The Champions League 2026/27 sees the return of some big teams – and here's every league phase fixture.

There are 36 clubs in the first round of this competition, with eight fixtures each – each team plays two opponents from each of the four pots.

So without further ado… who does your team have in the Champions League?

Fixtures

Every Champions League league phase fixture

Real Madrid

Real Madrid

Inter (H)

Arsenal (A)

PSV (H)

Roma (A)

RB Leipzig (H)

Shakhtar (A)

LASK (H)

AEK Athens (A)

Manchester City

Manchester City

PSG (H)

Barcelona (A)

Sporting CP (H)

Porto (A)

Napoli (H)

RB Leipzig (A)

AEK Athens (H)

Lens (A)

Inter Milan

Liverpool (H)

Real Madrid (A)

Club Brugge (H)

B. Dortmund (A)

Shakhtar (H)

Feyenoord (A)

Stuttgart (H)

S. Bratislava (A)

Barcelona

Barcelona

Man City (H)

PSG (A)

Aston Villa (H)

Sporting CP (A)

Feyenoord (H)

Galatasaray (A)

Como (H)

Sabah (A)

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid

Bayern Munich (H)

Liverpool (A)

Man Utd (H)

PSV (A)

Fenerbahçe (H)

Bodø/Glimt (A)

Viking (H)

Stuttgart (A)

Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain

Barcelona (H)

Man City (A)

Roma (H)

Aston Villa (A)

Galatasaray (H)

Villarreal (A)

S. Bratislava (H)

Como (A)

Liverpool

Liverpool

Atletico Madrid (H)

Inter (A)

Porto (H)

Club Brugge (A)

Villarreal (H)

Fenerbahçe (A)

Lens (H)

LASK (A)

Arsenal

Arsenal

Real Madrid (H)

Bayern Munich (A)

B. Dortmund (H)

Real Betis (A)

Lille (H)

Napoli (A)

Sabah (H)

Slavia Praha (A)

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich

Arsenal (H)

Atleti (A)

Real Betis (H)

Man Utd (A)

Bodø/Glimt (H)

Lille (A)

Slavia Praha (H)

Viking (A)

Club Brugge

Club Brugge

Liverpool (H)

Inter (A)

Aston Villa (H)

PSV (A)

Bodø/Glimt (H)

Napoli (A)

Lens (H)

Stuttgart (A)

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund

Inter (H)

Arsenal (A)

Real Betis (H)

Aston Villa (A)

Villarreal (H)

Bodø/Glimt (A)

AEK Athens (H)

Sabah (A)

Porto

Porto

Man City (H)

Liverpool (A)

PSV (H)

Real Betis (A)

Napoli (H)

Feyenoord (A)

Slavia Praha (H)

LASK (A)

Aston Villa

Aston Villa

PSG (H)

Barcelona (A)

B. Dortmund (H)

Club Brugge (A)

Fenerbahçe (H)

Galatasaray (A)

Viking (H)

Slavia Praha (A)

Real Betis

Real Betis

Arsenal (H)

Bayern Munich (A)

Porto (H)

B. Dortmund (A)

Feyenoord (H)

Lille (A)

Como (H)

S. Bratislava (A)

Roma

Roma

Real Madrid (H)

PSG (A)

Sporting CP (H)

Man Utd (A)

Lille (H)

Fenerbahçe (A)

S. Bratislava (H)

AEK Athens (A)

Manchester United

Manchester United

Bayern Munich (H)

Atletico Madrid (A)

Roma (H)

Sporting CP (A)

RB Leipzig (H)

Villarreal (A)

Sabah (H)

Como (A)

Sporting

Sporting

Barcelona (H)

Man City (A)

Man Utd (H)

Roma (A)

Galatasaray (H)

Shakhtar (A)

LASK (H)

Lens (A)

PSV

PSV

Atletico Madrid (H)

Real Madrid (A)

Club Brugge (H)

Porto (A)

Shakhtar (H)

RB Leipzig (A)

Stuttgart (H)

Viking (A)

Shakhtar Donetsk

Shakhtar Donetsk

Real Madrid (H)

Inter (A)

Sporting CP (H)

PSV (A)

Fenerbahçe (H)

Leipzig (A)

AEK Athens (H)

S. Bratislava (A)

Villarreal

Villarreal

PSG (H)

Liverpool (A)

Man Utd (H)

B. Dortmund (A)

Napoli (H)

Fenerbahçe (A)

Sabah (H)

Slavia Praha (A)

Bodo/Glimt

Bodo/Glimt

Atletico Madrid (H)

Bayern Munich (A)

B. Dortmund (H)

Club Brugge (A)

Lille (H)

Napoli (A)

LASK (H)

Lens (A)

RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig

Man City (H)

Real Madrid (A)

PSV (H)

Man Utd (A)

Shakhtar (H)

Feyenoord (A)

Lens (H)

Como (A)

Fenerbahce

Fenerbahce

Liverpool (H)

Atletico Madrid (A)

Roma (H)

Aston Villa (A)

Villarreal (H)

Shakhtar (A)

Slavia Praha (H)

LASK (A)

Feyenoord

Feyenoord

Inter (H)

Barcelona (A)

Porto (H)

Real Betis (A)

RB Leipzig (H)

Galatasaray (A)

Como (H)

Viking (A)

Galasataray

Galasataray

Barcelona (H)

PSG (A)

Aston Villa (H)

Sporting CP (A)

Feyenoord (H)

Lille (A)

Stuttgart (H)

AEK Athens (A)

Napoli

Napoli

Arsenal (H)

Man City (A)

Arsenal (H)

Man City (A)

Club Brugge (H)

Porto (A)

Bodø/Glimt (H)

Villarreal (A)

Viking (H)

Sabah (A)

Lille

Lille

Bayern Munich (H)

Arsenal (A)

Real Betis (H)

Roma (A)

Galatasaray (H)

Bodø/Glimt (A)

S. Bratislava (H)

Stuttgart (A)

Lens

Lens

Man City (H)

Liverpool (A)

Sporting CP (H)

Club Brugge (A)

Bodø/Glimt (H)

RB Leipzig (A)

Como (H)

Slavia Praha (A)

Slavia Prague

Arsenal (H)

Bayern Munich (A)

Aston Villa (H)

Porto (A)

Villarreal (H)

Fenerbahçe (A)

Lens (H)

Sabah (A)

Sabah

Sabah

Barcelona (H)

Arsenal (A)

B. Dortmund (H)

Man Utd (A)

Napoli (H)

Villarreal (A)

Slavia Praha (H)

Viking (A)

Stuttgart

Stuttgart

Atletico Madrid (H)

Inter (A)

Club Brugge (H)

PSV (A)

Lille (H)

Galatasaray (A)

Viking (H)

S. Bratislava (A)

Como

Como

PSG (H)

Barcelona (A)

Man Utd (H)

Real Betis (A)

Leipzig (H)

Feyenoord (A)

AEK Athens (H)

Lens (A)

LASK

LASK

Liverpool (H)

Real Madrid (A)

Porto (H)

Sporting CP (A)

Fenerbahçe (H)

Bodø/Glimt (A)

S. Bratislava (H)

AEK Athens (A)

Viking

Viking

Bayern Munich (H)

Atletico Madrid (A)

PSV (H)

Aston Villa (A)

Feyenoord (H)

Napoli (A)

Sabah (H)

Stuttgart (A)

AEK Athens

Real Madrid (H)

Man City (A)

Roma (H)

B. Dortmund (A)

Galatasaray (H)

Shakhtar (A)

LASK (H)

Como (A)

Slovan Bratislava

Slovan Bratislava

Inter (H)

PSG (A)

Real Betis (H)

Roma (A)

Shakhtar (H)

Lille (A)

Stuttgart (H)

LASK (A)

Pots

Every Champions League pot

Pot 1

• Paris Saint-Germain (France)
• Bayern Munich (Germany)
• Real Madrid (Spain)
• Liverpool (England)
• Inter Milan (Italy)
• Manchester City (England)
• Arsenal (England)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Pot 2

• Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
• Roma (Italy)
• Sporting (Portugal)
• Aston Villa (England)
• Porto (Portugal)
• Manchester United (England)
• Club Brugge (Belgium)
• Real Betis (Spain)
• PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Pot 3

• Feyenoord (Netherlands)
• Lille (France)
• Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
• Napoli (Italy)
• RB Leipzig (Germany)
• Villarreal (Spain)
• Fenerbahce (Turkiye)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
• Galatasaray (Turkiye)

Pot 4

• Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
• Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
• VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
• AEK Athens (Greece)
• LASK (Austria)
• Como (Italy)
• Lens (France)
• Viking (Norway)
• Sabah (Azerbaijan)

UEFA are looking to oust Gianni Infantino from power, as they consider criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

UEFA are subpoenaing FIFA and the financial institutions involved in the United States to obtain documents related to the Swiss's plans to privatise the World Cup, which were revealed last month by Martyn Ziegler of The Times.

Yesterday, UEFA called off their threatened boycott of all FIFA tournaments, following Infantino backing down from selling off the Greatest Show On Earth – but it appears that the president is still hanging by a thread in his job.

A legal document, as seen by Sky News, claims that, “UEFA and other interested parties are preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisors for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code and such further or alternative charges as the developed factual record may support, arising out of the secretive structuring, valuation, financing, and marketing of a transaction that inflicted direct and concrete injury on FIFA's reputation, governance authority, and commercial relationships to the detriment of FIFA as well as its 211 members, including UEFA's 55 member associations.”

The report claims that, “The application was lodged by UEFA in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against JP Morgan Bank as well as planned lead investor Thrive Capital and its CEO, Joshua Kushner, who is the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.”

The original proposal, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), planned to spin off and sell a minority stake in the commercial rights of flagship events organised by the governing body, such as the World Cup.

The plan aimed to raise over $4 billion in capital from private investors, led by Kushner’s Thrive Capital, with Infantino eventually becoming chair of this new spin-off organisation.

Infantino pitched the scheme by offering member associations increased development funding, scaling payouts significantly through 2030 if they backed the initiative – but was met by widespread backlash, with UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC all fiercely rejecting the move.

The controversial FIFA chief officially abandoned the project on August 1, claiming it had created unmanageable divisions that are “no longer in the interest” of its objective.

FIFA COO, Kevin Lamour, claimed that the governing body's own administration had been ‘deceived’ about the project, with Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, adding that he hadn't seen the plans until they were revealed in the media.

Infantino remains under intense pressure, as he seeks re-election for a fourth term as president at the Fifa Congress in March

Doubt has been cast on Newcastle United’s anticipated sale of Nick Pope following a disastrous European night for Scottish champions Celtic.

The Bhoys' failure to secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League league phase this season has somewhat altered their financial outlook in the final days of the summer transfer window, placing Pope’s proposed move to Parkhead on the brink of collapse.

Celtic's drop into the Europa League will inflict a blow to their finances for the 2026/27 campaign.

Celtic may be forced to reassess Newcastle transfer

Under UEFA’s prize money distribution framework, reaching the Champions League league phase guarantees a club an automatic starting fee of €18.62m (£15.7m).

However, participation in the Europa League pays out just €4.31m (£3.6m) by comparison, representing a revenue deficit of €14.31m (£12.1m).

Overall, Celtic's defeat by Austrian side LASK Linz is expected to cost the club between £21m-30m in potential revenue - an especially bitter pill to swallow given the lead they held in the fixture.

This financial shortfall could leave last season's Scottish Premiership winners struggling to justify the expenditure required to land veteran goalkeeper Pope.

FourFourTwo understands Nick Pope's Newcastle deal saw the England goalkeeper remunerated increasingly year-on-year, meaning his current earnings are likely to surpass Celtic's current wage structure.

While Newcastle remain willing to sanction the move to streamline their own goalkeeping department, Celtic may not be able to comfortably accommodate Pope’s Premier League salary without a financial safety net of Champions League football.

Without Champions League participation and the revenue stream it guarantees, Celtic’s decision-makers could now be forced to reassess whether Pope remains an essential signing in the final days of the transfer window.

Watch Chelsea vs Luton Town in the Carabao Cup second round as Xabi Alonso looks to make it two wins from two as Blues boss.FourFourTwo bring you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

It was a perfect start for the Spaniard on Monday night as Chelsea showed all their attacking poise to see off Fulham 3-2 at Craven Cottage. Now they have arguably a much easier task as they welcome League One Luton to Stamford Bridge.

The Hatters have made a decent start to the season, with four points from six in their opening two games. They also tore apart Gillingham 3-0 in the Carabao Cup first round. Can Jack Wilshere's men cause an upset?

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Chelsea vs Luton Town in the Carabao Cup second round online and from anywhere.

Watch Chelsea vs Luton Town from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Chelsea vs Luton Town.

The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

FourFourTwo’s tech-obsessed office-mates over at Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN you can buy.

How to watch Chelsea vs Luton Town in the UK

Chelsea vs Luton will be live on Sky Sports, with coverage on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.

How to watch Chelsea vs Luton Town in the US

Chelsea vs Luton will be broadcast on Paramount+ in the US. Kick-off is at 2:30pm ET.

Not in the US right now? Use NordVPN to unlock Paramount+.

How to watch Chelsea vs Luton in Australia

beIN SPORTS is the home of the Carabao Cup in Australia and will broadcast Chelsea vs Luton Town.

The second-round clash will be live on beIN SPORTS 2 and the beIN SPORTS Connect streaming platform. Kick-off is at 4:30am AEST on Wednesday.

SEE ALSO How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27: TV Guide, Free Streams & Fixtures — Round 2

FourFourTwo's prediction

Chelsea 3-1 Luton

Luton will give Chelsea a scare but the Blues will have enough to secure safe passage to round three.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Arsenal are readying themselves to potentially let go of a player who only joined this summer.

The Gunners have been measured during the transfer window, adding Ezri Konsa to the defence, Bruno Guimaraes to the midfield and Christos Tzolis to the attack, with Julian Alvarez targeted as the marquee buy of the window.

But it's actually in goal that Arsenal could well see a shock departure before deadline.

Arsenal readying themselves for Illan Meslier approach from Marseille

French custodian Illan Meslier was manager Mikel Arteta's first signing of the summer, arriving at London Colney to compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga for a chance to be David Raya's backup.

World Cup-winning Spaniard Raya is an undroppable first choice between the sticks for the Gunners, having won the Premier League Golden Glove in each of the last three seasons – and FourFourTwo understands that his place is as untouchable in the side as the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

There could well be movement in the goalkeeping department though, according to journalist Santi Aouna, who has claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Marseille are looking at Meslier.

Aouna claims that “Marseille still need to trim the squad before they can make concrete progress”, but could well make a loan move for the Frenchman before next week's transfer deadline.

Arsenal have been widely expected to sanction a loan move for 20-year-old Tommy Setford, who served as a third-choice keeper for Arteta last season – however, this new development suggests that Dutch-born England youth international may well stick around for another season, with Meslier heading out instead.

The Premier League champions have had heavy turnover when it comes to goalkeepers, having signed one every year since Arteta took the reins as manager.

In 2020, FA Cup-winning Emiliano Martinez departed for Aston Villa, to be replaced by Alex Runarsson, who in turn was upgraded when the Gunners signed Mat Ryan on loan in January, and again in the summer of 2021, when Aaron Ramsdale signed to be the club's new No.1.

