And that concludes the blog for today. Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a> The winners of the new Fifa Women\u2019s Champions Cup will receive $2.3m (\u00a31.7m) in prize money. The semi-finals take place at Brentford on Wednesday, with Gotham playing Corinthians before Arsenal take on AS Far. The losers of Sunday\u2019s final at Arsenal will get $1m. The beaten semi-finalists will take home $200k each, and Auckland United and Wuhan Chegu Jiangda, who have already been eliminated, received $100k each.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s this week\u2019s Football Daily. Thanks a lot, Gianni.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The way we were at the start of the Premier League<\/a>. All those hopes and fears. Where are we now? <\/p>\n Share<\/a>West Ham sign Katie Zelem<\/p>\n West Ham have signed the England midfielder Katie Zelem on loan from London City Lionesses until the end of the season. The move reunites Zelem with the West Ham head coach, Rita Guarino, under whom she won Serie A at Juventus in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was a big factor in me joining the club,\u201d Zelem said. \u201cI like her style of play and what she\u2019s trying to build here.\u201d Zelem, who has also played for Liverpool, Manchester United and Angel City, joined London City last August.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Women\u2019s Super League and WSL2 clubs will soon be able to offer 16-year-old academy players contracts of up to two years in length, under new plans being introduced by the league\u2019s board.<\/p>\n At present, no women\u2019s clubs can offer professional deals to young players until they are 18.<\/p>\n The new academy contracts will have a set salary that it is understood will be the same regardless of whether the youngster is on the books of a WSL2 club, for example Ipswich or at the defending top-flight champions Chelsea. Sources have said that is to encourage players to choose the best club for their development rather than being incentivised by financial differences.<\/p>\n It will also be possible to offer a contract alongside an apprenticeship, similarly to men\u2019s clubs\u2019 academies.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sad news for Evertonians this week with the death of Tommy Wright, the one-club man who played full-back for England at the 1970 World Cup. Here\u2019s his obituary.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Leeds have been linked with Wolves\u2019 Jorgen Strand Larsen but Daniel Farke is not panicking that his club have bit landed a striker.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a capable group. This group has made sure that we\u2019re on a good path, already on 25 points. Nothing is achieved yet, but we definitely have a chance to achieve our goals during the season, to stay in this league. We want to keep the group tight. We want to keep our togetherness and our unity.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we got the feeling there was an option that makes us better, then we would do it. But you also know my attitude – I think the January market is a difficult one, and for that, we are not in panic mode, not under any pressure to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Huge game in Scotland on Sunday. Celtic v Hearts looks like a title decider if Hearts win at Parkhead. Martin O\u2019Neill, interim manager twice, knows the importance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very big, no question about it. If we get beaten, it\u2019s a long way back for us. It is a bit of a trek at the minute, so we would go out to try and win the game if we can. It\u2019s not the end of the road (if Hearts win) but nine points would be a lot to claw back with 15 games left.\u201d<\/p>\n Celtic have lost both of their previous matches against Hearts this term – under Brendan Rodgers and then Wilfried Nancy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Chelsea hit with \u00a3150,000 fine after Villa ruckus<\/p>\n Chelsea have been fined a mighty \u00a3150,000 by an independent regulatory commission after admitting an FA charge of failing to control players and staff at the end of the 2-1 Premier League<\/a> defeat at home to Aston Villa on 27 December. This was the game Enzo Maresca watched from the back of the press box, his penultimate match in charge.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.20 EST<\/p>\n Story via PA Media.<\/p>\n FIFA president Gianni Infantino\u2019s joke about British fans\u2019 behaviour at the Qatar World Cup was \u201cneither helpful nor accurate\u201d, the UK\u2019s football policing lead has said. Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the football policing lead for the National Police Chiefs\u2019 Council, said: \u201cWhilst these things may be said in jest, it is neither helpful or accurate to make this sort of comment.