Ben McAleer

Ian Wright has warned that Arsenal need to start taking their chances of else they run the risk of being leapfrogged by title rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa. The Gunners edged to a 2-1 win over Brighton on Saturday afternoon to return to the top of the Premier League table having briefly dropped to second following City's 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest in the lunchtime kick-off.

Marcus Rashford has passed a Barcelona referendum as members voted in favour of signing the England forward permanently. Rashford move to the reigning La Liga champions on loan from Manchester United over the summer having been outcast by head coach Ruben Amorim. And the 28-year-old has made an impressive impact for the Blaugrana, who may be prepared to extend his stay in Spain.

Jarrod Bowen thought his wife, Dani Dyer, was 'joking' when she told the West Ham captain she was going to appear on Celebrity SAS, it has been revealed. Dyer signed up for the show having been forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing after breaking her ankle during rehearsals back in September and admitted that she agreed to take part to prove herself.

Christian Eriksen has backed striker Harry Kane to one day return to Tottenham. Kane left Spurs for Bayern Munich in 2023 and has become a revelation with the Bundesliga giants, earning his first piece of silverware of his career last season. And the Danish creator, who spent six-and-a-half years in north London, is hoping to see the England captain back in a Spurs shirt.

Everton midfielder Jack Grealish and Burnley defender Kyle Walker enjoyed a £20,000 Christmas party for the ages in London in a night that ended in a strip club. The pair enjoyed the pre-Christmas bonanza last weekend following the Toffees' 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal last weekend, a result that meant the Gunners were top of the Premier League on Christmas Day.

Rayan Cherki has been hailed by supporters after his match-winning display in Manchester City's 2-1 triumph at Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. The France international moved to the Etihad Stadium from Lyon over the summer, though his game time has been limited due to injury. Nevertheless, fans have been quick to praise the Frenchman following his showing at the City Ground.

Liverpool centre-back and captain Virgil van Dijk has claimed he is relishing the pressure that comes with trying to turn the club's stuttering season around. The Reds have endured a testing campaign both on and off the pitch to date, with the Premier League champions struggling to defend their crown in the wake of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota over the summer.

Liverpool need to dip into the January transfer market in order to strengthen in the New Year, according to club legend Jamie Carragher. The Reds spent nearly £450 million ($607m) over the summer following their title triumph last season to bring in the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz. However, Carragher believes the Merseyside giants need to spend further next month.

Rodri has returned to the Manchester City matchday squad for the first time since featuring against Bournemouth at the beginning of November. The Spaniard has struggled for fitness following a serious ACL injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal last September with his late showing in the 3-1 victory over the Cherries last month just his sixth league outing for Pep Guardiola's side.

Arsenal have been revealed as Antoine Semenyo's preferred destination had the Gunners firmed up their interest in the Bournemouth star. Semenyo is expected to leave the Cherries in the New Year following a fine start to the season, during which he has scored eight goals and provided three assists. A host of Premier League sides have been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old.

Steven Gerrard has confessed that he may not return to football management anytime soon having turned down the 'perfect' Rangers job earlier this year. The Liverpool icon was heavily linked with a return to the Ibrox hotseat following Russell Martin's 123-day spell as Gers boss. However, despite coming close to a return to Glasgow, Gerrard opted against taking over the Rangers reins.

Ayden Heaven has lifted the lid on Ruben Amorim's formation change after Manchester United's 1-0 win over Newcastle on Friday night. Patrick Dorgu's stunning first half strike at Old Trafford was enough to secure all the spoils as United returned to winning ways at the Magpies' expense on Boxing Day. The victory saw Amorim's side go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea.

John Terry is in contention to take over as next Oxford United boss following Gary Rowett's exit two days before Christmas. The U's had won only one of their last 10 league matches, a run of form that cost Rowett his job at Kassam Stadium a year after his appointment. The 51-year-old had led Oxford to survival and a second season in the Championship having succeed Des Buckingham last December.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot used his pre-match programme notes to pay tribute to forward Diogo Jota as the striker's two former Premier League sides meet at Anfield on Saturday. Wolves make the trip to Merseyside for the first time since Jota tragically lost his life in a car crash in July. The Portuguese hitman's brother, Andre Silva, was also in the car at the time.

Mason Mount's 2026 World Cup dreams are all but over after the midfielder came off at the break during Manchester United's 1-0 Boxing Day win over Newcastle. Mount was replaced by youngster Jack Fletcher for the second half of Friday's narrow victory on just his 23rd league start since he left Premier League rivals Chelsea for Old Trafford back in 2022 .

Antoine Semenyo is good enough to play for either Real Madrid or Barcelona, at least that's according to the Bournemouth star's personal coach. The Ghanaian winger is in the midst of a transfer tug of war with a number of Premier League sides hoping to lure the Cherries ace away from the Vitality Stadium when the January transfer window opens next week.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has issued fitness updates on midfield pair Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo ahead of their Boxing Day welcome of Newcastle. United kick off festivities on Friday night as they look to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon and get their top-four push back on track having claimed one from point from their last two games.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed the reason he wouldn't swap Cole Palmer for Morgan Rogers ahead of Aston Villa's Boxing Day clash at Stamford Bridge. Unai Emery's side make the trip to the capital in a bid to extend their winning run to eight matches following their 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Villa Park last weekend, a result that keeps the Villans in the title race.