Right you lovely people, it’s time to wrap up for the day. Thanks for your attention and emails, and we’ll leave you with the Talk, our Premier League news roundup going into the weekend’s fixtures. Enjoy whatever games you may be going to and enjoy your weekend. Bye.
Salah: the view from Egypt. The forward has most of his compatriots overwhelmingly on his side, as Yara El-Shaboury reports:
“Egyptian media was always going to stand by Salah,” says the Egyptian journalist and co-founder of the sports website KingFut, Adam Moustafa. “When you look at the content over the last five years or so of Egyptian football, 60-70% has been based around him. He’s a unique status that we’ve never had, for someone abroad to be so successful. He’s the golden child of Egypt.”
This liveblog will be closing shortly but look at all the stuff we’ve got coming up for you this weekend:
Scottish League Cup: the already under-scrutiny new Celtic manager, Wilfried Nancy, is stressing confidence and optimism going into Sunday’s final against St Mirren. “I’d like to win the trophy for sure and if we don’t win it is going to be difficult,” said Nancy. “I am optimstic as a person and optimistic that [Sunday] will validate what we are doing – I am a positive person.” Celtic’s midfielder Luke McCowan admitted the team “need to show it better on the pitch … the manager’s confident, we just need to keep trying to keep our confidence high regardless of results and to know we’re a really good football team and that results haven’t shown that.”
St Mirren defender Marcus Fraser meanwhile knows what a historic achievement winning at Hampden would be. “You understand how big a game it is and what can happen a few years down the line,” he said. “In 10, 20 years, people will probably still be talking about it [a win] and you can obviously write your own chapter in the club’s history.
“So I think that’s one of the key aspects that we want to do, really grab the opportunity with two hands and if we can get up on that wall, then in a few years’ time, when you walk by it, that would be a great feeling.”
Further to all that, Sky Sports’s estimable Kaveh Solhekol is pointing out that the original hosts’ bid for the 2026 World Cup pledged ticket prices for group games would range from £15-£96. But no one from any national football association, nor from Fifa, has uttered a dicky bird today. A curious silence from the Football Family, there.
World Cup 2026: Our very own Philip Cornwall is a seasoned England tournament-goer but there’s no way he’s paying those prices, and he explains why here.
The prices announced on Thursday were for the supporters who have already trekked across their own continent, creating the atmosphere at and around national-team matches. This year I have been to Barcelona, Belgrade, Riga and Tirana, as well as going to Nottingham, Birmingham and Wembley multiple times. It’s to these supporters, in each country’s membership scheme, that the competing teams’ allocations of tickets go, 8% of the total in each ground. That 8% provides a much higher percentage of the atmosphere, not just at the finals but in the qualifying matches that give meaning to the jamboree.
‘Tis the season for the usual wrangles over player availability and the Africa Cup of Nations, whereupon wealthy Premier League clubs who sign players who are good enough to star for their national sides then complain that those players are wanted by their national sides to star for them.
For their part Nottingham Forest are insistent that their full-back Ola Aina is not fit enough to go to Afcon with Nigeria, PA Media reports. The right-back has not played since suffering a serious thigh injury in a World Cup qualifier for his country in September. He is nearing a return to fitness after surgery and the Nigeria Football Federation repeatedly asked Forest whether he was fit enough to be included in their squad for the tournament in Morocco. However, Forest insisted the player would not be able to go and he was subsequently left out of the Super Eagles squad.
Their manager, Sean Dyche, said: “It’s just that he’s not fit. He hasn’t been fit, he’s still not fit. He hasn’t played any football yet. So, that’s all we can offer to that situation, that he’s still not fit. We’ve made that very clear.”
Forest will lose Ibrahim Sangaré to the competition, though, as he has been named in the Ivory Coast squad. “That’s the way it goes, these are the sort of challenges we’ve got as a club,” said Dyche.
The Tottenham head coach, Thomas Frank, has professed himself bored of questions about the fitness of Dominic Solanke, but hopes for “good news” on him soon, PA Media reports.
Solanke’s fitness has been a regular topic of discussion in Frank’s press conferences this season given the £65m striker has only made three appearances and has been absent since the game at Manchester City on 23 August, with minor surgery on 1 October unable to speed up the recovery process.
Frank returned to the subject ahead of Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest after Solanke put up an image on Instagram which included an hourglass emoji to hint he may return soon.
