PELL NABS NASRI FOR HAMMERS
Forest kid in limbo as Karanka faces D-day
WEST HAM have signed former Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri.
The 31-year-old Frenchman has agreed an £80,000-a-week deal to join the Hammers until the end of the season. Nasri, who last played for Antalyaspor in Turkey, was a free agent after serving a doping ban and has been training with the Premier League side.
He is reunited with Manuel Pellegrini, his boss at City when they won the title together, and Nasri (left) said: “Coming back to the most competitive league in the world, with a team full of ambition and a manager that I know – I’m really excited about it.”
Pellegrini said: “Samir will give us another dimension in our attacking play.” Leeds Norwich West Brom Sheff Utd Middlesbro Derby Birmingham QPR Aston Villa Nottm Forest Bristol City Stoke Swansea Hull Blackburn Sheff Wed Preston Brentford Wigan Millwall Bolton Rotherham Reading Ipswich RYAN YATES’ proposed loan from Nottingham Forest to Portsmouth is waiting to be rubberstamped while the Reds ponder boss Aitor Karanka’s future.
Spaniard Karanka is on the brink but is set to be given today’s game at home to Leeds to save his job after five games without a win – four of them without a goal.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Millwall was a bitter blow and left Joe Lolley (right) down in the dumps.
Forest’s Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis is STOKE boss Gary Rowett admits he has a headache from all the Christmas boos – and hopes for a hangover cure today with a much-needed home win against Bristol City.
Stoke players copped it from fed-up fans with a 0-0 draw at Bolton after a 2-0 defeat at Rowett’s former club, Birmingham.
The Potters boss was targeted by both sets of fans at St Andrew’s, but is backing
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The Canaries finished 14th under Farke (below) last season, but surpassed expectations by ending the year in the second automatic promotion spot, three points behind unimpressed after spending £25million on 17 new players in the summer to push for promotion.
Yates, 21, is not part of Karanka’s immediate plans after making just one EFL
Cup appearance this term.
League One leaders Pompey want Yates and the midfielder was given permission to hold talks.
Yates watched them beat Sunderland 3-1 at Fratton Park and was impressed by the atmosphere.
He is keen to move for regular football and a crack Stoke’s impressive home form to spark a play-off push. “We all know we are not in the position we want to be, and hoped to be higher, and I take responsibility for that,” said Rowett (right).
“We’ve won three home games in a row and are unbeaten in our last four at home. We just have to keep trying to perform and prove to everyone we have what it takes.”
leaders Leeds. Norwich – who lost a rollercoaster match 4-3 to Derby on Saturday – travel to Brentford today and Farke said: “When you judge our whole year, I just can’t praise the lads enough. “Sadly, we didn’t get the perfect ending, but to be second in the table is outstanding.” at promotion but the uncertainty at Forest has held up his switch.
Marinakis is considering replacements for Karanka – including former Ireland boss and Forest European Cup winner Martin O’Neill and ex-Fulham coach Slavisa Jokanovic.
Defeat to league leaders Leeds is likely to spell the end of Karanka’s reign.
Leeds saw their seven-match winning streak ended by Hull on Saturday and Adam Forshaw is adamant it is CHRIS BRUNT says West Brom need to show they can slug it out to the last bell if they want to be in the promotion shake-up.
Brunt (below) was the Baggies’ last-gasp hero with an equaliser against Sheffield Wednesday, and before today’s clash at Blackburn, he said: “If you’re not down to the departure of Samuel Saiz, who has returned to Spain to join Getafe on loan.
Forshaw said: “It’s not about individuals, so I’ll be honest and say Samuel is a good player, but we are a team who work together.”
Forshaw is excited about the potential of 18-year-old winger Jack Clarke.
Clarke has made 10 appearances and scored in Leeds’ 3-2 comeback win at Aston Villa before Christmas. Forshaw said: “Young Jack has been like a breath of fresh air.” going to be success f u li n this league you’ve got to do that. “Look at Norwich and Leeds last week, both scoring two goals in injury time. It’s important to keep playing right to the last whistle. “That’s the sort of attitude we’ll have to have in the second half of the season, because it’s a long hard slog in the Championship.” DERBY want Ethan Ampadu but Chelsea are reluctant to let the starlet out on loan.
Rams boss Frank Lampard intends to bolster his defence after losing experienced centre-half Curtis Davies to a long-term Achilles injury.
Versatile Wales international Ampadu (right),
18, who has six caps, could plug the gap at the back.
But Chelsea insist he remains a part of Maurizio Sarri’s squad for now – and Ampadu could tackle Forest in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Derby host Boro in the Championship today aiming to cement their top-six spot following Saturday’s thrilling 4-3 win at Norwich.
vASTON VILLA boss Dean Smith has a goalkeeping crisis ahead of QPR’s visit today.
Regular No.1 Orjan Nyland (below) is out after going down in training with a suspected serious Achilles injury. And new £5.4million signing Lovre Kalinic is not eligible until Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Swansea.
Jed Steer is on loan at Charlton, though will be recalled, and summer loan arrival Andre Moreira is out in the cold. That leaves veteran Mark Bunn, who has made just three appearances in two years, the only available keeper for Villa.
Nyland, a £1m summer signing from Ingolstadt, joins star man Jack Grealish on the sidelines – the attacking midfielder is out for two more games with a shin injury.
vHARLEE DEAN believes Birmingham can look back on a year that has seen the club emerge from a “dark” place.
The defender, 27, hopes the Blues can make it five unbeaten at Sheffield Wednesday today.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw with
Brentford was only the second time in the last
17 games they have not scored, but Dean (above) says fans should not be disappointed.
He said: “The club is in a much better place now from where we were a year ago because it was dark times.
“It’s a lot more enjoyable, the stadium is a lot fuller and there’s a lot more support and atmosphere.
“That said, you can’t score in every game.”