USMNT glovesman Matt Turner signed in 2022 to replace the ousted Bernd Leno as Ramsdale's backup, before Raya signed in 2023 on loan – and then permanently in 2024.

With Ramsdale exiting in the summer of 2024, the North Londoners brought Neto in on loan from Bournemouth, before Kepa became the club's cup keeper when he signed from Chelsea 12 months ago.

Meslier is worth €8m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Aston Villa when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur are still in the market for another striker, with one Bundesliga star targeted.

This summer has been the busiest in N17 for some time, with Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes and Savio signed for a combined £300 million, and Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi both joining on free transfers.

But even though Tottenham are on the cusp of announcing Omar Marmoush next, the transfer business still isn't complete, as another Bundesliga hitman has been targeted.

Tottenham Hotspur in the market for another striker

Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed that Spurs are in for Igor Matanovic of Freiburg, along with Manchester United.

Despite the Lilywhites having landed Marmoush, to add to a forward line that also includes Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, they would reportedly like to add Croatian Matanovic – which is complicating Fiorentina's pursuit of the forward.

To add further drama to the saga, Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici is now at the Viola, as the North Londoners look to get one over on a familiar face from the Daniel Levy years.

Spurs and Paratici are believed, however, to be on good terms, and even did business over the summer with Fiorentina signing defensive flop Radu Dragusin on loan.

As relayed by Sport Witness, “The Italian side believe Matanovic is the heir to Mario Mandzukic for the Croatian national team,” thanks to his excellent aerial ability – something that Solanke offers a little more than Richarlison or Marmoush.

United are also looking to the 23-year-old to bolster their attacking depth, though their interest may hinge on Joshua Zirkzee's status as a Red Devil by the end of the transfer window.

Spurs were humbled 3-0 at the weekend against Brentford but recovered to beat Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup third round last night, as manager Roberto De Zerbi looks to turn around a dreadful two seasons in North London, in which the club have suffered back-to-back 17th-placed finishes.

Heavy spending in the transfer market has been offset by big sales in the form of Cristian Romero, Djed Spence and Luka Vuskovic, all fetching over £30m each in transfer fees.

Spurs have also been busy renewing key players' contracts, with Ben Davies, Pedro Porro, Antonin Kinsky and Micky van de Ven all rewarded with bumper new deals.

Matanovic is worth €22m, according to Transfermarkt. Tottenham play Newcastle United when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Watch the Champions League 2026/27 draw as the top clubs in Europe find out who they will be facing in their eight league phase fixtures, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on free streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are one of nine heavyweights in Pot One as they begin their quest for a third successive title, but there are plenty of clubs vying to snatch their crown.

Arsenal, last season's runners-up, are one of five English sides in the league phase, while the likes of Bayern Munich and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid will also feel they can challenge the Parisians.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch the Champions League 2026/27 league phase draw online, on TV, and from anywhere, as well as the start time, pots and key dates.

Can I watch the Champions League 2026/27 draw for free?

Yes! UEFA will be broadcasting the Champions League 2026/27 league phase draw live and for free worldwide on UEFA.tv, UEFA.com and the UEFA app.

It is also available to watch for free on TNT Sports' YouTube channel for those in the UK.

Watch the Champions League 2026/27 draw from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss the Champions League 2026/27 league phase draw. The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

FourFourTwo’s tech-obsessed office-mates over at Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN you can buy.

How to watch Champions League 2026/27 draw in the UK

As well as being able to stream it on UEFA.tv, UK viewers can watch the Champions League 2026/27 draw live on TNT Sports.

The draw is scheduled to get under way at 5:00pm BST and will be shown on TNT Sports 1, via HBO Max and on YouTube.

TNT Sports will carry every Champions League fixture in 2026/27 with 52 Premier League games part of their package as well.

Champions League 2026/27 draw: Preview

It's that time of year when UEFA find ever more complicated ways to work out who will be playing who in the first stage of the Champions League proper.

These occasions have always been a drawn-out affair (if you pardon the pun) but it has reached new levels since the introduction of the league phase format in 2024/25, in which 36 teams play eight different opponents, with half of the games at home and half away.

The draw itself is explained in more detail below, but in terms of the clubs involved, there is a familiar make-up to this season's Champions League.

Back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain will start the competition as favourites to make it three titles in a row, while Arsenal are aiming to go one better after losing last season's final on penalties.

SEE ALSO Should I use a VPN to watch football?

Of the other main contenders, Harry Kane will once again be aiming to fire Bayern Munich to glory, while Jose Mourinho has a third Champions League in his sights - with three different clubs - having returned to Real Madrid this summer.

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola is considerably greener when it comes to Europe's top club competition and will manage at this level for the first time, while Manchester City have Enzo Maresca in charge after he replaced Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United return to the Champions League under Michael Carrick, with Aston Villa also back in the competition after one season away.

Meanwhile, keep an eye out for competition debutants Como, managed by ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas - it would not be a surprise to see the Spaniard come up against one of his former clubs in the league phase.

What are the Champions League 2026/27 draw pots?

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Why would you limit yourself? Has there ever been a player nicknamed ‘the somewhere someone’, who ever outshone the original? The Romford Pele, the Welsh Xavi and the Scouse Cafu were all tongue-in-cheek, at least; the Croydon De Bruyne, the Scottish Messi and the Yorkshire Pirlo now feel almost mocking.

The Stockport Iniesta felt like shorthand at best. Diminutive, innately intelligent in his movement, excellent in small spaces: a midfielder could play a rondo in a lift. Pep Guardiola infamously proclaimed that Andres Iniesta would retire them all in Catalonia – and perhaps that quote was at the heart of the Foden comparison: that despite the present riches of Pep's first wave, the future was arguably bigger and brighter and bolder than the Centurions' peak.

Not that Foden and Iniesta have been inextricably linked: the Manchester City academy graduate has been compared more readily to more relevant parallels. It was expected that Foden would assume De Bruyne's throne; even Bernardo Silva's. Most of us have forgotten that Iniesta was even a reference point at one point or another, simply a metaphor of grandiosity more than an explanation for his profile. Yet there is a comparison.

Iniesta was a true generalist: all things to all men in a Blaugrana shirt, from dictating play from deep in the 2006 Champions League final to turning his hand at being a left-winger later under Pep. He was so talented that he could play Xavi's role, a bit of Sergio Busquets' and even mirror Lionel Messi on the right. A player that you simply had to “know ball” to appreciate.

Foden has had similar connotations. Gary Neville notably claimed that regardless of what form the City star was in, he was undroppable for his country. Gareth Southgate seemed to agree towards the end of his England tenure, crowbarring Foden into the No.10 spot in his side. Jude Bellingham was shoved out left; Harry Kane started to get subbed more.

“Just give Foden freedom. Let him dictate. Let him roam.” It's commonly considered that he's always been at his best when given the space and time to bend a game to his will.

And this, is a lie.

Foden has two very obvious peaks, both for Manchester City. The first came in the 2020/21 season, his breakout season behind closed doors following David Silva's departure. Those who didn't care to notice assumed he was a like-for-like heir – yet in City's strikerless system, Foden was the left-winger most often, playing a Sane-esque role in which he held width, beat full-backs on the outside, and pressed relentlessly.

He operated as a false nine at times in this system, sometimes an advanced midfielder: but fluidity shouldn't be confused for freedom. This was one of Guardiola's most forensic systems, with Foden one of several following instructions to the letter. He wasn't free: he was completing a task.

And then in 2023/24, the England man had the season of his life. Either from the right, left or centrally – depending on who overlapped – Foden was an attacking midfielder, drifting into a spot in front of the penalty box, receiving on the half-turn and unleashing hell. This time, the team was geared to him, even Erling Haaland sacrificing a few goals to allow this shadow striker to flourish.

Again, there was nothing free about the role. Foden did not have autonomy to dictate play or create: he was there as an exclamation point. It suited him perfectly.

We've been going round suggesting Foden is a generalist: yet, Foden is a specialist. He is best not when he's given a blank canvas and a box of paints, but when you give him a toolkit and a timer.

And that's precisely why he's only drifted in and out of City's best teams. Generalists are useful in any scenario: Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan all adapted their roles depending on whether Pep went with inverted wingers, a double-pivot, a target man or a 3-2-4-1. Specialists like Jack Grealish or Aymeric Laporte were usually good at one or two things, though, and found their importance fluctuating.

It's not an insult to call Foden a specialist. Liverpool built a team of them, with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino doing basically the same thing for the entirety of Klopp's tenure to a league-defining standard. Perhaps it goes to explain, however, why neither Foden nor Trent have ever truly thrived for very long in an England shirt.

And maybe the expectations were too much on Foden. The No.47 was one of the first recipients of the ‘generational’ tags on social media, when really, none of us really knew what that actually meant. Was he the Second Coming of Gazza, peroxide-primed, 'n' all? Is Di Maria a lofty enough bar? Would Foden simply define an era of English attacking midfielder?

It just feels like we got him wrong back then, and we're continuing to now. Early signs under Enzo Maresca aren't that he's going to grab City by the neck and deliver a lightning bolt from the centre of chaos. And perhaps he was never that player: he was more of a Salah or a Mahrez or a Julian Alvarez that you could get to do a very specific job in a specific system.

There's nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is Andres Iniesta, after all.

Ella Toone has been at the heart of Manchester United’s women’s team since its inception, and as the club enters a new era this season, the midfielder insists she has plenty more to give.

Marc Skinner’s five-year spell in charge came to an end this summer with former Hearts boss Eva Olid taking over as United’s new manager in her first Women’s Super League role. There has also been significant change within the squad - with Leah Galton, Hannah Blundell, Millie Turner, Lisa Naalsund, Melvine Malard and Gabby George among the departing names.

But Toone remains at the club she calls home, as United prepare for another competitive WSL campaign, with the 26-year-old determined to continue improving.

Ella Toone taking leadership role at Manchester United

“I know that as someone who has been here for a long time, sometimes it can be hard to find that motivation or be a bit complacent,” Toone said. “But because of the person that I am, I want to be the best I can be.

“As a player and a person, I always want to be better and push myself. I have that motivation to get up and give 100% every day.

“I feel like I've got a really high ceiling and there's still a long way for me to go as long as I come in and learn and develop every day."

With so much change at the club, Toone has emerged as one of United’s senior figures, a role she is enjoying growing into.

"I'm 26 and for some reason I'm now in the old category at this club," Toone said. "But I take a lot of pride in the fact that I've played a lot of games for Manchester United and I know that people can lean on me.

"I have to be a leader in this team and show them what it means to play for Manchester United. It’s something that I take in my stride."

'Bigger and better every year'

United face an increasingly competitive WSL this season, as the league continues to grow and attract some of the biggest names in world football.

Former Barcelona star Alexia Putellas is among those arriving in England this summer, joining London City Lionesses, while the league has expanded to 14 teams. Toone believes that increased competition is one of the reasons the WSL has become such an attractive destination for players from around the world.

“We know that this league is one of the best in the world because no matter who plays who, they can take points off anyone,” she added.

“No game is an easy game in this league, every game is really tough and that's why we attract such amazing players and talents from all across the world - they want to play in a league that's so challenging and competitive.

“It’s grown so much in the time that I've been a part of it and that's down to clubs investing more and bringing top world-class players in from all over the world.

“It gets bigger and better every year, so it's exciting to be a part of that change and that journey within women's football.”

That increased investment across the WSL provides an interesting backdrop to United’s own summer that has been dominated by departures that have raised questions over whether United are keeping pace with the investment of their rivals - champions Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, and the recently-ascended London City Lionesses.

Despite reaching the Champions League quarter-finals last season in their first time in the main competition, they missed out on European football this season after a fourth-placed league finish.

Their reshaped squad now gives Olid further challenges to tackle to close the gap on the teams above them.

But for Toone, now the only remaining pioneer from the side established in 2018, her focus is on her continued development and fighting hard in another season at the club that made her fall in love with football.

And for a lifelong United fan, no moments come bigger than the opportunity to play at Old Trafford - where United will host Arsenal in their final home match of the season.

“It means everything to play at Old Trafford,” she added. “I think it means everything to everyone who plays for Manchester United to play at one of the best stadiums in the world in Old Trafford in front of our fans, family, friends. It's always an amazing opportunity for us and one that we enjoy doing.

“But Leigh Sports Village is our home and has been for a long time - we love it when we fill out that stadium, but of course we look forward to our Old Trafford games every year.”

Arsenal have reached an agreement for the purchase of Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid.

That's according to a new report, which says that the Argentine is closer than ever before to a return to the Premier League, following a breakdown in his relationship with Rojiblancos fans.

Alvarez was booed and whistled at the Metropolitano after publicly stating that it was his “dream” to leave – with Arsenal ready to capitalise on Atletico's refusal to sell to Barcelona.

An 'agreement exists' between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid

Sport Witness have relayed news from Spanish publication AS, which claims that Alvarez is “starting to see” that the Premier League champions are his only chance to leave Diego Simeone's team this summer.

Though Barcelona are interested in signing the World Cup winner, Atletico are unwilling to discuss a move for the star with a rival – and with a release clause set at over £400 million, negotiations can't begin without their consent.

Arsenal have been quoted a price of £128m, and now AS says that an “agreement between the clubs exists” for a €150m deal, plus Viktor Gyokeres heading to Spain in the opposite direction.

Gyokeres was manager Mikel Arteta's top scorer in all competitions last term as the club won the league and reached the final of the Champions League, but has come under criticism for his lack of all-round game and didn't make it off the bench for the first game of the season against his former club, Coventry City.

Now, all Arsenal need is an agreement with Alvarez – though that has always been the sticking point in any deal.

Earlier this summer, Arteta spoke to Alvarez personally to convince the former Manchester City forward to come to North London – but his preference remains to go to Barcelona.

Barça, meanwhile, have been linked with the likes of Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus to bolster their frontline following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Arsenal are closing in on the sale of Gabriel Martinelli to Al Hilal, with Alvarez an option to play either on the left or at centre-forward.

Alvarez is worth €120m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Aston Villa when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Arsenal’s ongoing quest to bolster their frontline has seen them linked with superstar names such as Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. and the like.

However, smart recruitment often lies in identifying world-class potential before the price tag hits eye-watering figures.

Enter Olympique Lyonnais' 21-year-old winger Malick Fofana.

Arsenal have found their cut-price Martinelli replacement

The Belgian international, who operates on the left-hand side, has suddenly become much more affordable following the French outfit's failure to qualify for the Champions League.

In last night's agonising Champions League play-off second leg against Fenerbahce, Lyon fought back to level the aggregate score in the second half. What appeared to be their decisive goal, though, was ruled out by VAR, allowing Fenerbahce to prevail and consigning Lyon to the Europa League.

Lyon's failure carries significant financial consequences for a club that has been no stranger to balance sheet issues in recent times.

Under UEFA’s current distribution model, reaching the Champions League league phase guarantees earnings of €18.62 million (£15.7m) simply for participation.

By contrast, dropping into the Europa League yields a modest base fee of just €4.31m (£3.6m) - an immediate deficit of €14.31m (£12.1m).

Similarly, a victory in the Champions League yields €2.1m (£1.8m) compared to the Europa League's €450k (£386k).