Frank said: “Yeah I guess it’s good news when he posted there. As I said with Dom because it’s an injury he picked up in July and it’s dragged on for a while, I would much more prefer to say instead of ‘he is back soon’ and all of that, when he is training fully with the team and is available for selection that’s when I will say something.
“Hopefully there will be lots of footage of him training but yeah, that is my message. … I’m happy to answer all these questions. I’m just a little bit bored of it because let’s talk about Forest, it’s much more interesting.”
Keyword
Ruben Amorim still does not know whether Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui will be available for Manchester United’s game at home to Bournemouth on Monday after they were called up for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Monday is the mandatory date set by Fifa for clubs to release players for the tournament, which starts in Morocco on 21 December. Diallo, Mbeumo and Mazraoui have been called up by Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Morocco respectively. Fifa has said it will mediate between clubs and national teams if there is a dispute.
Thanks John. Hello again. And it’s time for today’s Football Daily, on those World Cup prices:
Amid the justified outrage and eye-watering totals, we need someone who truly understands the game to remind us what it’s all about. “I know what it means to travel week in, week out, to go and watch your favourite team, because I did this myself.” That’s more like it! “I know what it means to love football and follow a team. Football without the fans is nothing.” Which thrusting egalitarian, which man of the people said this? Oh. It was Gianni Infantino, back in 2016. The game has truly gone.
And with that, I shall pass back to Tom Davies.
The first Tyne-Wear Premier League match since 2016; Newcastle were relegated at the end of the 2015-16 season, and missed Sunderland dropping back the next year.
Regis Le Bris: “We are exactly where we want to be. So it’s really exciting for our fans, for our players, and we’ll go into this this game with humility, but ambition and desire to win as well. So that’s very positive.
“They are intense, well organized. They have good players. The bench is big as well, so they have a clear identity, so with strength, but weaknesses like everyone in this league. So we’ll try to exploit some of them, and I hope it will work.”
Interesting too look back on the landscape back then. Plenty of change. I was there to see Big Sam celebrate survival with a beer. We all got offered one, too.
Good piece from Liam Grimshaw in the excellent Nutmeg magazine.
Let me espouse my disdain for football’s latest fad: the role of the set-piece coach. Usually spotted emerging from the shadows of luxuriously appointed benches (you don’t get splinters any more you know, trust me I’ve been there) during free-kicks, penalties, corners, goal kicks or the keeper scratching his arse, you may often mistake these pensive-faced experts for the first-team manager.
They celebrate a successfully defended corner (a wayward delivery headed wholeheartedly clear) like a last-minute winner and a “well-worked” goal like the birth of a new Messiah, while in the process frantically searching for the “gaffer” and any hint of his approval.
Everton are set to lose Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye to Senegal for Afcon on Monday, and David Moyes has been speaking: “This is their last week, as is the case with many other football clubs, and we have to completely respect the tournament.
“The players have to go and play for their countries, and rightly so. It is a great thing that they have been selected for their countries. We wish them well.
“Tyler Dibling, Carlos Alcaraz and Dwight McNeil are all keen to get minutes and get put into the side. I’m sure they will all be used in the coming weeks and months.”
Dibling has started just one game this season, after costing an initial £35m from Southampton.
A story on sport overall though football is not exempt from the problem.
Talking of new managers, Wilfried Nancy has had a very difficult start to his tenure as Celtic coach. Succeeding Martin O’Neill’s glorious interim spell probably didn’t help much.
Rob Edwards took on the impossible job when he took over Wolves, and his popularity among fans didn’t stop a protest on Monday, during the 4-1 home defeat to Manchester United. He said today: ““I understand their frustration, it is difficult, they’ve not seen their team win for six months so I completely get it. I’m always trying to be as honest as possible so I completely understand.
“We can see it’s still going to be difficult going forward for a period of time so there might be more pain to come but, I’m energised by that and I’m looking forward to moving forward and trying to improve things.”
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AfCon news, via Reuters: “Marshall Munetsi has bemoaned his omission from coach Marian Marinica’s Zimbabwe squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, saying too hasty a decision was made on his fitness.
Munetsi has captained the side before and been a stalwart over the last few years but was left out of the squad named on Thursday after a calf injury playing for Wolves.
“I had an injury recently but my club, Wolves, communicated with the association that I was recovering well and even offered medical support to ensure that I could participate at the AFCON,” Munetsi, 29, wrote on social media.
