Sean Walsh

Manchester United captain Maya Le Tissier was included in Sarina Wiegman's latest England squad on Tuesday. But while there is a gaping long-term hole in the centre of the Lionesses' defence after Millie Bright's international retirement, Wiegman is still insistent on using Le Tissier in a different position, much to the annoyance of her club's social media team.

Of all the England players who were left out of Thomas Tuchel's squad for their October fixtures, Jude Bellingham's omission seemed the most confusing. The midfielder has been one of the Three Lions' main protagonists ever since breaking into the starting XI post-Euro 2020 heartbreak and has long been heralded as a key player for whichever team he's representing.

England showed little mercy as they tore Wales apart in a 3-0 friendly win at Wembley on Thursday. The Three Lions destroyed Craig Bellamy's side in a frantic opening 20 minutes which all but put an end to any hope of the visitors securing an unlikely upset between World Cup qualifiers, even despite the hosts leaving some key players on the bench and out of the squad completely.

England warmed up for next week's World Cup qualifier away at Latvia with a 3-0 thrashing of rivals Wales in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Thursday night. Thomas Tuchel had the perfect response to any critics who have taken aim at his team's style of play or his squad selection, with the Three Lions quickly racing into an unassailable lead and flexing their strength at picking holes in deep blocks.

Perhaps now more than at any other point in the modern history of football, the subject of stadia is increasingly dominant. Manchester United are trying to completely rebuild Old Trafford to the cost of £2 billion ($2.7bn). Spurs are six years into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium experience and at last have a trophy to put in their new cabinet. Chelsea's dispute over land in west London continues to cast a shadow over the future and suitability of Stamford Bridge. Newcastle's Saudi owners are still deciding whether they should expand St James' Park or make use of the space on the adjacent land to start from scratch.

In 2021, a graphic designer working for Sky Sport Germany was going to change the footballing world forever. After Jadon Sancho went his first seven matches for Manchester United following his £73m move from Borussia Dortmund without a direct goal contribution, his face was edited onto a picture of James Bond, also known as '007'. In this instance, the two zeroes represented his goals and assists, with the seven the amount of matches he had played.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of the United Kingdom 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.

A first-half strike from Erling Haaland was all that settled the two sides as Manchester City ran out 1-0 winners at Brentford on Sunday evening. The Norwegian continued his freakish scoring form with an extremely well-taken goal to move his side up to fifth in the Premier League table heading into the October international break, sitting three points behind early leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool have now lost three matches in a row for the first time under Arne Slot after they succumbed to a 2-1 loss at Chelsea on Saturday evening, ensuring they will go into the October international break only second in the Premier League table. The reigning champions of England can't have many complaints about the result either, with the Club World Cup winners outlasting them and striking at the death to settle the contest.

Alan Shearer gave a simple explanation as to why he placed Erling Haaland fourth in a blind ranking of five of the Premier League's best-ever strikers, with the Newcastle legend picking himself as both top and bottom of such a list. The Norwegian sensation has taken England's top flight by storm since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Theo Walcott couldn't bring himself to put friend and former team-mate Gareth Bale on top of a five-player list of Premier League legends, even when afforded the chance to amend his blind ranking. The two ex-wingers, both known for their blistering pace and energy, shared a flat during their youth days at Southampton but are now retired from playing.

Tottenham have made no secret of their desire to become a top-tier destination for the world's best young talent. "You can try to sell a vision to someone, but if there's tangible physical evidence of it… Anyone who has watched us since I've joined will have seen the aspirations we have to be the kind of team we want to be. That's not just me saying it, we're actually doing it," said former head coach Ange Postecoglou when he was calling the shots in N17.

Much of the aftermath of Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium focused on the cautious tactics of the hosts, somehow ignoring that it was the visitors who resorted to park-the-bus mechanisms in order to try and grind out a win. In the end, neither side truly deserved the victory and a point apiece seemed fair, but the performance from Pep Guardiola's men was strange in several ways.

It is the year 2025 and Ousmane Dembele is a Ballon d'Or winner. It's a reality that might require a little getting used to, as the Paris Saint-Germain superstar's path to this point has been far from smooth, but it is a fitting end point nonetheless.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave the comforts of Great Britain 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.

Arsenal left it late to secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, with Gabriel Martinelli coming off the bench to equalise in added time. The result leaves the Gunners five points adrift of early table-toppers and reigning champions Liverpool having won three, drawn one and lost one of their opening five matches this season.

Liverpool have named Alexander Isak in their starting lineup to take on Atletico Madrid in their first Champions League game of the season on Wednesday night. This will mark the Sweden international's debut for the Reds following his £125m move from Newcastle United over the summer. He was notably left out of the squad to face Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

Tottenham opened their 2025-26 Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory at home to Villarreal, though will be a tad grateful they were able to claim three points on opening night. Thomas Frank made his debut as a coach in Europe's top club competition and will be relieved that his side took the three points, but will know there is work to do if they are to progress from the league phase.