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the record, \u2018British\u2019 fans behaving at World Cups is the norm, not something special. In Qatar (there were) no arrests of English or Welsh fans, in Russia – three England fans were arrested for very minor offences. (In) Brazil – 15 arrests – of which seven were touts – and South Africa (saw) seven arrests for minor matters. Given the high number of fans who travel and pay a lot of money to get to World Cups, there are many, many other countries who are more problematic for hosts.\u201d<\/p>\n The Football Supporters\u2019 Association said on Thursday that Infantino should focus on providing cheap tickets, rather than making cheap jokes at fans\u2019 expense.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And on that transfer bombshell, I\u2019ll hand you back to John Brewin for more nuggets.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>West Ham turn down new bid for Paquet\u00e1 West Ham have rejected an improved offer for Lucas Paquet\u00e1 from Flamengo. The bid was in the region of \u20ac40m (\u00a334.7m) and it remains to be seen whether the Brazilian champions try again. West Ham are reluctant to lose Paquet\u00e1 during this transfer window, although they would be willing to sell the midfielder if the deal included an agreement for him to return on loan for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n That arrangement does not appeal to Paquet\u00e1 or Flamengo although sources close to negotiations have suggested it may be the only way to ensure negotiations reach a successful conclusion.<\/p>\n West Ham are in a relegation battle and want their record signing to help them to safety. However Paquet\u00e1 has grown disillusioned with life in England and is keen to return to his homeland. The Brazil international has missed West Ham\u2019s past two games and is not available for Saturday\u2019s clash with Sunderland at the London Stadium.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Hot news from Crystal Palace. Manager Oliver Glasner has revealed he had a \u201clong dinner\u201d with the chair, Steve Parish, this week to resolve their differences and has insisted he is \u201c100% committed\u201d to seeing out his contract until the end of the season.<\/p>\n Glasner accused Parish and the Palace board of abandoning him and his squad after informing them that the captain, Marc Gu\u00e9hi, would be sold to Manchester City the day before they were due to face Sunderland last weekend. A 2-1 defeat at the Stadium of Light made it 10 games without a victory under the Austrian, who had confirmed before the game that he would be leaving in the summer.<\/p>\n Parish decided against sacking Glasner over his outburst and the 51-year-old is hoping the return of Isma\u00efla Sarr from the Africa Cup of Nations and Daniel Mu\u00f1oz from injury can help to lift spirits after a difficult fortnight.<\/p>\n \u201cI was quite emotional after the game and I think it shows how much the players, how much Crystal Palace means to me,\u201d Glasner said. \u201cI agreed one year ago in February at a meeting, I agreed to sell Mark. It\u2019s all about timing and replacement. That was the whole situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that Crystal Palace will always sell players if they have big offers from other clubs. But it was just the situation, telling the team 28 hours before a Premier League<\/a> game that the captain is leaving. This was my feeling at that moment and this is what I tried to express.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it feels like criticism, but for me it was just telling the feelings, the emotions I had, the team had.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI had a very long dinner with Steve this week and we talked about this situation. Not to sell Mark, it\u2019s the timing and the possible replacement. This was the situation I wanted to explain and the talk was a very good talk for both of us.<\/p>\n \u201cBut nothing changed what I said at the press conference before the Sunderland game. When I said I will give my best to play a great season. Steve and I are 100% committed that we will do our best to have a great rest of the season, a great four months together.<\/p>\n \u201cDani Mu\u00f1oz came back at the beginning of the week. Isma\u00efla Sarr came back as an Afcon winner from Senegal. Now we are preparing for the rest of the season. It was a thunderstorm, but always after a thunderstorm the sun is shining.\u201d<\/p>\n Glasner also denied Jean-Philippe Mateta had submitted a transfer request, with Aston Villa and Juventus interested in signing the striker this month, and said Mateta would start against Chelsea on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be very clear, he didn\u2019t hand in a transfer request, and we have no bid received right now,\u201d said Glasner. \u201cI think with every player there is a price where a club says: \u2018OK, we agree to a deal.\u2019 But again, no bid came in, and he didn\u2019t hand in a transfer request, so he will play tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Everton boss David Moyes has given an update on Jack Grealish\u2019s foot injury. The 30-year-old attacker will see a specialist in the next few days and the Toffees hope some reports of a three-month absence are wide of the mark.