“Unfortunately, I received no follow-up communication, and decisions were made without clarity; speculation which wasn’t the case. While I’m hurt, my unwavering support for the national team remains strong. I respect the coach’s decisions and stand behind the boys wholeheartedly.
“I will always be ready to defend the nation I love. Warriors has always been a dream, and wearing our colours is the greatest honour of my career. AFCON would have even been more significant,” he added.
Get involved, as the Guardian community team asks if you are planning to buy tickets for 2026. Or have already bought them.
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Like all dictator-curious populists, Fifa loathes its people – the fans. Thinking back, I’ve even been at tournaments where the governing body has sponsored show trials. In South Africa in 2010, we had something called the Fifa World Cup Courts – 56 courts where Fifa indicated it had finally outgrown fast food tie-ins and slapped its branding on justice itself. Or rather, on summary justice – which became an official tournament partner as cases were rushed through to appease the governing body. A group of Dutch women who’d worn orange minidresses to a game as stunt-marketing for Bavaria beer were arrested. Fifa filed criminal charges against the company.
Thanks there, to Poynton’s finest. I wonder what Dom thinks of the new town planned between our two destinations on the Cheshire plain.
That’s my power hour done and I shall hand the live blog back to a man as chuffed as me to see Macclesfield in the FA Cup third round and on TV. It’s… John Brewin.
One final bit: Ruben Amorim on the in-form Mason Mount:
He’s a very smart player, really technical, to be technical is not just having fun with the ball, it’s how to receive it. He can balance our team quite well.
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It’s crazy that Manchester United are still be in the dark about three players’ availability for a game only three days away.
The only thing to add re Amorim’s men is that Benjamin Sesko may return to their matchday squad v Bournemouth, depending on his recovery from a bout of food poisoning.
Manchester United unsure about Afcon trio's availability
Manchester United are still waiting to hear whether Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui will be available for their Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Monday night.
The three players are set to join up with their international teams for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which gets under way on 21 December. Mazraoui’s Morocco – the host nation – are set to open the tournament that day against Comoros, with Mbeumo and Amad in the Cameroon and Ivory Coast squads respectively.
United are keen to have the trio involved versus Bournemouth but are still waiting for confirmation from the three federations.
“We are still in conversation with the national teams,” said Amorim. The game is Monday, they are here and they are training and we are trying to prepare all the different scenarios.
“It is frustrating. But nobody knows who is going to play, so it is a good thing. We have players to cope with everything. With a long week, you have time to prepare.”
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Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim is next up before the media glare.
He has started with some bad news for United, with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt still sidelined with injury. More to follow …
Wayne Rooney has revealed he received death threats when he left boyhood club Everton for Manchester United in 2004.
After breaking into Everton’s first team at the age of 16, Rooney was still only 18 when made the move to Old Trafford in a £27m deal, having rejected a new contract offer that would have been a club record for the Toffees.
The exit of a player who had worn a t-shirt bearing the slogan ‘Once a blue, always a blue’ angered the Everton fanbase.
“I got death threats,” Rooney said on his BBC Sport podcast. “My parents’ house was getting spray painted and smashed up. My girlfriend at the time, wife now, her house was getting spray painted. I think that’s where you have to be mentally strong. The people around you have to help.
“Leaving was difficult because I went to Manchester United, and Liverpool and Manchester have a big rivalry so that made it a lot more difficult. But I was always of a mindset of ‘I don’t care’. I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there. I had to stay tough in my mind.” PA Media
Kolo Touré on Guardiola's hunger for trophies
Kolo Touré has been left amazed by Pep Guardiola’s hunger to win after almost 10 years as the Manchester City head coach. Guardiola has amassed 18 major trophies during his tenure and has 18 months remaining on his current contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The head coach was absent for second-placed City’s press conference on Friday, leaving first-team coach Touré to carry out his duties due to a personal matter, but will be on the bench for the trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
“The manager’s energy every day is incredible,” Touré said. “For me I am so surprised with all the years that he has done in the league and the energy that he still has is incredible every day, the passion he brings in every meeting in the training session. He is enjoying himself every single day and we are enjoying as well, you can see in the games when we play. It doesn’t matter what happens we have a big spirit, we have a lot of energy, we are fighting for every single ball and then we try to play our football, but when it goes to fighting we can do that too and that shows the spirit of the team.”
Touré was appointed to Guardiola’s backroom staff in July, having previously worked in the club’s academy. The former City defender’s experience as a manager in his own right lasted only nine games in an ill-fated spell at Wigan.
