Marseille have announced that manager Roberto De Zerbi has left the club by mutual consent in the wake of Sunday's 5-0 thrashing by champions Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. De Zerbi guided Marseille to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season but leaves with his team down in fourth place in the table and already 12 points behind Luis Enrique's table-toppers.

Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton are the two players Manchester United should be targeting to replace Casemiro in the summer, according to a Champions League-winning former Red Devils' star. Casemiro has overcome fierce criticism to play a crucial role in United's unbeaten start under Michael Carrick, although his resurgent displays have not been enough to earn him a new contract.

Liverpool are holding off from making a transfer move for RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande due to contractual complications. The Reds are thought to be keen on the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international, who has scored seven Bundesliga goals so far this season, but the Merseysiders will wait to make their play due to some uncertainty over his personal situation. RB Leipzig reportedly value Diomande at €100 million (£87.15m/$118m), with the German side not looking to sell him unless a truly lucrative offer arrives.

Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel has spoken out after being sent off while playing for the Under-18s against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday. The 15-year-old put in another influential performance, bagging two assists, but saw red in the second half after tangling with an opponent. Gabriel has now shared his thoughts on the situation and is not at all happy.

Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer somehow managed to miss a golden chance to score a late winner for the Blues against Leeds on Tuesday in the Premier League. The visitors came back from 2-0 down to secure a point against Liam Rosenior's side, but it could have been a different story if Palmer had managed to find the back of the net in stoppage time at Stamford Bridge.

Arne Slot insists his position as Liverpool head coach is secure even if the Reds fail to qualify for the Champions League, despite admitting such a failure would be "unacceptable". The Dutchman believes the club's hierarchy will look beyond results to the wider "circumstances" of a traumatic season, citing the patience shown to Jurgen Klopp as a precedent for his own survival.

Another transfer window and another highly-rated prospect is on their way to Chelsea. The club's youth policy has struck again, with the west Londoners landing 17-year-old full-back Yisa Alao from financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday. Despite his very limited experience at senior level, the teenager provoked a transfer tug-of-war between three Premier League giants, but it is the Blues who have emerged victorious.

Kazakhstan isn't a nation known for its love of football. That doesn't mean it's non-existent, however, and with a new teenage sensation emerging as one of the country's best players already, the nation sandwiched between Europe and Asia could be on the verge of a golden generation.

Darren Fletcher played alongside twin brothers Rafael and Fabio da Silva while at Manchester United, but little did he know that many years later, his own twin sons would be vying for a place in the Red Devils' first team. Fletcher opted against playing either of his sons, Jack or Tyler, during his brief spell as interim coach, perhaps out of fear of accusations of nepotism.

Mauricio Pochettino has once again indicated that he wants to return to Tottenham as he claimed their recent achievements are "not enough" for a club of that stature. Despite his current commitments with the United States national team, the Argentine said his ultimate ambition is to win the Champions League and Premier League, placing them above achieving World Cup glory in his current role.

Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign has suffered a significant blow after Rodrygo was handed an extended two-match suspension by UEFA. The Brazilian was sent off during a dramatic 4-2 defeat to Benfica, and his punishment ensures he will miss both legs of the upcoming knockout play-off rematch against the Portuguese giants. With stars like Jude Bellingham also sidelined, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa faces a major tactical crisis.

Lamine Yamal finished as runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote and the Barcelona wonderkid insists that winning a Golden Ball is not something that he gives much thought to. The talented teenager would prefer to focus on collective trophy targets at Camp Nou, rather than individual accolades, with there still plenty for him to try and achieve in 2026.

Modernising the role of a full-back 30 years ago, Roberto Carlos undoubtedly set the benchmark. A tactical genius and a physical specimen, the Real Madrid and Brazil legend won countless trophies at club and international level, contributing bucket loads of goals and assists. No one in the past, present or future can ever claim to be his equal - he was that good.

One of the best midfielders of his era, perhaps the greatest crosser of a football ever and a free-kick taker to rival the best the game has ever produced, David Beckham was a special player to say the least. And yet due to his off-field impact, one of the sport's great champions of the past 30 years is generally forgotten when it comes to referencing the true legends of the game.

Romario moved around the penalty area with the stealthy gait and sly gaze of a panther, ready to suddenly accelerate as soon as the ball came his way, to disorient the opposing defenders with a couple of feints, to pounce on the ball, which inevitably ended up at his feet, as if magnetised, and finish with an unstoppable shot of pure technique or power, or alternatively serve up a perfect assist for one of his team-mates. He was a Hall of Fame striker if ever there was one.

In 1969, at the age of 23, George Best wanted to focus solely on the essentials. Just football, just his job. So he turned his back on his two other great passions, alcohol and women. His sobering conclusion: "It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." A Manchester United legend, that quote sums up Bet's rebellious attitude towards football, and life in general.

Rebel United introduces players who prefer to swim against the tide, such as Barcelona and Spain legend Gerard Pique, who has achieved great significance beyond the pitch thanks to his Catalan pride and innovative spirit...

"La France, c'est vous." Translated as 'France, is you', that was what French president Charles de Gaulle told footballer Rachid Mekhloufi in 1968. Mekhloufi had just led his Saint-Etienne side to the double, and the reward was an audience with the most powerful man in the country. For Mekhloufi, this sentence brought things full circle. Now he was both Algerian and French; 10 years earlier, he had - in a sense - been neither.

Robin Roefs' story reads like a fairy tale. The 22-year-old goalkeeper is only in his second season as a first-choice shot-stopper, and yet he is already considered one of the better No.1s in the Premier League. A place in the Netherlands' starting line-up at the World Cup is now not out of the question for the latest of GOAL's Hidden Gems.

On September 15, 2018, N'Golo Kante walked off the Stamford Bridge pitch, satisfied. As was often the case, the Frenchman had just covered every blade of grass over the course of the 90 minutes. And, as was so often the case, he was not one of the major speaking points at full-time. Not right away, at least.

Anyone that manages to carve out a career for themselves in professional football is ridiculously talented. The standard at the highest level is just so high that it is simply impossible to 'fake it 'til you make it'. However, not everyone is as prodigiously gifted as Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal. Your average player will require some time to get to grips with the rigours of the elite game.