Kylian Mbappe has ended his long-term Nike partnership to spearhead a move into football by Swiss sports brand On.

The Frenchman has been sponsored by Nike since he was a child, but has now cut ties with the American company to join their Swiss rivals.

On has plans to launch its first football boots next year, and then hopes to manufacture kits in the future - but who are they?

Running and tennis brand has grand ambitions for football move

The Swiss brand is serious about its move into football, having also appointed Mbappe's fellow Frenchman, Thierry Henry as its director of football.

It's also developed a 'LightSpray' technology, made using robots no less, which it hopes will help it standout from established competitors like Nike and Adidas.

Mbappe will be seen as a huge coup for On, who have previously held long-term partnerships with sporting stars like Roger Federer.

He became an investor in the brand back in 2019 and has worked with them on product development, helping to create its tennis products. Mbappe will be doing the same for its football products.

In a statement on Friday, On said that Mbappe will be "at the heart of On’s football journey, uniting one of football’s defining players with one of sportswear’s most innovative brands.

“He will work directly with On’s product teams, integrating his elite perspective into the development and testing of future football footwear and apparel.

"He will also become a global ambassador for On, extending the partnership beyond football into movement, performance and contemporary design.”

The company has been around for 16 years, after being founded back in 2010 by former Swiss ironman champion Olivier Bernhard.

Whether or not they will be able to break into the football market remains to be seen, with Under Armor and Skechers both trying to break the stranglehold Nike and Adidas have held for years.

Signing arguably the biggest player on the planet isn't a bad place for them to start.

Watch Brentford vs Chelsea for free as this weekend's Premier League action kicks-off with a West London derby on Friday night. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

The Bees are aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the season, although manager Keith Andrews will be keen to turn draws into wins after three of their first four league games ended level.

Sixth-place Chelsea start the weekend one position and one point above tonight's opponents following an exciting but sometimes chaotic beginning to manager Xabi Alonso's tenure.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Brentford vs Chelsea online and from anywhere, including for free, in this week's Friday-night Premier League clash.

Watch Brentford vs Chelsea for FREE

Live coverage in the States is on USA Network and this is available for free thanks to YouTube TV, which currently comes with a 10-day free trial for new customers.

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How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea in the UK

Viewers in the UK can watch Brentford vs Chelsea live on Sky Sports.

The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. Coverage starts at 7:00pm BST, with kick-off at 8:00pm.

How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea in the US

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

This is a linear channel, so you will need a cord-cutting package. YouTube TV (10-day free trial), DirecTV Stream (5-day free trial), Hulu+Live TV (3-day free trial) and Sling Blue all carry the channel.

How to watch Brentford vs Chelsea in Australia

Fans in Australia can watch Brentford vs Chelsea live on Stan Sport. The game kicks-off at 5:00am AEST on Saturday.

Stan Sport is down in price for 2026/27 from AU$32 to AU$29.99 and comes with access to every Premier League and Champions League game — bargain!

Tickets

Brentford vs Chelsea: Preview

Brentford are aiming to claim their first home league victory over Chelsea since 1938 when they face their West London counterparts in the Premier League tonight.

Despite beating the Blues three times at Stamford Bridge in the last five seasons, the Bees have been unable to replicate that form in the return fixture, with the last four meetings at the Gtech Community Stadium ending level.

Draws have become a theme for Brentford recently with 10 of their last 14 Premier League games going that way, including three out of four this term, but manager Keith Andrews will surely be happy with an unbeaten start to the campaign that has also seen them reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.

The Bees will be without injured quartet Mathias Jensen, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg and Josh DaSilva tonight, while Kevin Schade and Vitaly Janelt will hope to continue a positive week personally after both players were selected in Jurgen Klopp's Germany squad for the upcoming international break.

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

If Brentford's speciality this season has been draws, Chelsea's has been goals - but not all at the right end.

The Blues' six matches in all competitions have featured 30 goals, with 18 scored and 12 conceded, in an entertaining but also frustrating start to manager Xabi Alonso's reign.

The Chelsea boss will see last Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Hull City as two points dropped, but will be encouraged by the form of £117m summer signing Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, which earned the latter a recall to Thomas Tuchel's England squad.

Alonso is sweating over the fitness of Pedro, who was released from the Brazil squad due to injury, as well as captain Reece James and Moises Caicedo, who are both doubts for the short trip to Brentford.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Brentford 2-1 Chelsea

The Bees have made a strong start to the campaign, so tonight could be the night they end their 88-year wait for a home league win over the Blues.

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Watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin for FREE as the Bundesliga champions face Die Eisernen in this week's Friday-night clash, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Vincent Kompany's side start the weekend two points behind early pace-setters Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, so they will return to the top of the table - albeit potentially for less than 24 hours - if they take all three points at the Allianz Arena.

Union have been leaking goals in the opening few weeks of the season, so a trip to the champions looks a daunting task for Mauro Lustrinelli and his players.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin in the Bundesliga online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Can I watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin for free?

There are several ways you can watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin for free.

The game is live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, like every Friday-night Bundesliga match this season. You just need a BBC iPlayer login and a TV licence, and away you go.

Fans in the UK and selected territories can also stream Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin live on the Bundesliga's official YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, US viewers can watch the game on Fandango, which is showing around 270 Bundesliga matches at no cost this season.

CazéTV in Brazil is also showing Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin for free.

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Watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin from anywhere

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How to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin in the UK

As mentioned above, BBC iPlayer will have live coverage of Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin, with kick-off at 7:30pm BST.

UK viewers can also watch the game on the Bundesliga's official YouTube channel.

How to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin in the US

Streaming service Fandango is the place for US viewers to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin for free. The game starts at 2:30pm ET.

How to watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin in Australia

As mentioned above, fans in Australia can watch Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin on beIN SPORTS.

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

Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin: Preview

It feels strange for Bayern Munich not to be top of the Bundesliga, but Die Roten begin the weekend fourth in the table after an awkward pair of away assignments at two newly-promoted teams.

Vincent Kompany's side looked set to sweep all before them again this season when they thrashed VFB Stuttgart 5-1 on the opening night of the campaign, but that was followed by a 0-0 draw at Schalke and a 2-1 win at Elversberg in which Harry Kane secured victory 18 minutes from time.

It is early days, of course, and Kane will be looking to score in back-to-back Bundesliga games after failing to find the net in Bayern's first two league matches - a goal drought by his standards.

Kompany made seven changes to his starting lineup against Elversberg and several of his stars could be set to return to the XI tonight, including Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala and Luis Diaz.

SEE ALSO Four Days of Derbies: Stream Celtic vs Rangers, Millwall vs West Ham, Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid and more...

Bayern's inability to dispatch Schalke and Elversberg may offer Union a source of hope heading into tonight's game, following a difficult start under Mauro Lustrinelli.

After a thrilling 3-3 opening-day draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, Die Eisernen were thrashed 4-0 at Bayer Leverkusen and lost 3-1 at home to Schalke, leaving them 16th in the table after three matches.

Union appear to have lost the defensive solidity that has been a key factor in the club establishing themselves in the Bundesliga, which is not a good sign when you are about to play a team that scored 122 goals in 34 league games last term.

Their chances of a shock result are not helped by a lengthy injury list which includes defenders Josip Juranovic, Andrik Markgraf, Marvin Friedrich and Stanley Nsoki, plus forwards Andrej Ilic and Oliver Burke.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Bayern Munich 4-0 Union Berlin

We expect Bayern to rediscover their killer instinct against a Union side who are going through a difficult patch.

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Thomas Tuchel has urged both Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold to prove why they deserve to be in the England squad after both earned recalls.

The Three Lions are due to play against Spain, Czechia and Croatia over the next three weeks, in what looks like an opportunity for them to prove a point of their own.

At his squad announcement today, the England boss has said that both Palmer and Alexander-Arnold show the best versions of themselves during the upcoming games.

England face Spain, Croatia and Czechia in upcoming fixtures

The duo were left out of Tuchel's World Cup squad, as England reached the semi-finals of the competition.

But both have started their respective seasons well and are now in a good position to make an impact on the international stage.

Speaking at his squad announcement, Tuchel said: "Cole has his start that he always had but he has his numbers back, he has his assists back, he has decisive goals back so that is why he is in the squad. I think he has a point to prove and the same goes for Trent.

"He was never off the list, he was never non-selectable for us and it is his chance to show, come to camp and be the best version of himself."

Also returning to the squad is Lewis Hall, who also missed out on the World Cup squad, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin has also been recalled.

Tuchel said that the door is "100% always open" for players to return if they have been left out of the squad.

Meanwhile, Rio Ngumoha and Alex Scott both received full call-ups after being among three players who travelled to the USA to help with pre-tournament training, alongside Fulham youngster Josh King.

King was close to getting a call-up as well, but Tuchel said he wanted a "tight" squad to work with.

He continued: "Josh especially had a fantastic start to the season with Fulham, it was very close but in the end I felt like we keep the squad tight and keep the players that come into the camp with trust in the number.

"Josh is there with the U21, but he was close and on the radar."

The full squad is: Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

It's fair to say things haven't been terrific for Manchester United so far this season.

Comfortable wins against Ipswich Town and Sabah aside, they've lost to newly promoted Hull City, drawn with Everton's massively depleted squad and lost a Manchester derby against a City side playing with only ten men.

However, Wednesday evening's home collapse against Brighton and Hove Albion might have been the lowest point of the campaign so far, and it was entirely self-inflicted.

Carrick needs to look at his decision making

It was the first time since 1976 that United had lost after taking a two goal lead at Old Trafford, a record that Michael Carrick will now have on his CV for the rest of his career, and the blame has to be put squarely at his feet.

His team selection, chiefly a second-string outfit with a couple of first-teamers thrown in, wasn't anywhere near strong enough, and so it proved.

Granted, the problems at Man United aren't entirely Carrick's fault, there were definitely positions that needed to be bolstered during the summer that were ignored by those in charge of recruitment, but he isn't helping himself with team selections like the one against Brighton.

First of all, the inexperienced centre back duo of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven was clearly a huge gamble, with neither particularly experienced or dependable enough to play without the support of a trusted guiding hand alongside them.

The lack of cohesion and understanding between the two was clearly on display for Brighton's equaliser when they were split as easily as Carol Vorderman tackling two divided by two.

Further baffling choices were seen behind the two defenders, with Karl Darlow getting his Red Devils debut. Given that Man United's next game isn't until 4:30pm on Sunday, was Senne Lammens really going to be tired from playing on a Wednesday night?

Darlow was very easily beaten for Brighton's first, which changed the complexion of the game right before half-time, while getting a grip on his inexperienced defenders was a distraction he struggled to cope with. Given the pressure Carrick finds himself under at such an early stage in the season, these choices look like unnecessary risks to be making when it ought to be imperative for him to start building momentum and picking up wins where possible.

Though a club of Manchester United's size should have loftier ambitions than the Carabao Cup, it is a winnable piece of silverware that is now off-limits for this season.

But the Premier League and Champions League are also beyond the realm of possibility for them this season, and likely will be for the foreseeable future, so any trophies should be welcomed.

Instead of taking it seriously, Carrick gambled and lost and has now further limited how much he can achieve in this campaign, while also increasing the amount of scrutiny he will be under from here on in.

His rested players need to perform against a struggling Fulham side this weekend, or things could turn nasty barely half way through September.

Given how much they've struggled so far, it wouldn't be wise to bet on them to succeed.

Watch Manchester City Women vs Liverpool Women in the WSL, with all the broadcast details right here in this guide.

With two wins from their opening two games, Manchester City are hoping to continue their winning form.

The champions host Liverpool at Joie Stadium, hoping to extend their lead at the top of the WSL table.

FourFourTwo has all the information on live streams and TV channels so you can watch Manchester City vs Liverpool in the WSL online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Watch Manchester City vs Liverpool for free

The Manchester City vs Liverpool match in the WSL will be available on YouTube.

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Watch Manchester City vs Liverpool from anywhere

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How to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool in the UK

As mentioned above, Manchester City vs Liverpool is live on Sky Sports in the UK, with kick-off at 7:00pm BST.

Outside the UK? Watch Manchester City vs Liverpool via NordVPN.

How to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool in the US

US viewers can watch Manchester City vs Liverpool on Paramount+ Kick-off is at 2:00pm ET.

How to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool in Australia

Fans in Australia can stream Manchester City vs Liverpool on Stan Sport.

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Manchester City vs Liverpool: Women's Super League preview

Champions Manchester City host Liverpool at the Joie Stadium on Friday night, with both sides unbeaten after the opening two games of the Women's Super League season.

City have made a perfect start to their title defence, beating newly promoted Birmingham City 3-1 before following that up with a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. They are the only team to have won both of their opening matches and currently sit top of the WSL.

Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has already picked up where she left off last season, scoring three goals in her first two league appearances. The Jamaica international won the WSL Golden Boot and PFA Women's Player of the Year award last season, while she has also been named on the 2026 Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Shaw scored twice against Birmingham before finding the net again in the win over Villa, and unsurpisingly already leads this season's Golden Boot race.

Meanwhile, Liverpool opened their campaign with an emphatic 4-0 victory over newly-promoted Charlton Athletic before drawing 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur. Aurelie Csillag came off the bench to rescue a point against Spurs after Liverpool fell behind.

These results are already a marked improvement on last season's start. The Reds went without a win in their first 12 WSL matches in 2025-26, before improving during the second half of the campaign.

Liverpool boss Gareth Taylor spent almost five years in charge of Manchester City before his departure in March 2025 and will return to the Joie Stadium in the Reds' toughest test yet.

