Ben McAleer

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has launched a passionate defence of Barcelona and Spain winger Lamine Yamal. There has been increased media attention on the teenage winger, who only turned 18 in July, and Mbappe has urged critics to leave the Barca star alone as he continues his establish himself as one of the best footballers in the world.

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has admitted he hasn't spoken to former boss Eddie Howe following his Newcastle exit. Isak left the Magpies for the Premier League champions as a long-running summer saga drew to a close on deadline day. The Swede, though, doesn't want to dwell on the past as he looks to move on from the controversy surrounding his big money move to Anfield.

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has defended Florian Wirtz and blamed his slow start to life at Liverpool on the creator's new team-mates. The Reds won the race to sign Wirtz over the summer, beating off competition from the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City to land the youngster. And Nagelsmann believes those around Wirtz at club level are to blame for his early-season struggles.

Heung-Min Son has delivered advice to Bayern Munich striker and former Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane on what he'd tell his younger self when going through a setback. Kane posted the video on his official Instagram account to promote World Mental Health Day and encouraged others to talk about the tough times to help overcome the stigma surrounding mental health.

Chelsea are holding their breath after key midfielder Enzo Fernandez withdrew from international duty with a knee problem. Fernandez joined up with the Argentina squad earlier this week having played the full 90 in Saturday's 2-1 win over Liverpool. The Blues star, who played 78 minutes of Argentina's 1-0 win over Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday morning, has since returned to London.

Manchester United are lining up a shock move for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton as they gear up for a midfield reshuffle. United had looked to bolster in the middle of the park over the summer but were rebuffed in their efforts to sign Brighton's Carlos Baleba. However, they have since turned their attention to Wharton, with Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro both on the Old Traffford chopping block.

Alan Shearer believes that new Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa made a poor judgement call by turning out for DR Congo during the September international break. Wissa is yet to make his debut for the Magpies following his arrival from Brentford after he suffered a knee injury on international duty despite missing the bulk of pre-season as he sought to secure a summer switch to St. James' Park.

Manchester City are still awaiting the findings of their 115-charge FFP case. City were accused of 115 financial breaches in February 2023 while hearings, which lasted 10 weeks, took place last September. An outcome is said to be imminent and the most likely punishments if they are found guilty have been revealed by a financial expert as the club wait with bated breath on the decision.

Lamine Yamal has broken into the top 10 of the world's highest paid players. Forbes estimates that the teenage Barcelona star will earn enough this year to break the threshold for the first time in his career. High-profile sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas, Visa and Konami have helped boost Yamal's earnings as a familiar face retains top spot in this rundown.

Jadon Sancho and rapper and singer girlfriend Saweetie have been accused of owing money to her ex-manager. Maybach Mayy took to Instagram to call out Saweetie in a series of posts and has called for reimbursement. Sancho and Saweetie, whose real name is Diamonte Harper, appear to have been dating for some time now after she was spotted in attendance at a Chelsea game last season.

West Midlands police have advised Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their game against Aston Villa. The Israeli side travel to Villa Park next month for matchday four of the 2025/26 Europa League campaign but in order to avoid fan violence, local authorities believe the right move is to block away supporters from making the trip to Birmingham.

Pep Guardiola has named the one player that he'd "love" to have back at Manchester City. City have previously shown a ruthless streak when it comes to cashing on players who no longer wish to play for the club, notably Leroy Sane who left the Premier League side for Bayern Munich in 2020. However, Guardiola has revealed that one "performing unbelievably" he'd welcome back.

Nottingham Forest took the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou on Saturday afternoon. Forest fell to a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea to extend their winless run to 10 matches. Postecoglou was only in charge for eight games having replaced Nuno last month and reports suggest that the Tricky Trees are eyeing a former Manchester City boss to succeed the Australian.

Salford's game against Oldham on Saturday was disrupted by pitch invaders carrying England flags as a protest against Gary Neville. Neville criticised the "negative" use of the flag earlier this month as people in some communities hang Union Jack and St. George's cross flags from lampposts. The Sky Sports pundit believes the intent of those flying the flag is to sow division.

Bukayo Saka launched a scathing self-criticism following Arsenal's 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday evening. Leandro Trossard's goal on the hour mark was the difference between the two sides at Craven Cottage as the Gunners moved three points clear at the top of the table. However, Saka was critical of one aspect in particular as Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to five matches.

Marseille capitalised on PSG's draw to move to the top of Ligue 1. Defending champions PSG were held to a 3-3 draw with Strasbourg in the capital on Friday night as they came from 3-1 down to rescue a point courtesy of second half strikes from Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu. And L'OM will end the weekend top of the table after securing a fifth successive league win.

Arsenal edged out a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday evening. Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark after Gabriel Magalhaes knocked a Bukayo Saka corner into the path of the Belgian to tuck past Bernd Leno. However, the result means striker Viktor Gyokeres has failed to score since netting in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last month.

Al-Nassr made light work of Al-Fateh on home turf on Saturday night as they eased to a 5-1 win. Victory saw Al-Nassr extend their lead at the top of the Saudi Pro League to four points as they extended their winning start to the season to five matches. It was a match of mixed emotions for Cristiano Ronaldo, however, who experienced an extreme high and low in a matter of moments in the second half.