Ritabrata Banerjee

Chelsea's plan for new signing Facundo Buonanotte has been revealed after signing the Argentine midfielder on a season-long loan deal from Brighton on deadline day. Buonanotte was close to sealing a temporary switch to newly-promoted Leeds United, but the Blues swept in to hijack the deal, which saw them pay a £2 million (€2.3m/$2.7m) loan fee for the Brighton sensation.

Hugo Ekitike has opened up on swiftly adapting to his new surroundings at Liverpool after matching Daniel Strurridge's 12-year-old record at Anfield. Ekitike has displayed fine form since moving to the Premier League from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, already scoring three goals and has established himself as a regular starter under Arne Slot.

Mason Greenwood continued with his strong start to the new season in France as he scored and provided an assist in Marseille's 4-0 victory over 10-man Lorient on Friday. Greenwood opened the scoring for his club from the penalty spot after Lorient lost one of their players early in the match due to a straight red card. The former Manchester United star already has five goal contributions to his name.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was forced off the pitch against Nottingham Forest on Saturday after aggravating his shoulder problem. Odegaard's injury comes as a huge blow for the Gunners ahead of their Champions League opener against Athletic Club and their trip to Etihad Stadium for the Premier League fixture against Manchester City next week.

Former Manchester United flop Anthony Martial has completed a surprise transfer from AEK Athens to Liga MX side Monterrey Rayados, where he will link up with Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos. Martial joined the Greek club last summer on a three-year deal, but his stint ended after just one season as his contract was mutually terminated.

Carlo Ancelotti discussed his future with the Brazil national team beyond the 2026 World Cup as the legendary ex-Real Madrid boss revealed if he plans to stay as Selecao coach after the tournament is over. Ancelotti signed a one-year contract with CBF in the summer after leaving Los Blancos at the end of the 2024-25 La Liga campaign. He was replaced by Xabi Alonso at Santiago Bernabeu.

Pep Guardiola has been warned that his Manchester City have lost their "fear factor" after an underwhelming start to their 2025-26 Premier League campaign. After finishing 13 points behind champions Liverpool in third position last season, City have gotten off to a poor start, losing back-to-back league games against Tottenham and Brighton before the international break.

Erling Haaland has shown off a bizarre personalised calendar where the Manchester City star can be seen holding a gun, while riding a motorcycle with a mystery woman. The Snapchat story also featured internet sensation Hasbulla Magomedov with Ronaldo Nazario's famous haircut. Haaland is currently high on confidence after scoring five goals in Norway's 11-1 thumping of Moldova in their latest round of World Cup qualifiers.

Enzo Maresca has admitted that he has 'not seen' Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling since the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Sterling is part of the Blues' 'bomb squad' and will remain so after he failed to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window. After spending last season on loan at Arsenal, the winger returned to Chelsea but was deemed surplus to their needs.

Ivan Toney has shockingly claimed that the Saudi Pro League is "on par" with the Premier League and insisted that Al-Ahli would compete for a top four finish if they competed in the English top flight. Toney left the Premier League last summer when joining Al-Ahli from Brentford. The English forward has already won two titles in his first year in the Middle East.

Former Newcastle United chief Amanda Staveley was reduced to tears after hearing a fan message that thanked her for reconnecting the club "with its soul". Staveley was instrumental in bringing in Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as the principal owner of the Magpies in 2021. She later bought a 10 per cent stake in the club, along with her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi.

Newcastle United's record summer signing Nick Woltemade has been labelled a "true gentleman" after a visit to the popular city restaurant Khai Khai. The German forward, who was linked with Bayern Munich for a large part of the summer transfer window, eventually swapped Stuttgart for the Magpies last month in a deal worth up to £69 million ($93m).

Roy Keane has claimed that he has "no sympathy" for Nottingham Forest managers after Evangelos Marinakis hired ex-Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou to replace Nuno Espirito Santo. A breakdown in relations with the club owner led to Nuno's exit from the City Ground on Tuesday morning and hours later, Postecoglou's appointment was confirmed.

Noni Madueke has been told that he is "better than Bukayo Saka", with Paul Parker questioning Chelsea's' "strange" decision to let the England winger join Arsenal. Madueke completed a £50 million ($67.8m) switch to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old starred for England on Tuesday as Thomas Tuchel's side thrashed Serbia 5-0.

Erling Haaland gave a classy pep talk to Moldova goalkeeper Cristian Avram after Norway scored 11 goals past him in a World Cup qualifying game. The Manchester City star scored five and provided an assist as Norway took a step closer to qualifying for the 2026 tournament. The Norwegian bagged his fifth international hat-trick and took his goals tally to 48 in 45 matches for Norway.

Lionel Messi bagged a career first achievement despite missing Argentina's final World Cup qualifying game against Ecuador. After an emotional outing on home soil against Venezuela last week, Messi travelled for the Ecuador clash but was granted a rest by Lionel Scaloni. Argentina lost 1-0, but Messi still finished as the overall top scorer in the CONMEBOL qualifying campaign.

Lionel Messi and Argentina have been dealt a major blow with Nicolas Otamendi now suspended for their 2026 World Cup opener after picking up a red card in their final qualifying match against Ecuador. The experienced defender was sent off for a reckless tackle in the 1-0 defeat, but Argentina still finished at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table.

Manchester City have confirmed that Omar Marmoush will miss his side's clash with rivals Manchester United after picking up a knee ligament injury.