City will be looking to maintain their perfect start and continue their title defence in style, while Liverpool will be hoping to cause an upset

FourFourTwo's prediction

Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool

A tight game will see City just clinch it

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Newcastle United are yet to discover the full extent of Anthony Elanga's injury.

The Magpies are preparing for their final league clash before the international break, with this season's surprise package Hull City travelling up to Tyneside for this weekend's match.

However, Elanga will be among several Newcastle players who will play no part in the match.

Matthias Jaissle 'sad' to be without Elanga

Speaking before this weekend's match, Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle said Elanga was due to go for an MRI scan to get more "clarity" on his situation.

He said: "No real update on Anthony. I've spoken with him now, he is heading for an MRI scan. We will get more clarity after that, and hope it's not too serious.

"It is sad after the great start he had. He is a key strength in our squad and we want to stay positive."

Among Newcastle's growing list of injury concerns are striker Will Osula, Amar Dedic and Jacob Ramsey, while Nico Gonzalez will also be absent for the Tigers' visit due to concussion protocol.

The ex-Man City man had to be removed during Newcastle's heavy defeat to Leeds on Monday night, after taking a knock to the head.

Jaissle added: “It was just unlucky. It was not a big hit, but the hit was was strong enough and precise enough to knock him out.

"We need to be smart, we have the responsibility then to follow the protocol from the league, which I really think it's so good that we're so advanced in that approach, so he's missing the Saturday's match."

Jaissle is wary of this weekend's opponents, who have shocked with their performances so far, beating Manchester United and drawing away at Chelsea.

He added: "Hull are doing a great job, they have a clear identity. They know exactly what they are doing and what their strengths are and how to execute them on the pitch.

"We need to take their strengths away and use their weaknesses to get a good result."

Thomas Tuchel has unveiled his England squad for the upcoming men's senior fixtures against Spain, Czechia, and Croatia.

The newly assembled group signals a fresh chapter for the Three Lions as they look to bounce back from their World Cup semi-final exit in North America over the summer.

Tuchel has made several notable adjustments to his squad to kickstart the new campaign, blending established veterans with exciting young prospects.

England squad for Nations League matches in September and October

The most prominent talking point is the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The versatile defender has been recalled after being left out of the World Cup squad.

Tuchel is also set to hand greater opportunity to the England youth, handing call-ups to rising stars like Rio Ngumoha and Myles Lewis-Skelly, alongside defender Jarell Quansah. Meanwhile, Jason Steele joins James Trafford and Jordan Pickford make up the goalkeeping union.

Here is Tuchel’s England squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como 1907); Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United); Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid); Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Alex Scott (Bournemouth)

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool); Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Chelsea look set to be without striker Joao Pedro for tonight's clash with Brentford.

The 24-year-old has started this season in tremendous form, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

However, during last weekend's 2-2 draw with Hull City, the Brazilian picked up a knock that is expected to rule him out of this evening's game.

Pedro has dropped out of Brazil squad

Pedro has pulled out of Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil squad for the upcoming international break.

The forward was due to be involved in two friendlies against Australia next week, but has since withdrawn.

However, despite his withdrawal from international duty, Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has refused to rule out Pedro's availability for this evening.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Alonso suggested there was a possibility that the 24-year-old could be involved.

He said: "In terms of injuries and in terms of the squad, we are having the last training session tomorrow so no one is ruled out for us for Friday.

"I prefer to be cautious and we will wait until tomorrow to take the final decision on every player."

Nevertheless, Pedro was absent from an open training session earlier this week and reports in Brazil claim that he's been advised to rest for three weeks.

According to ESPN Brasil, the striker has been recommended to rest for three weeks and is therefore unlikely to play this evening.

That could pave the way for a first Chelsea Premier League start for Danny Welbeck.

The ex-Brighton man has scored three goals this season in the Carabao Cup and made two substitute's appearances in the league.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s commitment to the national team has been rewarded, with the Real Madrid man earning a recall to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.

His inclusion marks a turning point for the 27-year-old, who was left out of the Three Lions' squad for the recent 2026 World Cup in North America.

While some players might have considered stepping away from international duty following such an omission, the ex-Liverpool star has remained resolute in his desire to represent his country again.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is back in the England squad

His timely recall shines a new light on a public plea he made just weeks ago.

Speaking to the Mirror in August, as the dust settled on the summer's tournament, Alexander-Arnold made his position clear, that his international ambitions were far from over.

"Until I retire, I'm still an England player, whether I'm selected or not," he declared. "I'm always available if and when the manager needs me. There's no bigger honour."

That dedication appears to have resonated with Tuchel as the England manager freshens up the squad for the Nations League campaign.

Alexander-Arnold's passing range and versatility presents the German with a valuable asset. Whether deployed as an attacking full-back, wing-back in a back five, or in an inverted midfield role, his creative output is undeniable.

The upcoming Nations League matches will offer Alexander-Arnold the opportunity to cement his place in Tuchel’s long-term plans ahead of Euro 2028. Having been forced to watch the World Cup from afar this summer, his determination to prove his worth on the international scene should be greater than ever.

For England fans, his return injects additional creativity back into the setup. The likes of Cole Palmer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Alex Scott, Jarrad Branthwaite and Rio Ngumoha have also been called up to Tuchel's group this time around.

Granit Xhaka has been at Sunderland for just over a year, but he has already forged a reputation as one of the club’s greatest-ever signings.

It is easy to understand why. Switzerland’s captain arrived on Wearside shortly after the Black Cats’ unlikely play-off triumph over Sheffield United, with the club heavily tipped to finish bottom of the Premier League.

Many wondered why the 16th-best player on the Ballon d’Or list would leave a club that won the German double a year earlier. Was the Stadium of Light his retirement home? Absolutely not.

If anyone can, Xhaka can

As leader of the Régis Le Bris machine, the 33-year-old has galvanised his teammates and transformed the club not only into a top-flight side but into a club supporters can be proud of again as they enjoy their first European campaign in over 50 years.

However, while Xhaka may draw regular plaudits from pundits and the general Premier League consumer, there is another man who has been integral to Sunderland’s rise, with the potential to outshine his captain and etch his name into the club’s history as a modern-day legend.

When Sunderland were sniffing around the Championship promotion places in January 2025, the club’s owner and chairman, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, sensed an opportunity.

The Swiss-French businessman, who went on to orchestrate the signing of Xhaka among others, somehow managed to lure former French U21 international Enzo Le Fée from Serie A club AS Roma to come and play second-tier football in the North East of England.

Joining on an initial loan, it was evident within seconds of his first touch that Le Fée was a special talent, and with a permanent move hinging on promotion, the Wearside club would have to make it to the Premier League or lose their most talented footballer in years.

“I was in Rome, I was a bit sad because I didn’t enjoy football,” the midfielder told Opta Analyst a month after completing his loan. “I wanted to find my confidence again, so that’s why I came here, because I knew [Le Bris] could bring me everything I need to perform on the pitch.”

Of course, we all know what happened, and off the back of the Wembley party, the French wizard’s loan was turned permanent for £19.3 million, a club-record deal at the time. In truth, injury prevented the magician from showcasing all his talent in the Championship, but his joy and confidence were brewing.

The Premier League is a step up for any player and, surprisingly, Le Fée, he was exiled from Le Bris’ starting lineup for the opening encounter vs West Ham United. That was partly due to the newfound strength in Sunderland’s midfield, with Noah Sadiki flourishing in pre-season, while Le Fée had been adequate.

While everyone purred at Xhaka’s early influence, Le Fée worked tirelessly not only to reclaim his place in Le Bris’ side but also to cement his status as the club’s most creative outlet, playing on the wing when required, or in a more central role in front of his captain.

Key goals and assists against Brentford, Bournemouth and Liverpool highlighted the Frenchman’s importance to this team, but he knew he had to do much more to remain in the starting XI. By the end of the season, the attacking midfielder had completed more running and covered more distance than over 93 per cent of players in his position, according to FotMob.

Such was the Frenchman’s influence that he played every minute in 22 of his final 23 Premier League appearances of the 25/26 campaign (his five-minute cameo in the Tyne-Wear derby a knock-on effect of injury). Five goals and six assists in his first top-flight season were by no means groundbreaking, but the Frenchman has gone about his business quietly in Xhaka’s shadow, producing moments of magic with the swing of a boot.

Of course, there is a reasonable argument that Xhaka will be remembered on Wearside longer than Le Fée, the events of the summer have slightly tarnished what was viewed as an untouchable reputation. There was a period when it seemed like Xhaka’s love affair with Wearside would end abruptly to link up with Xabi Alonso at Chelsea, and while there have been conflicting reports on what actually transpired, there must have been some desire on his part.

At 33, Xhaka has shown no signs of decline, but realistically, he has a few seasons left at the highest level, meaning he will likely leave a short but lasting impression on the Wearside faithful as a player. As for Le Fée, he is flourishing and entering his prime years at 26 and can continue as a Sunderland mainstay as long as he maintains his form under the man he calls a father figure.

With Sunderland now on a Europa League adventure that will include trips to Milan, Anderlecht and Lech Poznan, there is a seismic opportunity for this squad to make history, especially if the club go deep into the competition. The omens are good, as all of the last eight English clubs to qualify through their league placement have advanced past the group or league phase, with six reaching the quarter-finals and Aston Villa winning it last season.

If Sunderland are to pull off another upset, then Xhaka and Le Fée will be integral, particularly in the business end of the competition. Le Fée, which means 'the fairy ', might just be the man to write a new chapter in the Black Cats’ history books.

Neal Maupay admits he was inspired to go and score a late winner against Arsenal out of sheer spite - just so he could rub it in the face of an opponent.

The then-Brighton striker was involved in a collision with Gunners stopper Bernd Leno back in summer 2020 that forced the German to go off with a knee injury.

Leno's Arsenal teammates were none too happy, with Matteo Guendouzi, in particular, sniping at Maupay throughout the rest of the game....only for the Seagulls forward to put away a 95th-minute winner.

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

" I was 100 per cent convinced I would score and get into his face and say, ‘You’ve got more money, but we won and I scored'"

That games helped mark the beginning of the end for Guendouzi at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta dropping the midfielder for the next game and explaining: "Whatever internal issue we have, we deal with it privately."

Maupay told FourFourTwo: "It was a good memory for me, and for the Brighton fans as well. I think it was the first game back after lockdown on a really hot day in June.

"During the game, there was a lot of talking between Dan Burn and some of the Arsenal players.

"Then I had that contact with Bernd Leno when he got injured, and that started to heat things up a little bit.

"That French guy [Guendouzi] was talking about money, how Arsenal is a big club and we were nothing compared to him and Arsenal.

"That’s not the trash talking I like because that's just nonsense.

"So, I kept that in my mind the whole game and I was 100 per cent convinced I would score and get into his face and say, ‘You’ve got more money, but we won and I scored'.

"I scored in virtually the last kick of the game and went straight up to him and said what I thought about him. He showed zero humility and I told everyone in my post-match interview.

"I think if you say stuff like this, you face the consequences, so I wanted to make sure everybody knew what he said."

The interview with Neal was arranged by YRDS.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. Somewhere between September and Christmas, you miss a deadline, forget to swap out an injured full-back, lose ground in your mini-league and silently abandon the fantasy team for another season. Only when I’ve had money riding on the outcome of a league have I soldiered on until the bitter end - but by that point it’s a chore rather than a bit of fun.

We can change that.

Enter Play Nimbus, the app built for supporters who love football but hate the gruelling second job of managing a fantasy football team. Play Nimbus does away with the long-term commitment entirely, allowing you to dive in whenever you want without ruining your overall season if you take a week off.

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Here is why your fantasy group chat is about to do a bit of code-switching:

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So, how does it all work?

Pick a minimum of four players (at least two per team) and go head-to-head on the match of your choice. Get double points for your star pick, or hedge your bets by picking a fifth player instead.

The beauty of Play Nimbus is that it’s plug-and-play and there are weekly winners, not just one jackpot-hoarding champion at the end of a long season.

Challenge up to 50 mates, colleagues, or family members every gameweek. Show your pals you’re at the forefront of the fantasy football revolution with a concept that requires real skill.

Why is Play Nimbus different - and better?

Forget odds boosts, betting ads, and having your acca ruined by a 94th-minute VAR decision - Play Nimbus bins the bookies entirely. There are no cash bets in the app, no hidden catches, and zero financial risk - just a clean, accessible alternative built on genuine football IQ.

Join the Play Nimbus x FourFourTwo Challenge and win prizes!

Join the FourFourTwo Challenge, where you can put your credentials on the line with various prizes up for grabs throughout the season.

The code to join is 3986FF - remember to enter this into the homepage or ‘Challenge’ section of the Play Nimbus app.

You should probably download Play Nimbus right now and sign up for a chance to be in with a shot, then - it is completely free after all.

It's the end of the week – and that means one thing.

Happy Friday and Happy International Break Eve, one and all: we're four weeks into the new Premier League season but the international calendar - whether you like it or loathe it - is about to get underway for 2026/27 with a UEFA Nations League kick-off.

Your one constant through it all is the Friday Football Quiz: an end-of-week treat to put your knowledge to the test, this week. We've got 20 questions ready whenever you are.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

Mastering the weekly football trivia task? Nice one. Now, let's stretch your footballing IQ across every era, continent, and iconic quotes catalogue, as we delve into more quizzes, courtesy of Kwizly.

We’re starting at maximum intensity with a battle of raw passion and clinical penalty-box execution. First, step directly into the crossfire of football's most outspoken pundit and captain by seeing if you can tell us who these iconic Roy Keane quotes were about, testing whether you remember his most devastating put-downs and fiery assessments. Once you've survived Keane's verbal tackles, pivot to pure top-flight firepower and try to name every player to score 20+ goals in a Premier League season.

