West Ham fans were left fuming after the Hammers were beaten 2-1 by Nottingham Forest in a vital relegation six-pointer, as VAR played a key role. First, the home side saw a finish from Crysencio Summerville ruled out, just minutes before Forest scored an equaliser, and their winner came from a contentious penalty.

Manchester United's interim boss Darren Fletcher has urged his players to deal with negative comments from legendary former players such as Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. Ruben Amorim complained of Neville's criticism in what proved to be his final press conference before being sacked on Monday but Fletcher said his former team-mates should not dial down their analysis.

How to watch the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea, as well as kick-off time and team news.

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.

Liam Rosenior must wait to take charge of Chelsea for the first time, with Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane set to manage the first team against Fulham on Wednesday evening. The Blues have officially appointed Enzo Maresca's permanent replacement, with Rosenior jumping from BlueCo-owned Strasbourg to their sister club in the Premier League.

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.

Bruno Fernandes is set to return from injury when Manchester United face Burnley on Wednesday in their first game since head coach Ruben Amorim was sacked. Former United midfielder Darren Fletcher is taking charge of the game as interim coach and he confirmed that the captain is in contention to play for the first time after suffering a muscle injury at Aston Villa on December 21.

New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has been convicted of speeding after a delay to his flight prevented him from taking part in a speed awareness course, per a new report. Rosenior admitted speeding in July, and has now learned of his punishment after returning to England from France.

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly pushing Al-Nassr to launch a stunning raid for Antonio Rudiger. The experienced German defender is seeing his contract at Santiago Bernabeu run down and will become a free agent in the summer of 2026 if no extension is agreed. It is claimed that CR7 wants to see the former Chelsea centre-half join him in the Saudi Pro League.

Brazilian sensation Endrick has opened up about the heart-to-heart conversation with Carlo Ancelotti that led to his January loan move to Lyon. The teenager revealed the Brazil head coach urged him to seek regular minutes elsewhere to aid his development ahead of the 2026 World Cup, while he also explained why the Portuguese connection in France made the Ligue 1 giants the perfect destination.

Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo is on the cusp of rejoining Barcelona, with the proposed deal now given the 'Here We Go!' tag by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. The highly-rated Al-Hilal defender, who spent the 2023-24 season on loan at the Catalan club, has made a return to the Camp Nou his top priority, cutting short a difficult spell in Saudi Arabia.

Real Madrid have devised a fresh strategy to lure Rodri away from Manchester City, with the Spanish giants looking to capitalise on the midfielder's stalling contract talks. Los Blancos view the Ballon d'Or winner as the ultimate target to complete their midfield evolution at the Santiago Bernabeu, and startling reports from Spain suggest a blockbuster transfer offensive could be launched.

Real Madrid have been offered the chance to sign Crystal Palace sensation Adam Wharton, but Los Blancos will face fierce competition for his signature. Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are all tracking the midfielder, who will reportedly cost at least €70 million and is demanding a huge salary to leave Selhurst Park.

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.

The Bundesliga may still be on a winter break, but there was plenty of other action across Europe as 2026 got off to a cracking start for some of the continent's elite teams. In England, Arsenal took another big step towards a first Premier League title since 2004 by moving six points clear thanks to a 3-2 win at Bournemouth, while reigning champions Barcelona continue to lead the way in Spain after beating city rivals Espanyol thanks to late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.

Xabi Alonso says Vinicius Junior is "fundamental" to Real Madrid after the winger was whistled by parts of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd in their 5-1 win over Real Betis. The Brazilian started well but faded as the game wore on, with the 25-year-old being jeered by some supporters when he was taken off. Despite that, former Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso has come to the aid of the Los Blancos ace.

John Terry is set to part with some of the most emotionally charged items of his storied Chelsea career, including the infamous “tear-stained” shirt from the 2008 Champions League final defeat to Manchester United. The former Blues captain will auction the memorabilia at a charity sale, with proceeds supporting causes close to his heart through his foundation.

An almost perfect 2025 for Ousmane Dembele was completed on Sunday, as the Paris Saint-Germain forward was crowned 'Best Male Player' at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. This was the latest in a series of personal accolades for the Ballon d'Or winner, who inspired PSG to winning the Champions League for the first time ever last season. Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal also picked up a pair of awards on the night.

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.

With the halfway stage of the season upon us, the time has come to shine a spotlight on the players who have made the biggest impact across Europe's major leagues. But first, let's run through the lay of the land.

With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly now disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players beginning the campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued with inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he was among a crowded field of contenders as the 2026 race got going.

Kylian Mbappe has been told that Paris Saint-Germain would not have won the Champions League had he stuck around in France, with it “fantasy” to believe that European success could ever have been savoured with the France international, Lionel Messi and Neymar lining up in the same starting XI. World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf has explained to GOAL why that is the case.

GOAL U.S. writers take a look at some of the biggest storylines in European soccer, including Mo Salah's future, Vinicius Jr's exit rumors, and the Premier League title race

GOAL's Front Three are going back for a new lesson, this time for Football School. Their strict teacher, Juwon (aka Mr Janos), puts his pupils' ball knowledge to the test. But who will come top of the class and who will fail? 🤔

How to watch the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and Inter, as well as kick-off time and team news.

Como manager Cesc Fabregas has been brutally trolled by AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta after the two went head-to-head in management. When the Italian icon was managing Monza in 2025, his side came up against Fabregas' Como, with the two teams playing out a 1-1 draw. While the Spaniard is receiving praise for his managerial success, Nesta has taken aim at his apparent whining.

Weston McKennie has reacted to Jonathan David’s Panenka penalty woe at Juventus, with the USMNT star also discussing his new role in the Bianconeri’s plans. The Turin-based giants endured a frustrating outing against Lecce at the start of 2026, as they were held to a 1-1 draw, with Canada international forward David fluffing his lines from the spot.

How to watch the Serie A match between Lazio and SSC Napoli, as well as kick-off time and team news

After Napoli beat Bologna on December 22 to win the Supercoppa Italiana, Rasmus Hojlund posted a picture of him holding the trophy, accompanied by the words, "What a great decision looks like." Unsurprisingly, some Manchester United fans didn't react well to the perceived slight on their club. One comment on Hojlund's Instagram photo with more than 14,000 likes sarcastically congratulated the Dane for finding his 'level' before adding, "[The] Premier League is too difficult for amateurs."

GOAL previews the main storylines among Americans abroad this weekend.

The USMNT Transfer Notebook tracks American player movements, with the latest developments for those in the U.S. national team pool.

Mohamed Salah is reportedly being targeted for a dramatic return to Serie A. The Egyptian superstar bid farewell to Italy in 2017 when making his way to Liverpool. Record-setting exploits have been delivered at Anfield, while winning two Premier League titles, but an exit early in 2026 is being mooted. It is claimed that Roma would like to be reunited with a familiar face.