Factoring in the diminished value pillar allocations alongside the smaller performance bonuses, Lyon stand to miss out on an estimated €30m to €40m (£25m–£34m) in total European revenue this season.

For a club already walking a financial tightrope, this shortfall is the worst case scenario.

Severe financial distress nearly saw Lyon demoted to Ligue 2 by the DNCG (Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion) - the financial watchdog and regulatory body for professional football clubs in France - a couple of summers ago, compelling them to sell players like Rayan Cherki to Manchester City on the cheap.

According to French journalist Romain Molina, Lyon must generate €100m (£86m) before June 30, 2027 or risk sanctions from the relevant financial and regulatory bodies again. Most of that figure is likely to come from player sales, meaning members of the squad like Fofana will probably be jettisoned.

This hands Mikel Arteta, Arsenal and other interested suitors, something of a transfer open goal.

With Gabriel Martinelli looking set to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Fofana could offer Arteta an option as a replacement and long-term ceiling-raiser.

Where a player like Vinicius Jr. would have commanded an astronomical fee well over £150m alongside structure-busting wage demands, Lyon’s vulnerable negotiating position means Fofana can be acquired for a fraction of that cost. Arsenal have effectively been given the green light, but must move swiftly to capitalise before competitor clubs swoop in.

Only three people in history have ever scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

For 49 years, Sir Geoff Hurst was the only one, with that feat of course coming in the 1966 FA Cup final.

American Carli Lloyd matched it in the 2015 Women's World Cup final, and Kylian Mbappe became just the second man ever to do it when he scored all three of France's goals in a 3-3 draw against Argentina in the 2022 final, only to lose the tie on penalties.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

Sir Geoff Hurst: "I’m sure if you’d ask Mbappe he'd have swapped his hat-trick for a winner’s medal."

Sir Geoff told FourFourTwo he was not fussed to have to share what was once a unique distinction, however, saying: "Watching Mbappe decades later, I can honestly say I didn’t care. One, because two of his were penalties, which makes it different from mine.

"But, more importantly, because he ended up on the losing side. I’m sure if you’d ask Mbappe he'd have swapped his hat-trick for a winner’s medal."

Even if Mbappe had added to his the winner's medal he had claimed four years earlier, though, it would take nothing away from Sir Geoff's experience.

He said: "That final in ‘66 was so utterly life changing.

"I still bump into people that tell me they were there that day, or can recall where they watched the game or who they were with when my final goal went in.

"It was the biggest game in the world and I pulled off something special - so it means a huge amount to me, obviously."

Hurst laughed off the suggestion that he has not had to pay for a drink in the past 60 years, though.

He said: "I wouldn’t say they queue up, but people do offer to buy a drink for me from time to time!

"Not on a regular basis, or as often as people may think. It’s very flattering and very nice that people want to do that, but I always refuse.

"It's weird in a way, a complete stranger coming up to me, offering to buy me a pint, so I never accept."

How much can you remember about the Premier League one decade ago? This FourFourTwo quiz will put you through your trivia paces on all things top-flight in 2016-17.

In the summer of 2016, English football was reeling from Leicester City's shock Premier League title win. The Foxes couldn't quite match that achievement and 2016-17 was a very different experience for the champions. But what else do you know about that season?

This quiz has 15 questions to answer and you have 8 minutes to answer them all. Remember to let us know how you get on!

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has many more football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. To get started, we want you to name every top flight club in England since 1945 and every club in the Football League right now.

Next, can you name every club to have won any one of England's top four tiers and place each of these famous football statues outside the correct stadium? You might get most of them without much trouble. You won't get all of them easily.

If you're after more Premier League quizzing and we've got what you're looking for. Can you sort these players in order of their total numbers of Premier League appearances? Next, how about aiming for the lot in our one-season wonders quiz?

FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 67 features clues on shirt sponsors, EFL counties, and relegations. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of football trivia and analysis, and don't forget to join The Club: our free membership portal where you can secret hints and get on the leaderboard.

Gameweek 1 doesn't always go to plan, and for managers who found themselves on the wrong end of a difficult opening week, the Wildcard is already on the table.

Whether it was loading up on players who didn't start, getting the squad structure badly wrong or simply finding yourself miles off the template, sometimes the cleanest solution is a full reset.

If that sounds familiar, here is the squad worth building around heading into Gameweek 2.

Goalkeepers

David Raya (£6.0m) is the standout set-and-forget option in goal, playing behind the best defensive unit in the league and as reliable a starting point as any manager could ask for.

Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) fills the backup slot as an affordable placeholder that keeps the budget flexible elsewhere.

Defenders

The defensive unit is built around depth and value across every price bracket.

Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) leads the line at the back, as safe and reliable as ever, the kind of player who quietly accumulates points week after week without ever needing to be the centre of attention.

Josko Gvardiol (£5.5m) got off to the perfect start with a goal in Gameweek 1 and is the Manchester City defensive pick of choice heading into a stage of the season with some very appealing fixtures on the horizon.

Malick Thiaw (£5.0m) comes in as a solid mid-price option, nailed to start and well set up for defensive contributions. Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) may not start in the next week or two, but he is the cheapest route into the Arsenal defence and is surely expected to force his way into the starting eleven before long.

Getting ahead of the curve on him now while the price is low feels like a smart play. Dara O'Shea (£4.0m) rounds out the defence and what a start he has made, racking up 18 defensive contributions in Gameweek 1 alone. As reliable as they come at this price point.

Midfielders

The midfield is where this squad really delivers. Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) anchors everything as the highest scoring FPL player since Carrick took the reins at Old Trafford, ranking first for expected goal involvement and returning in 14 of his previous 18 starts.

Dominic Szoboszlai (£7.0m) took Liverpool's penalty in Gameweek 1, which gives real assurance that he is the designated taker. That additional route to points only strengthens the case for owning him alongside his set piece involvement and defensive contribution potential. Elliot Anderson (£6.5m) was a defensive contributions machine last season and looks well placed to replicate that output at Manchester City, following the template that Rodri set so effectively in that role.

Iliman Ndiaye (£6.0m) is nailed on for minutes at Everton, on set pieces and potentially on penalties, making him one of the best value picks in this price bracket. Meanwhile, Pascal Groß (£5.5m) rounds out the five as an affordable and reliable accumulator, completely safe for minutes and with penalty potential of his own following Welbeck's departure.

Forwards

Erling Haaland (£15.5m) is the foundation the entire squad is built around. Beyond the obvious points about ownership and pedigree, he is close to essential for Gameweek 3 and Gameweek 5, with Coventry and Sunderland both visiting the Etihad. Those are the kind of fixtures Haaland was made for, and having him in the squad for both feels non-negotiable.

Joao Pedro (£7.5m) is in excellent form after an 11-point return against Fulham in Gameweek 1, leading Chelsea's attack as the No. 9 with no European commitments in midweek to eat into his minutes. At his price he represents outstanding value for a player already delivering at the top end of his potential.

Sindre Walle Egeli (£4.5m) completes the forward line as the most affordable option available who is likely to see any meaningful minutes, keeping the budget as flexible as possible across the rest of the squad without leaving a completely dead slot at the bottom of the bench.

With Haaland anchoring the attack, Fernandes driving the midfield and a defensive unit packed with value across every price point, this is a squad built to compete from Gameweek 2 onwards and well beyond.

It's time for another FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz! 10 football trivia questions in just 90 seconds. Easy, right? Wrong.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has a vast collection of football quizzes courtesy of Kwizly. First up, we're going back 30 years to the 1996-97 season in the Premier League. How much can you remember?

Next, we want you to name the most expensive Premier League signings of every summer since 1992 and every team in the top two tiers of women's football in England.

There's also a transfers quiz specific to two La Liga giants: Can you name the 50 most expensive players signed by Barcelona or Real Madrid in their histories? That's a tough one and we're not going to pretend it isn't. Brutal stuff.

We also want you to arrange these players in order of their total numbers of Premier League appearances and these clubs in order of their all-time domestic league title wins.

Last but not least, why not test your quizzing mettle with our Big World Cup 2026 Quiz? How much can you remember about the major football tournament that literally just happened?

We have puzzles too. Our Weekend Crossword is a regular football teaser for your Sunday, and remember to sign up to the newsletter for more quizzes in your inbox. Don't forget to join The Club for free additional membership benefits!

Arsenal could be about to sign another defender before the transfer window closes.

The Gunners are clear in their intention to upgrade an attack that stuttered at times during their Premier League-winning campaign – but are yet to sign a big-money forward, with just left-winger Christos Tzolis added for a modest fee.

Yet the temptation to bring in yet another defensive face might be too much for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to resist, with an opportunity having arisen in recent days.

Arsenal in for another defensive signing

Arteta has improved his defence and defensive midfield this summer, with acquisitions for Ezri Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes totalling over £120 million.

And now, ESPN Brazil says that the champions could be about to spend on another defender in the form of Santos teenager Joao Ananias.

The Gunners are among a throng of clubs interested in the 19-year-old, which includes Brentford, Atletico Madrid and Besiktas, with only the Istanbul-based outfit submitting a concrete offer so far.

The report states that Benfica came close to signing Ananias for £6 million in June, though failed to come to an agreement with Santos, who are using those negotiations as a “reference point for any new talks”.

The centre-back is under contract until 2030, but with the Alvinegro's financial situation demanding sales, a departure could help to balance the books.

In adding Konsa to their squad, Arsenal now have eight players who can play in central defence, with Ben White, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera, Pierro Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori the other seven.

FourFourTwo understands that the club are exercising caution around the back injury that Saliba sustained during the World Cup, while Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Zubimendi are all candidates to play at full-back in a pinch – but it would not be unusual for Arteta to bring in another centre-back to develop.

Rob Holding was used as an emergency option towards the end of his Arsenal career, with the Gunners bringing the long-serving centre-back to shore up the backline and offer experience, even from the bench.

16-year-old Marli Salmon has made four appearances for Arsenal's senior side in defence, too, and may well feature across this campaign.

Ananias is worth €500k, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Aston Villa when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Manchester United have a squad full of exciting talents.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes was arguably the best player in the Premier League last season, new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have bedded in nicely, while Marcus Rashford, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba could well add plenty of star quality to manager Michael Carrick's team this term.

And yet, Manchester United legend Lee Sharpe didn't name any of them when FourFourTwo asked him which current star he wished he'd played alongside…

Lee Sharpe names Joshua Zirkzee as the Manchester United player he wished he'd played with

“Joshua Zirkzee is one of my favourite players to watch,” Sharpe somewhat surprisingly responded when asked for a current Red Devil he'd have loved to line up with, courtesy of esports betting at Thunderpick.

“His ability on the ball is phenomenal: in tight areas, he's got great feet and the ability to go past people.

I'm surprised they didn't play him a bit more or give him a chance at the weekend against Hull. It was tight and they needed goals, after all.”

“Surprised you didn't say Bruno,” FourFourTwo asked.

“Well, I really like Kobbie Mainoo, too,” Sharpe responded. “Mainoo is a top player as well.” Fair enough!

Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford two years ago during Erik ten Hag's tenure as manager, getting off to a flier with a goal on the first day of the 2024/25 season against Fulham – but has struggled to hold down a first-team place since then.

The emergence of Cunha, Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko limited the Dutchman to just 26 appearances in all competitions last term, and a return of just two goals, both of which came under Carrick's predecessor, Ruben Amorim.

Zirkzee has been linked with a move away from United this summer, as Rashford returns from loan to compete for a starting berth.

The Red Devils also have the likes of Mason Mount and Patrick Dorgu competing for places in attack.

Zirkzee is worth €20m, according to Transfermarkt. United face Ipswich Town when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Liverpool’s marketing department once coined a phrase that split opinion among fans.

Depending on which side of the fence Liverpool supporters sat, ‘This Means More’ was either an anglicised take on Barcelona’s 'Mes Que Un Club' – "more than a club" – ethos or a cheap strapline to hook in potential customers yearning for a sense of belonging. But for Jurgen Klopp, something really did mean more during his time at Anfield.

As his already depleted charges clung on for dear life against Chelsea’s financial juggernaut in the 2024 Carabao Cup final, the German went for broke. He flooded the Reds’ line-up with players forged almost exclusively in the developmental wing of the club’s AXA Training Centre.

Jarell Quansah, Jayden Danns, James McConnell, Trey Nyoni and Bobby Clark led a charge which culminated in Virgil van Dijk’s extra-time winner. Klopp described it as ‘easily the most special trophy I ever won’; no mean feat considering he already counted a Champions League on an impressive honour roll.

Alan Hansen’s infamous edict that ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ was disproved by his former club as a team of callow youth held their own against one that Gary Neville dubbed ‘blue billion-pound bottle jobs’ and offered a glimmer of hope that the tide could be stemmed, if only slightly. Fast-forward two years since that Wembley triumph and the club’s homegrown core is now facing a genuine existential threat.

Klopp previously spoke of his dream that the Reds could, potentially in the next decade, field 'a team full of Scousers' because they would 'fight like crazy'. Ironically, the player who commanded that soundbite, in July 2020, has delivered a hammer blow to his utopian vision.

Curtis Jones's departure to Inter Milan is set to mark the end of an era for the club's local heartbeat. In each of the past 33 seasons, a homegrown player has made at least one Premier League appearance for their boyhood heroes; a lineage that can also be traced back to the beginning of their 134-year history, with Philip Kelly becoming the first in a long list of what Kopites would later vaunt as ‘a Scouser in our team’. The Toxteth-born midfielder’s Serie A move, a year before his existing contract had been due to expire, risks changing all that.

Little over 12 months since Trent Alexander-Arnold walked away from the club that helped make him one of the world’s finest full-backs, Anfield chiefs were determined to avoid history repeating itself. The finders’ fee which Inter paid, in the region of £30m, is small change in relation to what will be lost by Jones pursuing more regular opportunities away from his roots.

Liverpool’s academy has long been a source of both pride and intrigue. Under the tutelage of Steve Heighway, a fabled winger in the club’s 1970s dominance period, numerous Scousers rose through the ranks to become household names. From Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler to Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, local lads routinely came good on Merseyside at a time when only Manchester United’s Class of 92 had a more prolific output among established Premier League clubs. At a time when local match-goers were already finding their place at Anfield pushed to the margins by increasing ticket costs, they continued to represent the last authentic link between the stands and the pitch.

They also doubled as a reference point for incoming players getting to grips with the unique culture that still exists around the club.

For a time, however, that trail ran cold. Four sides in the club’s history have won the FA Youth Cup but the move from formative to first team proved a difficult gap to bridge for those who followed in Carragher's footsteps. Gerrard’s breakthrough in the immediate afterglow of the 1996 win over a West Ham squad containing fellow future stars Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand proved to be the last to make the grade as a regular figure in the senior setup.

Those capable of stepping up also found themselves caught in the crossfire as a pitched battle between the Kirkby centre of excellence and the Anfield dugout, where Gerard Houllier and Rafael Benitez both attempted to wrest control of the youth policy, raged. Attempts to redress the imbalance by enlisting former Barca youth coaches Rodolfo Borrell and Pep Segura, who played key roles in Lionel Messi’s rise, to oversee development had little effect on reversing what was already lasting damage. Local players that did go on to make semi-regular outings in that period ultimately played second fiddle to a talent pool which had drawn from far beyond the River Mersey’s enclave, most notably Raheem Sterling.