If your scouting radar excels at tracking global movements or mapping out international heritage, we have two formidable challenges waiting in the tunnel. You can put your visual deduction and transfer memory to the ultimate test by trying to name these 100 players just from their career path, tracing everyone from nomadic journeymen to one-club stalwarts. Following that career-path marathon, test your chronological precision on the global stage by naming every nation to have hosted the World Cup in order, tracing the tournament's geopolitical journey from 1930 straight through to the modern era.

Then, settle down for FourFourTwo’s Weekend Crossword 70, with clues on convincers, princes and principalities, featuring a brilliantly clever blend of tactical visionaries, royal folklore, and cryptic clues. To ensure your analytical edge stays razor-sharp for every matchday, subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of hand-picked trivia. To complete your transfer to terrace legend status, lock in your spot in The Club, our free membership hub where you can claim secret hints for our toughest puzzles, climb global leaderboards, and debate the latest topics directly in the comments.

Tottenham Hotspur are one of two teams without a Premier League goal this season. Four matches in, only Spurs and promoted Coventry City are still goalless.

It's the worst-ever start to a Spurs season in goalscoring terms but they have at least conceded half as many as the Sky Blues. New signing Jan Paul van Hecke is one of the reasons the major problem appears to be at the attacking end of the pitch.

The transfer of Van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion was a big investment in a proven Premier League central defender but it came with a catch, and not in hindsight.

Van Hecke and Vuskovic 'swap' will be profitable for Brighton on and off the pitch

Elite football's regulatory environment now incentivises player trading. Selling and buying, in combination, are broadly more compliant than keeping. Clubs twist that might otherwise be motivated to stick.

Players swapping between the same two clubs in the same window is becoming increasingly common but the same regulations make it clear that dealing them independently rather than as swaps is usually the way to go.

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

The spreadsheet rules all, and these de facto swap deals are happening more frequently than true swaps ever did. The transfer fees are for accountants. It's the players and the difference between their values that mean something.

Van Hecke's move to Spurs was officially unconnected to 19-year-old Luka Vuskovic going the other way but the deals will always be linked in the minds of Spurs supporters. They might come to view them with regret.

The young Croatian never played a first team game for Spurs before joining Brighton for a reported fee in the region of £46 million. Van Hecke, the older and more expensive of the pair, has been overshadowed by his successor in the early part of the season.

Vuskovic looks like a genuine talent, with all the technical ability, physicality and intelligence to succeed at the highest levels of the game.

He's dominant in the air and a major factor at set pieces in both boxes, and Fabian Hurzeler has been able to lean on him and Lewis Dunk in what's become a very fine start to the season.

Brighton's business model suggests that a player of Vuskovic's prodigious talent will eventually be sold on again for an even greater fee. Van Hecke himself is evidence of that.

For Spurs, the sale of Vuskovic marked the exit of a white-hot prospect who they wanted enough to sign three years ago but only had ownership of for a year before shuffling him off in exchange for a more established player.

Down the road, a cornerstone of Arsenal's 2025/26 Premier League title win was signed all the way back in 2019, and sent on three loans - the same number as Vuskovic - before working his way into the Gunners' starting lineup.

William Saliba may be injured currently but his 184 appearances for Arsenal over the past four seasons are testament to long-term squad planning and a club being able to see the bigger picture.

The worry from a Spurs point of view is that Vuskovic, potentially, could have been a short-term win too. Watching him continue to develop could make for difficult viewing.

Morning! Fancy another FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz? Well, good. Because here are 10 football trivia questions for you to answer in the next 90 seconds.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has more football quizzes courtesy of Kwizly. First up, a real tester for you. Can you name every player ever to have scored a Premier League hat-trick?

If you get up into the hundreds there, this will be a breeze. We also have 15 questions each on English football's top men's division in the 2016-17 season, the 2006-07 season and the 1996-97 season.

Next, we want you to name the first goalscorer in every single Premier League season. We're also challenging you to try to arrange these players in order of their Premier League appearances from most to least.

Women's football experts will find this one easy. Can you list out every team currently competing in the WSL or WSL2, the top two divisions of the women's game in England?

Last but not least, here's a quiz for fans with a special skill for delving into history. Can you name every club to have played in England's top flight, either the First Division or the Premier League, since 1945?

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!

It took a while to take him out of the microwave but Ruben Amorim was cooked as soon as Manchester United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the first opportunity last season.

Man United were beaten by Grimsby Town on that occasion. Their third round exit from the same competition on Wednesday night was a major blow to Michael Carrick as he seeks to give lie to the idea that a football club should never appoint a caretaker manager on a permanent basis.

Losing to Premier League opposition in a cup game is just a hazard of the job, but throwing away a two-goal lead at home against Brighton & Hove Albion and not even getting to penalties was a bitter pill to swallow after a less-than-stellar start to the league campaign.

Next permanent Manchester United manager odds

United won just one of their first four league fixtures, the kind of drop in run-rate from the second half of last season that's bound to attract scrutiny after the Red Devils invested heavily to reinforce the midfield.

Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans both started the Carabao Cup game at Old Trafford but were powerless to halt United's collapse from 2-0 up to 3-2 down. Consequently, Carrick is having one of those days where it's best to avoid the internet.

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

As the bookmakers slash the odds on Carrick becoming the first Premier League manager to face the sack this season, related markets on who would replace him as United's next permanent manager have gone into overdrive.

Based on an average of the various markets already available, the favourite is former Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe at 6/4 – an English boss with lots of Premier League experience but likely to be a divisive choice among United fans.

England manager Thomas Tuchel is available around 7/2 in the betting but not, the FA would say, available to move back into the club game after previous spells that included Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

Somewhere around 4/1, you'll find another manager whose most recent job was in international football. Julian Nagelsmann left the Germany job after the World Cup this summer and remains out of work, but is a less attractive offer following his performance over the summer.

Antonio Conte is listed around 9/1, while Gareth Southgate and Kieran McKenna – both available – are at odds of 15/1 on average.

Darren Fletcher leads the inevitable group of former Red Devils players, with 20/1 on offer if you think he'll get a chance to reprise his caretaker role on a permanent basis.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney are also on the list along with former United managers Ralf Rangnick, David Moyes and Erik ten Hag. Their odds are appropriately long.

Other potential candidates with marginally more convincing odds include Carlo Ancelotti (20/1), Fabian Hurzeler (25/1), Mauricio Pochettino (25/1) and Diego Simeone (50/1).

Watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth in the Europa League as the Cherries travel to northern Spain for their first-ever game in continental football. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

The 2,000 Bournemouth fans who have travelled to San Sebastian will surely be pinching themselves when their team walks out at the 40,000-capacity Reale Arena, as a club who have spent most of their history in the bottom two divisions of the EFL play in Europe for the first time.

Sociedad will be targeting three points from this league phase opener, but they have endured a mixed start to the season and lost 3-0 at home to Atletico Madrid last weekend.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth online and from anywhere, in the Europa League 2026/27.

Can I watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth for free?

Yes, Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth is free-to-air in Brazil on Caze TV's YouTube Channel.

No subscription or account is required.

NordVPN can help unlock your free stream if you're outside Brazil this Thursday.

Watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth.

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 Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth on TNT Sports and its streaming partner HBO Max.

The game is live on TNT Sports 2 and TNT Sports 6, with kick-off at 8:00pm BST.

How to watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth in the US

Viewers in the US can watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth on Paramount+. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

How to watch Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth in Australia

Stan Sport has live coverage of Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth in Australia. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Friday.

Tickets

Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth: Preview

Real Sociedad start their 2026/27 Europa League campaign in the way they finished their previous one: with a tie against English opponents.

La Real were last in the competition in the 2024/25 season, when they lost 5-2 on aggregate to eventual finalists Manchester United in the Round of 16.

This league phase opener against Bournemouth should be another tough test for the La Liga outfit, who have taken seven points from their first six league games of the campaign and lost 3-0 at home to Atletico Madrid last Sunday - although the game was goalless with seven minutes remaining.

Igor Zubeldia and Pablo Marin are injury doubts for Sociedad, while right back Jon Mikel Aramburu is suspended having been sent off in the United tie two seasons ago.

SEE ALSO Europa League 2026/27 TV Guide

Bournemouth's historic first steps in European competition have been on the cards for some time, after their ninth-place finish in the Premier League in 2024/25 was followed by last term's club-record position of sixth.

The manager who led them to that feat, Andoni Iraola, would have been set for a Basque homecoming had he still been in charge, but his excellent work with the Cherries landed him a job at Liverpool.

He was replaced by Marco Rose and the German appears to have settled quickly into the role, although Bournemouth's performances in the Premier League haven't necessarily been backed up by results after they conceded late goals against Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle United, before drawing 2-2 with Brentford last weekend.

Rose remains confident that his team are on the right path and that is certainly true of a club who will make history tonight with the first European fixture of their 127-year history.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Real Sociedad 1-2 Bournemouth

The Cherries are rookies on the European stage, but they shouldn't be underestimated.

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Manchester United Women’s new era under Eva Olid could hardly have got off to a more difficult start.

A 2-1 defeat to London City Lionesses was followed by a 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea, leaving Olid’s side with plenty of questions to answer after just two Women’s Super League games.

With a new manager, a significantly reshaped squad and no European football this season, there are already reasons for concern at United.

A huge summer of change

Olid was brought in to replace Marc Skinner after United finished fourth in the WSL last season, missing out on European football.

The club have also seen a significant number of players depart this summer, with Hannah Blundell, Leah Galton, Gabby George, Melvine Malard, Lisa Naalsund and Millie Turner all leaving the club.

In their place, United brought in Rebeca Bernal, Monica Jusu Bah, Janina Leitzig and Andrea Medina, but questions around whether the club had done enough business in the transfer window were rife amongst fans.

The lack of investment in the women’s team has long been a concern at Manchester United, and something Skinner struggled with over his five-year tenure.

In April he said: "I'm absolutely passionate about what we do. But we have to make some changes in the summer. We have to make some changes to make sure that we can compete with what's clearly a financial market at times.”

The summer rebuild was then compounded by the arrival of Olid, who has never managed in the WSL before. Having only joined at the start of August, she has had limited time to implement her playing style and get a new squad up to speed.

Poor results and worrying performances

United's opening two results have done little to settle those questions.

The defeat to London City was disappointing, with Alexia Putellas’ new side outplaying United for most of the match. Simi Awujo scored a consolation goal deep into stoppage time, but United offered little attacking threat before then.

The Chelsea loss was more concerning.

United managed just two shots compared to Chelsea's 24, while nobody in a United shirt received a FotMob rating above 6.5.

Unsurprisingly, defenders Dominique Janssen and Maya Le Tissier were particularly low-rated, receiving scores of 2.8 and 4.6 respectively.

It was not simply the result that was concerning. United were repeatedly exposed defensively, struggled to press Chelsea effectively and made a number of individual errors.

There will be an inevitable adjustment period as Olid implements a new system, but the Chelsea performance suggested some of the problems go beyond simply learning a new style. United struggled to play out from the back, were slow off the ball and lacked creativity in attack.

There have been positives, with Medina impressing in both games before being forced off injured against Chelsea. Bernal also made her debut and could provide another option in midfield. But there is clearly plenty of work to do.

The pressure starts now

There is still a long way to go in the season and two games should not define a campaign.

But United's lack of European football means their progress will be judged almost entirely on their domestic results, while rivals around them have strengthened.

Having made history last season by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time, United must return to European competition to show progress. But right now, finishing third in the WSL seems a long way off.

For Olid, the challenge is to get the team on board as she establishes a new identity, while restoring confidence before a difficult starts develops into a rut.

Two games do not make a season, but United have already given their new manager plenty to fix.

Pressure is mounting on Michael Carrick at Old Trafford following Manchester United’s Carabao Cup exit to Brighton.

The 3-2 defeat, which saw the Seagulls come back from a 2-1 deficit, has prompted bookmakers to drastically slash odds on Carrick's dismissal.

Another defeat adds to what has been a tricky start to Carrick’s first full season as permanent manager. With the Red Devils languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table after picking up just four points from their opening four matches, an early cup exit leaves the club fighting on fewer fronts when silverware could have papered over the cracks of an otherwise sub-standard season.

Michael Carrick sack odds

In response to the defeat, Sky Bet has priced Carrick at 10/3 to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post, down from his 33/1 pre-season standing.

The former Middlesbrough boss was 11/1 in the same market at the start of September, and 15/2 prior to Wednesday's elimination.

Bookmakers have also priced the ex-Man United midfielder at 5/2 to leave the Old Trafford hotseat before Christmas Day.

And for those punters bullish enough to back an immediate exit, Carrick is 6/1 to be sacked before the end of September or during October. November, meanwhile, represents the shortest individual month for his potential departure at 7/2.

The road ahead offers little relief for the under-fire boss with Sky Bet offering 10/1 on Manchester United to lose their next two Premier League matches against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

Should their poor form snowball further, odds stretch to 50/1 for four straight league defeats - which would encompass losses to Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth - and 100/1 for five consecutive Premier League defeats.

Bookmakers haven't completely written off the former England international, though. Carrick remains 2/1 to weather the storm and remain in charge until the end of the season.

However, with patience wearing thin among supporters and Man United already drifting from the top four race, upcoming fixtures will prove crucial in determining whether Carrick can stabilise the ship or become the latest managerial casualty in Old Trafford's turbulent post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Man United are away at Fulham on Sunday, 20 September in the 4:30pm kick-off on Sky Sports.

Their next league match after that comes following the extended September-October international break, at home to Tottenham Hotspur on October 10.