“Obviously my experience at Wigan was the best thing that happened to me,” Touré said. “Because during my life I had a lot of setbacks, as a player before I came to Arsenal I did four or five trials and those trials didn’t work, and that never stopped me. I think when I have setbacks my feeling is to go again. Of course the job that I’m doing right now is fantastic because I’m working with two fantastic people, working for one of the best clubs in the world.
“I don’t know what will happen in the future, but as you know when you’ve been a manager once you always want to go back for sure. For me the process [at City] is fantastic, I’m learning every day, I’m trying to share my knowledge and experience with them as well of course, to try to bring something to the team, because I’m not here only to learn, I’m here to bring something as well.”
Unai Emery is at the other end of the spectrum in terms of managerial fortunes. How on earth he didn’t receive the Premier League’s manager of the month award is beyond me. I guess Aston Villa lost to Liverpool on the first day of November – but they’ve since embarked on an eight-game winning sequence in all competitions.
After the latest of those wins, over Basel in the Europa League last night, Emery said: “We can’t stop. The Europa League is very important for us – to be favourites, it depends if we are playing consistently, getting in the top eight. There are other teams progressively getting better. But of course we are motivated, focused and we want to enjoy each moment, share emotions with our supporters.”
Eesh, Wilfried Nancy at Celtic… that’s the rockiest imaginable start to a Bhoys’ managerial stint. Two games, two losses.
There is a chance for him to finally hit the ground running – and claim a trophy – this weekend when Celtic face St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final. But another defeat could spell Russell Martin levels of trouble.
As Ewan Murray writes here, “two games into the Frenchman’s tenure in Glasgow that he requires all the support he can get… a game that could ordinarily be shrugged off as a competitive non-event suddenly carries huge significance”.
Thanks Tom.
I suspect there will be some complaints about those FA Cup third round TV games – as always, some people cannot seem to fathom why broadcasters would want to screen Manchester United and Liverpool – but it’s a good selection, for me.
And with that, I’ll hand over to Dominic Booth, who’ll guide you expertly through the next hour or so.
Coventry: Frank Lampard’s Coventry manager Frank Lampard has cautioned that the Sky Blues will need to strengthen in the January transfer window to maintain their promotion drive at the top of the Championhip. “We’re constantly planing, we plan all through the summer, we plan again when the summer window finishes and from there the reality is if we want to keep fighting at the top of this league, historically with the teams that get promoted you look at what they did in the January windows to strengthen.” Tomorrow, Cov host Bristol City, whose promotion bid has wobbled a bit lately.
Televised FA Cup third round ties revealed
And in a surprise move, Manchester United and Wrexham are among the teams featured: Wrexham host Nottingham Forest on Friday 9 January on TNT Sports, kicking off at 7.30pm; Macclesfield v the holders Crystal Palace is on BBC 1 and TNT on the Saturday lunchtime at 12.15pm, and Saturday’s 5.30pm game is Spurs v Villa while Charlton v Chelsea will now take place at 8pm also on TNT.
On the Sunday Derby host Leeds at 12pm, Portsmouth take on Arsenal at 2pm, Manchester United v Brighton will be screened at 4.30pm before Liverpool host League One Barnsley at 7.45pm. All on TNT Sports.
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Manchester City: Kolo Touré has stepped in for media duties at the Etihad while Pep Guardiola attends to a “personal matter” ahead of City’s visit to Palace on Sunday, though he’s confident the manager will be in the dugout at Selhurst/ Touré pours suitable praise on his gaffer as they try to increase pressure on the leaders, Arsenal. “For us we just focus on what we can do. I think we know the quality of Arsenal – a really strong squad with a fantastic manager but it’s down to us because we have the best manager in the world – he’s working every day, he loves the players and the staff and we know he will take us as far as we can to win that league but we can’t focus on what Arsenal is doing. Every game is like a final for us."
Chelsea: Enzo Maresca confirms that Cole Palmer’s on track to start against Everton tomorrow, having got through yesterday’s training with “mixed feelings”. Wesley Fofana, who suffered a freak eye injury in midweek, is also available.
Having been cursed with November’s manager of the month award, the Chelsea manager addresses recent wobbles: “We are in December now and December didn’t start the way we’d like – even if it’s just over one week since we played Leeds, it’s completely normal not to always build on [momentum from games such as the win over Barcelona], it’s only eight or nine days ago – in eight or nine days were not going to change our season. I’m completely relaxed and it’s OK the reason we drop points – it’s football.