Through it all, Carragher and Gerrard continued to serve as standard bearers while Jon Flanagan briefly flew the flag after the latter’s departure until Alexander-Arnold – the real 'Scouse Cafu' – stepped up in Klopp’s first full season as the latest local totem. He was followed three years later by Jones, who emerged after being imparted with the former captain’s wisdom during his brief spell as the club’s under-18 manager.

Both players became Liverpool’s first local-born players since Gerrard to make over 200 appearances and made no secret of their respective personal targets to emulate him further by taking full ownership of the armband. Barring a prodigal return, something that is more difficult for Alexander-Arnold after last summer’s fractious exit, neither will realise that aim.

Burning ambition drove the pair’s moves overseas, but they are not the only ones to develop cabin fever within the former Kirkby crop. Although Merseyside-born rather than in Liverpool itself, Quansah and Tyler Morton also pursued transfers abroad with Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon, which have already paid dividends away from fleeting first-team involvements. A debut season in the Bundesliga elevated the Warrington-born defender to a place in England’s World Cup squad this summer while Morton, a holding midfielder, has thrived after being given free rein in Ligue 1. It was a similar story for fellow non-native Caoimhin Kelleher, who made the 'easy' decision of leaving for Brentford after his own path to succeeding Alisson as first-choice goalkeeper was inexplicably blocked by Giorgi Mamardashvili. Fans have continued to track the trio's progress from afar, somewhat wistfully, in hopes that their club's hierarchy will someday realise the error of its ways in sanctioning their sales.

Jones’s immediate replacements at the local vanguard, meanwhile, are conspicuous by their absence. Danns remains the sole survivor in Andoni Iraola’s current squad but has been beset by injury problems over the past 12 months. The striker only made his long-awaited return to action in last week’s tempestuous ‘mini derby’ with Everton U21s at Goodison Park.

A prospective run in the side appears increasingly improbable with record signing Alexander Isak leading the line, Hugo Ekitike’s looming return and a pursuit of more attacking reinforcements such as PSG’s Bradley Barcola expected before the transfer window closes. Iraola is well-versed on the importance of local identity after spending almost his entire playing career at Athletic Club, whose ‘cantera’ policy is notorious for an intake of players that are either of Basque origin or birth. He was forthright about a desire to keep Jones at all costs, using his inaugural address to underline the importance of a local nucleus. But if the Basque head coach gets off to a rocky start, as he did at Bournemouth, opportunities for Danns to stake a claim in and around the first team will be further limited.

At a time when youth development is front and centre for many of their Premier League rivals, Liverpool are in danger of falling away. Reigning champions Arsenal continue to thrive with Hale End graduates Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly while Manchester City have made Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly focal points in their brave new era under Enzo Maresca. Even Chelsea, the aforementioned billionaire bottlers, count Reece James and Levi Colwill from their Cobham pipeline. United also continue to proudly boast of fielding a homegrown player in every matchday squad since 1937.

Klopp’s tempered his vision of an authentically local team by admitting he would settle in the interim for becoming a club where everyone with ‘a Scouse soul’ wanted to play. That may be all which Liverpool have left to cling with no legitimate successors readily available to assume to the mantle recently vacated by Jones's move to Italy.

A banner displayed at Anfield on last season’s final day in tribute to departing stalwarts Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah asked, ‘When will we see your like again’. The same question can now be posed about the next Scouser to don the famous red shirt.

Liverpool are in the market for another forward or two before the transfer window closes, as Andoni Iraola rebuilds a misfiring team.

The Reds were criticised after a disjointed opening-day draw on Tyneside in which Dominik Szoboszlai snatched a point for Liverpool against Newcastle United, with questions asked over the defensive midfield, full-backs and Florian Wirtz in particular.

Despite their woes further back, however, it appears the Merseysiders are still chasing a number of targets to improve the frontline.

Liverpool sees transfer hopes dashed by Jose Mourinho

One player that Iraola won't be welcoming to Merseyside, however, is Endrick.

The wonderkid has struggled to adapt to life since moving to Real Madrid from Palmeiras at the age of 18, going on loan to Lyon last term – and ESPN Brazil recently confirmed that Liverpool were one of a number of sides monitoring the striker as cover for the injured Hugo Ekitike.

Spanish outlet El Desmarque have relayed comments from Los Blancos boss Mourinho, however, pouring cold water on any exit for the Brazil international.

“I didn’t want to loan him out or sell him because I enjoy working with this young player who possesses significant talent,” the Special One is quoted as saying.

“I’m not sure if he’ll make Carlo Ancelotti’s first national team squad, but having a great friend as the national team coach [helps]. He is a player I like very much, one who has attracted interest from many clubs wanting him either on loan or via a permanent transfer.”

The 15-time European champions rehired the Portuguese legend over the summer, and despite attackers including Vinicius Jr, Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler all being linked with moves away from Valdebebas, all of them have remained with the club, with Yan Diomande signing from RB Leipzig in a nine-figure move.

Liverpool were long-linked with Diomande themselves, before recalibrating to target Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh – who could both move to Merseyside before the deadline.

Iraola currently has Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo competing for the centre-forward spot, with the latter linked with a move away in recent weeks, and Ekitike likely to miss the majority of the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Champions League last term.

While backup Real striker Gonzalo Garcia has moved to Fulham this summer, Endrick has been handed the no.9 shirt at the Bernabeu ahead of the new campaign.

The 20-year-old is worth €40m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool face Nottingham Forest when Premier League action continues next weekend.

The Manchester club have unintentionally derailed the Magpies’ pursuit of Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, according to reports.

Newcastle had been in negotiations over a fee with the Ligue 1 outfit for the Belgian international forward, but the club may now go in a different direction after failing to agree.

The high-profile transaction between Manchester City and Lille, which sees Ayyoub Bouaddi join Enzo Maresca's side, has altered the negotiating landscape.

Manchester City land Ayyoub Bouaddi but deal has consequences

Man City’s £81 million purchase of the teenage midfielder has deposited a massive windfall of cash into Lille's accounts, transforming the French club's balance sheet.

Before Man City’s intervention, Lille were - as is the case with huge swathes of French football - operating under pressure to balance their books.

This would have made structuring a deal for Fernandez-Pardo achievable for Newcastle, however, that financial leverage has now vanished.

With their coffers overflowing from the Bouaddi deal, Lille no longer need to sell for economic reasons. Consequently, the French side have been able to play hardball in talks, holding out for a steep asking price that far exceeds what Newcastle are willing to pay.

Therefore, with Newcastle unwilling to overpay in an inflated market, the Magpies have reached a roadblock in negotiations, according to reports on the continent.

The setback occurs while Newcastle and Manchester City remain engaged in direct business elsewhere.

Newcastle are finalising a reported £50 million transfer for Man City midfielder Nico Gonzalez, which will reinforce Matthias Jaissle's options in the middle of the park.

Arsenal have been given the green light to begin talks for Julian Alvarez with Atletico Madrid.

The 2022 World Cup winner was booed and whistled by his own fans on Sunday night, making his first appearance in Rojiblancos colours since publicly stating that he wishes to leave the Spanish capital.

With Arsenal chasing Alvarez all summer, The Standard has relayed information from The Athletic, stating that Atletico have acquiesced and are now willing to discuss terms for their previously untouchable forward.

Atletico Madrid prepared to sell Julian Alvarez to Arsenal – for £128m

With the animosity between Alvarez and Atletico fans crystal clear after scenes at the Metropolitano over the weekend, there's been a reported change in stance from his employers: Atleti rejected a £128 million bid for their star in June from city rivals Real Madrid, but are now willing to discuss a sale for that figure.

This would make the former Manchester City player Arsenal's record signing, with the Premier League champions having spent just over £100m on Declan Rice in 2023 – while the Gunners are looking to shift Gabriel Martinelli for over £50m to the Saudi Pro League in the coming days to balance the books.

The Standard has reiterated that Alvarez's desire is not to move to North London but to Barcelona – but with Atletico unwilling to do business with their La Liga rivals, the Catalans have given up on signing the 26-year-old.

That leaves Alvarez at an impasse: either he remains playing under Diego Simeone for another season or leaves for a new challenge at the Emirates Stadium.

FourFourTwo understands that both Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres have been talked about as pawns in a potential deal, with the former now into the final year of his Arsenal contract, and the latter left on the bench against former club Coventry City last Friday in the first Premier League game of the season.

Both players have been discussed as cut-price options to strengthen Barcelona's attack – though the Blaugrana are working on deals to offload La Masia alumni Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado and Hector Fort – while Gyokeres has been touted as a potential replacement for Alvarez himself.

Arsenal are also looking to loan out an academy graduate of their own in Ethan Nwaneri, as manager Mikel Arteta looks to finalise a squad capable of competing on all four fronts this term.

Alvarez signed for Atletico two years ago, after two years in English football in which he won the league twice and the Champions League – along with a World Cup in Qatar.

As reported by David Ornstein for The Athletic back in 2024, Los Colchoneros signed the centre-forward in a deal worth over £80m, giving him a six-year contract and including a release clause worth €500m (£427.1m).

Alvarez is worth €120m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Aston Villa when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Manchester United have begun talks to sell one of their most highly-rated young players.

The Red Devils have been savvy in the transfer market so far this summer with their incomings, but few players have headed out the door to balance the books.

While Manchester United now look to be keeping the likes of Marcus Rashford and Manuel Ugarte – players previously tipped for transfer – it seems one young talent is up for sale, with negotiations underway for him to leave Old Trafford.

Champions League club in to sign supremely talented Manchester United youngster, Chido Obi

Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reports that 18-year-old wonderkid Chido Obi is a target for Feyenoord, with the Rotterdammers in talks to bring the centre-forward to De Kuip on loan.

The report calls the deal “surprising” given that the club have Ayase Ueda, Ignacio Ferri and teenage nepo baby Shaqueel van Persie all as options in attack – but while “Feyenoord is currently only interested in a loan deal”, United have set a price tag of €5 million.

Obi came to attention in Arsenal's Hale End academy, making his under-21 debut at the age of just 15 and making international headlines when he netted 10 goals in 14-3 win against Liverpool, at under-16 level.

The young Dane made the shock move to Manchester United in 2024, however, along with Ayden Heaven, in search of more playing time.

Obi was handed a Premier League debut by Ruben Amorim in February 2025, and against Brentford a few months later, became the youngest player to start a Premier League game for United at just 17 years, 156 days – but found the pathway into the first team difficult and has thus far only played seven times in the Premier League.

Obi claimed Amorim challenged the teenager to “be humble” and wait for his opportunity – but with the club signing the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha last summer, the 18-year-old didn't feature once all season for United's first team last term.

FourFourTwo understands that United still value Obi highly and would prefer a loan – though wouldn't be opposed to selling the player for the right price.

New manager Michael Carrick has been seemingly more open to giving youth a chance than his predecessor, meanwhile.

Amorim reportedly failed to watch an entire academy game during his time at Old Trafford, with Carrick attending one within weeks of being named interim boss at the club.

Obi is worth €5m, according to Transfermarkt. United face Ipswich Town when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has team-mates on his side, following his brutal freeze-out from manager Mikel Arteta.

According to a new report, the Brazilian's imminent exit from North London after seven years has caused “discomfort” in the Emirates Stadium dressing room – and that Arsenal stars have shown “plenty of sympathy” for their colleague.

While ESPN Brazil reports that Martinelli is understandably upset about the situation, The Mirror has revealed that this could be a wider problem at London Colney, with team-mates backing the 25-year-old.

Arsenal turning attentions to Matias Fernandez-Pardo

Arsenal are currently pursuing Julian Alvarez as a late signing in the closing days of the transfer window, though FourFourTwo understands that the move is difficult, with the Argentine currently not favouring a transfer back to England.

Martinelli, meanwhile, is on the cusp of a move to Al Hilal, having rejected a move to Galatasaray, having not featured in either of Arsenal's first two games of the season.

The winger last featured in an Arsenal squad in pre-season, seeing himself dropped for the Community Shield in Cardiff before Arteta again left him out of his matchday squad against Coventry City, as the champions began their title defence.

In both fixtures so far, new signing Christos Tzolis has started on the left wing for Arsenal, with Eberechi Eze replacing him last Friday night against the Championship winners in a comfortable 3-0 win.

Martinelli made the move to North London in 2019 under former manager Unai Emery, but established himself as a regular under Arteta during the club's resurgence up the table.

Having scored 15 league goals in 2022/23, it looked like the Brazilian would push on and develop further – but Martinelli has stagnated somewhat and last term only put up a single strike in the club's first league win in 22 years.

This is not the first time that Arteta has frozen out a player or shown a cold side when trying to move on a star: not only were one-time record signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil omitted from the squad before having their contracts terminated, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was dropped in favour of David Raya, in a move that felt controversial at the time.

Despite Arteta insisting that both Ramsdale and Raya were competing for the same spot, the England international made just two appearances in the league in his final season – both against Brentford when the on-loan Raya was cup-tied.

FourFourTwo understands that Arteta still has the overwhelming support and backing from all of his squad, with no suggestion or hint of any kind of dressing room mutiny.

Martinelli is worth €45m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Aston Villa when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Liverpool’s midfield unit is in a bind as the club prepares to sanction yet another departure from its engine room.

According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Spanish midfielder Stefan Bajcetic is on the verge of returning to his hometown club, Celta Vigo, with negotiations over personal terms approaching a final agreement.

The potential departure of the 21-year-old comes on the heels of Curtis Jones completing a £30 million move to Serie A champions Inter Milan.

Liverpool lose another midfielder

Losing Jones has thinned out Liverpool’s squad depth, and allowing Bajcetic to pack his bags leaves manager Andoni Iraola with surprisingly threadbare reserves in central areas, even if he was unlikely to mount a challenge to the established starting order this season.

Behind options like Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai, the bench is looking especially scarce ahead of a domestic and European campaign.

There is growing fan anxiety over the Reds' balance in central midfield, too.

Supporters are likely to view this latest transfer manoeuvre with skepticism. With Szoboszlai and Gravenberch both inclined to push forward in possession, shipping out rotational options without securing a defensively-minded replacement feels like a gamble that risks leaving the defence exposed.

For Bajcetic, heading back to Galicia represents a homecoming of sorts. Liverpool originally signed the youngster from Celta Vigo’s youth setup in December 2020 for a modest fee. He was developed into a deep-lying midfielder under Jurgen Klopp and enjoyed something of a breakout 2022/23 campaign, featuring sporadically under the German.

However, growth-related injury setbacks halted his rise, restricting him to just three senior appearances during 2023/24 season before subsequent loan spells at Red Bull Salzburg and Las Palmas.

While a return home offers Bajcetic a fresh start to reignite his promising career, Liverpool supporters are left questioning the strategy of letting another engine-room reserve walk away.

Until recent years, British players have generally been reluctant to ply their trade abroad compared with their continental colleagues.

So you can imagine what a big risk it was for Kevin Keegan to have made that move back in 1977.

The midfielder was Liverpool's star player and was just about to help the club to win their first-ever European Cup when the deal was struck to take him to Hamburg - so why leave, and why HSV?

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

"I don’t like sausages – unfortunately, I couldn’t get away from them in Germany!"

Keegan told FourFourTwo in 2007: "I’d dispute that I could have moved to any club in the world.