While Ffion Morgan did not always understand why footballers would put their lives on social media, she is now one of the most-loved and recognised online personalities in women's football.

The Wales international has built her own platform, giving fans an insight into life as a professional footballer.

And for Morgan, it is about more than simply creating content - she hopes building her profile can help create more opportunities for herself and other female players who might not always have the spotlight.

Ffion Morgan: ‘I had to make my own luck’

For Morgan, building a profile away from the pitch has been about taking control of opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive.

That realisation led her to social media, where the 26-year-old has built an audience by showing the reality of life as a professional footballer.

Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, she said: “For me, I don't necessarily have the opportunities that others do.

"Where I sit as a Welsh player, and not necessarily at one of the top clubs. So I had to make my own luck.

“Branding is a huge part of that. To grow my brand on social media, which inspires a generation and shows people what it's really like as a footballer. There's not many negatives in what I'm doing, which is fantastic.”

It was not something she immediately embraced. In fact, when her sister first suggested Morgan start putting herself out there online, she was far from convinced: "My sister encouraged me to do videos and at the time I was like, no, nobody does it, that's weird, I don't want to do it.

“But she said I could be one of the first and pave the way for more people to create opportunities for themselves. So I went for it. I put myself out there, and if people know my name, even if it's from social media, it might get them at a game, and then it'll get them supporting West Ham, and then it'll go on from there.”

‘It’s more than just football’

Morgan's content offers an unfiltered look at professional football, from matchdays and recovery to food, training and the reality of life away from the pitch.

“I just like showing all the game days, what our schedule's like, what recovery's like. So if you're a young footballer watching it, they're going to love that.

“I also want to use my content to show my lifestyle and what's important to me, which is family, friendship and relationships, because in football it can be quite lonely, so showing that is important as well.”

That openness has already had an impact, with Morgan regularly receiving messages from people who have been inspired by her content, especially young players.

“I get messages all the time,” she added. “Saying things like ‘I didn't want to play football anymore, but you've got me back into it.'

“I've met so many people through them liking my vlogs. I know that's so silly, but they've got group chats and they've met friends, which is just lovely. And that's what football is. It's a community and it's more than just football, especially in the women's game, it's fantastic.”

‘You’re hungry for more’

Morgan’s next big opportunity could come with Wales, who are targeting qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup after making history by reaching Euro 2025.

“After the Euros and our success in qualifying for that, we've always wanted more as players and wanted to show ourselves on the big stage.

“Now that we've done it once, you're hungry for more, which is a good thing, but also a bad thing.

“We're all so excited to get going and the playoffs are coming up quite soon. Hopefully everyone stays fit and healthy and then hopefully we'll smash that and Brazil would be fantastic.

“I think my parents would love me if we qualified because they definitely want a Brazil trip!”

Manchester United are set to lose England Under-17 forward JJ Gabriel, who has asked to leave the club months after being named Player of the Season in the Under-18 Premier League.

The Man United teenager's decision has thrust him even further into the spotlight than his playing prospects already had. Gabriel is 15 years old and the truth is nobody should be taking an interest in anything he does.

That's a bigger problem that football as a whole needs to start taking seriously, but as far as Gabriel goes, it's likely to prove a mis-step for Man United to fumble his progress.

Arsenal's Max Dowman is a demonstration of what might have been

Man United have had opportunities to demonstrate their faith in Gabriel and show him that the route to first team football has been laid out.

While it's possible to question the youngster's desire to leave before he's even 16 years of age, the advice he's receiving, and the rights and wrongs of other clubs sniffing around him, there is an example in the Premier League that points to a better outcome.

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

Down at Arsenal, 16-year-old Max Dowman has been given chances and taken them. The Premier League champions have a young talent of their own, and he made his league debut at 15.

Dowman is increasingly being tipped for a senior England call-up, a stark contrast with Gabriel even at this absurdly early stage in both of their careers.

Arsenal have managed Dowman through without over-use. He has six Premier League appearances to his name and another eight in the cups. He's played in the Champions League three times but his lone senior appearance this season was in Tuesday's Carabao Cup win at Ipswich Town.

He scored twice, and therein lies the clue that might have served Man United in Gabriel's case. Dowman is an obvious talent but he won't be thrown in for frequent appearances regardless of those goals.

Mikel Arteta is biding his time. Notably, though, Dowman has had sufficient chances to impress.

Dowman and Gabriel are different people with their own minds and their own advisors, but it's hard to ignore the sense that Man United could have thrown him a bone if they'd wanted.

It wouldn't have been to their detriment either; the Red Devils obviously believe he has huge potential. He might have been in line to play against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday but took himself out of contention with his request to leave.

But when Man United were preparing to play their Champions League opener against Azeri champions Sabah, Gabriel was scoring a hat-trick against them in the UEFA Youth League.

Perhaps the young forward is getting ahead of himself for whatever reason – that isn't and shouldn't be any of our business, and Man United have their own reasons to select him or not – but there's a good chance Dowman would have been selected in an equivalent Arsenal match.

If that's the difference between keeping and losing a top prospect, it could be a decision they come to regret.

In July 2020, France Football made the decision to cancel the Ballon d'Or due to disruptions caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Ligue 1 had cancelled the remainder of its season early in April, while the Premier League, LaLiga, and Bundesliga resumed after months of delay. France Football argued that comparing players across leagues with vastly different season lengths and match counts would be unfair.

Competitions like the Champions League had to switch to single-leg knockout tournaments behind closed doors, changing standard evaluation conditions. The temporary introduction of five substitutes per match and postponed summer international tournaments like Euro 2020 and Copa America further altered the landscape.

And the winner was...

Rather than hold the traditional journalist vote, France Football replaced the 2020 award with the ‘Ballon d'Or Dream Team’. An international jury voted for an all-time best XI in football history instead of a player of the year.

But here’s the thing, FourFourTwo, held the vote anyway...

At the end of 2020, FourFourTwo undertook the huge task of polling football journalists ourselves to reveal who the true winner of the Asterix Ballon d'Or was.

An in-house shortlist was created consisting of the 30 players who had had the best season. This was then passed to 101 football journalists from 101 nations, across six continents. Each picked their top five players for 2020.

If you recall, the Ballon d'Or's voting format changed in 2022, but prior to that, the system was: one journalist from over 100 different FIFA member nations picked their top five from a 30-man shortlist, with their picks earning 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point(s) respectively.

FourFourTwo's 30-man 2020 shortlist

• Alisson
• Trent Alexander-Arnold
• Karim Benzema
• Alphonso Davies
• Kevin De Bruyne
• Angel Di Maria
• Bruno Fernandes
• Serge Gnabry
• Leon Goretzka
• Erling Haaland
• Jordan Henderson
• Ciro Immobile
• Harry Kane
• Joshua Kimmich
• Robert Lewandowski
• Romelu Lukaku
• Sadio Mane
• Marquinhos
• Lionel Messi
• Kylian Mbappe
• Thomas Muller
• Manuel Neuer
• Neymar
• Sergio Ramos
• Andrew Robertson
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Mohamed Salah
• Son Heung-min
• Thiago Alcantara
• Virgil van Dijk

The results

In what was an open-and-shut case, FourFourTwo proved Lewandowski won the 2020 Ballon d'Or with 561 points. Interestingly, the 441-point gap between Lewandowski and 2nd place (Kevin De Bruyne) would've broken the record for the biggest winning margin, beating the 429-point gap Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2016 Ballon d'Or by.

Petition to remove the 2020 asterix, Your Honour, as per the evidence below:

• 1 Robert Lewandowski (561 points)
• 2 Kevin De Bruyne (120 points)
• 3 Sadio Mane (113 points)
• 4 Lionel Messi (101 points)
• 5 Cristiano Ronaldo (98 points)
• 6 Manuel Neuer (69 points)
• 7 Virgil van Dijk (67 points)
• 8 Kylian Mbappe (64 points)
• 9 Joshua Kimmich (59 points)
• 10 Neymar (48 points)
• 11 Erling Haaland (43 points)
• 12 Mohamed Salah (42 points)
• 13 Thomas Muller (36 points)
• 14 Sergio Ramos (27 points)
• 15= Thiago Alcantara (23 points)
• 15= Serge Gnabry (23 points)
• 17 Ciro Immobile (21 points)
• 18 Son Heung-min (18 points)
• 19 Alphonso Davies (15 points)
• 20 Romelu Lukaku (14 points)
• 21 Trent Alexander-Arnold (13 points)
• 22 Karim Benzema (11 points)
• 23 Bruno Fernandes (10 points)
• 24 Alisson (7 points)
• 25 Marquinhos (4 points)
• 26= Leon Goretzka (3 points)
• 26= Andrew Robertson (3 points)
• 28 Harry Kane (2 points)
• 29 Jordan Henderson (1 point)
• 30 Angel Di Maria (0 points)

⤵️ The working out

See in full how each journalist from all the nations voted. Spare a thought for poor Angel Di Maria – the only man to get nil points. Curiously, four on the panel felt Robert Lewandowski deserved zilch. Tough crowd...

🇩🇿 ALGERIA

✍️ Maher Mezahi 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Manuel Neuer

Sadio Mané

Neymar

🇦🇴 ANGOLA

✍️ Ivan Capuepue 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Ciro Immobile

Sadio Mané

Erling Haaland

Son Heung-min

🇦🇷 ARGENTINA

✍️ Martin Mazur 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Thomas Muller

Virgil van Dijk

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA

✍️ James Dampney 🗞️ Finder

Virgil van Dijk

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Manuel Neuer

Trent Alexander-Arnold

🇦🇹 AUSTRIA

✍️ Thomas Middler 🗞️ The Other Bundesliga

Robert Lewandowski

Erling Haaland

Alisson

Serge Gnabry

Kevin De Bruyne

🇦🇿 AZERBAIJAN

✍️ Rasi Movsumzadeh 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Serge Gnabry

Sadio Mané

Erling Haaland

🇧🇩 BANGLADESH

✍️ Mehedi Sujan 🗞️ New Age

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Mohamed Salah

Kevin De Bruyne

Manuel Neuer

🇧🇧 BARBADOS

✍️ Renaldo Gilkes 🗞️ Loop News

Robert Lewandowski

Ciro Immobile

Sergio Ramos

Cristiano Ronaldo

Romelu Lukaku

🇧🇪 BELGIUM

✍️ Samindra Kunti 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Joshua Kimmich

Erling Haaland

Romelu Lukaku

🇧🇴 BOLIVIA

✍️ Paola Perez 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Neymar

Lionel Messi

Manuel Neuer

Joshua Kimmich

🇧🇦 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

✍️ Sasa Ibrulj 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Kylian Mbappe

Cristiano Ronaldo

Thiago Alcantara

🇧🇷 BRAZIL

✍️ Mauricio Savarese 🗞️ AP

Robert Lewandowski

Neymar

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Serge Gnabry

Kevin De Bruyne

🇧🇬 BULGARIA

✍️ Metodi Shumanov 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Virgil van Dijk

Serge Gnabry

Sadio Mané

Romelu Lukaku

🇧🇮 BURUNDI

✍️ Elvis Iradukunda 🗞️ BETV

Manuel Neuer

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Kylian Mbappe

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇨🇲 CAMEROON

✍️ Njie Enow 🗞️ CRTV

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Sadio Mané

Virgil van Dijk

Lionel Messi

🇨🇦 CANADA

✍️ Kiyan Sobhani 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Kevin De Bruyne

Cristiano Ronaldo

Neymar

🇹🇩 CHAD

✍️ Nesta Yamgoto 🗞️ Tchadinfos

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Cristiano Ronaldo

Karim Benzema

Neymar

🇨🇳 CHINA

✍️ Jiang Mengxi 🗞️ CGTN

Robert Lewandowski

Mohamed Salah

Kylian Mbappe

Kevin De Bruyne

Joshua Kimmich

🇨🇴 COLOMBIA

✍️ Carl Worswick 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Neymar

Sadio Mané

Erling Haaland

🇨🇰 COOK ISLANDS

✍️ Rashneel Kumar 🗞️ Cook Islands News

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

Thomas Muller

Karim Benzema

🇨🇷 COSTA RICA

✍️ Rodrigo Calvo 🗞️ Buzon De Rodrigo

Robert Lewandowski

Joshua Kimmich

Lionel Messi

Kevin De Bruyne

Marquinhos

🇭🇷 CROATIA

✍️ Ivan Tomic 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Neymar

Andrew Robertson

Manuel Neuer

Sergio Ramos

🇨🇿 CZECH REPUBLIC

✍️ Karel Haring 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kevin De Bruyne

Erling Haaland

Trent Alexander-Arnold

🇩🇰 DENMARK

✍️ Johan Lyngholm-Bjerge 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Virgil van Dijk

Kylian Mbappe

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇨🇩 DR CONGO

✍️ Michel Tobo 🗞️ foot.cd

Robert Lewandowski

Kylian Mbappe

Ciro Immobile

Lionel Messi

Serge Gnabry

🇪🇬 EGYPT

✍️ Marwan Saeed 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Virgil van Dijk

Mohamed Salah

Bruno Fernandes

🇸🇻 EL SALVADOR

✍️ Claudio Martinez 🗞️ Pencho y Aida FM

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Lionel Messi

Ciro Immobile

Sergio Ramos

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND

✍️ Chris Flanagan 🗞️ FourFourTwo

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Kevin De Bruyne

Neymar

Erling Haaland

🇪🇪 ESTONIA

✍️ Angelo Palmeri 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Romelu Lukaku