Tomorrow’s match sees Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall return to the Bridge with Everton: “I didn’t have any doubts about Kiernan, he was always working hard and playing well but we have also more players so he wasn’t able to play so many games.,” said Maresca
Scotland now and the Old Firm continue to soil themselves in public in Europe – and domestically, for that matter – with Danny Röhl endeavouring to put a brave face on things after defeat by Ferencvaros last night effectively eliminated them from the Europa League:
“We have to step up in the games ahead now. We know the schedule now, but we have also to learn from this game on Thursday,” said the Gers manager. “We cannot allow it, to bring opponents back in such a game. Controllers have a game management, be clinical, and then we can take more, more wins, and even on this (European) level.
“The last two games showed me that we are competitive, but to win games you have to do more and you have to be clinical. And if you do this, then you have a chance. If not, then you will not take so much in this competition.”
Things were just as bad for Celtic, comprehensively schooled by Roma and Aberdeen, beaten at home by Strasbourg in the Conference League. And as the Bhoys bounce between bringing back former managers and employing relative unknowns, the pressure is mounting for Sunday’s League Cup final against St Mirren, winners of the trophy in 2013 – shades of Raith Rovers in 1994, when the Hoops were a skint mess?
Liverpool: while we await revelations about that conversation between Arne Slot and Mo Salah this morning, here’s an array of Liverpool fan views on the standoff.
I can understand Salah’s frustration at not starting – players with elite mentality shouldn’t enjoy sitting on the bench. But the reality is he’s not been in form and Szoboszlai, who has replaced him at right wing for the past three Premier League games, has been Liverpool’s heart and soul. If any player has a problem with the club or the manager, it should be discussed and resolved internally and away from the public eye, especially now given how much attention and scrutiny has been on Merseyside recently.
Thanks John, and we continue with more on the great World Cup ticket scam: the Football Supporters Association in England has weighed in with more criticism of next summer’s prices, rebuking Fifa for its “beyond shameless” attitude to fans and calling for the FA to work with fellow associations to challenge the world governing body. Here’s its statement:
The prices set for the 2026 World Cup are scandalous, a step too far for many supporters who passionately and loyally follow their national sides at home and abroad.
Everything we feared about the direction in which Fifa wants to take the game was confirmed – Gianni Infantino only sees supporter loyalty as something to be exploited for profit.
Prices for England’s matches have been set as some of the highest, priced at $7020 if you want to follow the team from start through to the final.
If you are “lucky” enough to reserve the cheapest ticket for the final you’ll need to hand over $4185, approximately £3200 – that’s £35 per minute of the game.
Fifa call this the “Supporter Value” category – that’s a laughable insult to your average fan.
Supporters are expected to hand over all of this money in February to Fifa, who will keep it in their bank account to accrue interest. If England are knocked out before the final they’ll then return it, minus an admin fee of course. They are beyond shameless.
This is a tournament that is supposed to be celebrated by the world, where fans of all nations come together for the love of football. FIFA have decided to make it all about the money and the elite who can afford it.
For Fifa, loyalty is not the hard-working fan travelling thousands of miles in support of their team at qualifiers around the continent. A game that should be for all is now only for those who can afford it.
We back Football Supporters Europe in calling for a halt in ticket sales and we are calling on the Football Association to work with fellow FAs to directly challenge these disgraceful prices.
And with that, I shall pass over to the estimable Tom Davies.
Big Ben Fisher interview with Christian Fuchs, Premier League-winning player who is now manager of Newport County.
It helped change my mindset a little bit … it showed that the impossible can be possible.
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Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of his first Wear-Tyne derby in the Premier League: “I was aware of it before, but I think it’s very different when you’re seeing it from afar to actually living it and experiencing it yourself. I’d seen many derbies on the TV and you can sense there’s an intense rivalry there. That’s a great thing for the game, I love that and I think it’s one of the things that makes football so special. But then when you’re here, you realise it’s even much more than you thought from the outside. It’ll be great to experience it in a league game.”
The two clubs met in the FA Cup in January 2024, an easy 3-0 win for Newcastle. It’s the first time in the Premier League since 2016.
Bournemouth have hit something of a sticky patch, with a couple of leading players in Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson short of scoring form. The Brazilian hasn’t scored since August. Andoni Iraola is staying positive about both. Semenyo has been linked with filling a Salah-shaped hole in Liverpool’s attack.