"In 1977 there were no English players abroad and they weren’t perceived as a good investment. Only [Welsh Juventus legend] John Charles had done really well.

"Hamburg was the only offer I got, and that’s where I went.

"They phoned me up, I said I wanted to leave Liverpool - I felt I was stagnating there, even though I loved the club, the fans and the players.

"I needed a change; I’m not the type of character who stays at one club for all his life.

"Hamburg offered me four times the salary that I was on, which was incredible. So financially it was right, and my wife spoke German, which was a great start.

"I just thought, ‘That’s the type of challenge that I want to try’."

Keegan won back-to-back Ballons d'Or while at Hamburg - he remains the only Englishman ever to win more than one - as well as helping the side to a Bundesliga title and a European Cup final.

There was one downside to the move, though...

"I don’t like sausages – unfortunately, I couldn’t get away from them in Germany!", Keegan said.

"I loved the cakes over there though, to my coach’s disdain.

"There was a fantastic patisserie next to the training ground...but I’ve never been a sausage fan."

This interview first appeared in the April 2007 edition of FourFourTwo magazine

If goals are the currency of football then prepare to spend some knowledge on one of the biggest quizzes ever to appear on FourFourTwo. The Premier League is today's playground.

The Premier League is now in its 35th season and there have been more than a few hat-tricks along the way. Scoring three (or more!) goals in a match is the ultimate mark of the marksman, and the list is ever growing.

We're giving you a whopping 30 minutes to name the player responsible for every one of the Premier League's 405 hat-tricks, but don't worry – there's a ton of overlap in the list. Actually, it's closer to 200 players. Still worth having a cup of tea handy, mind.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has many more football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. If you're somehow still in the mood for another, how about naming the first goalscorer of every Premier League season or every team in the top two tiers of women's football in England?

Looking further afield, can you name the 50 most expensive players ever signed by Barcelona or Real Madrid and answer all these questions about the Premier League's one-season wonders?

Next up, why not try naming every top-flight team in English men's football since 1945 and every club playing in the EFL Championship, League One and League Two right now?

FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 67 features clues on shirt sponsors, EFL counties, and relegations. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of football trivia and analysis, and don't forget to join The Club: our free membership portal where you can secret hints and get on the leaderboard.

The new FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz is here, meaning you have just 90 seconds to contend with 10 football trivia questions.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has a lot more football quizzes where that came from, all courtesy of Kwizly. They include a dastardly one-season wonders quiz that will stretch your memories of a few of the Premier League's fleeting former stars.

We want to know whether you can name every team in the Football League right now, from the Championship to League Two, and whether you can overcome this hard (naturally) football statues quiz. Perhaps you'll be able to name these footballers by the titles of their autobiographies too.

If history's your bag, we also want you to name Alf Ramsey's full World Cup-winning England squad from 1966. That's one where you'll know them or they don't, so let's find out whether you know them.

Still want more? How about naming every top-flight team in England since 1945 and arranging all these groups of players in order of their Premier League appearance totals?

How much do you know about the players who've completed football? Well, in a manner of speaking anyway. Can you name everyone who has won the World Cup AND the Ballon d'Or.

We have puzzles too. Our Weekend Crossword is a regular football teaser for your Sunday, and remember to sign up to the newsletter for more quizzes in your inbox. Don't forget to join The Club for free additional membership benefits!

Whether it’s Arsenal's quest to retain the Premier League title or Tottenham Hotspur's bid to return to English football's top table, Surfshark VPN has an incredible, limited time offer to ensure you can stream every goal, card, celebration and VAR controversy no matter where you are in the world.

Right now, Surfshark are offering their VPN services for as little as £1.69 per month, plus an extra four months coverage for FREE. A Surfshark VPN allows unlimited device connections, protects from viruses and malware, minimises scams and spam as well as blocking ads and trackers.

For football fans on the move, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an essential part of the matchday kit. By disguising your device’s digital location, it allows you to bypass the geo-restrictions often found on streaming platforms. This means you can tune into your usual home broadcasters like Sky Sports, TNT Sports, or Peacock, even if you’re traveling abroad for work or a holiday.

Reminder, you can grab a two-year Surfshark subscription starting from just £1.69/$2.39 per month, with an additional FOUR months absolutely FREE.

All in, that's 28 months of protection for just £47.32 ($66.92) which needless to say, is a massive reduction from the standard price of over £350.

While there are higher-tier plans with extra security features, the 'Starter' plan is more than powerful enough for reliable, high-speed football streaming.

Our colleagues at TechRadar spend their days testing every VPN on the market, and they’ve rated Surfshark as the best value-for-money option available.

They noted: "Surfshark offers a comprehensive set of privacy features and reliable unblocking power. Thanks to its consistently snappy performance, it’s at the top of our speed rankings."

Get 86% off Surfshark two-year plan from £1.69 / $2.39 per month + FOUR months extra FREE. Was £386.12/$546.05 | Now £47.32/$66.92 for 28 months

Subscribe to the digital edition of FourFourTwo for more expert analysis of the Premier League run-in, or get the print magazine delivered to your door.

Follow FourFourTwo on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

Watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United for free as the Whites head to the City Ground for the second time in four days for a Carabao Cup second-round clash, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

While it may be a stretch to say that Forest are sick of the sight of Leeds just four days into the new season, there are probably other teams they would rather have played in their first midweek fixture of the campaign.

The Whites return to the City Ground barely 72 hours after claiming a late 1-0 win in their Premier League opener on Saturday and they will be looking to inflict more misery on Oliver Glasner's men.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United in the Carabao Cup second round online and from anywhere.

Watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United for FREE

Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United is available to watch for free in the UK, with the Carabao Cup clash live on ITV1 and streaming service ITVX.

ITV has free-to-air coverage of one match per round during this season's Carabao Cup, including the final. You just need to register to watch on ITVX.

Outside the UK? Use a VPN to access your free Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United.

The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

FourFourTwo’s tech-obsessed office-mates over at Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN you can buy.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United in the UK

As mentioned above, fans in the UK can watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United for free on ITV1 and ITVX. Kick-off is at 8:00pm BST.

The game is also live on Sky Sports, with coverage on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.

Outside the UK? Watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United on Sky Sports via NordVPN.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United in the US

US viewers can watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United on Paramount+. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

Not in the US right now? Use NordVPN to watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United on Paramount+.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United in Australia

beIN SPORTS is the home of the Carabao Cup in Australia and has live coverage of Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United.

The second-round clash will be live on beIN SPORTS 3 and the beIN SPORTS Connect streaming platform. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Wednesday.

Travelling outside Australia? NordVPN is your ticket to watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United on beIN SPORTS.

Tickets

Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United: Preview

Oliver Glasner didn't get off to the start he wanted in his first competitive game as Nottingham Forest manager, but he immediately has the chance to make amends.

This Carabao Cup second-round clash against Leeds United is not only an opportunity to gain revenge against the team who beat them at the City Ground in Saturday's Premier League opener, but also the first step of the club's most realistic route to a trophy this season.

Forest have a rich history in this competition, having lifted the League Cup four times between 1978 and 1990 under the legendary Brian Clough. The last of those triumphs remains their most recent major trophy, so silverware is long overdue.

Glasner is likely to rotate his side for the rematch with Leeds, which could see £34.3m summer signing Ousmane Diomande make his debut after he was left on the bench on Saturday.

SEE ALSO How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27: TV Guide, Free Streams & Fixtures — Round 2

Any Leeds fans making the trip to the City Ground for the second time in barely 72 hours may well have a spring in their step, after Anton Stach's 88th-minute winner gave them the perfect start to the season.

Manager Daniel Farke is also likely to rotate his starting XI, after handing competitive debuts to summer signings James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson on Saturday. That could mean fellow new recruit Nico Elvedi gets his first outing in white in this cup clash.

Leeds are still without injured trio Willy Gnonto, Gabriel Gudmundsson and midfielder Ilia Gruev, though, so Farke may not make the number of changes you normally see at this stage of the competition.

It is coming up to six decades since the Whites won this competition for the first and so far only time, back in 1968, and their fans would love to experience another cup run after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals last season.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Nottingham Forest 1-2 Leeds United

The result is likely to depend on the number of changes made by each manager, but Leeds may have the edge once again.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The Carabao Cup returns for its second round this week with Round Three already on the horizon.

Premier League teams entered the competition at the Round Two stage with the potential for a couple of giant-killings before we've even bid farewell to the month of August.

In Round Three, though, the remainder of the Premier League's participants are added into the mix, but there will be two draws, not one, taking place this week.

When will Round Three for the Carabao Cup be drawn?

Round Two for the Carabao Cup will be down live on Sky Sports Football on Wednesday August 26, shortly after the conclusion of Preston North End's tie with Everton.

Will Round Three of the Carabao Cup be regionalised?

No, Round Three of the Carabao Cup will not split teams north and south.

But, there will be a separation of pots and a split draw process for the Third Round, designed to manage fixture congestion created by UEFA’s expanded European competition calendar.

Will Round Three of the Carabao Cup be seeded?

Yes, the Carabao Cup is now seeded at this stage – with the EFL introducing seeds in Round Three, purely for logistic reasons.

English teams in the Champions League and Europa League play two more matchdays than those in the Conference League, meaning that there could be a fixture pile-up without some kind of system to keep these sides from meeting.

Last season, for example, third-round Carabao ties began on the weeks commencing September 16 and 23, with European fixtures clashing.

Ball numbers

Why are there two draws for the Carabao Cup Third Round?

Before the main draw, which takes place after the Everton game, there will be a pre-draw to decide whether each of the eight Champions League and Europa League Clubs will be at home or away.

The eight Premier League teams competing in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are seeded into Pot 1 because their match dates are strictly constrained by UEFA.

How does the Main Draw work?

The first eight ties pair each pre-selected Pot 1 club (with their home/away status already locked in) against an opponent drawn from Pot 2 (the remaining 24 teams).

The final eight ties are then drawn exclusively from the 16 remaining Pot 2 teams.

Why are Premier League teams in Europe pre-selected for Pot 1?

The separation ensures no European-competing team can draw another European-competing team in the Third Round.

Round Three of the Carabao Cup is played across two separate midweek blocks in September. Champions League Matchday 1 and Europa League Matchday 1 take place on alternate weeks during this window.

If a Champions League team were drawn against a Europa League team, both clubs would have conflicting UEFA fixture commitments on alternate weeks, and because UEFA match dates are non-negotiable, finding a common midweek for them to play each other in the Carabao Cup would be impossible.

The Solution is placing all eight UCL and UEL teams in Pot 1 and guaranteeing they only play non-European teams from Pot 2.

This way the EFL can easily slot each tie into whichever of the two midweeks that specific European team is free.

Watch LASK vs Celtic as The Bhoys head into the second leg of their play-off round tie with a commanding lead, putting them just 90 minutes away from a place in the league phase of the Champions League. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Martin O'Neill's side already have one foot in the league phase, thanks to their 3-0 first-leg victory at Celtic Park last Wednesday.

The job isn't done yet, though, and Austrian champions LASK will believe they have the firepower to produce a famous comeback.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch LASK vs Celtic online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Can I watch LASK vs Celtic for free?

Unfortunately, it appears there will be no free streams of LASK vs Celtic.

However, new Prime Video customers in the UK can get a 30-day free trial, which will allow them to stream the game.

Watch LASK vs Celtic from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss LASK vs Celtic. The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

FourFourTwo’s tech-obsessed office-mates over at Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN you can buy.

How to watch LASK vs Celtic in the UK

LASK vs Celtic is live on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, with kick-off at 8:00pm BST.

How to watch LASK vs Celtic in the US

US viewers can watch LASK vs Celtic on Paramount+, with kick-off at 3pm ET.

A Paramount+ subscription includes live coverage of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, as well as plenty of EFL and Carabao Cup action.

How to watch LASK vs Celtic in Australia

Fans in Australia can watch LASK vs Celtic on Stan Sport.

Stan Sport is the place to go for the Champions League and Premier League Down Under, with every single game of both competitions available to stream live on the platform.

LASK vs Celtic: Preview

LASK already knew they would go down in history if they reached the main draw of the Champions League for the first time, but if they manage it from this position, it would be an even bigger achievement.

Dietmar Kuhbauer's side head into this second leg with a mountain to climb, after a 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park last Wednesday left them needing a three-goal victory in Linz just to force extra-time.

However, the Austrian champions have reasons to be optimistic. They looked dangerous in Glasgow and twice had the ball in their opponents' net - including inside the first 30 seconds - but both goals were ruled out for offside.

LASK have also had a weekend off to lick their wounds and plot their plan of attack in the second leg, so if they score an early goal, you never know what could happen. Even if they fall short, they still have the consolation prize of a place in the league phase of the Europa League.

SEE ALSO Should I use a VPN to watch football?

Celtic know that LASK have nothing to lose and will be extra wary of a fast start from their opponents, having conceded that disallowed goal within seconds of kick-off last week.

It presents Martin O'Neill with an interesting tactical dilemma: do the Scottish champions sit back and try to ride out the Austrian onslaught, or take the game to their opponents, knowing that the tie will be all but over if they can strike first?

The Celtic manager will hope Colombian forward Camilo Duran is in the same form as last Wednesday, when his two strikes either side of half-time put the Bhoys firmly in control after Benjamin Nygren had opened the scoring.

The Glasgow side should be able to progress to the league phase with little fuss, sealing their return to the Champions League proper after missing out last season.

FourFourTwo's prediction

LASK 2-1 Celtic

LASK have nothing to lose and that can be dangerous, but they have surely left themselves too much to do to progress.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Liverpool have been given a “zero per cent chance” of landing a top young star they were linked with earlier in the transfer window.

The Reds have started life under Andoni Iraola in disjointed fashion, salvaging a late point at St. James' Park on Sunday – but despite questions being asked of their defensive midfield, marquee buy Florian Wirtz and both full-backs, it appears that Liverpool are chasing another winger.

A deal for Yankuba Minteh is close, while Bradley Barcola has been linked all window – though it appears one wonderkid defensive midfielder is not on the radar.

Liverpool have no chance in pursuit of wonderkid midfielder

One-club Liverpool man Jamie Carragher was scathing in his criticism of his former side's opening weekend draw with Newcastle United, calling out Ryan Gravenberch for his positioning and stating that Dominik Szoboszlai doesn't have the “discipline” to play in a double-pivot midfield.

“I think Liverpool do need someone alongside Gravenberch.” Carragher said, adding “It doesn't necessarily have to be a player who can't get on the ball, who's just tackling and stopping players.

“If you play for one of the top teams in the world, like Liverpool are, you need to be able to get hold of the ball: but I want someone in [the midfield] who can run, and I just think Szoboszlai has to go to the no.10.”

According to Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra, that won't be Matias Orozco, who has been ruled out of a move to Anfield.

The Barranquilla-born deep-lying playmaker burst into Colombian side Deportivo Cali's first team last season, with local outlet VBar Caracol stating that the 18-year-old was close to leaving for Merseyside.

That information now appears to be premature – at least in terms of Anfield links, with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham and Manchester City all touted as interested in the talent.

City have just completed a deal for another South American-based wonderkid in the form of Palmeiras winger, Allen, as per The BBC.