<\/p>\n Moyes said: \u201cIt\u2019s not for me to give the timescales, we\u2019ve not got it from the doctors yet. He\u2019s got a stress fracture in his foot, that\u2019s about as far as I can tell you.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big blow because he\u2019s been hugely important to us since the start of the season. He\u2019s been a big part of the team. We\u2019ve had a few injuries but this is a big blow to us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in close contact with Manchester City so we\u2019ll see how that works as we go along and we get more decisions from the specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n Moyes was also asked if Grealish\u2019s injury could impact Everton\u2019s transfer strategy with just 10 days of the window left. \u201cIt\u2019ll add to our thinking,\u201d said Moyes. \u201cGetting them is a different story. Is there anything out there that we think we could do? We could possibly consider. But at the moment we\u2019re just waiting to get the assessment back from the specialist, then we\u2019ll know more.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A few Opta facts ahead of the weekend Premier League<\/a> fixtures. Amaze your friends with these. A few unlikely heroes in this lot.<\/p>\n Sunderland\u2019s Granit Xhaka has made more line breaking passes that have led to a goal than any other player in the Premier League this season (8). Four of these have been direct assists by the Swiss, another league high.<\/p>\n Tottenham\u2019s Pedro Porro has played more passes into the box (180) and delivered more open play crosses (113) than any other player in the Premier League this season, with the Spaniard also creating the most chances among defenders (32).<\/p>\n No centre back has been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Brighton\u2019s Jan Paul van Hecke (5 \u2013 3 goals, 2 assists), with the Dutchman assisting Charalampos Kostoulas\u2019 late equaliser against Bournemouth last time out.<\/p>\n Igor Thiago\u2019s 16 goals for Brentford this season is already the most by a Brazilian player in a single Premier League campaign. The last South American player to net more was Sergio Ag\u00fcero in 2018-19 (21).<\/p>\n Manchester United\u2019s Bruno Fernandes has created the most chances in the Premier League this season (62), while he also has the most assists (9). He ranks first for chances created both in open play (40) and from set plays (22) and his current ratio of 3.4 chances created per 90 minutes is the best by a Man Utd player since Ryan Giggs in 2008-09 (3.7).<\/p>\n Leeds striker Lukas Nmecha \u2013 who netted the winner against Everton earlier this season \u2013 is averaging a goal every 122 minutes in the Premier League this season, the fourth-best ratio among players with 500+ minutes<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Mo Salah is set to play his first Premier League<\/a> game since setting up a goal for Hugo Ekitike in Liverpool\u2019s home win over Brighton on 13 December. That\u2019s presuming Arne Slot picks him for Saturday evening\u2019s clash at Bournemouth although it looks likely after the winger got the nod in the Reds\u2019 3-0 win at Marseille in midweek.<\/p>\n The Vitality Stadium could be the ideal place to make his return given that Salah has netted seven goals there in his time. That includes a hat-trick although he did miss a penalty in a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth in 2023. Not a Panenka though. Talking of which, Salah finished second top scorer at Afcon with four goals for Egypt – two behind Morocco\u2019s Brahim Diaz whose Golden Boot award was somewhat tarnished by his fluffed penalty in the final.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Mikel Arteta has spoken about Ethan Nwaneri\u2019s loan move to Marseille. The Gunners boss said the French side are ideal for the teenager and referenced how another Arsenal player, William Saliba, had benefited from his loan there in 2021-22.<\/p>\n Arteta added that the Marseille manager, Roberto De Zerbi, was another attractive factor, describing him as \u201can incredible developer of young talent\u201d and a \u201creally courageous coach in how he plays\u201d.<\/p>\n Nwaneri\u2019s move has brought back memories for Arteta who, as an 18-year-old player, went on loan to Paris Saint-German from Barcelona. Every young player, Arteta said, had to deal with the moment when excitement met reality.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, you have to go: \u2018OK, pack your bags, this is the flight ticket and you have to go to Marseille.\u2019 That is fear, insecurity \u2026 it\u2019s getting out of a place that has been really comfortable for him and being around his family and then you have to be thrown there into the sharks, into an incredible football culture and atmosphere and club. It\u2019s going to make him so much better.