Tom Bellwood

Japanese international defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has officially joined Dutch club Ajax on a short-term contract, seeking to rebuild his career after a challenging period with injuries at Arsenal. The 27-year-old was a free agent after mutually agreeing to terminate his deal with the Gunners in July of this year.

There was a rare snub for Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal and Arsenal's midfield general Declan Rice after the FIFA awards for the best goal of the 'year' were announced in Doha. The 2025 Puskas Award and Marta Award winners were announced where Argentine midfielder Santiago Montiel landed the men's award and Mexican forward Lizbeth Ovalle won the inaugural Marta Award for the best goal in women's football.

Benjamin Sesko's continued injury layoff is a significant blow for Manchester United and boss Ruben Amorim. Sesko has been sidelined since early November with a knee injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur and while there were initial reports suggesting a swift recovery, the United boss announced a disappointing reason for his striker's latest setback.

Manchester United struggles to find a long-term replacement for David de Gea are over, according to ex-Chelsea keeper Mark Schwarzer. Since the imposing Dutchman left in 2023, Utd have tried unsuccessfully to fill his position with the likes of Tom Heaton, Dean Henderson, Altay Bayindir and, more recently, Andre Onana, but Schwarzer says Ruben Amorim has finally found a worthy replacement.

Mohamed Salah is set to return to the Liverpool squad for this weekend's clash with Brighton after holding peace talks with manager Arne Slot. The Egypt international claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" by manager Slot last weekend, and was left out of their Champions League clash with Inter Milan as a result.

Ruben Amorim's tenure as Man United boss has been marked by his insistence on a three-at-the-back system, which has enraged club legend Paul Scholes. Amorim is respected for his success with a 3-4-3 formation at Sporting, but Scholes has blasted the Portuguese for his refusal to play in a style more suited to the ‘Man United way.’

Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United from boyhood club Everton in August 2004 for a fee of £27 million ($36m), a world-record sum for a teenager at the time. The transfer was controversial among Toffees fans, and the former England striker has revealed details of the intimidation campaign directed at his family and his then wife-to-be Coleen and also how he's helping his son take first steps in his football career.

Manchester City were delighted after VAR intervened to stop the award of a penalty to Real Madrid in just the second minute of the Champions League clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Vinicius Jr was seen punching the air in delight after the referee pointed to the spot, but Matheus Nunes' foul was adjudged to have happened just outside the box on a night where City ran out 2-1 victors over the Spaniards.

Newcastle squandered a wonderful opportunity to all-but seal their place in the Champions League knockout rounds after a late equaliser from Bayer Leverkusen meant the points were shared in an entertaining 2-2 draw at the BayArena. Anthony Gordon levelled the match from the penalty spot for Eddie Howe's side and substitute Lewis Miley headed them in front, but a late strike from Alejandro Grimaldi landed a point for the hosts.

The Gunners have come agonisingly close to landing the Premier League in the last three years and Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has pointed the finger of blame at the fans for boasting about winning the title too early in the season. The Gunners have finished second three times on the bounce, but the fans have been starting to crow again with boss Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the table, and Evra has a message for them.

Real Madrid were humbled by bottom-of-the-table Celta Vigo, finished the match with nine men and failed to close the four point gap on league leaders Barcelona following a shock 2-0 defeat at the Bernabeu. Xabi Alonso’s side went behind midway through the second half courtesy of a stunning finish from Williot Swedberg, Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were both shown red cards before Swedberg scored another in time added on to a chorus of boos as the match ended in chaotic scenes.

Barcelona forward Raphinha has publicly dismissed recent speculation linking him with a move away from the Catalan club, particularly to the Saudi Pro League, labelling the reports "nonsense". Despite the Brazilian international's consistent denials and his stated desire to retire at Barcelona, the transfer rumours persist.

It’s the bromance of the year that no one could have predicted but President of the United States, Donald Trump, has issued another message, gushing in his praise for Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair met at the White House earlier this year at high-profile event involving world business leaders and Trump described CR7’s appearance at the event as a “real honour”, and POTUS has now revealed details of a recent phone call.

An unnamed international footballer, aged 29, has been arrested in central London on suspicion of assault and affray following an incident in the West End in the early hours of Saturday morning. The player was arrested at the scene and has since been released on police bail while inquiries continue.

Mohamed Salah has come in for huge criticism following the bombshell post-match interview, where he took aim at Liverpool boss Arne Slot and accused the club of "throwing him under the bus", but Egypt national team boss Hossam Hassan has posted a message of support for his star forward. Salah was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw with Leeds, the third match in a row he has been named on the bench.

The Premier League title race was blown wide open deep into time added on at Villa Park after Emiliano Buendia fired home from close range to sink Arsenal, a defeat which pundits say could've easily been avoided. Gunners legend Ian Wright believes Mikel Arteta got his tactics wrong late in the game as Villa pushed for their winner.

There were nods of approval and even a sigh of relief after the World Cup draw was concluded and England appeared to have avoided some of the major potential banana skins as the pots were drawn to decide the group stages. But, as the dust settled, it became clear that England’s route to the World Cup final in New Jersey next July would be anything but straight forward. GOAL plots the path Thomas Tuchel's side will (most likely) need to navigate on their way to the ultimate title glory.

The Three Lions have been drawn in Group L for the 2026 World Cup and the draw has served up some lively-looking reunions when the tournament gets underway in America, Canada and Mexico next June. Boss Thomas Tuchel has called it a "difficult" group, but fans have taken to social media to crow over how easy the ride will be for England in the opening stage of football's most coveted prize.