Leeds United and Brentford were both touted as potential destinations for Oroczo.

The Colombia youth international is worth €1.4m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool play Nottingham Forest when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Liverpool are plotting their next move in the Yankuba Minteh saga – despite a ‘bizarre’ issue.

The Reds opened their Premier League season with a disappointing draw at St. James' Park, as Dominik Szoboszlai salvaged a point for Liverpool with a last-gasp penalty against a dogged Newcastle United.

But despite calls for the club to bring in more defensive-minded players – even from Anfield legend Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football, who was critical of his former club's opening performance – Liverpool are pressing on with bringing in two more wingers before the transfer window slams shut in a week, with Minteh the standout option on the right.

Liverpool still want Yankuba Minteh - despite 'bizarre' setback

Liverpool have had two bids rejected for Yankuba Minteh already in the last week.

The Gambian has become the Reds' top target to replace Mohamed Salah on the right flank – with TEAMtalk relaying that the club are weighing up whether to increase their bid to a minimum of £65 million.

The report describes the continued interest as “bizarre”, however, following journalist Florian Plettenberg revealing in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Minteh is expected to be out of action for a minimum of eight weeks.

The Brighton & Hove Albion man picked up the knock in pre-season against Roma and missed the Seagulls' romp at home to Aston Villa at the weekend, with Plettenberg noting he may need “two to three months to be fully match-fit after his injury”.

Given how disjointed Liverpool looked in their draw with Newcastle, the injury news comes as a blow to new manager Andoni Iraola, who is trying to get his squad up to speed and ingrained in his methods as soon as possible.

Youngster Rio Ngumoha started out of position on the right on Tyneside, while the Reds had questions to answer with their high-flying full-backs, lack of cover in defensive midfield, how best to compensate for the ageing Virgil van Dijk and which position best suits big-money playmaker Florian Wirtz.

FourFourTwo understands that a fee of around £70m would be enough for Brighton to accept – with journalist Ben Jacobs corroborating that figure on TalkSPORT.

“With Minteh, they held some talks over the weekend,” he claimed, adding, “They’re deciding today; so it could change any minute and very quickly whether they want to make a third bid.”

“If they go to £70m, it’ll be a done deal, according to Brighton sources: my sense is Liverpool might consider £65m first.”

Minteh is worth €45m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool play Nottingham Forest when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Arsenal have been “seduced” by a leftfield option for their frontline.

That's according to a new report, with the Gunners running out of time to secure a new forward before the transfer window closes next week, and moves for big targets having not progressed in the last few weeks.

Arsenal have already replaced one Belgian this summer in the form of Leandro Trossard – but could they be about to bring in one of his international team-mates?

Arsenal turning attentions to Matias Fernandez-Pardo

Sport Witness has relayed information from Sky Deutschland and Foot Mercato regarding Belgian World Cup star Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who is said to be close to a move to RB Leipzig.

The East German outfit have targeted the Lille man as one of two options, along with former star Christopher Nkunku – while Newcastle United are preparing a final bid of around €60 million for Fernandez-Pardo, too, as per Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Sport Witness notes that Leipzig have an agreement in principle, but that Arsenal have been “seduced by his explosive qualities” and “aware they need an astronomical fee of €70m” to hijack a move for the player, who was a surprise call-up for the 2026 World Cup.

FourFourTwo understands that Newcastle are still closest to bringing in Fernandez-Pardo, though Arsenal's lack of options elsewhere could potentially lead to a shock deal of some kind advancing seemingly out of nowhere.

Gabriel Martinelli is said to be close to a £50m switch to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, and time is running out for Arteta to source a replacement, with Julian Alvarez seemingly uninterested in leaving Spain and Kenan Yildiz having only signed an extension to his Juventus contract earlier in 2026.

The Gunners have also been linked with the likes of Bradley Barcola and Victor Osimhen.

Arsenal have been smart in the market to bring in another player with Belgian connections, signing Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge for the left wing spot to replace Trossard – with Fernandez-Pardo having played in the Pro League, too.

The 21-year-old came through Lille's academy, leaving for Gent in 2020 before returning across the border in 2024, where he has made 71 appearances for Les Dogues.

The winger only made his senior international debut this year, choosing the nation of his birth, Belgium, over Spain and Italy, who he was eligible to play for through ancestry.

Fernandez-Pardo is worth €35m, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Aston Villa when Premier League action continues next weekend.

Imagine you were to offer Arsenal a left-winger who scored more goals in the Champions League last season than Bradley Barcola, Vinicius Jr or Leandro Trossard. A left-winger with a proven work ethic to do the dirty work defensively and essentially run wing-back shifts. A left-winger with a knack for huge goals in huge moments, who scored against Real Madrid and Manchester City in the last couple of years. A left-winger who has never agitated to start ahead of anyone else and simply bided their time for opportunities. A left-winger who is still just 25 years old. A left-winger who adores Arsenal.

You get where this is going. You read the headline: you know that we're talking about Gabriel Martinelli. But just in case we weren't: who else is available right now who ticks even most of those boxes?

If Arsenal had a guaranteed upgrade waiting for the no.11 shirt, you could maybe understand the freeze-out. But they apparently don't. Not even club legend Ian Wright understands why the Gunners are leaving Martinelli out of squads right now, as he said on Sky Sports last Friday.

“It really makes me feel uncomfortable,” Wrighty said. “He's done enough with this squad to be treated with a little bit more respect than he's being treated with at the moment.”

“Done enough” is putting it mildly. Martinelli was there in the trenches with Bukayo Saka: one of three players left in manager Mikel Arteta's squad whom he didn't actually sign or give a debut to, as a fourth-tier Brazilian bargain who came into an Arsenal side at its lowest and came to define this new era. He was pacy and exciting and scored goals against big teams, but more than that, he was selfless and hard-working and desperate to impress.

The treatment feels particularly cold, given how much Arsenal owe their Premier League title to this guy – and not just for salvaging them a point against Manchester City last season. Is this what Arsenal will do to Saka or Declan Rice one day?

But it's also baffling. He can still contribute – more so than some of his team-mates.

It feels as if Martinelli's own selflessness has led to his stagnation. He announced himself in 2022/23, contributing 15 league goals, dovetailing with Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka on the left-hand side. He registered six goal contributions in his first 10 games, earned a call-up to the midseason World Cup, then registered another 12 in his last 12. It felt like his ceiling was as high as Saka's.

And then Jesus picked up the first of a series of serious injuries. Xhaka left – and rather than replacing him with another passing, Arteta brought in a runner for that left-hand no.8 position, using Kai Havertz, and then Declan Rice. Martinelli was limited to the touchline. He never developed that diagonal cut inside into the box; instead, he looked to stay wide – stay out of Rice's feet – and beat a man on the outside.

He should have been a little more ego-driven. He was a centre-forward before Arteta: he had a knack of getting his head to absolutely anything. Yet from 2023 onwards, the Brazilian has essentially kept his head down (literally and figuratively) to be a touchline winger, despite lacking the 1v1 burst.

He's never been given much of a sniff of playing further in-field – yet whenever he's played there, he's impressed. He last led the line against Liverpool in 2024/25 and scored, in a superb second-half performance. He's never had the space to counter-attack into, given how teams low-block Arsenal – yet last season he scored in six of his seven Champions League group games when he was given breathing space.

Martinelli will usually deliver when given the conditions to – and suddenly, Arsenal have more of a passing presence on the left-hand side, in Myles Lewis-Skelly or Bruno Guimaraes, and a reliable overlap from left-back, in Piero Hincapie. Arsenal have finally built a team for Martinelli… and it's only now that they're selling him.

It sort of feels like the Brazilian is being judged against what was expected of him. Jurgen Klopp once labelled Martinelli as a “talent of the century” – which feels a little overblown now. But if we're being completely honest, did Noni Madueke have a better season than him last year?

There are bigger issues at play here. Viktor Gyokeres lacks an all-round game, and the drop-off between Kai Havertz and the Swede is the biggest between two players in the squad. Arsenal have several players who can play on the left-hand side: unless they can land a significant upgrade on Martinelli – which it doesn't seem they can – the sensible thing would surely be to keep him for another six months as backup to Eberechi Eze and Christos Tzolis on the left, and an alternative to Havertz and Gyokeres through the centre. Wait six to 12 months until a genuine level-raiser – a Junior Kroupi or a Kenan Yildiz, perhaps – appears. Is it even taking a financial hit when you're going to buy a nine-figure player in the next 18 months anyway?

But that's not the popular decision. Martinelli has been there seven years, and unlike Saka, he's not developed into the world-class forward everyone thought he would become. This is the last chance to recoup a big fee for a player with two years left on his contract – and given that he's not improved over the past three years, it's easier to move him on and wonder “what if” than to endure another below-average season.

It seems like things are more black-and-white in football than ever before. Only last night, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher slammed his former club's business 12 months ago as potentially the “worst transfer window in Premier League history”. It may not have even been the worst last summer – and if signing Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak is truly that disastrous, surely Arsenal would love a taste of that.

Just as Martinelli is not a terrible, unusable forward, Julian Alvarez is not the magical silver bullet to replace him. If Arsenal choose to drop £100 million on a player with a handful of senior appearances on the left wing, that's a gamble: if they choose to invest quite so much money in a footballer who so plainly obviously doesn't want to go there, that feels more like a lottery.

The decision to freeze out Martinelli and pursue Alvarez doesn't feel massively in line with Arsenal's careful approach of signing attackers – driven as much by their failed pursuits of Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Jr as by their desperation to upgrade.

Maybe those who criticise the devil they know should be careful what they wish for. Upgrading on Martinelli seems like a good idea in theory, but it might not be quite as straightforward when reality hits.

Wrexham have reportedly agreed a deal with Ligue 1 side SCO Angers for defender Jacques Ekomie, according to a report from Foot Mercato.

West Ham United and German club Hamburger SV were also reported to be pursuing the 23-year-old left-back.

French sports newspaper L'Équipe previously reported West Ham's interest in the Gabonese international, with Angers placing a €10 million (£8.7m) valuation on the player.

West Ham miss out on international defender

However, Wrexham are now understood to have moved ahead in negotiations to finalise terms with the French club before West Ham could.

The outcome comes following a winless start to the Championship campaign for West Ham following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

Despite retaining one of the highest-salaried squads in the second tier, West Ham have recorded one draw and one loss from their opening two league fixtures against Burnley and Charlton Athletic, respectively.

West Ham hold significant transfer capital after selling Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes earlier in the window.

The substantial fees recouped from those two departures provided financial flexibility for squad reinforcements, but an agreement for Ekomie was not reached on this occasion.

Ekomie joined Angers from Bordeaux in 2024 and made more than 50 appearances in French football.

His anticipated departure for Wrexham leaves West Ham searching for alternative defensive options in the final days of the transfer window.

Stamford Bridge officials must offload four senior players before September 1 or risk watching players tear up their contracts and walk away on free transfers under a new legal framework.

The summer transfer window for English clubs closes in a matter of days, leaving the Blues with a major squad bottleneck.

Premier League registration limits, FIFA loan caps and strict new player protection laws pose a significant problem for the Blues, if it cannot be rectified in time.

Chelsea's squad registration bottleneck

Chelsea’s bloated first-team squad currently stands at 39 players. While 10 of those qualify as Under-21 players, meaning they do not occupy a spot on the Premier League's 25-man squad list but remain eligible to feature, the reality for the rest of the squad is stark.

Because Premier League rules cap senior squads at 25, four established over-21 players will be left unregistered if they remain on Chelsea's books after the window shuts.

Loan loophole closed

In previous years, Chelsea might have bypassed registration headaches by farming surplus players out on loan, particularly to French side Strasbourg under the shared BlueCo ownership umbrella.

However, updated FIFA regulations have restricted that particular route.

FIFA limits clubs to a maximum of six international loans per season, with a secondary rule stipulating that no more than three players can be loaned to the same club.

Chelsea have already burnt through two of their six outgoing international loan slots, including one to Strasbourg. Consequently, Chelsea possess four remaining outgoing loan spots in total and can send a maximum of two more players to Strasbourg.

The consequences of leaving players unregistered are far more dangerous than the dressing-room discontent of previous seasons. A new agreement between FIFA and global players' union FIFPRO now gives exiled players housed within a club's "bomb squad" the power to take legal action.

If a player is excluded from the official squad list or banished to train separately from the first-team, they now hold the legal right to cite "just sporting cause."

If Chelsea are deemed in breach of these employment standards, the affected player can theoretically terminate their contract with immediate effect.

For Chelsea, contract terminations would mean forfeiting hundreds of millions of pounds in amortised transfer value and potential resale fees. In theory, players signed for massive sums could walk away for nothing.

With the transfer deadline falling next Tuesday, September 1, Chelsea have less than a week to broker the requisite departures.

Robert Sanchez’s position as Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper is under genuine threat following a lapse in the opening game of the Premier League season against Fulham.

In conceding Josh King's first half strike, Sanchez was caught short on what should have been a routine save.

According to FotMob, King’s effort registered 0.07 xG (Expected Goals) and 0.07 xGOT (Expected Goals on Target), which indicates that 93 times out of 100, the average top-flight goalkeeper would be expected to save it.

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has some thinking to do in the goalkeeper position

Allowing such an effort to sneak into the net handed the hosts an equaliser and brought back to the surface some uncomfortable questions regarding the Spanish stopper's overall reliability.

This was hardly an isolated incident, either; Sanchez has committed the occasional high-profile error throughout his Chelsea spell, often leading directly to goals.

Last season, he was temporarily dropped in favour of Filip Jorgensen during the early months of Liam Rosenior’s tenure.

Now, with Xabi Alonso occupying the Stamford Bridge dugout, Sanchez faces a threat to his standing as Chelsea No. 1 and must once again prove himself to another manager.

Alonso may come to the conclusion that Sanchez lacks the composure required to serve as undisputed first-choice based on his Fulham display.

What makes Sanchez’s position more precarious is the evolution of Chelsea’s dressing room dynamic. Previously, at 28 years old, he held unique status as the eldest member of the first-team squad.

Twelve months on, that dynamic has shifted as the group is collectively a year older, and Alonso’s summer business saw Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck arrive.

With two decorated elder statesmen now in the building, Chelsea no longer depend on Sanchez, to the same extent, to provide leadership from between the posts.

Meanwhile, a very real competitive alternative has emerged in the form of Mike Penders. Returning from his loan spell at Strasbourg, the young Belgian stopper delivered performances statistically right on par with expectations while showcasing composure with the ball at his feet.

Given that distribution was always considered one of Sanchez’s primary strengths, Penders matches his elder counterpart while potentially offering greater long-term upside.

Manchester United have an offer on the table for Alejandro Balde, with the full-back being ushered out of Barcelona.

Balde was left out of Hansi Flick's matchday squad at the weekend, and with Manchester United chasing an upgrade at left-back, Balde has been frequently touted as a long-term solution in that position.

With Barcelona having re-signed Joao Cancelo over the summer and Flick favouring Gerard Martin in Balde's role, too, the 22-year-old is considering his future ahead of the transfer window closing.

Alejandro Balde closer to a Manchester United move, given “uncertain” Barcelona future

According to a Cadena Ser report, Balde is uncertain about his immediate future at Camp Nou, and manager Hansi Flick “has not clearly defined his role for the current season.”