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Michael Carrick says Kobbie Mainoo is a prime example of the type of academy graduate who is vital to maintain the foundation of Manchester United. Carrick gave the 20-year-old a first Premier League<\/a> start of the season in Saturday\u2019s 2-0 win over Manchester City, the midfielder impressing after previously falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, who was sacked nearly two weeks ago. The interim manager was asked how important Mainoo is regarding United\u2019s future.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed working with Kobbie,\u201d said Carrick. \u201cI\u2019ve known him since he was young. I started working with him when he was 13, 14 years old when I was going through my badges [as a coach]. This club needs young players coming through and being the foundation for understanding what the club means. Kobbie\u2019s a prime example, to come through so quickly and have his rapid rise is impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Mainoo joined United when he was six, and made his debut at 17 in a 3-0 EFL Cup win over Charlton in January 2023. He scored the winner in the following season\u2019s 2-1 FA Cup final victory against Manchester City and started for England in that summer\u2019s 2-1 Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.<\/p>\n As Carrick has been appointed only until the end of the season, he was asked if his input on strengthening the squad will be considered.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking too far down the track hasn\u2019t happened just yet – I think it\u2019s been the initial thoughts of what\u2019s happening now,\u201d he said. \u201cThe important thing for me is any decision I make or my staff make or the club make – it\u2019s not short-term, not just to get through to the end of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got responsibility for whatever happens next for the club to make sure it is in a good place and moving forward. So, as time goes on I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be part of it and we\u2019ll work our way through it.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Nwaneri joins Marseille on loan<\/p>\n Arsenal have confirmed that Ethan Nwaneri has joined Olympique Marseille on loan until the end of the season. The teenager has seen his opportunities limited this season due to the big-money signings of Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze.<\/p>\n The club\u2019s official website reveals it here in a slightly awkward mix of news and tribute: \u201cOur hugely talented 18-year-old has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season and will now get more valuable game time with the Ligue 1 side.<\/p>\n \u201cAttacking midfielder Ethan burst on to the scene when he made his debut as a substitute against Brentford in September 2022, becoming the youngest player in Premier League<\/a> history aged just 15 years and 181 days and our youngest player in any competition.<\/p>\n \u201cHe went on to make six appearances in total across the 2022\/23 and 2023\/24 campaigns before really breaking through last season, when he made 37 appearances \u2013 16 of them were starts – in all competitions, including 26 in the Premier League and seven in the UEFA Champions League.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hale End graduate has been with us since the age of eight and signed his first professional contract in March 2024 when he turned 17. He then put pen to paper on a new long-term contract in August this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wish Ethan all the best for his time with Marseille and look forward to seeing him develop his talent in one of the best leagues in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Who wants to see Pele riding a horse? Of course you do. Let Pablo Iglesias Maurer give you the background.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is up now and he\u2019s been chatting about striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker came off the bench to score in the 3-1 win at Inter in midweek but the first two goals were netted by his replacement, Gabriel Jesus.<\/p>\n Arteta: \u201cHe started the season without pre-season as well and a lot of minutes and a lot of responsibility on him. Now the fact that we have other options as well is something positive for the squad. We could see the other day with Gabriel Jesus scoring two goals and Viktor coming in and making an impact in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n A quick look at some numbers:<\/p>\n Gyokeres \u2013 9 goals in 27 games. Perception: Slight flop Share<\/a><\/p>\n More from Liam Rosenior. This time he\u2019s been discussing teams news and the virus that spread through the camp in the last couple of weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of sickness, the players are coming back gradually to full health. We\u2019ve had to be very careful with that.<\/p>\n \u201cEstevao was very ill. Jamie Gittens was very ill. That altered our plans over the week in terms of what we wanted to do but thankfully the lads have come through that, Enzo [Fernandez] as well.