Sean Walsh

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso has hit out at Atletico Madrid counterpart Diego Simeone for his treatment of Vinicius Jr during their Supercopa de Espana meeting on Thursday. Los Blancos emerged as 2-1 winners in their semi-final in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, with Federico Valverde and Rodrygo scoring for Alonso's side.

The world watched on as Arsenal hosted Liverpool in a potential changing of the guard in English football on Thursday night. The Premier League leaders had the chance to stretch their lead atop the table to eight points, with the reigning champions down on their luck and jockeying for a Champions League position. But the game didn't live up to the hype.

Arsenal missed the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Liverpool on Thursday. Manchester City dropped points at home to Brighton 24 hours earlier and allowed the Gunners the opportunity to extend their advantage. Though the north Londoners are now six points ahead of their closest challengers, they were denied the win many had expected them to register against the defending champions.

Arsenal's match with Liverpool will be played in its own dedicated slot within this midweek round of Premier League fixtures. It will receive maximum exposure both domestically and abroad. There will be no hiding place for any player that sets foot on the Emirates Stadium pitch on Thursday, not least the Gunners' marquee summer signing Viktor Gyokeres.

Ten-man Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in a fiery west London derby at Craven Cottage on Wednesday. A first-half red card for Marc Cucurella meant the Blues faced an uphill battle and ultimately succumbed to defeat in front of new head coach Liam Rosenior, who watched the game from the stands.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has revealed the club are closing in on a deal to re-sign Joao Cancelo on loan. The full-back spent the 2023-24 season with Barca after being forced out of the first-team picture at Manchester City, but the Catalan side declined the chance to sign him permanently. But Cancelo is set to return to Camp Nou for the rest of 2025-26.

Manchester United interim manager Darren Fletcher has opened up on the possibility of playing his twin sons, Jack and Tyler, during Wednesday's trip to Burnley in the Premier League. Fletcher, United's Under-18s coach, has been placed in temporary charge of the first team after the club decided to sack Ruben Amorim.

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has returned to boyhood side FC Twente as their new new technical director. Ten Hag has been out of work since September after he was sacked only three competitive games into an extremely short-lived spell as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen. He has now decided to head back to the Netherlands.

Antoine Semenyo is set to make his final appearance for Bournemouth before joining Manchester City when the Cherries host Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, with a medical reportedly booked for the following day. The winger has been heavily linked with a move away this transfer window, with a £65 million ($87.7m) release clause set to expire on January 10.

There's a nostalgic feel to Chelsea's sudden firing of a manager and the mad scramble to bring in a successor midway through a season. The difference on this occasion is they are not a team stacked with world-class players in pursuit of the Premier League title, rather a middling assembly of young starlets with little hope of immediate success.

The jig is up for Ruben Amorim. After 14 unforgettable months as head coach, he has been sacked by Manchester United. He broke many records for the wrong reasons, lost a European final to Tottenham and was dumped out of the Carabao Cup by fourth-tier side Grimsby Town. Yet it is only now that those upstairs at Old Trafford have decided to pull the trigger.

Liverpool scored in the 94th minute before conceding one of the goals of the season moments later in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Fulham on Sunday. The Reds went behind to an early goal but did well to claw their way back into the contest and even appeared to have found a winner, but they head back to Merseyside with only a point to show for their efforts.

Liverpool's Premier League clash with Fulham was delayed on Sunday afternoon. The Reds' match at Craven Cottage was due to kick off at 15:00 (GMT), but had to be pushed back due to a medical emergency inside the stadium. Arne Slot's side travelled to west London as part of an action-packed day of action in England's top flight.

Raheem Sterling is reportedly not limiting his options to clubs in London as the winger seeks an exit from Chelsea during the January transfer window. Sterling was omitted from the Blues' Premier League and Champions League squads for this season, while he has been training away from the first team and with the 'bomb squad' instead.

Chelsea's season was already bordering on crisis when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Bournemouth on Tuesday night. Expectations are high at Stamford Bridge and a dreadful December brought about questions over just how ready this team is to compete. There was turbulence, sure, but the surprise sacking of Enzo Maresca on New Year's Day could torpedo their 2025-26 campaign altogether.

Tottenham Hotspur winger Brennan Johnson is undergoing a medical at Crystal Palace as his £33.5 million ($45m) transfer edges closer. Johnson has failed to nail down a starting place at Spurs this season under new head coach Thomas Frank and he is set to leave the club after two-and-a-half seasons in north London.

The January transfer window is notoriously tricky for buying clubs to manoeuvre in. Sure, willing teams may have the money to spend and financial wiggle room to squeeze some deals in, but their rivals may be less inclined to do business midway through the season with trophies and other honours still up for grabs.