Ciro Immobile

Erling Haaland

Mohamed Salah

🇪🇹 ETHIOPIA

✍️ Haileegziabher Adhanom 🗞️ SuperSport

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Kevin De Bruyne

🇫🇴 FAROE ISLANDS

✍️ Trondur Arge 🗞️ Sosialurin

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kevin De Bruyne

Thomas Muller

🇫🇮 FINLAND

✍️ Joonas Partanen 🗞️ Iltalehti

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Joshua Kimmich

Bruno Fernandes

Erling Haaland

🇫🇷 FRANCE

✍️ Fabien Fougeray 🗞️ CANAL+

Robert Lewandowski

Thiago Alcantara

Son Heung-min

Erling Haaland

Trent Alexander-Arnold

🇬🇲 GAMBIA

✍️ Momodou Bah 🗞️ CAFOnline

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Sadio Mané

Bruno Fernandes

Manuel Neuer

🇩🇪 GERMANY

✍️ Jonathan Harding 🗞️ DW Sports

Robert Lewandowski

Joshua Kimmich

Erling Haaland

Leon Goretzka

Manuel Neuer

🇬🇭 GHANA

✍️ Bernard Neequaye 🗞️ Daily Graphic

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Kylian Mbappe

Sadio Mané

Trent Alexander-Arnold

🇬🇷 GREECE

✍️ Vasilis Sambrakos 🗞️ gazzetta.gr

Robert Lewandowski

Joshua Kimmich

Manuel Neuer

Thomas Muller

Kevin De Bruyne

🇭🇺 HUNGARY

✍️ Gyorgy Szollosi 🗞️ FourFourTwo Hungary

Robert Lewandowski

Kylian Mbappe

Joshua Kimmich

Cristiano Ronaldo

Manuel Neuer

🇮🇸 ICELAND

✍️ Johann Sigurdsson 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Kevin De Bruyne

Virgil van Dijk

🇮🇳 INDIA

✍️ Mihir Vasavda 🗞️ Indian Express

Robert Lewandowski

Kylian Mbappe

Kevin De Bruyne

Sadio Mané

Joshua Kimmich

🇮🇩 INDONESIA

✍️ Tio Prasetyo 🗞️ Box2Box

Robert Lewandowski

Bruno Fernandes

Virgil van Dijk

Alphonso Davies

Trent Alexander-Arnold

🇮🇷 IRAN

✍️ Babak Golriz 🗞️ Sport360

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Kevin De Bruyne

Karim Benzema

Sadio Mané

🇮🇱 ISRAEL

✍️ Michael Yokhin 🗞️ Freelance

Thomas Muller

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Joshua Kimmich

Trent Alexander-Arnold

🇮🇹 ITALY

✍️ Emanuele Giulianelli 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Thomas Muller

Kylian Mbappe

Mohamed Salah

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇯🇵 JAPAN

✍️ Koki Harada 🗞️ Tokyo Chunichi

Robert Lewandowski

Virgil van Dijk

Cristiano Ronaldo

Son Heung-min

Ciro Immobile

🇯🇴 JORDAN

✍️ Mohammed Awaad 🗞️ Alroeya

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Lionel Messi

Kylian Mbappe

Romelu Lukaku

🇰🇪 KENYA

✍️ Charles Nyende 🗞️ Nation

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Serge Gnabry

Lionel Messi

Karim Benzema

🇽🇰 KOSOVO

✍️ Bajram Shala 🗞️ RTV 21

Robert Lewandowski

Sergio Ramos

Sadio Mané

Joshua Kimmich

Kylian Mbappe

🇱🇧 LEBANON

✍️ Mohamed Fawaz 🗞️ Almustaqbal

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Mohamed Salah

🇱🇷 LIBERIA

✍️ Anthony Kokoi 🗞️ KMTV

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Sergio Ramos

Kylian Mbappe

🇱🇾 LIBYA

✍️ Morad Dkeel 🗞️ WTV-Libya

Joshua Kimmich

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Erling Haaland

Thiago Alcantara

🇲🇴 MACAU

✍️ Pedro Santos 🗞️ Ponto Final

Cristiano Ronaldo

Mohamed Salah

Manuel Neuer

Lionel Messi

Bruno Fernandes

🇲🇬 MADAGASCAR

✍️ Haja Lucas Rakotondrazaka 🗞️ L’Express de Madagascar

Robert Lewandowski

Thiago Alcantara

Lionel Messi

Neymar

Manuel Neuer

🇲🇼 MALAWI

✍️ Peter Kanjere 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

Manuel Neuer

Kevin De Bruyne

🇲🇾 MALAYSIA

✍️ Vijhay Vick 🗞️ Johor Darul Ta’zim

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappe

Lionel Messi

Mohamed Salah

🇲🇽 MEXICO

✍️ Jason Marquitz 🗞️ soccermexicana.com

Sadio Mané

Robert Lewandowski

Neymar

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Serge Gnabry

🇲🇪 MONTENEGRO

✍️ Danilo Mitrovic 🗞️ ND Vijesti

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Neymar

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Thomas Muller

🇲🇦 MOROCCO

✍️ Mohamed Amine El Amri 🗞️ Le Matin

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Romelu Lukaku

Sadio Mané

Karim Benzema

🇳🇦 NAMIBIA

✍️ Sheefeni Nikodemus 🗞️ The Namibian

Robert Lewandowski

Son Heung-min

Marquinhos

Ciro Immobile

Sadio Mané

🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS

✍️ Guus Hetterscheid 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Kevin De Bruyne

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND

✍️ Gordon Watson 🗞️ OFC TV

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappe

Lionel Messi

Virgil van Dijk

🇳🇮 NICARAGUA

✍️ Gunther Kuse 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kevin De Bruyne

Joshua Kimmich

Virgil van Dijk

🇳🇬 NIGERIA

✍️ Tolu Olasoji 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Neymar

Serge Gnabry

Kevin De Bruyne

🇬🇧 NORTHERN IRELAND

✍️ Keith Bailie 🗞️ County Down Spectator

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Alphonso Davies

Kevin De Bruyne

Erling Haaland

🇳🇴 NORWAY

✍️ Thore Haugstad 🗞️ NRK Sport

Robert Lewandowski

Virgil van Dijk

Lionel Messi

Kevin De Bruyne

Thomas Muller

🇴🇲 OMAN

✍️ Ashok Purohit 🗞️ Muscat Daily

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Cristiano Ronaldo

Mohamed Salah

Sergio Ramos

🇵🇰 PAKISTAN

✍️ Umaid Wasim 🗞️ dawn.com

Robert Lewandowski

Thomas Muller

Neymar

Kevin De Bruyne

Romelu Lukaku

🇵🇪 PERU

✍️ Victor Zaferson 🗞️ Freelance

Thomas Muller

Erling Haaland

Kylian Mbappe

Thiago Alcantara

Leon Goretzka

🇵🇭 PHILIPPINES

✍️ Ryan Fenix 🗞️ GMA News Online

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Kevin De Bruyne

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇵🇱 POLAND

✍️ Zbigniew Muchag 🗞️ Pilka Nozna

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Joshua Kimmich

Sergio Ramos

Sadio Mané

🇵🇹 PORTUGAL

✍️ Valter Marques 🗞️ Record

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Virgil van Dijk

Thiago Alcantara

Kylian Mbappe

🇶🇦 QATAR

✍️ Mitch Freeley 🗞️ beIN SPORTS

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Virgil van Dijk

Kylian Mbappe

Sergio Ramos

🇮🇪 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

✍️ David Sneyd 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Thiago Alcantara

Serge Gnabry

Sadio Mané

Erling Haaland

🇷🇴 ROMANIA

✍️ Emanuel Rosu 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi

Manuel Neuer

Thiago Alcantara

Cristiano Ronaldo

🇷🇺 RUSSIA

✍️ Artur Petrosyan 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Lionel Messi

Virgil van Dijk

Son Heung-min

🇷🇼 RWANDA

✍️ Peter Kamasa 🗞️ The New Times

Sadio Mané

Neymar

Mohamed Salah

Kylian Mbappe

Thiago Alcantara

🇸🇦 SAUDI ARABIA

✍️ Atef Nahass 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Mohamed Salah

Sadio Mané

Thiago Alcantara

Kylian Mbappe

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 SCOTLAND

✍️ Kenny Millar 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Mohamed Salah

Virgil van Dijk

Erling Haaland

Alphonso Davies

🇸🇳 SENEGAL

✍️ Adama Ndione 🗞️ RTS

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Thomas Muller

Karim Benzema

Kevin De Bruyne

🇷🇸 SERBIA

✍️ Vladimir Novak 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Virgil van Dijk

Neymar

Manuel Neuer

Joshua Kimmich

🇸🇱 SIERRA LEONE

✍️ Alusine Rehme Wilson 🗞️ Northern Times

Alphonso Davies

Sadio Mané

Mohamed Salah

Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappe

🇸🇬 SINGAPORE

✍️ Jeremy Lim 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Mohamed Salah

Serge Gnabry

Virgil van Dijk

Sadio Mané

🇸🇰 SLOVAKIA

✍️ Martin Rendek 🗞️ Hospodarske noviny

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Kylian Mbappe

Lionel Messi

Joshua Kimmich

🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA

✍️ Juandre Joubert 🗞️ FourFourTwo SA

Virgil van Dijk

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Erling Haaland

Kevin De Bruyne

🇰🇷 SOUTH KOREA

✍️ Steve Han 🗞️ Goal

Robert Lewandowski

Joshua Kimmich

Kylian Mbappe

Karim Benzema

Jordan Henderson

🇪🇸 SPAIN

✍️ Jon Prada 🗞️ Marca

Robert Lewandowski

Joshua Kimmich

Sergio Ramos

Kylian Mbappe

Lionel Messi

🇸🇷 SURINAME

✍️ Desney Romeo 🗞️ ABC TV

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Kevin De Bruyne

Virgil van Dijk

Sergio Ramos

🇸🇪 SWEDEN

✍️ Lee Roden 🗞️ Sveriges Radio

Virgil van Dijk

Lionel Messi

Robert Lewandowski

Cristiano Ronaldo

Erling Haaland

🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND

✍️ Eva Tedesco 🗞️ 20 Minuten

Joshua Kimmich

Robert Lewandowski

Sergio Ramos

Romelu Lukaku

Sadio Mané

🇹🇿 TANZANIA

✍️ Salim Masoud Said 🗞️ SandalsForGoalposts

Robert Lewandowski

Kylian Mbappe

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Sergio Ramos

🇹🇹 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

✍️ Lasana Liburd 🗞️ wired868.com

Robert Lewandowski

Kevin De Bruyne

Sadio Mané

Neymar

Lionel Messi

🇹🇳 TUNISIA

✍️ Abdesslam Dhaifallah 🗞️ Radio Mosaique FM

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Kylian Mbappe

Cristiano Ronaldo

Mohamed Salah

🇹🇷 TURKEY

✍️ Simge Yazici 🗞️ FourFourTwo Turkey

Robert Lewandowski

Alisson

Neymar

Cristiano Ronaldo

Erling Haaland

🇺🇬 UGANDA

✍️ Ismael Kiyonga 🗞️ Kawawo Sports

Robert Lewandowski

Sergio Ramos

Erling Haaland

Kevin De Bruyne

Alphonso Davies

🇺🇦 UKRAINE

✍️ Andriy Kudyrko 🗞️ ua-football.com

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Kevin De Bruyne

Ciro Immobile

Erling Haaland

🇦🇪 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

✍️ John McAuley 🗞️ The National

Robert Lewandowski

Joshua Kimmich

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Sadio Mané

🇺🇸 USA

✍️ Martin Harasimowicz 🗞️ Freelance

Robert Lewandowski

Son Heung-min

Mohamed Salah

Sadio Mané

Lionel Messi

🇻🇪 VENEZUELA

✍️ Hugo Chavez 🗞️ Lider

Kevin De Bruyne

Robert Lewandowski

Sadio Mané

Thomas Muller

Neymar

🇻🇳 VIETNAM

✍️ Tran Duc Truong 🗞️ zing.vn

Robert Lewandowski

Manuel Neuer

Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi

Neymar

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 WALES

✍️ Huw Davies 🗞️ Freelance

Kevin De Bruyne

Robert Lewandowski

Son Heung-min

Harry Kane

Alphonso Davies

🇿🇼 ZIMBABWE

✍️ Grace Chingoma 🗞️ The Herald

Robert Lewandowski

Erling Haaland

Kevin De Bruyne

Sadio Mané

Alphonso Davies

As a prominent TV pundit, Jamie Carragher is used to taking his fair share of flak on social media.

The ex-Liverpool defender probably received a sizeable helping of criticism during his playing days, too, although the bulk of that didn't take place online.

It's one thing for fans and newspaper columnists to bite back about the way a footballer plays or an ex-player's punditry takes, but how about possibly the greatest player of all time?

Carragher: 'Messi called me a donkey'

Speaking in a new interview with SPORTbible, Carragher was asked which high-profile player was most likely to confront him over his footballing opinions.

The former Liverpool man didn't hesitate to pull back the curtain on an unexpected encounter with Messi, admitting that the legendary forward possesses a surprisingly sharp tongue behind closed doors.

The social media exchange occurred during Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain, according to Carragher. In line with his TV punditry duties, the outspoken Scouser had delivered a blunt assessment of PSG's European prospects, arguing that the French giants had virtually no chance of lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy while attempting to field Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar simultaneously.

That critique evidently struck a nerve in Paris, prompting the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner to reach out personally on social media.

"He wasn't too happy with something I'd said about his PSG team having no chance of winning the Champions League with Messi and Mbappe and Neymar all playing at the same time," Carragher recalled. "He sent me a few messages in Spanish, which I then got translated. And the gist of it was basically he called me a donkey."

Far from taking offence at the insult, the Sky Sports pundit took the dressing-down in his stride, perceiving a reprimand from footballing royalty as something of a badge of honour.