<\/p>\n \u201c[Filip] Jorgensen had his scan, which is not as bad as first feared. He won\u2019t be available for Palace but could be, potentially, for Napoli.\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea take on Crystal Palace on Sunday before travelling to Italy to play Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Chelsea news and new boss Liam Rosenior has been discussing Cole Palmer\u2019s return and importance to the team. There have been stories today that the midfielder could be itching for a return back to Manchester<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cCole is in a good place. He joined training today, which is really positive. We\u2019ll assess his reaction to training. I\u2019ve had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very, very happy to be here. He is very, very happy to be here,\u201d said the Chelsea boss.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a huge part of our plans in the long term. He\u2019s an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult times in his career because of injury. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s any reflection on his quality.<\/p>\n \u201cMy job and the club\u2019s job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level he wants to. There was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he isn\u2019t happy here, just because he was in pain and he couldn\u2019t perform to the level he wanted to for the club.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great kid and an outstanding player but we have to make sure we look after him in the right way. That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t involve him in the last game.\u201d<\/p>\n Cole Palmer of Chelsea during a training session. Photograph: Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.51 EST<\/p>\n Thanks John. Sticking with Man Utd and Paul Scholes is refusing to apologise to defender Lisandro Martinez after suggesting Erling Haaland would have him on toast in last weekend\u2019s Manchester derby.<\/p>\n Scholes and former United team-mate Nicky Butt sparked a backlash after making the claims on their podcast: The Good, The Bad and The Football. Martinez even suggested Scholes should meet him face to face after an excellent display in United\u2019s 2-0 win.<\/p>\n Scholes addressed the spat on Sky Bet\u2019s The Overlap Fan Debate.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t realise I had so many Argentinian friends,\u201d Scholes joked. \u201cLook, what we said probably wasn\u2019t great when you look back. I\u2019m not apologising for it. The thing we were trying to say was what we thought and still is, physically, it\u2019s a mismatch, but the way we described probably it wasn\u2019t great and probably shouldn\u2019t have done that.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s had one good game though. I hope to God he proves me wrong, but look at the week before against Brighton and Danny Welbeck. Look at the week before that against Burnley. He gave the goal away against Burnley.<\/p>\n \u201cWe probably worded it not in a great way and I hope he proves me wrong. He had a great game against City, he was brilliant and we have got to see that now again for the rest of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n With that, I shall pass the reins to David Tindall. <\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n More Michael Carrick on Manchester United\u2019s game at Arsenal: \u201c\u201cLooking forward to the game, it\u2019s a big challenge. They\u2019re a very good team. They have so many strong points to their game, they are where they are for a reason, we\u2019re fully aware of that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a good place and looking forward to the game. It\u2019s where we want to be, with that energy and enthusiasm to go and be positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some Manchester United injury news on Matthijs de Ligt, from Michael Carrick: \u201c\u201cHe had a bit of setback before I arrived, only small but he was a little bit slower than we had liked. He\u2019s getting closer and hopefully in the next couple of weeks he will be back and around it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dutch defender has a back problem.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Villa close on Tammy Abraham return Aston Villa are increasingly optimistic of re-signing Tammy Abraham as Unai Emery continues to reshape his squad with the club still fighting on three fronts.<\/p>\n Villa, riding high in the Premier League<\/a>, progressed to the Europa League last 16 after victory at Fenerbahce on Thursday and face Newcastle in the FA Cup fourth round next month.<\/p>\n Abraham is currently on loan at Besiktas from Serie A side Roma. Emery targeted an established No 9 this month to bolster his attack.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old was on loan at Villa in 2018-19, when he scored 26 goals in 40 appearances on loan from Chelsea at the then Championship side. Abraham left Chelsea in 2021, joining Roma in a \u00a334m deal. While at Stamford Bridge he also enjoyed loans at Bristol City and Swansea City.