The Christmas period is upon us, which means we are somehow already more or less at the midway point of the 2025-26 football season. As many of Europe's leading leagues pause for the winter break, it's time to take stock and reflect on four scintillating months of action. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed transfers across the continent in the summer, now that they have a decent sample size of games under their belts.

Forward Marcus Rashford insists he is working hard to stay at Barcelona following a strong start to life in Spain. Rashford joined the Catalan giants from Manchester United on loan for the rest of the season earlier in the year, and he's made a big impression for Hansi Flick's side. The defending champions end 2025 top of the table as they look to successfully defend their crown.

Scott McTominay has delivered his verdict on why certain players have improved after leaving Manchester United, with the Scotland international saying there is no obvious "excuse" as to why that has happened. McTominay is, as a Serie A title winner with Napoli, one of several stars to have flourished since severing ties with Premier League heavyweights at Old Trafford.

Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford were on target for Barcelona in the second half as the La Liga champions secured a hard-fought 2-0 win over third-tier Spanish side CD Guadalajara in a Copa del Rey round of 32 clash on Tuesday. The minnows fought tooth and nail throughout the match and had successfully kept a clean sheet until the 76th minute but Hansi Flick's side eventually prevailed.

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.