"Which was fair enough coming from him," Carragher added. "So, yeah, if you're going to get a message off someone who's not happy, make sure it's the greatest player of all time, and that's what happened to me."

The timing of the exchange was all the more surreal given what went down only twenty-four hours later. Shortly after firing off the direct message response, Messi took to the stage to add another piece of individual silverware to his collection.

"And the next night he won the Ballon d’Or," Carragher revealed. "I said, 'Congratulations', and he never messaged me back."

Newcastle United are ruing a missed opportunity to bolster their depleted midfield in the summer transfer window.

The Magpies can claim to have sold Sandro Tonali and captain Bruno Guimaraes at the top of their value but they did so unwillingly and were left with a problem in the middle of the pitch.

When two players of that level depart at the same time, the recruitment challenge they leave behind is a difficult one. More often than not, different profiles and a reimagined outlook are part of the fix.

Newcastle missed out on a transfer that would have solved an issue

Newcastle signed Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City but he was substituted due to a suspected concussion just 18 minutes into their 4-1 loss at Leeds United on Monday night, leaving new manager Matthias Jaissle facing an acute issue.

There are high hopes for Sean Steur, signed from Ajax in the summer and brought on to replace Gonzalez at Elland Road, but Newcastle were one injury away from a midfield pairing with an average age of 19.

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

Lewis Miley is already a highly rated and well established member of the Newcastle team but Jaissle's only experienced central midfield options are Gonzalez and Joe Willock, the latter of which has been playing in a more advanced role under the German.

Aladji Bamba, like Miley, is 20 - and by the sounds of Jaissle's press conference communications, not ready. Steur and Bamba are exciting signings in the long run but Newcastle's midfield is short on numbers, light on experience and devoid of the kind of leadership both Guimaraes and Tonali had in abundance.

That's not lost on Newcastle. Just before the start of the season, their pursuit of a compelling signing with that very shortcoming fell through despite both clubs reportedly believing it was going to happen.

Indeed, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was even stripped of the Marseille captaincy when he pulled the plug on a £15 million move to St James' Park.

Hojbjerg would have been a short-term answer, but a good one. He's an experienced leader and an extra body, the perfect choice to come off the bench in situations like the one Jaissle faced on Monday.

The Dane, now 31, has no shortage of Premier League know-how. Hojbjerg amassed 145 appearances in the top flight in four seasons with Southampton and another four at Tottenham Hotspur.

He's a physical and streetwise presence who could have been an appropriate foil for Newcastle's young midfielders if the worst happens.

Unfortunately for Jaissle, the worst did happen and Hojbjerg remains in the south of France having apparently blocked the move.

Gonzalez suffered a suspected concussion in West Yorkshire and the introduction of Steur from the bench was processed as a concussion substitution. Gonzalez will miss Newcastle's next game against Hull City due to FA concussion rules.

In May 2001, John Mullaney stood among his fellow Coventry City supporters and thrust aloft a crudely fashioned sign of defiance: “We’ll be back.”

Coventry had been relegated from England’s top division for the first time, 34 years after Jimmy Hill became the first manager to take the Sky Blues out of the second tier in the right direction.

Mullaney was right, after a fashion. It took a quarter of a century and immeasurable despair, but Coventry are back in the Premier League.

‘They were our biggest local rivals when I was growing up’

But as the club capitalised on an updated version of their supporter’s handiwork to mark the occasion, the significance of where his homemade placard was displayed might have been lost to fans outside the West Midlands.

Nobody who filed into the Coventry Building Society Arena for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Aston Villa was in that category. Coventry were relegated at Villa Park and there’s not a football stadium in the world where they wouldn’t have preferred to suffer.

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

Coventry and Villa haven’t been drawn together in the FA Cup or League Cup in the intervening years. It was with a cruel flourish that they were paired in the Sky Blues’ first season back in the Premier League.

Despite their proximity, the rivalry between Coventry and Villa – largely an off-the-pitch matter and not inaccurately described as a little one-side – is often overlooked.

FourFourTwo spoke to Steve, a Villa supporter, outside the ground before Unai Emery’s team faced Coventry.

“I remember sending [Coventry] down, but it was so long ago that I don’t really remember how I actually felt about it,” he said.

“It’s good for the region that they’re in the Premier League again but I can’t imagine they’ll stay long. I don’t mind saying that – they were our biggest local rivals when I was growing up even if we sometimes don’t like to admit it.

“It’s just that I didn’t think about them for a moment in the time they were away.”

That’s the thing about one-sided rivalries. The supporters who don’t actively participate in it react badly to being disliked with such intensity, thus it’s seldom truly one-sided when push comes to shove.

Coventry were unable to harness a match with needle to kickstart their season

What’s not in doubt is that the rivalry with Villa, in some shape or form, is real for many Coventry fans.

The teams were together for years without others from Birmingham and the West Midlands crossing their paths all that often, and the Sky Blues’ relegation and a few players moving to Villa Park left a bad feeling.

“We’re a club without a mutual rivalry, I think it’s fair to say,” Dominic Jerams, the Coventry supporter behind Sideways Sammy, tells FourFourTwo.

“When I started going to Coventry games we were in the Premier League and Aston Villa were the main rivals. When we were first in the Championship, Leicester City became the big rivalry.

“Our rivalries have always been contextual. And there was Dion Dublin going to Villa. Moustapha Hadji. George Boateng. It was really galling after a while. As a young fan, they were all of my favourite players, so Villa have lingered as a rival in my mind.”

Rivals or not, Coventry and Villa arrived in the third round of the Carabao Cup in need of a springboard, and it was the visitors who booked their place in the fourth round and will hope to have earned a boost in confidence into the bargain.

Victor Torp scored a beautiful free kick to briefly give the home team hope, but Tammy Abraham scored two goals either side of Ross Barkley’s unmarked header as Villa put three goals past the Sky Blues again, quarter of a century after the last time.

For manager Frank Lampard and Coventry, there was no sweet relief and no respite from a brutally difficult start to the season. Six matches into 2026/27, a 4-2 win over Plymouth Argyle isn’t enough to ease a darkening mood.

By the time this fixture is replayed in the Premier League, both Lampard and Emery will know much more about where their teams stand.

Neither should read too much into their first encounter of the season. The Villa manager told reporters after the match that the Carabao Cup is important, not least as a possible route back into Europe, but sometimes matches pop into the fixture list that are really more for the fans than anything else.

The footballing gods have blessed us with four days of footballing derbies that even Vinnie Jones couldn't have dreamt up.

From Thursday 17 September to Sunday 20 September, we have some huge games, all starting on Thursday as AFC Wimbledon take on their franchised rivals MK Dons.

That is just the appetiser for what arrives at the weekend, with Millwall meeting West Ham for the first time since 2012 in the showpiece on Saturday.

Sunday has four fixtures to keep an eye on, with the first Old Firm derby of the 2026/27 league season between Celtic and Rangers taking place at the same time as Wolves vs West Brom. The Madrid derby follows before it all concludes with Le Classique on Sunday evening, as Marseille welcome their bitter rivals PSG to the Stade Vélodrome.

Want to know how you can watch every game? We'll detail the key streams for all six matches below.

Four Days of Derbies: How to watch

AFC Wimbledon vs MK Dons (Thursday, 17 September, 8:00pm KO)

The Dons Derby takes place on Thursday, with Wimbledon looking to see off their franchised rivals and move into the play-offs.

MK have started the season with five draws from six and are still searching for their first win since promotion last season.

Watch: Sky Sports (UK) | Paramount+ (US) | beIN Sports (AUS)

Millwall vs West Ham (Saturday, 19 September, 12:30pm KO)

A rivalry reunited on Saturday lunchtime as the Dockers Derby takes place for the first time since 2012, when Winston Reid scored a second-half winner (pictured above).

Since then, West Ham have been promoted back to the Premier League, lifted a European trophy and been relegated to the Championship, while Millwall have continued to float between League One and the second tier.

Expect fireworks from the fans and players alike.

Watch: ITV (FREE) / Sky Sports (UK) | Paramount+ (US) | beIN Sports (AUS)

Wolves vs West Brom (Sunday, 20 September, 12:00pm KO)

The Black Country derby is the showpiece game of the EFL Championship on Sunday and a chance for the Baggies to exact revenge after a 2-0 defeat in a feisty FA Cup fourth-round tie in 2024.

Both sides have enjoyed decent starts to the season as well, losing only one league match to this point, and will hope that they will be thereabouts come the end of the season.

Watch: Sky Sports (UK) | Paramount+ (US) | beIN Sports (AUS)

► Read More: Marshall Munetsi and the midfield run that could help Wolves push for the Premier League

Celtic vs Rangers (Sunday, 20 September, 12:00pm KO)

Just a week after Rangers won the opening Old Firm derby of the season in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals, the two rivals go head-to-head once again, this time at Celtic Park.

Martin O'Neill's side have made a perfect start to their Scottish Premiership campaign, winning all six of their games so far. Victory on Sunday would see them move eight points clear of second-placed Rangers, just under a fifth of the way through the season.

A response will certainly be expected from the Bhoys, who will have been shellshocked by their 3-0 defeat last weekend.

Watch: Sky Sports (UK) | Paramount+ (US) | beIN Sports (AUS)

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid (Sunday, 20 September, 3:15pm KO)

While not quite as big as El Clásico, the Madrid derby always carries a special feeling, and with José Mourinho returning to the Bernabéu this summer, the Simeone vs Mourinho headlines practically write themselves.

Both are renowned for their pragmatic approach to football, but they have had to reinvent themselves in recent years, with goals now flowing much more freely.

Real Madrid's attacking quartet of Yan Diomande, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé can scare any defence, but Atlético won't let that concern them. They have loved this fixture in recent years, suffering just one defeat in their last seven La Liga meetings with Los Blancos at home.

Watch: Premier Sports (UK) | ESPN (US) | beIN Sports (AUS)

Marseille vs PSG (Sunday, 20 September, 8:00pm KO)

Closing out the weekend of derbies is Le Classique in Ligue 1, as Marseille face PSG at the Stade Vélodrome.

Both sides have endured difficult starts to the season, winning just one of their opening four games, but a derby-day win can quickly change fortunes.

Expect Marseille to set the tempo at home, particularly after their 5-0 hammering at the hands of their bitter rivals last time out.

Watch: Ligue 1+ (UK) | beIN Sports (US) | N/A (AUS)

Watch from anywhere

If you're abroad this weekend you're going to find your streams of the derbies geo-restricted.

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.

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.

Bournemouth icon Steve Fletcher admits it could be an emotional evening for him on Thursday when he sees the club he has served almost non-stop since 1992 step onto the European stage for the first time.

The Cherries will visit Real Sociedad in the Europa League after securing a top-six finish last team to earn qualification.

Bournemouth's campaign looked to be stalling going into the new year, however, with Andoni Iraola's side having gone without a league win in their previous 11 games, stretching back to October.

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

“There will be a lot of emotion when we play that first game in Europe"

But Semenyo's 95th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over Tottenham just two days before he completed his transfer move to Manchester City turned the tide, with Bournemouth going unbeaten all the way through to the end of the season to secure 6th place.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Fletcher said: “It was an incredible night. You couldn’t write it for him to score that goal as well. It was such a relief to win, because we hadn’t won a game for a while. But even before that, despite not winning, our performances had been improving.

“The boys were incredible when that moment came and Antoine left.

"We were so happy because he deserved his big move – the lads understood that we needed to step up and you could already see it happening in the performances.

“We went into every game thinking we could get three points because the team was full of confidence.

“We did very well at keeping the noise out of the camp and concentrating on our performances. In the last three games, we knew what we needed to do. We actually performed better under pressure.”

“To finish in a Europa League place and celebrate on the pitch with the staff, players, everyone associated with the club and all the fans was incredible.

“I don’t think it properly sank in until a couple of days later when I started going out on the streets and into supermarkets and restaurants, and people came to talk to me about it. The magnitude of what the club and that team achieved will live forever.

“There will be a lot of emotion when we play that first game in Europe.

“Personally, I’ll probably shed a tear and try to capture the moment as much as I can.”

Fletcher was speaking in association with MrQ, the new official sleeve partner of AFC Bournemouth.

As the first round of league phase matches gets the European season underway in style, this FourFourTwo quiz presents one straightforward question with a whole host of tricky answers. How well do you know the teams playing in the three continental club competitions this season?

The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are each administered by way of a monolithic mega-table and we simply want to know if you can name every team populating them.

That adds up to a whopping 108 teams and you can have 20 minutes to tap each one out in search of a green light.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has lots more football quizzes and they're all courtesy of Kwizly. If you enjoyed this one because it's a big 'un, try this on for size: Can you name every player to have ever scored a Premier League hat-trick?

We know you're busy, so we've got some snappier quizzes too. Here are a couple of them. Can you answer these questions about the Premier League in 2016-17 and name every team in the top two tiers of women's football in England?

But, if you do have some time on your hands today, we want you to name the first goalscorer of every Premier League season from the inaugural 1992-93 season right up to 2026-27

FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 69 features clues on boxers, badges and Barclaysmen. 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.

It is standard fare for a recently appointed manager to praise their new club's supporters, but the detail in Pierre Sage’s answer suggested he really meant it.

“First of all, it’s about the league, to be really honest,” the Frenchman said last month when asked why he had chosen to join Crystal Palace. "And after that it is a special club. It is the only club [in the Premier League] with ultras, and as I said, I like to play for the fans.”

Unfortunately for Sage, he never got the chance to experience the atmosphere he signed up for. Palace’s ultras group, the Holmesdale Fanatics, disbanded on the eve of the new season. It has not taken long for their absence to be felt.