<\/p>\n Villa are also prioritising a midfielder before the transfer window shuts. They are interested in a loan deal for Ruben Loftus-Cheek with key duo Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn both sidelined with knee injuries. It is feared Kamara could miss the rest of the season.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.37 EST<\/p>\n Strand Larsen is not one of the following transfer storylines to follow. But he\u2019s one to follow in the next week or so. <\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.33 EST<\/p>\n Talking of Wolves, their manager, Rob Edwards, has confirmed Leeds bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen this week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re under no pressure to sell. We want to try and be as strong as we can throughout the period unless we feel it\u2019s the right thing, no one will go. No-one\u2019s been knocking on my door [to leave], no-one, they\u2019ve all shown real desire and attitude to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Guehi, by the way, will make his City debut against Wolves on Saturday.<\/p>\n Marc Guehi signing for Manchester City, alongside director of football Hugo Viana. Photograph: MCFCShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.50 EST<\/p>\n Pep Guardiola has been speaking after a fairly disastrous week for Manchester City: \u201cWe were in Newcastle one week ago and we won 2-0. In my opinion, against Bodo, we missed the chances that we had and the long balls, we were not aggressive enough. We conceded two goals in two minutes. We had chances with the Max Alleyne header.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not talking about the game against United. In the game against Bodo, I did not have that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n On Rodri\u2019s struggles for form: \u201cI know the reason why we are struggling now. I know 100%. It\u2019s been 11 months. Give him more time. Our standards are so high and I know the reason why we are a little bit inconsistent. I\u2019m pretty sure, yes but that depends on the team as well and not just him.\u201d<\/p>\n And on Marc Guehi: \u201cWe cannot lose games. Man City is so perfect that we cannot lose games. It is what it is. We have to change the dynamic to try to win games tomorrow and Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.12 EST<\/p>\n Thanks, Dom. What a welcome. Some big news around, particularly that Andy\/Andrew Robertson story. Seems odd but then again he is out of contract this summer, and may feel he has plenty in his legs, and plenty of earning power, too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n That\u2019s my stint done and it\u2019s my pleasure to hand over to John Brewin, East Cheshire\u2019s finest living footie scribe.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Nottingham Forest: The honeymoon period is well and truly over for Sean Dyche at after last night\u2019s drab showing against Braga.<\/p>\n With some boos after that 1-0 defeat in Portugal and patchy form in the league, what comes next? Ben Fisher explores.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an interesting statistical titbit: the most xG created in the Premier League<\/a> this season. Manchester United are top of the tree, how about that?<\/p>\n Man Utd – 45.48<\/p>\n Arsenal – 42.70<\/p>\n Man City – 42.69<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pep Guardiola has started his Manchester City press conference by confirming Marc Gu\u00e9hi will make his debut for the club against Wolves tomorrow. At home to a team that have scored just 15 goals in 22 league games this season, it\u2019s hardly the toughest of first tests for the England international.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.36 EST<\/p>\n In the National League, Aldershot v Carlisle and Gateshead v Wealdstone, games set for 3pm tomorrow, have been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769189949_480_Tom_Garry.png\")
Tom Garry<\/p>\nTom Garry<\/p>\n
Infantino aimed a jibe at British supporters during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying the Qatar finals in 2022 were special because \u201cno Brit was arrested\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Jacob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jacob-Steinberg,-L.png\")
Jacob Steinberg<\/p>\n![\"Ed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769189950_759_Ed_Aarons,_L.png\")
Ed Aarons<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/David_Hytner,_L.png\")
David Hytner<\/p>\n![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jamie-Jackson,-L.png\")
Jamie Jackson<\/p>\n
Hugo Ekitike \u2013 12 goals in 30 games. Perception: A definite hit
The Swede is scoring every one in three while it\u2019s one in every two-and-a-half for Liverpool\u2019s French striker. Not much in that. Then again, the eye test would say something different. There are always shades of grey (underrated Monkees song<\/a>) in all this of course.<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben_Fisher.png\")
Ben Fisher<\/p>\n