On Semenyo: “We cannot only analyse the numbers. He’s not our number nine. He’s a winger that gives us a lot of goals and a lot of assists, and he gives us chances normally. He was the biggest threat against Chelsea the other day. I don’t feel [transfer speculation] is affecting him a lot. When you hear your name every day in the news you have to deal with the situation, but I think he’s committed, and I haven’t seen a lot of changes in him.”
On Evanilson: ““He’s the first one who wants to score, because he knows he’s a number nine, but we trust him, and we have to encourage him to do the same things he’s doing. I don’t want him to have any doubts. We also have other options but we trust him 100%.”
Dan Christmas gets in touch on Slot/Salah: “I mean, Slot isn’t in charge at Liverpool just as a manager or head coach in any other club isn’t top of the hierarchy. We can be pretty sure it was him who made the decision to drop Salah as well. If Salah gets his big money move to a softer league then everybody wins.”
Louise Devries gets in touch from the Netherlands: “Its not only England fans that are outraged. Many European countries have a club for fans who follow their team and get easier access to tournamenttickets. So are we, but for a 3rd time in a row, we will not order any WC tickets because of the country. Too expensive, the cities Oranje play are beyond boring, a high 1936 feeling and we probably would be refused entrance anyway after they read our comments. Maybe its time to organize a Euros every two years instead. Those tournaments are real fun for the fans and the teams.”
And better news on William Saliba’s injury for Arsenal fans.
Mikel Arteta: “It was something quite small - he came from an ankle injury he had then it started to modify the way he was running and then he started to overload an area. It’s common, but he became uncomfortable continuing to train and play so we had to stop it. He looks better but we have to wait and see if it’s enough for him to be able to train with the team.”
Mikel Arteta has been talking about Gabriel Jesus.
“Yes - we know his quality, he has given us so much. If he comes with the quality he did the other day then he is certainly a player that has to be pushing and aiming for that [to start up front].”
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The reason for Ferguson’s possible return to Brighton is losing Stefanos Tzimas for the rest of the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
Tzimas, 19, a £20million summer signing from Nuremburg, is not expecting to return until pre-season. “He will have surgery and we have big trust in the doctors and we have big trust in the medical department,” Hurzeler said. “We are quite convinced that he will be back as quick as possible and even in better shape.”
Brighton signed another Greek teenager in Charalampos Kostoulas, who has featured in recent matches, and scored at Manchester United.
Here’s Andy Hunter reporting from that Arne Slot press conference.
The Liverpool head coach was reluctant to discuss the Salah situation in detail but claimed there were talks with the player’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, before the striker was named as a substitute for the third game in succession at Leeds last Saturday.
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More on Arsenal from 10 things, via Ed Aarons. On a player now available to Arteta.
Gabriel Jesus is confident he can recapture his best form after recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for almost a year. The Brazil striker came on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Club Brugge on Wednesday night and will be hoping for more minutes when Mikel Arteta’s side face rock-bottom Wolves on Saturday. “One hundred per cent,” said the 28-year-old when asked whether the best is still to come from him. “I’m a different guy when I have a smile on my face. I’m 100% sure, and then obviously now I’m more experienced, now I had 11 months of doubting, of stepping back and watching everything around me, that has helped me a lot. I know if I have the chance I am going to go there and do my best to help the team, like everyone else here.”
Arsenal look to recover from last week’s defeat by Aston Villa, though have a considerable injury list. Mikel Arteta has run a roll call of sorts on the players who might be available to face Wolves in Saturday’s 8pm kick-off.
William Saliba “hasn’t trained with us yet. Let’s see if he can be available.” Jurrien Timber “depends how he feels today. It’s a matter of days.” Declan Rice: “Let’s see how he is today. He was ill, normally in a few days it gets resolved.” And Leandro Trossard is “another one that is a matter of days. Sounds boring but that is the reality.”
Arteta stayed positive at Villa Park, and tried to strike a positive note again: “Hopefully tomorrow we will win, and then in the last one, two or three [games] we will have been the best team [in the form table]. We try to win every game, that’s the only thing we can do in terms of being as consistent as possible.”
Dave Estherby gets in touch: “Ok so I think we can all ascertain from that presser that whoever’s in charge at Liverpool it sure as hell ain’t Arne Slot. One week, the public outburst, the turning-up-at-training-as-if-nothing’s-happened, the selfie in the gym alone, and still nothing. He should be made to train with the reserves for the rest of the season and yet it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he starts tomorrow.
