LEEDS MUST WATCH CLOSELY! CRESSWELL TRANSFER COULD HAND FARKE A SURPRISE BONUS TODAY
Is Charlie Cresswell heading back to the PL? West Ham tracks the Toulouse star as Daniel Farke prepares a picky January spree.
Leeds United might see some extra cash coming their way this January. Word is that West Ham United is eyeing Charlie Cresswell, who used to play defence for Leeds, according to ExWHUemployee.
Cresswell, who's 23, came up through Leeds United’s academy. Back when Jesse Marsch was the boss, he praised Cresswell’s great attitude.
He did well on loan at Millwall. Their manager, Gary Rowett, said Cresswell had some rare qualities, and there was hope he could get some playing time at Elland Road.
But under Daniel Farke, Cresswell didn’t get much of a chance and ended up going to France.
Toulouse, a team in France, bought Cresswell from Leeds for about £3.8 million. During those talks, Leeds made sure to include a sell-on clause in the deal.
Since joining Toulouse, Cresswell has been doing great. Last summer, several teams were after him, including West Ham.
The Hammers wanted to strengthen their defence that summer, but Crystal Palace's signing of Jaydee Canvot from Toulouse made things tricky for West Ham to get Cresswell.
West Ham suggested a loan to Les Violet with an option to buy Cresswell for £13 million, but the French team said no.
Now that the winter transfer window is getting close, West Ham is figuring out how to support their manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, in strengthening the team, and Cresswell is again on their list.
Cresswell fits the kind of player Nuno wants because he’s determined to help the Hammers get back on track this season.
Cresswell played 14 games for Leeds before leaving, including five in the Premier League.
Because of that sell-on clause, Leeds is expected to get 15% of any profit Toulouse makes if they sell him in the future. Leeds is hoping Cresswell attracts even more teams this window so they can get the most money possible.
Cresswell has played in all 12 league games for Toulouse this season and helped them keep four clean sheets, though he’s also received three yellow cards.
If he moves in January, Leeds could get a surprise bonus, which Farke could then use to bring in his own players.
Farke is ready to make signings but has said he will be ‘especially picky.’
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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