"The flat atmosphere was a topic of discussion after both matches"

The Fanatics were founded in 2005 by a group of Palace season-ticket holders in Block B of the Holmesdale Road stand. By the end of that decade they were earning widespread praise for the colour, creativity and vibrancy they brought to the then-Championship club’s support, with flares and flags at the forefront and a drum setting the tempo for their European-style songs.

The Fanatics went from strength to strength following Palace’s promotion to the Premier League in 2013. Their entirely fan-funded tifos graced not only Selhurst Park, but Wembley and Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena, too. In 2019 the group moved from Block B near the corner flag to Block E directly behind the goal in the Holmesdale Road end, establishing itself as a vocal hub at the heart of Palace’s home support.

The hole they have left has been conspicuous in the early weeks of this season. Palace have lost their first two Premier League home games, 4-1 to Manchester City and 3-2 to Ipswich Town. The flat atmosphere was a topic of discussion after both matches.

The group’s decision to cease operations came as a surprise, even though tensions with the club had been building over the previous few years. Long-standing proponents of a grassroots, bottom-up approach to football fandom, the Fanatics have grown frustrated by the club’s increasingly top-down approach, exemplified by pre-match light shows and music blasted at a deafening volume immediately after the final whistle.

That culture clash over how best to generate an atmosphere formed part of their decision to step away.

“We have repeatedly warned the club that likeminded fans cannot congregate at Palace in the numbers required to sustain a growing active supporter culture,” a statement released in August said.

“There needs to be a drastic shift at Palace towards younger fans and a move away from a culture in which people attend the ground expecting to be entertained, towards a culture of supporters turning up to play an active role in influencing the result."

The statement also aired the Fanatics’ grievances with the broader state of the sport in England.

“Increasingly driven out by sky-high ticket prices, needless restrictions that are designed to strip away the dignity of supporters, and relentless harassment and legal action, many young people are choosing to opt out of a game that seems determined to push them away.”

While many Palace fans have mourned their departure from the scene, others have been less sympathetic. The move from Block B to Block E displaced many long-standing season-ticket holders, fuelling resentment. Some supporters were displeased when the Fanatics appeared to have a section of away ends reserved for them in last year’s Conference League campaign amid suspicions they had not accrued enough loyalty points to qualify. Inevitably, their forthright political stances divided the fan base, delighting some and dismaying others.

Yet overall the Holmesdale Fanatics were a force for good at Palace, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks the atmosphere at Selhurst Park is better for their absence.

Despite Selhurst’s reputation for being a difficult place to go, Palace have had a curiously mediocre record in front of their own fans for much of their current 13-year spell in the top flight. In nine of those seasons, the Eagles have finished higher in the Premier League’s away table than the home equivalent.

The situation is unlikely to improve now Selhurst Park has lost its beating heart. Right now, home is where the hurt is for Crystal Palace.

It's time for another FourFourTwo Quickfire Quiz. You've got 90 seconds to answer 10 tricky football trivia questions, so let's get started.

Handpicked football quizzes we know you'll love

FourFourTwo has loads of football quizzes, all courtesy of Kwizly. First, can you name the 50 most expensive signings ever made by Barcelona or Real Madrid?

We also want to know if you can tell us 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?

Fancy some questions about the Premier League's most celebrated one-season wonders, the players who made a big but brief impression in their time in England's top division? Of course you do.

Next, we have a couple of quizzes that ask you to put some groups of four into the correct order – one about players and their Premier League appearances, the other about teams and their titles.

If you're a players expert rather than a teams nut, our huge career paths quiz is for you. How many of those 100 career paths can you identify? Lastly, can you name every team in the Football League right now? There's only one way to find out.

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!

In Fantasy Premier League (FPL) finding the right differentials at the right time is often what makes the difference between a good season and a great one.

A differential is any player owned by 15 per cent or fewer managers, and these can help you surge up the rankings in a way that would take weeks to achieve through more predictable choices.

With four gameweeks of data now available the picture is clear enough to find the players who are really performing under the radar. Here are six worth considering this week:

Best FPL Differentials in 2026/27

Bukayo Saka - Arsenal

Price: £9.5m

Owned by: 12.3%

GW5 Fixture: Brighton (a)

Saka has been sharp all season. The numbers back that up as Saka is top among midfielders for Expected Goals (xG) so far.

What has been most encouraging is the minutes - 90, 89 and 90 - in his three Premier League games. A rest in the Carabao Cup during midweek means he arrives into this gameweek fresh and ready to perform. The upcoming schedule beyond GW5 is also very good with captaincy potential in GW6, GW8 and GW10.

Morgan Gibbs-White - Nottingham Forest

Price: £8.0m

Owned by: 12.5%

GW5 Fixture: Coventry (h)

A home game against a Coventry side that has let in the most goals in the league without scoring any of their own is a very good chance to pick up points.

Gibbs-White is on set pieces and penalties, making him Forest's obvious talisman. His chance creation makes him a constant bonus point magnet as well. He earned all three bonus points in GW4 from an assist, which shows how involved he is in everything Forest do going forward.

Thierno Barry - Everton

Price: £5.6m

Owned by: 6.6%

GW5 Fixture: Ipswich (h)

Probably the most interesting differential on the entire list is Thierno Barry. His place in the starting line-up is secure and Iliman Ndiaye’s departure has opened the door for him to take penalty duties.

At £5.6m, he allows significant upgrades across the rest of the FPL squad as well. The data only strengthens the case further with Barry sitting among all forwards for xG this season, behind only Erling Haaland. That is not a number you can ignore.

James Tarkowski - Everton

Price: £6.1m

Owned by: 13.3%

GW5 Fixture: Ipswich (h)

Playing in a defence that has let in just three goals across the first four matches, Tarkowski heads into this gameweek with newly-promoted pair Ipswich Town and Hull City as his next two fixtures.

Reliable for defensive contributions, he brings an aerial threat from set pieces and is certain to start. A simple choice for those looking to strengthen at the back.

Jan Paul van Hecke - Tottenham Hotspur

Price: £4.9m

Owned by: 6.7%

GW5 Fixture: Aston Villa (h)

Much like Tarkowski, Van Hecke is completely reliable, solid for defensive contributions and brings aerial threat from dead ball situations. Spurs have kept back-to-back clean sheets heading into this weekend and face an Aston Villa side that has scored just once all season.

The upcoming home fixtures make him a more appealing long-term hold and at under £5.0m the price is great for what he offers.

Tarik Muharemovic - Leeds United

Price: £5.0m

Owned by: 4.0%

GW5 Fixture: Crystal Palace (h)

The player who has impressed the most so far this season belongs to Leeds. Muharemovic has adapted to Premier League football with ease, is second among all defenders for defensive contributions after four matches and brings real set piece threat on top of that.

A home game against Crystal Palace this week, with an ownership of 4% and a price that allows the rest of the team to be built around premium players, the Bosnian really is the Rolls Royce of budget defenders right now.

Former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit has explained how he believes Kylian Mbappe could receive the France Football award, citing “personal preference” as the deciding factor.

The Dutchman narrowed his list down to three names: Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane, then admitted that “no one has stood out” as the Ballon d'Or’s clear winner.

Gullit claimed that it is usually “not too difficult” to pick out the France Football award’s victor, and that voters will have a tougher time in 2026.

Ruud Gullit explains why “personal preference” could win Kylian Mbappe the Ballon d'Or

Speaking with ComeOn, the Dutchman stated that “personal preference” will be a considerable factor in the minds of Ballon d'Or voters, with Mbappe, Yamal and Kane each possessing similar claims.

Gullit said: “Kylian Mbappe was the top scorer at the World Cup, Harry Kane was the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but Erling Haaland was top scorer in the Premier League and won two trophies.

“Rodri was excellent for Spain and had a fantastic World Cup. Lamine Yamal? We all love him but he was not the star of the World Cup final, and he didn’t make it to the Champions League final.

“So there’s a lot to think about,” confessed the Dutchman. “I think this year the winner is going to be picked out of personal preference, not so much on what they have achieved."

For Mbappe, that could spell positive omens. With Yamal and Kane unable to produce clear-cut cases for their worthiness over the Frenchman, it is “personal preference” that could see him emerge as victor.

Kane has, like many Premier League players of the 2010s, historically been snubbed for the award, while Mbappe and Yamal have each received podium finishes.

Should Ballon d'Or voters decide that the Frenchman has waited long enough, coupled with Yamal having additional years left to win France Football’s award, then the trophy could be his come October.

On who he would choose, Gullit was undecided. “If I was picking based on my personal preference, it would be between three players but I cannot pick between them because it is too hard,” he confessed.

“None of them won the Champions League this year. Yamal won the World Cup but he was not the main man for Spain. [But] I can understand why people would vote for Yamal.

“I can understand why people would vote for Mbappe, [and] why people would vote for Kane,” he continued. “That’s why they are the three I would pick, but don’t ask me to pick just one of them.”

“What Kane has done in Germany is unbelievable, but then I watched the World Cup, and I watched the Champions League, and what Mbappe and Yamal did is also unbelievable,” Gullit concluded.

Watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar as the Black Cats begin a historic Europa League campaign at the Stadium of Light, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

It promises to be a special night on Wearside, as Sunderland play their first European game for 53 years - and the first-ever continental clash at the Stadium of Light.

They face an Alkmaar side who sit second in the Eredivisie, the Netherlands' top flight, following an unbeaten start to the domestic campaign.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar online and from anywhere, in the Europa League 2026/27.

Can I watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar for free?

Yes, Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar will be broadcast for free in Brazil on CazeTV's YouTube Channel.

The YouTube Channel requires no account or subscription, just click the link above and stream.

Those outside Brazil can use NordVPN to unlock the stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar.

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.

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How to watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar in the UK

Fans in the UK can watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar on TNT Sports and its streaming partner HBO Max.

The game is live on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off at 8:00pm BST.

How to watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar in the US

US viewers can watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar on Paramount+. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

How to watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar in Australia

Stan Sport is the home of the Europa League in Australia and is the place to go to watch Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Thursday.

Tickets

Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar: Preview

Sunderland's Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar is more than half a century in the making.

It is 53 years since the Black Cats embarked on their only previous European campaign, which ended in an aggregate defeat against Portuguese giants Sporting in the second round of the 1973/74 European Cup Winners' Cup.

The club have spent more seasons in League One than the Premier League over the past decade, but their remarkable rise under manager Regis Le Bris will reach another milestone when they entertain the Dutch side in the first-ever continental clash at the Stadium of Light.

This is the first of eight league phase fixtures Sunderland will play between now and January, which includes facing AC Milan at the San Siro in December, and you can bet that the Black Cats' fans will savour every minute.

SEE ALSO How to watch Europa League live streams from anywhere

Le Bris will be determined to ensure Sunderland progress beyond the league phase, but they have been handed a tough test in their opening game.

Alkmaar are experienced campaigners at European level and have reached both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals of the Conference League in the past four years, while they have made a terrific start to the Eredivisie season.

The Dutch side are second in the table after winning their opening five top-flight matches, before their perfect start came to an end against Willem II last Friday.

Alkmaar are captained by former Southampton midfielder Jordy Clasie, who scored against Willem, while winger Ro-Zangelo Daal and striker Mexx Meerdink have been in great form this season, each finding the net four times in the league.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Sunderland 1-1 AZ Alkmaar

This is a tough game for Sunderland but they are capable of taking at least a point, on what will be an emotional night.

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.

Watch Manchester United vs Brighton for free in the Carabao Cup 3rd round, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Michael Carrick's side will be desperate to hit back from their derby-day defeat to Manchester City on Sunday and secure a spot in the last 16.

For Brighton, the Carabao Cup will offer a great opportunity for silverware, and they have looked in scintillating form in the attacking third of the pitch so far this season, with 13 goals to their name in the Premier League.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Manchester United vs Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round online and from anywhere, including for free.

Watch Manchester United vs Brighton for FREE

Manchester United vs Brighton will be broadcast for free in the UK on ITV1 and ITVX.

Coverage of the fixture will begin at 7:30pm BST with kick-off arriving at 8:00pm.

Abroad for this game? Use NordVPN to unlock your free United vs Brighton stream online from anywhere in the world.

Watch Manchester United vs Brighton from anywhere

Away from home for today's game? You don't have to miss Manchester United vs Brighton because of geo-restrictions.

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 Manchester United vs Brighton in the UK

As alluded to earlier, Manchester United vs Brighton is free-to-air on ITV1 and ITVX.

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

How to watch Manchester United vs Brighton in the US

Paramount+ will broadcast Manchester United vs Brighton in the US. Kick-off is at 3:00pm ET.

How to watch Manchester United vs Brighton in Australia

Manchester United vs Brighton will be live on beIN SPORTS 2 and the beIN SPORTS Connect streaming platform. Kick-off is at 5:00am AEST on Thursday.

Manchester United vs Brighton: Preview

Derby day couldn't have been much more embarrassing for Manchester United on Sunday as, despite Man City's Phil Foden getting a red card, they fell to a 1-0 defeat. Albeit, that goal was awarded in strange offside circumstances, the Red Devils failed to create much, with Bruno Fernandes spending more time trying to stop Erling Haaland rather than dictating play.

Creating shouldn't be an issue against a Brighton side which has a tendency to concede chances, but at the other end of the pitch United will need to tighten it up.

They have looked susceptible to conceding at any time and, with Carlos Baleba and Matthijs de Ligt still out, they have little option to change personnel at the back.

SEE ALSO How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27: TV Guide, Free Streams & Fixtures — Round 3

For Brighton, the Carabao Cup may not be a huge priority with Europe on the calendar and a strong start to the 2026/27 Premier League. But they appear a team who could make a deep run, all things considered.