“Slot visibly flinched and asked for the question to be repeated when asked if he wants Salah to stay, we all know what’s gonna happen; gone in January to Saudi on a ludicrous contract for a fortune. Everyone’s happy; the club get rid for nice windfall and the money-grabber grabs his money, all’s fair in love and war. Except Slot, that is, who ends up looking like a idiot. Nice.”
There has been talk of a distance between the Class of 92 and Manchester United, so this is a development. Via Jamie Jackson:
The Class of 92 is launching a University Academy 92 campus at Manchester United’s stadium in January, with Gary Neville stating it is a “full circle moment” for him.
The campus will use suites in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and Old Trafford’s media facilities. Courses include business of football, sports management, digital marketing and football broadcast and journalism at degree and Cert HE level. Enrolment fees range from £9,790 to £11,750 for UK pupils and £16,197 to £27,000 for the courses available to overseas students.
Neville, a former United captain, said: “This is a full circle moment for me - Manchester United is where my dreams started and now we have the privilege of helping the next generation achieve theirs.
“Old Trafford has always been a place where young people dream big, and now it will also be a place where our students can learn, grow and build their futures. The Class of ’92’s experiences at Manchester United shaped who we are. The teamwork, commitment and belief we learned here are part of UA92’s DNA. Bringing our students into this environment connects everything we stand for – education, opportunity and the power of sport to change lives.”
The Class of ‘92 consists of Neville, his brother Phil, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham. UA92 was founded in 2019 in conjunction with Lancaster University and later expanded with a business school in the centre of Manchester. Beckham was not part of UA92’s founding.
Marc Armstrong, United’s chief business officer of, said: “We are really looking forward to opening the doors of Old Trafford to students from UA92. Manchester United has always been synonymous with youth, drive and determination, epitomised by the Class of ’92.
“In the longer term, as we plan for the regeneration of the Old Trafford area, including the development of a new stadium, this agreement with UA92 demonstrates our desire to work together with local stakeholders in driving social and economic progress across Greater Manchester and beyond.”
Updated
Evan Ferguson scored twice last night for Roma at Celtic, the best performance yet of his loan. There’s talk he will return to Brighton. Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking ahead of Brighton’s visit to face Liverpool.
“Evan is a player for us, that is why he will always be an option. At the moment he is on loan but we follow it, we are pleased how he performed yesterday. Of course we all follow it so definitely he might be an option.”
Hurz (not) on Salah: “We always want to face the best players, the best teams. We try to go for this challenge, to be honest we don’t have any idea how Liverpool have played with which players that will face us, which formation.
“It’s about us, focusing on our principles, our style of play. We go there, we know no matter which situation Liverpool is it will be a big challenge so we try to face it and we try to win this game.”
Bournemouth have announced Vitality as their new front of shirt sponsor from next season, replacing the gambling company bj88.
The move comes as the Premier League prepares to start a voluntary ban on gambling companies acting as front of shirt sponsors, which is due to come in from next season.
Research by the company GlobalData estimated the overall value of shirt sponsorship deals by gambling companies to be worth a combined £104million in 2024-25.
Last May, the gambling commission wrote to Bournemouth and four other Premier League sides warning them over their relationships with their front of shirt sponsors, as the gambling brands did not have a licence to operate in the UK.
The Cherries have agreed a ‘multi-year’ deal with Vitality, who are already the title sponsors of their stadium. AFC Bournemouth’s president of business operations, Jim Frevola, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Vitality as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor and further our relationship, which is already built around our shared principles of energy, resilience and community.”
Another fans story, via the BBC in Essex.
Southend United fans have called for a refund after their 250-mile away day to Rochdale was rained off for the second time.
The National League tie was being won by the hosts 2-1 before it was abandoned in the 77th minute on Saturday.
It followed many fans making their way to the Crown Oil Arena in September, only for the game to be postponed due to heavy rainfall less than two and half hours before kick-off. Hoping their next meeting would be third time lucky, supporters group Shrimpers Trust said: “At this or any level, this is unacceptable.”
Lancashire clubs – Rochdale is Greater Manchester but formerly Lancs – have had it wet this season. See Blackburn’s problems against Sheffield Wednesday last week. Their second abandonment of the season.
