Ben McAleer

Rasmus Hojlund has enjoyed a impressive start to life with Napoli, scoring four goals in six outings, following his arrival on loan from Manchester United on deadline day. Denmark Brian Riemer has since aimed a dig at the Premier League side for their use of the young striker, who struggled for consistency at Old Trafford following his arrival from Atalanta in 2023.

England raced into a 3-0 lead against Wales in their friendly on Thursday night. Bukayo Saka bagged the Three Lions' third with a stunning finish from 20 yards out, leaving Dragons shotstopper Karl Darlow clutching at thin air. Morgan Rogers had fired England ahead in the third minute before Aston Villa teammate Ollie Watkins doubled their advantage eight minutes later.

Rayan has emerged as one of the most promising talents in Brazilian football and his performances haven't gone unnoticed by some of the Premier League's heavy hitters. Tottenham have now emerged as the favourites to sign the teenage forward, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa. However, it's Spurs who are the frontrunners for the 19-year-old.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino believes that the international calendar should be changed in order to accommodate winter World Cups in the future. With the 2034 edition currently scheduled to take place in the height of summer in Saudi Arabia, football's showpiece could follow Qatar's lead in 2022 and move to the winter, which saw domestic seasons start earlier and finish later.

Former Bolton striker Ivan Klasnic has confessed that he could die at any time as he opens up on his hellish kidney condition. The Croat has undergone three kidney transplants after painkillers worsened his undiagnosed renal disease during his time at Werder Bremen. And Klasnic, who retired in 2013, has revealed he could die any minute owing to the medicine prescribed during his spell in Germany.

Alexander Isak has revealed his first impression of Liverpool following his deadline-day move. The Sweden international departed Newcastle for the Premier League champions as a long-running summer saga finally came to an end on deadline day. And while he has struggled for form since his move to Anfield, the club and city have already made a positive impact on the former Magpies hitman.

Chelsea are prepared to reignite their interest in Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz as they look to bolster their attack. The Old Lady forward is widely regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in Europe. Chelsea have reportedly already seen one €70 million (£61m/$81m) offer rejected by the Serie A giants, who are understandably keen to retain the Turkey's international's services.

A fire erupted at the home of Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior on Thursday morning. The Los Blancos forward is currently away on international duty with Brazil, who take on South Korea and Japan during the break, meaning the property was thankfully vacant as the blaze ripped through his home. An electrical malfunction is believed to have been the cause of the fire.

JJ Watt has added La Liga side Espanyol to his European football club portfolio after Velocity Sport Limited's takeover was completed on Thursday. Barcelona's rivals become the second club under VSL's ownership after Premier League side Burnley, where Watt is a minority investor. The former NFL star is also involved in the acquisition and quickly posted his first message on X after the deal was finalised.

England fans will have to dig deep to watch their country go the distance at the 2026 World Cup. Ticket prices for football's showpiece event on the other side of the Atlantic have been leaked and it won't be a cheap trip if you fancy heading stateside next summer to watch Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and co. do the business for Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions outfit.

Michael Carrick has a new job as rumours of a potential Manchester United return do the rounds. Carrick has been linked with a move back to Old Trafford for a second interim spell as United weigh up whether to sack Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese boss is under mounting pressure to turn the club's fortunes around with United currently mired in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Tottenham are among a number of teams chasing highly-rated Brazilian teenager Rayan Vitor. The 19-year-old has excelled for Vasco da Gama this season, scoring seven times to boost his reputation. However, Spurs wouldn't be the only Premier League side to show an interest in Rayan, who is also reportedly wanted by rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.

Former Manchester City star David Silva has outlined the one role he'd like to see Pep Guardiola take on in the future. The Spaniard is approaching 10 years at the Etihad Stadium helm having signed a two-year contract extension last November. And Silva, who played for City between 2010 and 2020, believes he knows what is next for his compatriot when he decides to leave City.

Aston Villa's first European away day of the season has been marred by fan violence in Rotterdam. Villa take on Feyenoord in matchday two of the Europa League phase as they sought to follow up recent victories over Bologna and Fulham. However, the build up to the game saw fans of both sides clashing ahead of the match at De Kuip.

Liverpool have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Alisson is expected to be ruled out until the November international break through injury. The Brazilian was forced off early in the second half of Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday night after suffering a hamstring problem at RAMS Park, with Giorgi Mamardashvili in line to deputise.

Tottenham have been subject to interest of a takeover bid by DJ Brooklyn Earick, but the 41-year-old has been accused of breaking takeover rules. Earick has emerged as the public face of a mystery consortium that has claimed it is willing to pay a world record £4.5bn to acquire the club. Spurs are reported to have rejected any interest from the consortium to acquire the north London side.

Referee Jarred Gillett broke PGMOL protocol in the process of denying Arsenal a penalty at Newcastle last weekend. While Arsenal went on to win 2-1 at St. James' Park courtesy of late goals from Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes, fans were incensed as Gillett overturned his decision to award a penalty in the 14th minute when it looked as though Nick Pope had fouled Viktor Gyokeres.

Ex-Liverpool star Vladimir Smicer believes that Steven Gerrard should return to management as head coach of Wrexham or Birmingham. Gerrard, who has managerial experience with Rangers and Aston Villa, has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq at the turn of the year. And Smicer has mapped out Gerrard's career plan that'll see him take over Liverpool one day.