegraph reports. The Spanish giants join Atletico Madrid, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle and Juventus who are all vying for Phillips’ signature.
It comes as the i report that Newcastle are looking around Europe for a midfielder in case Phillips cannot convince his club to lower their fee for him to leave on loan.
If Tottenham decide to sell their Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Italian club Napoli will make a move for the 28-year-old, according to the Telegraph.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Conor Gallagher: Football Insider says Tottenham have not given up their pursuit for Chelsea’s midfielder who has played 20 games for the club this year with no goals.
Xavi Simons: Arsenal are reportedly leading the race for the Dutch 20-year-old, according to Football Transfers, who is on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris St Germain, where he has scored four goals in 17 games with seven assists.
What the papers say
Newcastle have dropped out of the fight for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips due to his loan fee being too expensive, the Telegraph reports. The England international’s proposed move to the Magpies reportedly does not make sense financially. Sky Sports says Juventus, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Everton are all interested in the 28-year-old.
Chelsea are going to demand the £35million release clause for any club who wants to sign their 21-year-old Dutch defender Ian Maatsen, who recently joined Borussia Dortmund on loan, the Telegraph says.
Jesse Lingard could be on the move to the United States with MLS team the Portland Timbers interested in the 31-year-old free agent’s services, the Daily Mail says.
Celtic have got Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher on their radar, the Daily Mail says, but there is also interest from Wolves, Brighton and Brentford for the 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jhon Duran: Chelsea are reportedly interested in a short loan deal for the 20-year-old Aston Villa forward who has scored two goals in 14 Premier League games this season, Metro reports.
Bruno Guimaraes: Talksport says Paris St Germain are interested in the Newcastle midfielder, who has a £100million release clause.
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