Yet more Slot: “Alex [Isak] got a knock in the first half, so let’s see how he recovers from that today and if he is able to start tomorrow.
It’s helpful in the upcoming weeks that we won’t play as many games as we did until now. I wonder if there are more teams that have played three games in seven days this season. We had to do it three times already this season.
“I am almost happy we are out of the League Cup, because if we had to play with 13 outfield players available with any Premier League experience, and we had to go to Arsenal away on Tuesday after already so many games played, then maybe people can understand a bit better why I made that line-up against Crystal Palace.
“It wasn’t good for me but I made that decision for the team. Losing a game of football is never a good idea, but sometimes players need rest as well.”
The Women’s Super League will review its broadcast slots at the end of the season amid disappointment at some viewing figures during the first half of the campaign.
An average audience of 59,000 watched live Sky Sports coverage of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Liverpool last Saturday lunchtime, even fewer than the 71,000 people who watched Arsenal v Chelsea on Sky in the same noon kick-off slot last month, leading to criticism from fans about the scheduling of such flagship games.
A bit more Slot on Salah: “Who made the call? I think we decided as a club and I was part of that not to take him to Inter. I am always in contact with them with lineup and squads, that is always left to me. I talk to Richard Hughes more than Michael Edwards, we speak about many things.
“Do I want him to stay? Another way of asking but the next time I speak about Mo will be with him. I see no reason why I don’t want him to stay.”
England fans outrage at 'laughable' World Cup ticket prices
England fans say they have been “slapped in the face” by Fifa after it was revealed a run to the World Cup final would cost supporters over £5,000 for tickets. The pricing policy was described as “laughable” by the Football Supporters’ Association’s England Fans’ Embassy, while Football Supporters Europe (FSE) called the prices a “monumental betrayal” of match-going fans and urged Fifa to call a halt to the sale process.
Fans hoping to access tickets through their national associations’ travel programmes and loyalty schemes discovered on Thursday that the cheapest final ticket would cost 4,185 US dollars (£3,120). The Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought the cheapest ticket for every game through to the final it would cost 7,020 US dollars (£5,228).
In a post on X, the England Fans’ Embassy said: “These prices are a slap in the face to supporters who support their team outside of the flagship tournament that appears every four years.
“To call the Category 3 tickets, the cheapest available to ESTC members, ‘Supporter Value Category 3’ that comes at a cost of 7,020 US dollars if you want to follow England from start to finish, is laughable. A game for supporters, loyalty has been thrown out of the window and supporters of the participating nations have been completely let down.”
FSE said, from the ticket price information it had available, supporting your team from the first game to the final at the 2026 tournament would cost five times as much as at the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Updated
Kolo Toure will be doing the Manchester City press conference today because Pep Guardiola has a personal matter to attend but the head coach will be in the dugout at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Slot has been talking about Liverpool’s injuries, too: “Endo and Gakpo? Going to be weeks. Cody is a muscle injury and Wata is ankle.
And his new strike pairing of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak: “What we all saw, which is normal, the more they play, the more they will adapt and the better they will cooperate. The other two No 9s on the pitch for Inter were more used to playing with each. It’s the second time they have played together and I think we will see more of this in the future. Alex got a knock in the first half, so let’s see if he is able to start tomorrow.
“I don’t think height tells you a player is perfectly equipped for that direct style. Some are tall and struggle, others aren’t and dominate. Alex and Hugo, you can better use them in behind than long balls into their body. I see Hugo trying to do this better and better but there’s room for improvement as there is with so many parts of our games.”
More Slot on Salah: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.”
Slot set for Salah talks today
Seems it’s undecided whether he plays a part against Brighton.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning and the outcome determines how.
“What I need is a conversation with him and the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. There’s not much more I can say. I speak to him today and the outcome determines how things will look tomorrow.
“You can try in multiple ways but I just said the next time I speak about him should be with him. I think there’s been a lot of conversations since the last week between his reps and ours. An apology? Normally I’d say you’ve had your three questions…”
The week’s big story has been the Mohamed Salah affair. Liverpool play Brighton this weekend, a game Salah pinpointed might be his last. There’s also talk of a midweek meeting with Jordan Henderson; does that mean Saudi Arabia or Brentford? Arne Slot is due to speak this morning.
Preamble
Good morning, football. We’re back back back for another Friday buildup to the day’s action, reporting on all the big stories, and previewing another big weekend of Premier League action.
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