Balde has a “firm proposal” from Manchester United but has not been formally asked to leave Catalonia, despite Flick recently asserting that he “expects more commitment, more competitiveness, and more intensity” from the defender.

Michael Carrick's team lost 2-0 to newly promoted Hull City on Saturday in the shock of the weekend, with long-serving left-back Luke Shaw coming under fierce criticism.

Red Devils legend Gary Neville – ranked at no.48 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Premier League players of all time – dissected Shaw's performance on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports, noting that while Shaw has plenty of experience, he had “no idea what [he was] doing” for the goal.

31-year-old Shaw is now in his 13th season as a Manchester United player, with last term the first time that he featured in every league game of the season.

United have been linked with a younger upgrade in the form of one of Joaquin Seys, Lewis Hall and Myles Lewis-Skelly – though the latter two are not for sale – and while Balde has been a long-term target, he is unlikely to leave Barcelona in the coming days unless he is explicitly told he has no future.

FourFourTwo understands that Barça are also keen to move another two La Masia graduates out of the club in Hector Fort and Marc Casado, with Premier League interest in both players at one stage.

Deemed one of Barcelona's most exciting young players after his breakthrough in 2021, Balde made his debut for his hometown club at 18, made an international debut a year later, and signed a long-term contract with his hometown club in 2023 with a billion-euro release clause, marking his ascension as one of the most exciting young defenders in world football.

A hamstring injury in 2024 somewhat stunted his development, however, and despite a surprise call-up to the 2022 World Cup, the left-back star was left out of Spain's triumphant Euro 2024 and 2026 World Cup squads.

Balde is worth €50 million, according to Transfermarkt. United host Ipswich Town when Premier League action continues this weekend.

It's not been the start to the season that Aston Villa would have wanted.

Just a few months on from lifting the Europa League trophy and securing a top four finish, Unai Emery's side were thumped 4-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Just to make matters worse, the situation around Ollie Watkins has left a bad taste in the mouths of many supporters.

"Unai Emery has geared Aston Villa up for consistent success in Europe"

Emery was cryptic as to what has gone on with the England striker, saying that the reason for Watkins' omission against Brighton was 'a question for him'.

That comes after several high-profile players have already left Villa Park this summer, including Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa, with Emiliano Martinez also being tipped to go.

But Peter Crouch believes that the Villa boss has already shown he is more than capable of riding out to storm and continuing to take the side on to bigger and better things over the long run.

The former Villa striker told FourFourTwo earlier this summer: "Unai Emery deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the really elite managers, with what he’s done at Aston Villa.

"Winning the Europa League was massive, and Champions League football again is going to help them take things up another notch in the long term.

"I’m pleased for the fans who’ve suffered over the years.

"I interviewed Unai at the training ground and he’s in it for the long haul. Why wouldn’t he be? They’ve got ambition.

"They’ve built a hotel at the training ground – that’s important because they might fly back from a European game, sleep there, then do a warm-down the next day.

"He’s geared that club up for consistent success in Europe, and I think that’s what they’ll get."

Villa will find out their opponents for the league phase of this season's Champions League when the draw is made on Thursday, August 27.

How much can you remember about the history of the Premier League? The 2026-27 season is now underway but this new FourFourTwo quiz is more interested in your knowledge of the top-flight 20 years ago.

The 2006-07 season in the Premier League was typically dramatic, with landmark goals scored and a shiny new stadium opened in North London. Let's find out how well you can recall what happened.

This quiz has 15 questions to answer and a time limit of 8 minutes. Remember to let us know how you get on!

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has loads of football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. Let's begin by challenging you to name every club in the Football League right now and every top flight club in England since 1945.

For the football history enthusiasts, we also want you to name every club to have won any one of England's top four tiers and place each of these famous football statues outside the correct stadium.

We're not done with the Premier League just yet, though. Not by a long shot. Try these: Can you sort these players in order of their total numbers of Premier League appearances? How about showing our one-season wonders quiz who's boss?

FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 66 features clues on French managers, fair play awards, overseas cups and footballing lanes. Remember to subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of football trivia and analysis, and don't forget to join The Club: our free membership portal where you can secret hints and get on the leaderboard.

Leeds United have a golden opportunity to match or even eclipse their best Premier League finish in the modern era this season, and walking away from an expensive loan move is further evidence they are on track to achieve just that.

Mykhaylo Mudryk joining up with Daniel Farke's group at Elland Road never seemed a natural fit, even if the Ukrainian's talent is undeniable. While some may frame it as an inability to get a marquee signing over the line, it is probably more likely a reflection of the security Leeds have, across the board, in 2026.

Last term, the Whites signed Facundo Buonanotte on a second-half-of-the-season loan deal but the Argentine rarely played, never mind delivered. Given Mudryk's history, Farke's reluctance to guarantee game-time and the likely cost of bringing the attacker to Yorkshire, it always felt one that probably wouldn't get done.

Leeds' previous best since returning to the top flight was ninth (2020/21) under Marcelo Bielsa

Through a certain lens, this so-called transfer failure is perhaps the clearest declaration of intent Leeds have made all summer. Unwilling to compromise their long-term wage structure or bend to Chelsea's inflated game-time expectations for an unpredictable player, both sides have politely walked away.

Far from a setback, it is FourFourTwo's opinion that it will prove to be a bullet dodged, and a sign of maturity.

To appreciate how far Leeds have come, one must view this financial prudence through the prism of their volatile past.

Throughout the modern Premier League era, punctuated by emotional promotions in 2020 and 2025, stability has been fleeting, almost mythical at Elland Road.

The famous early 2000s heyday, filled with European nights, ultimately came at a crippling cost, built on borrowing that plunged the club into almost two decades of turmoil. You would have to rewind all the way to the early 1990s under Howard Wilkinson to find an era where Elland Road felt quite this grounded, structured, and secure.

Under the stewardship of 49ers Enterprises, Leeds are in safe, capable hands. The strategy during this transfer window has been surgical rather than superficial. Instead of chasing vanity projects, the board has systematically upgraded the starting lineup by bringing in top-tier talents like James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic, and Harry Wilson.

Crucially, they have balanced the books through shrewd player trading, sanctioning Pascal Struijk’s move to Brighton without weakening the squad’s underlying foundation.

That sense of calm extends directly onto the pitch, where Farke has embarked on his fourth full season in charge.

Tactical and managerial continuity is a rare commodity in modern football, but Farke’s approach continues to pay dividends. Leeds kicked off their campaign with an away victory at Nottingham Forest last weekend - a venue where Forest lost just seven home games last term and won nine the year before. It could come to be seen as a statement victory that underlines their growing authority away from home. Leeds won only twice on the road last season.

While Leeds enjoy continuity, transition and uncertainty surrounds much of the division. This summer saw nine managerial changes at Premier League clubs, six of which occurred at teams Leeds consider direct positional rivals: Bournemouth, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich, and Forest.

While other dressing rooms are learning as they go under new leadership, Leeds have a settled, unified core. Key players Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Brenden Aaronson, and Jayden Bogle have all recently committed their long-term futures to the West Yorkshire club.

The underlying metrics further validate this upward trajectory. Since December 1, 2025, Leeds have accumulated nine victories, twelve draws, and just five defeats across twenty-six top-flight matches - the sixth-best record in the entire division over that period. It is no longer a temporary purple patch, rather sustained momentum from a club seemingly functioning with operational alignment.

The broader landscape represents a window of opportunity. With nine Premier League clubs burdened by the physical and mental demands of European competition, Leeds can channel their energy exclusively into domestic affairs. Free from midweek travel, squad rotation headaches, and fixture congestion, a settled Leeds side is perfectly positioned. Rejecting expensive shortcuts like Mudryk proves that Leeds value sustainability over optics, and that discipline is precisely why a top-ten Premier League finish is well within their reach.

How's your football trivia ability? There's a very fast way to find out and here it is: 10 tricky questions and 90 seconds to answer them in the new FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has lots more football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. First up, can you name the three most expensive Premier League signings of every summer since 1992 and every team in the top two tiers of women's football in England?

We also want you to name the 50 most expensive signings ever made by Barcelona or Real Madrid, and to answer a bunch of questions about the Premier League's upper echelons of one-season wonders.

For the numerically minded, we have a couple of new challenges that ask you to put some groups of four into the correct order – one focused on players and their Premier League appearances, the other looking at teams and their titles.

Premier League not your thing? We've got you covered too. Can you name every team in the Football League right now?

You'll want to put your feet up for this one. Our latest career paths quiz is a 100-player behemoth that will test even the most seasoned masters of the mighty Wikibox. 100 players in total. Good luck!

We have puzzles too. Our Weekend Crossword is a regular football teaser for your Sunday, and remember to sign up to the newsletter for more quizzes in your inbox. Don't forget to join The Club for free additional membership benefits!

While lots of football media write content around ‘what we learned’ from a match, this was a case of ‘what we already know’.

What most Liverpool observers already knew:

1. There’s a huge issue with the midfield

2. Liverpool are far too open on the transition

3. The full backs, especially Jeremie Frimpong, are major concerns

4. Alexander Isak doesn’t look like a Liverpool player

Liverpool’s issues were as clear at St James’ Park as they have been for a year, and in some cases well over a year.

The primary one is the midfield - both the setup and the personnel used.

“We’ve been talking about a defensive midfielder at Liverpool for the last three years,” assessed Daniel Sturridge accurately post-match.

Liverpool have midfield issues

Plenty of others have warned of it, going back to the very start of last season when Arne Slot changed his midfield setup to a ‘2-1’ rather than a ‘1-2’ - removing a more dedicated defensive minded holding midfielder and instead having two players alongside each other in midfield.

It means a completely changed role for Ryan Gravenberch, whose best six months came when he was positioned as more proactive ‘No.6’ in front of the defence in Slot’s first season in charge.

It was also done to accommodate Florian Wirtz as the new No.10 - something that Iraola has doubled down on and stated is where he, too, wants the German to play.

This is despite Wirtz’s best form with both Bayer Leverkusen and Germany being from a position on the left of an attacking three, cutting inside, and all evidence of his struggle centrally for Liverpool. Hooked after an hour at Newcastle, the £116 million signing is a major worry.

“If you actually analyse the midfield, they’re all naturally more attacking players,” Sturridge said on Sky Sports - which is certainly true. Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wirtz are offensive players, or at least want to be, and don’t have the natural defensive mindset of the likes of Fabinho or Rodri.

And it is perhaps Rodri who should be the signpost here to anybody saying that Liverpool supporters obsess over wanting a No.6 - of course they do, they saw firsthand how Fabinho transformed their midfield under Jurgen Klopp, and the whole league has watched how crucial Rodri has been to Manchester City.

The lighthouse was how former Liverpool assistant Pepijn Lijnders nicknamed Fabinho, for his ability to ‘organise the chaos’ and ‘defend forward. “On the defensive side of things, you have to be very alert to help the team,” said Liverpool’s former Brazilian. "I try to control the game.”

Liverpool severely lack a midfielder capable of controlling the game.

Arguably the best option there would be Alexis Mac Allister, whose introduction for the final half an hour saw him play more defensively than Gravenberch.

The Argentine does a similar role for his country, and did well there for a spell under Klopp previously too, even though, again, it’s not his natural game to be more defensive minded.

What Andoni Iraola says

Newcastle’s opening goal in particular showed the issue, with Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, the two midfielders, inside the Newcastle box as the counter-attack began.

It’s something that happened frequently last season, including when Antoine Semenyo charged through the middle in Liverpool’s opening fixture of 2025/26 for Iraola’s Bournemouth.

Now, the Reds’ new head coach needs to find a solution to a problem he previously identified as the opposition manager.

“I think it’s just not personnel,” he said in his post-match press conference at St James’ Park. “We have to adapt as a team to these situations and we have to know that these situations can happen.”

“It is something that we have to correct between a lot of players,” the Spaniard added.

Liverpool's invisible No. 6 search

Liverpool have needed a defensive-minded midfielder since Fabinho departed. That was in 2023, a summer that saw attempts to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia end in failure and eventually Wataru Endo was brought in in a surprise move.

"We need you,” Klopp told the Japan midfielder as they greeted at the training ground for the first time. "We really need you, and your heart, and your legs and your football ability and your football brain. Your desire, we need it.”

Little has changed in the three years since. Liverpool still need a midfielder of those qualities.

Mamadou Sangare, who debuted impressively for Brentford in their win against Tottenham, was reported to be among the players Liverpool were monitoring but didn’t move for this summer - a player who has the attributes and approach towards defending in the middle that fans crave.

Martin Zubimendi was another failed attempt at a signing two years ago, less of a combative defensive midfielder but more of a controlling one - Rodri’s deputy for Spain, it probably wasn’t a bad idea, even if he’s fallen out of favour under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

Adam Wharton is a player who has long looked destined to end up at Anfield, having been tracked since his Blackburn days. He again falls more into the control than combat category, but he’d certainly add something different in Liverpool’s midfield.

But for now, it appears the No. 6 fans wish for won’t be arriving, with recent reports suggesting that internal figures at the club don’t see it as a position that is required to be strengthened. Not many observers would agree.

Liverpool fans must hope Iraola finds a solution, and fast, otherwise it threatens to undermine any progress made in attacking areas this season.

Signing new wingers might help the situation by giving more pace and threat out wide, but it certainly won't solve it.

Watch Fulham vs Chelsea for free as the Premier League returns for its first dose of Monday Night Football of the 2026/27 season, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Fulham host Chelsea in the first Monday Night Football of the season, live and direct from Craven Cottage.

There are also two more new faces in the dugout for this one, as Álvaro Arbeloa takes on his former Real Madrid counterpart, Xabi Alonso.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch the opening game of the 2026/27 Premier League season online and from anywhere, for Fulham vs Chelsea.

Watch Fulham vs Chelsea for FREE

Fulham vs Chelsea isn't technically available to watch for free, but there is a way that viewers in the US can stream the game at no cost.

Live coverage in the States is on USA Network, which is available on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV - all of which have free-trial options of varying lengths for new customers.

Outside the US? Use a VPN to access your free Fulham vs Chelsea stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Fulham vs Chelsea from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Fulham vs Chelsea.

The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

FourFourTwo’s tech-obsessed office-mates over at Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN you can buy.

How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Fulham vs Chelsea on Sky Sports.

Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will have live coverage of the Premier League 2026/27 season opener, with kick-off at 8:00pm BST.

Outside the UK? Stream Fulham vs Chelsea on Sky Sports via NordVPN.

How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea in the US

As mentioned above, USA Network is showing Fulham vs Chelsea in the US. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

Fans in the States can access USA Network on OTT streaming platforms, including YouTube TV (10-day free trial), DirecTV Stream (5-day free trial), Hulu+Live TV (3-day free trial) and Sling Blue.

Not in the US right now? Use NordVPN to watch Fulham vs Chelsea on USA Network.

How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea in Australia

Fans in Australia can stream Fulham vs Chelsea on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Tuesday 25 August.

Travelling outside Australia? NordVPN is your ticket to watch Fulham vs Chelsea on Stan Sport.

Tickets

Fulham vs Chelsea: Preview

A reoccuring theme has been the revolving door of Premier League managers this summer, with Marco Silva having left Fulham.