Going forward, they have been nothing short of magical so far this term and have already hit 17 goals in all competitions, including four against Aston Villa and five against Coventry on the weekend.

But the Seagulls do have a stacked injury list and may not be able to afford many changes today if they envisage a place in the fourth round.

Femi Azeez is a possibility to make his debut after signing from Millwall, while Georginio Rutter is expected to take some part following his injury.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Manchester United 2-4 Brighton

Brighton have won four of their last five visits to Old Trafford, and United's defence will leak plenty of goals again this Wednesday.

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Former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit has claimed Manchester United will not win major silverware this term, having 'missed the boat' years ago to be in Premier League title contention.

Michael Carrick’s men endured a potentially damaging derby loss at Old Trafford last weekend, to a 10-man Manchester City side that scored and kept a clean sheet after Phil Foden saw red.

Now, the Dutchman has stated that Manchester United are 'in a hole' and will not beat their competitors to the Premier League trophy, or any silverware for that matter.

Ruud Gullit slams Manchester United claiming Sir Alex Ferguson 'saw it coming'

Speaking with ComeOn, Gullit slammed the Red Devils’ lack of quality claiming that Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all possess better players.

The Dutchman then added that Manchester United “missed the boat” years ago, and that the club has fallen dramatically since their days of Premier League and Champions League success under Sir Alex Ferguson.

“Manchester United? They cannot compete this year,” Gullit claimed. “Not yet. I think they still lack a little bit of quality, as we can see they cannot control a game.

“That is not something that is going to be easy to fix. Because it does depend on a lot of individual quality, not just the team quality. If they want to achieve things again, it will take some time.

“The most important thing that Manchester United can show this season is patience. They don’t have the best players in the Premier League anymore. They are having to deal with the fact that the players they really need all play for the other clubs. They missed the boat about five or six years ago.

“It will take some time for them to get back to a level where they can [compete for] the Premier League title. There are too many stronger contenders with a lot more quality this season,” Gullit continued.

The Dutchman then suggested that Ferguson saw the club’s downfall coming, retiring 'just in time' during a period in which Manchester United’s rivals were going from strength-to-strength.

“Sir Alex Ferguson himself said it will take 10 years and that could be it. They are in a hole. They have been in a hole since Ferguson left and I think he knew what he was doing,” confessed Gullit.

“That’s why he retired at that time. He is clever. He saw this all coming and retired just in time. He knew at that moment that it was the end. Things were changing because more and more teams had money to spend.

“[Those teams] were bringing in these top coaches, and the top players only want to play for top coaches. That’s not Manchester United anymore. It will take them some time to come again,” the Dutchman concluded.

Arsenal are reportedly in talks with the camp of Real Madrid superstar Rodryo. The 25-year-old is back running after enduring an ACL tear in March.

Prior to his sidelining, the Brazilian was among the Gunners’ firmest targets for left-sided attackers. His return date has been tentatively pencilled in for January 2027.

Mikel Arteta’s side also entered talks with the 25-year-old’s fellow countryman and team-mate, Vinicius Junior, in the summer. Now, Arsenal appear to have been brought full-circle — back to Rodrygo.

Arsenal in talks with Rodrygo’s camp ahead of injury return and January window

If pursuing two of Real Madrid’s attacking Brazilians wasn’t enough, the Gunners also enquired previously about blossoming youngster Endrick. Now, it appears that only Rodrygo remains a realistic Arsenal target.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, the Gunners are in talks with the 25-year-old's camp ahead of his projected January 2027 return date; however, the Brazilian believes he can return sooner.

Real Madrid’s medical staff are behaving cautiously in their treatment of Rodrygo, with a ‘New Year’ return being targeted, but the 25-year-old is determined to beat that timeframe.

The Brazilian aims to be back on the pitch before Christmas, with Arsenal retaining strong interest in the La Liga star for his quality and versatility.

Merely two seasons ago, the 25-year-old recorded 13 goals and nine assists in 50 appearances for the Spanish club. Two terms prior, he bagged 30 contributions in 51.

Rodrygo is under contract until 2028, however, should the Real Madrid man return from injury prior to Christmas, Arsenal are set to make a move for the Brazilian as early as January.

The Gunners reinforced their left flank this summer by securing Christos Tzolis’ services, who has since recorded four assists in seven Arsenal appearances.

Elsewhere, the club allowed Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli — both left-sided attacking options — to depart from London, for the Super Lig and Saudi Pro League respectively.

Only Tzolis and Eberechi Eze stand out as clear options for Arsenal on the flank, as Mikel Arteta’s men pursue an unprecedented Premier League title defence.

Should they move in January, which appears likely, Rodrygo stands tall on the list of transfer options. Arsenal return to English top-flight action against Brighton on Saturday.

Manchester United youngster Shea Lacey has taken to social media and posted what appears to be a jab at fellow wonderkid JJ Gabriel.

The 19-year-old uploaded an image to X (formerly Twitter) of him arriving with the squad at Old Trafford, in Manchester United attire.

The photo was accompanied by a heart emoji as its caption. It arrived shortly after news broke of Gabriel attempting to exit Manchester United.

Shea Lacey makes timely Manchester United social media post

Lacey’s post was immediately flooded with support from the Red Devils faithful, with many interpreting it as being in response to Gabriel’s attempted departure.

The image has amassed over 100,000 likes on X, with Manchester United fans describing Lacey as “the future” and a “proper Red” in the comments beneath.

Gabriel, who scored over 20 goals for Manchester United’s development squad last term, informed the club earlier this week of his intention to depart as a free agent. Due to his age, the actual request is for his schoolboy forms to be cancelled and allowed to leave as he cannot be signed to a professional contract until his 17th birthday.

Reports also circulated that portrayed Gabriel as being frustrated by Lacey and Harry Amass receiving Champions League appearances versus Sabah last Thursday, while he didn’t get the Michael Carrick nod.

The Red Devils won that clash 4-0, with both Lacey and Amass being substituted on for Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu respectively in the 72nd minute.

Gabriel, who received his unofficial senior debut during pre-season versus Atletico Madrid, was not part of the squad to face the Azeri champions.

For Gabriel’s youth player registration to be cancelled, the player, club and parent/carer must all agree on the departure. In the event of this failing to be reached, the Premier League are able to intervene.

‘Kid Messi’ is Gabriel’s unofficial nickname, and the Manchester United boss attested to his staggering quality back in August.

“JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development,” Carrick said.

Under-21s boss Adam Lawrence has also chimed in, stating that his primary goal was to “not ruin” the Manchester United youngster, who now appears set to leave.

“Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him. When you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads, of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity,” he said.

Gabriel is being courted by the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain according to reports.

Florian Wirtz is not actively being pursued by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, however, Vincent Kompany’s men remain interested in the German, according to reports on the continent.

Wirtz has been decidedly average during his first 54 games for Liverpool, failing to live up to the expectations that arrived with his £116.5 million price tag.

Rumours recently circulated that Bayern Munich — who Liverpool pipped to his signature last summer — were preparing an offer for the German. While that is untrue, their interest in Wirtz is said to remain.

Bayern Munich retain interest in Liverpool's Wirtz

According to a report from Christian Falk and CF Bayern, Kompany is content with his current squad and the Bundesliga champions are not actively pursuing Wirtz.

However, if the German were to appear on the market, Bayern Munich would be 'the first team he’d talk to.'

Falk said: “Of course, if Florian Wirtz were, at some point in future, interested in making a return to the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich would be the first team he’d talk to.

“However, there is nothing planned. Bayern have a big squad and everyone’s feeling really confident. [Jamal] Musiala has a long contract, and don’t forget that Vincent Kompany is trying a new system.

“[That’s] with Michael Olise as the fulcrum in the centre – the same position he currently plays in for the French national team. So, Bayern have a lot of options.”

Falk then noted that Liverpool’s staggering investment in Wirtz makes it unlikely that he will appear on the market. “Don’t forget, either, that it was a lot of money Liverpool paid for Wirtz."

First and foremost, rumours of the German returning to the Bundesliga were always rendered unbelievable because of the Reds’ clear unwillingness to sell.

Should Liverpool deem it in their best interests for Wirtz to exit so soon into his Merseyside contract, the club would undoubtedly lose millions.

However, a return of just nine Premier League contributions in 38 games, for a £116 million attacking midfielder playing behind the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and last term Mohamed Salah, will have surely caused worry.

FourFourTwo have previously written about Wirtz's difficulties in adapting to Premier League life early last term, and not much has changed since.

Regardless, it appears the German is set to remain, as has always been expected, but Bayern Munich will be the first in line should Liverpool look to sell — and they’d be the first club approached by Wirtz himself.

Liverpool secured a 3-1 Carabao Cup victory against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday evening, with an added-time Dominik Szoboszlai screamer securing victory amid late Spurs pressure.

Goals arrived through the Hungarian, Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister — who scored in similar style to his thumper versus Atletico Madrid last week — as Andoni Iraola fielded a rotated side.

Four Liverpool youngsters in Rio Ngumoha, Lewis Koumas, James McConnell and Trey Nyoni took to the pitch; a particularly fine outing from the latter appears to have saved the Reds millions.

Trey Nyoni’s performance against Spurs could have saved Liverpool millions

Nyoni was in good form against Liverpool’s Carabao Cup opposition, boasting 95 per cent pass accuracy in his 65-minute appearance.

In the opponent’s half, Nyoni recorded 22 successful passes from 24 attempts — with 100 per cent long ball accuracy — won four duels, and recorded six defensive contributions.

In comparison, Mac Allister recorded 22 successful passes from 27 attempts in Spurs’ half — with 67% long ball accuracy — won five duels, and recorded five defensive contributions. The Argentine also played an additional half-hour.

While Nyoni lacked the goal-scoring output of his Anfield partner on Tuesday evening, he delivered an all-round display that could end up saving Liverpool millions.

The Reds' recent transfer activity saw their midfield personnel remain identical, except for the departures of Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic. And for Iraola, the faith he placed in Nyoni to spare the Reds’ blushes could hardly have been quicker repaid.

His start also served as a reminder to supporters that they never truly know the full story. Did Nyoni perform well enough at the AXA Training Centre this summer for Liverpool not to look elsewhere in the window?

Or was his performance the kind of lucky, perfectly-timed intervention that Iraola had merely prayed for? Whatever the answer, the showing was undeniable.

The 19-year-old appears set to be an unexpectedly critical player for the Basque boss this term, and serve as the midfield reinforcement Liverpool so desperately craved.

Nyoni being ‘like a new signing’ will provoke eye rolls from the Reds faithful — they’ve heard it one too many times before — but it is a possibility.

Whether Liverpool truly had it all planned out from the beginning is irrelevant. This young man will be watched closely, and he’ll have all of Anfield behind him.

As the Premier League campaign gathers pace, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers are hunting high and low for early-season form, and value, to gain a competitive edge.

While goalscoring runs, favourable fixtures and underlying numbers dominate FPL transfer forums, we mustn't forget about the disciplinary tightrope that poses a hidden trap for unsuspecting fantasy managers.

Premier League rules state any player who accumulates five yellow cards within their team's opening 19 league matches receives an automatic one-game suspension.

Premier League players already at risk of one-game suspension

For FPL managers planning several gameweeks in advance, bringing in players already picking up cautions at an unsustainable rate represents a bit of a risk.

At the very top of the warning list is Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The forward has hit the ground running at Elland Road since signing on a free transfer last summer.

He leads the line impressively, highlighted by his goalscoring performance in Leeds' recent 4-1 win over Newcastle United, and last season was recalled to the England setup.

But, behind those impressive fantasy returns lies a disciplinary concern: Calvert-Lewin has already picked up three yellow cards in his first four league appearances of the season.

Sitting just two bookings away from a one-match ban, bringing in the in-form frontman could easily backfire if he picks up cautions in quick succession, which given his brash centre-forward style, is always a possibility.

Joining Calvert-Lewin on three early yellow cards is Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt.

Frequently targeted by fantasy managers as a cheap, budget-enabling midfield asset to sit on the bench or fill in for rotation, Janelt's combative style in the middle of the park has seen him land in the referee's notebook three times already this term.

For FPL managers looking for stability in their squads, Janelt's suspension risk makes him a far less appealing bargain option.

Completing the trio is AFC Bournemouth defender Adam Smith, who is no stranger to physical battles, but his quick accumulation of bookings early in the campaign has put him on the verge of suspension.

Defenders in fantasy football are primarily picked for consistent minutes, defensive contributions and clean sheet potential. Therefore, using a transfer on a player facing what is likely to be an impending suspension restricts squad flexibility.

Savvy FPL bosses must keep a close eye on disciplinary records, then. Investing in players approaching a ban risks burning valuable transfers later, making Calvert-Lewin, Janelt, and Smith three names to avoid for the time being.

Chris Kamara has opened up about how his 'pride and bravado' stopped him from seeking medical help for his apraxia and dyspraxia.

The beloved former Soccer Saturday stalwart received his diagnosis for the rare neurological condition in 2022 - but says the signs had been there for much longer.

Though the illness has not gone away, Kamara is now in a much better place physically and mentally, and he recently completed the Great North Run.

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

Kammy: 'Some people thought I was drunk'

However, Kamara told FourFourTwo just how tough it was to get the diagnosis that effectively ended his broadcasting career, saying: "I thought I was imagining it at first. I tried to speak and the words wouldn’t come out, or they came out wrong.

"I was slurring so much that some people thought I was drunk.

"It was maddening. The worst thing is, I felt like it was all my fault. The signs had been there and I’d chosen to ignore them until it was too late.