Alvaro Arbeloa is best known in England for his two-year spell at Liverpool, but has now stepped into the dugout, and follows his brief spell at Real Madrid.

Harry Wilson is the biggest departure for the Cottagers, now away to Leeds United, which is more saddening given it was a free transfer to a direct rival.

Notable incomings have been Gonzalo Garcia from the Catalan giants and Shea Charles from Southampton.

SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide, Streams & Fixtures

Chelsea's comical merry-go-round of managers means it's now Alonso's turn to try and change the Blues' fortunes.

Spending upwards of £300m, with Morgan Rogers breaking the British record fee from Aston Villa, he follows Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and Marco Palestra from Atalanta.

The big question remains over Alonso's strikers, with Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson currently in limbo as to what to do.

The former is said to be of interest to Leeds, whilst Jackson performed well at Bayern Munich on loan and would be a handy option to have if he is happy to offer his services as a back-up striker to Joao Pedro.

Team News

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Gusto, Lavia, James, Hato; Palmer, Joao Pedro, Rogers

Subs: Penders, Chavarria, Barco, Fernandez, Neto, Gittens, Estevao, Welbeck, Quenda.

Fulham XI: Leno; Castagne, Cuenca, Bassey, Robinson, King, Berge, Iwobi; Bobb, Garcia, Palacios

Subs: Lecomte, De Gougerolles, Tete, Reed, Charles, Sessegnon, Kevin, Smith Rowe, Muniz

FourFourTwo's prediction

Fulham 0-3 Chelsea

Chelsea will have too much for Fulham.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Liverpool debutant Jeremy Jacquet was thrown into the deep end during Sunday's 2-2 draw against Newcastle United.

The young French centre-back experienced a baptism of fire at St. James' Park, likening the atmosphere on Tyneside to one of European football's most notoriously intimidating arenas.

Jacquet, 21, recently completed his transfer to Anfield following an impressive rise through the ranks in Ligue 1.

Jeremy Jacquet: 'St James' Park is like Marseille's Stade Velodrome'

Handed his Premier League bow in front of 52,000 roaring Geordies, the highly-rated defender found himself thrust into the thick of a fiercely contested battle.

The clash saw Liverpool and Newcastle trade blows, ultimately sharing the spoils after a frantic ninety minutes that ended in a 2-2 draw. While the action on the pitch was at times breathless, it was the relentless noise from the terraces that left a lasting impression on the newcomer.

Speaking to French broadcaster Canal Plus, as quoted by Get French Football News, after the final whistle, Jacquet drew parallels between Newcastle's home and Olympique de Marseille's famous Stade Velodrome.

Across France and the wider European continent, Marseille's home ground is revered and feared in equal measure. It carries a reputation as an ear-splitting cauldron of hostility, where ultras create a visually spectacular and loud environment for visiting teams.

It seems the Geordie faithful managed to replicate that wall of sound on Sunday afternoon, offering the young Frenchman a stark welcome to the English top flight.

“The atmosphere? It wasn't bad. It reminded me a bit of the Velodrome," the young defender confessed. "It's an iconic stadium, fans shouting everywhere. That's why I'm here. I like that."

The newly arrived centre-back claimed to relish the intimidation, taking the St. James' Park decibel levels in his stride, although he was substituted during the second half for the more experienced Ronald Araujo, on loan at Liverpool from Barcelona.

When you hear the term ‘yo-yo club’, the team that springs to mind probably depends on the era that you started watching football.

For me, it’s West Bromwich Albion, who were promoted from the Championship four times and relegated from the Premier League on three occasions between 2002 and 2010.

Ipswich Town are the latest club to slip into a yo-yo existence, where they are too good for one division but seemingly not good enough for the league above, with Gary O’Neil’s side heavily tipped to go straight back down after promotion last term.

The three clubs Ipswich must emulate to shed the yo-yo tag

This is the fifth successive season in which the Tractor Boys have been in a different division, achieving back-to-back promotions to the Premier League in 2022/23 and 2023/24, before relegation in 2025 was followed by promotion.

It took them until November 10 to claim their first win when they were last in the top flight, but they ticked that off straight away this season, beating Sunderland 2-1 in Saturday’s opening game.

You would think that clubs who return to the Premier League at the first time of asking would be more likely to survive, but that’s rarely the case. In fact, 10 of the past 13 teams who gained an immediate return to the top flight went straight back down.

For example, it has happened to Burnley twice in the past four seasons: after dropping out of the Premier League in 2022, promotions in 2023 and 2025 were followed by relegations in 2024 and 2026 respectively.

But the Clarets are also one of just three clubs since 2013 to buck the trend, having been relegated in 2014/15, won the Championship the following campaign and stayed up in 2016/17.

The other two are Newcastle United, in 2017/18, and Fulham, who finally beat the drop in 2022/23 after one-season spells in the Premier League in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

So, what did these clubs get right and how can Ipswich follow their lead? Here are three reasons why the Tractor Boys are better-placed for survival this time around.

A settled defence

For Burnley in 2016/17 and Newcastle the season after, survival was built on an impressive defensive record. The Clarets finished 16th but had the 11th-best defence in the Premier League, while only six teams in 2017/18 conceded fewer goals than the Magpies, who ended the campaign 10th.

If Ipswich are to stay up, they must significantly improve on the 82 goals they conceded during their 2024/25 relegation season - and there are reasons to suggest they can.

After a leaky start to life in the Championship last term, the Tractor Boys kept 11 clean sheets from Boxing Day onwards to end the campaign with the joint second-best defensive record in the division.

Their back four against Sunderland featured three members of last season’s squad: captain Dara O’Shea, centre-back Jacob Greaves and left-back Leif Davis, who were also all part of the relegation campaign. Completing the defence was summer signing Issa Diop, who has spent the past eight years in the Premier League with West Ham United and Fulham.

Burnley’s 2016/17 defence had similar continuity, with three first-choice players - goalkeeper Tom Heaton, Ben Mee and Michael Keane - all relegated with the club two seasons earlier.

The likes of O’Shea, Greaves and Davis will have learnt from their experience two seasons ago, which should help Ipswich tighten up at the back.

Finding the right blend

Ipswich’s longest-serving players could be especially important considering the number of signings the club have made this summer.

The Tractor Boys have spent around £150m on 12 first-team players and could beat Sunderland’s record outlay for a newly-promoted club, of £161m, which was set last season.

Admittedly, Ipswich spent more than £100m two summers ago and still went down, but they can follow the blueprint of Fulham in 2022/23.

The Cottagers made some excellent signings to help them finish 10th, including Bernd Leno, Joao Palhinha and Willian, but the team was built around a spine of existing players such as Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Harrison Reed and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Ipswich’s starting XI against Sunderland featured seven summer additions, with Julio Enciso and opening goalscorer Emersonn impressing, but also four survivors from last season’s squad, while another, Jack Clarke, came off the bench to bag the winner.

While Sunderland showed last season that a complete overhaul of the starting XI can bring success, O’Neil would be well-advised to maintain that blend of familiar figures and fresh faces.

A streaky streak

For Ipswich, the big unknown is in the dugout.

Kieran McKenna led the club from 12th in League One to the Premier League, so it felt like a huge blow when the Northern Irish manager stepped down in June, after delivering a third promotion in four seasons.

However, O’Neil has twice led sides to survival in the Premier League - Bournemouth in 2022/23 and Wolves the following campaign - and the way he did it could benefit the Tractor Boys.

Both clubs had fairly streaky form, with the Cherries taking six points from 13 games mid-season, then 18 from nine matches in March and April. It was the reverse at Wolves, where a run of 22 points from 11 fixtures was followed by five points from 10.

There are similarities with Newcastle in 2017/18 and Fulham in 2022/23. The Magpies took one point from nine games in late 2017, while four straight wins were followed by four successive defeats in the spring.

Fulham also had runs of four wins and four defeats, while at one point they didn’t draw a single game for three months.

In a relegation fight, it is better to be streaky than to pick up wins here and there, as a bad run can be followed by bursts of points that move you much closer to survival.

Ipswich drew 10 games in 2024/25 but won just four, so if O’Neil still has a streaky streak, the Tractor Boys will pick up more victories and have a better chance of shedding the yo-yo tag.

It’s always seemed strange that FIFA is willing to use the World Cup as a guinea pig for changes to the Laws of the Game.

Football’s premier competition is jealously guarded, more and more so as the governing body’s own logo has been afforded the limelight, and yet every major experiment and tweak is live-tested at the sport’s apex.

Strange, maybe, but surely an indication of the paradoxically low regard FIFA’s top suits have for their own golden globe.

FIFA’s is the leading voice within IFAB, the game’s law-making body. Implementing new laws and updates at the World Cup is a choice.

They don’t all come into play at football’s global showpiece. That honour is saved for the aspects of the Laws of the Game through which FIFA wants to make a statement on a theme.

World Cup 2026 was the World Cup of FIFA’s misguided war on time-wasting, noble in intent but undercooked in practice. Non-league fans rightly complain when rule changes are tested on the matches that matter to them but FIFA’s readiness to go to the other extreme is no accident.

Ultimately, FIFA played to the gallery. Football fans have always hated time-wasting and measures were rushed through to address it on the biggest possible stage.

Applying a five-second rule for goal kicks and throw-ins is going to cause chaos, for starters. Just watch.

But these new additions to the Laws of the Game do seek to tackle an aspect of the game that fans genuinely find infuriating. Lots of people don’t like time-wasting and over-engineered set pieces, and football has moved to take the edge off.

There’s another area fans find irritating. Tactical fouls can be sneaky and antithetical to the spirit of the game. Fans don’t all want to watch teams trying to eke out minor advantages any which way.

A fresh start for Premier League referees?

Professional fouls, time-wasting, diving, injury breaks – all of these and more can be categorised as the sort of tactical offending that disrupt what’s good and liquid about football.

That’s the bad news. The good news is there’s an opportunity that comes with it.

For all the transparent grandstanding that’s baked into FIFA’s World Cup sandbox for rule changes with a message, the latest bogeyman du jour was at least something that needed to be dealt with.

As a new Premier League season gets underway, its referees would do well to take the spirit of that approach on board.

Referees are a put-upon group. The abuse they face is bad enough in its own right; its real venom lurks in the fact that so many fans will agree with a straight face that it’s their own fault.

As much as the Premier League referee has been allowed to become a modern-day folk devil, the tiny sliver of the blame they do own is the result of choosing not to use the tools they have at their disposal.

Referees don’t need more power to deal with offences like cynical fouls, time-wasting and diving until their existing weapons are pointed at the players and proved to be inadequate.

Surely, the Laws of the Game legislate for these matters much more adequately than the leeway in the average Premier League would suggest.

Take dissent, for example: fans, generally, would rather players didn’t spend 90 minutes questioning the parentage of the officials. It’s an unusual example of fans being on the referees’ side.

Most fans have a solid grasp of where the line is, yet it’s crossed time and again without any repercussions.

If there was ever a time for the referees of the Premier League to get fans more onside by targeting the things that annoy both parties, this season is it.

The initialised version of Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s name has been weaponised by Football Twitter as a byword for some shady conspiracy beyond the obvious basic advantages afforded to the richest clubs.

PGMOL has been rebranded as Pro Ref, but the real change can only take place on the pitch.

Lancing a tactically-filled boil or two would go much further than changing the name of the company. Mind you, any improvement would just be credited in some quarters to the retirement of Anthony Taylor.

Liverpool are to submit a third bid for Yankuba Minteh, as the Brighton player waits to formalise personal terms.

The Reds have been linked with the likes of Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye this summer, but last week, reports dropped of Liverpool's interest in Minteh, with his entourage dismissing the claims as “old news”.

Now, however, the Merseysiders are expected to ramp up their offer for the Gambian – who didn't feature in table-topping Brighton's first fixture of the season at the weekend – in their search for a needle-moving wide man.

If Liverpool bid over £70m for Yankuba Minteh, Brighton are likely to accept

According to journalist Foday Manneh in a post on X (formerly Twitter), a third bid is expected for Minteh, with the Reds “ready to go with an improved and convincing offer”.

Minteh himself is described by Manneh as “[waiting] to formalise personal terms” once a fee is agreed between the two clubs, with Sport Witness claiming that £70 million should be enough for the Seagulls to accept.

Minteh signed for Brighton from Newcastle United in 2024, making 66 league appearances over the past two campaigns for Albion and becoming a hit at the Amex opposite Kaoru Mitoma on the opposite flank.

The BBC reported his original transfer fee to Sussex as being £30m, with the deal sanctioned along with the sale of Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest, so that the Magpies could satisfy Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

A sale at £70m would represent a profit of more than double what Brighton paid – though they don't particularly need the money – reportedly turning down over £90m for Mitoma last year.

Last Thursday, it was widely reported that Brighton had rejected a £50m bid for the winger, with a second bid also rejected over the weekend.

FourFourTwo understands that Minteh is extremely keen for the move to one of Europe's elite and that personal terms aren't thought to be an issue, though he hasn't agitated for a transfer just yet.

Liverpool may well land Barcola on top of Minteh before the transfer window closes, with Victor Munoz secured in attack as well – as the World Cup winner made his debut for the Reds over the weekend.

Youngster Rio Ngumoha started Andoni Iraola's first game as manager on the right wing meanwhile, with Minteh a more natural fit for that flank.

Minteh is worth €45m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool play Forest when Premier League action continues next week.

Lewis Hall experienced the full spectrum of footballing emotions at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon, putting in a strong performance against Liverpool before inadvertently playing the pantomime villain.

The 21-year-old left-back was tenacious down his flank for 90 minutes in Newcastle United's 2-2 draw, showcasing his defensive nous and composure, both in and out of possession.

However, an agonising stoppage-time foul inside the box handed Dominik Szoboszlai the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot. Despite the late heartbreak, Hall’s overall display was among the finest on the pitch, serving as a emphatic reminder to Newcastle fans and interested suitors of his potential.

'No chance' Lewis Hall is signing for Manchester United, says Newcastle boss

It was a timely shop window display after three months spent out of the spotlight. Hall spent his summer on the outside looking in, omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad despite delivering consistent displays throughout the 2025/26 season.

Had Hall been plying his trade in the red of Manchester United rather than representing a Newcastle side that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League table, his international trajectory might have looked somewhat different. The added visibility and selection weight associated with Old Trafford often sways national team managers, a reality that could weigh on the young defender's mind.

This situation presents Manchester United with a transfer ultimatum of sorts. With just eight days remaining until the summer window shuts, the Red Devils must act now or risk missing out entirely.

Man United have long-considered Hall the primary candidate to succeed Luke Shaw, but time is slipping away, much to Newcastle's delight. Hall’s performance against Liverpool proved that months away from action have done nothing to dull his edge, putting the ball firmly back in Man United’s court to mount a late approach before the deadline passes.

Engineering a late swoop will be far from straightforward, as Newcastle quite rightly remain determined to stand their ground.

Speaking to Viaplay following the final whistle on Sunday, Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle poured cold water on suggestions that Hall could head to Old Trafford. When asked directly by former Man United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel whether Hall could be moving to Manchester, the German manager offered a swift and unequivocal response, declaring: "No chance! No chance!"

Jaissle made it clear that Newcastle view the full-back as a key player in this new-look side, meaning Michael Carrick's men will need to present an extraordinary offer to break Tyneside resolve before the window closes.