Chris Richards was one of the notable absences from the USMNT roster announced Thursday, and Charlie Davies says tensions between Crystal Palace and U.S. Soccer might have been a factor. Palace manager Oliver Glasner publicly criticized the U.S. for playing the centerback in both October friendlies when he was supposedly dealing with an injury.
West Ham are reportedly ready to offer Kobbie Mainoo an escape route from Manchester United in January, as the England star is desperate to rescue his 2026 World Cup chances. The 20-year-old England international once stormed onto the Premier League stage with poise and maturity. But he now finds himself watching from the sidelines, and could seek an exit in the winter transfer window.
Bradley Carnell was named MLS Coach of the Year after an impressive season in which he guided the Philadelphia Union to a Supporters' Shield win in his debut campaign. The South African manager set a club record with 20 wins and was named Coach of the Week four times over the season. The Union had MLS's best defense in 2025, conceding only 35 goals.
Tottenham's marquee summer signing Xavi Simons has admitted his start to life in north London has fallen shy of the high expectations which followed him when he joined from RB Leipzig for £60.5m ($82m). Simons has struggled to impose himself on matches and was ignominiously substituted off after being brought on as a replacement for the injured Lucas Bergvall in the recent 1-0 defeat by London rivals Chelsea.
Wrexham star James McClean delivered a shock message to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side amid a lack of game time. The winger has dropped a stunning revelation, claiming that his passion for boxing has eclipsed his love for football, and he’s planning to hang up his boots for gloves sooner rather than later.
Former England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed his squad killed time between matches and training at the World Cup in Qatar by playing their own version of popular BBC TV show The Traitors. And the ex-Three Lions boss has also named the international superstar singer who joined them for a game after joining up with the squad to entertain them during the tournament in 2022.
Chicago Fire midfielder Brian Gutiérrez is reportedly eligible to represent Mexico after obtaining his Mexican passport, according to Súper Deportivo. Born in Illinois to Mexican parents, the 22-year-old has been one of MLS’s top young playmakers and now hopes to make the jump to Javier Aguirre’s national team.
Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard has reportedly set his sights on negotiating another new contract, barely months after securing improved terms at the Emirates. The Belgian international joined Arsenal from Brighton in January 2021 for £21 million. He was handed a pay rise during the summer, but without any extension to his current deal.
Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane, and Lamine Yamal are all prominently featured among the 11 nominees for The Best FIFA Men's Player 2025. The nomination sets up another potential battle between Dembele and Yamal, who recently went head-to-head for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, an award Dembele ultimately won. And there's a showdown between England Lionesses hero Alessia Russo and Aitana Bonmati for the women’s gong.
Wolves have reportedly approached Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards after cutting ties with Vitor Pereira, whose nightmare reign ended with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Fulham last weekend. The Portuguese manager produced no wins during this current Premier League campaign and was sacked less than 24 hours after the final whistle at Craven Cottage, which left them at rock bottom of the table.
Liverpool star Mo Salah risks causing huge anger in his native Egypt as he prepares for showdown talks with national boss Hossam Hassan to discuss missing a key warm-up match ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. The Pharaohs have a friendly with Nigeria planned in early December, but lands in the same week as key matches for the Reds setting up a potential club-v-country row, which Salah hopes to avoid.
Ajax have sacked John Heitinga as the Dutch giants find themselves languishing eight points behind leaders Feyenoord. The 40-year-old has been sacked with immediate effect, just four months into his tenure, after a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League. It has been a horror show in Europe as they have suffered four defeats in as many games, which has placed them at the bottom of the league phase table.
Gerardo “Tata” Martino has returned to Atlanta United as manager on a two-year contract, the club announced Thursday. The 62-year-old reunites with the team where he enjoyed his greatest success, winning the 2018 MLS Cup and being named Coach of the Year. Martino aims to restore Atlanta’s status as a contender after inconsistency since his 2018 departure.
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the life-changing impact Diogo Jota’s tragic death has had on him following the devastating car crash in the Zamora region of Spain which took the life of the Liverpool star and his brother Andre Silva. Ronaldo has also spoken about the personal reasons behind why he decided against attending the funeral of his Portugal team-mate.
Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson admitted to being left "exhausted" as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s side continue to chase their Premier League dream. The man tasked with turning the wild English top-flight ambition into reality has lifted the lid on the relentless pressure of managing one of the world’s most-watched football clubs.
Santiago Gimenez took to social media earlier this week and revealed that he has been battling an ankle injury for the past six months. The Mexican international, who has scored just one goal in all competitions for AC Milan this season, has confirmed that he will spend the rest of the year on the treatment table, hoping to return to his best version upon his return.
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has fired back at Cristiano Ronaldo and urged the club to look to the future, rather than focus on the mistakes made under his regime and those made by previous managers. The United manager has also highlighted the key problem "he cannot allow" to continue holding his team back this season.
Gio Reyna, Joe Scally and Ricardo Pepi are back in the U.S. men's national team squad for upcoming friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay. Mauricio Pochettino on Thursday announced his roster for the final two friendlies of 2025, and it doesn't include Christian Pulisic, who headlines a list of USMNT stars who have been dealing with injuries.
Daniele De Rossi has been officially appointed as Genoa’s new head coach, replacing Patrick Vieira after the club’s difficult start to the Serie A campaign. However, the Roma and Italy legend will not be on the bench for his first match against Fiorentina. A suspension from his final game in charge of Roma, ironically also against Genoa, still needs to be served, meaning his return begins from the stands.
Didier Deschamps has recalled N’Golo Kante to the France squad for the first time in a year, hailing the veteran midfielder as “still at his best.” The 34-year-old Al-Ittihad star has impressed with his consistency in Saudi Arabia and will feature in Les Bleus’ crucial World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Azerbaijan this month.
France national team head coach Didier Deschamps refrained from sparking further controversy while addressing the recent injury suffered by Paris Saint-Germain forward and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele. Deschamps claimed that he is "especially sad" to see Dembele's fitness struggles drag on, but added that he won't "add fuel to the fire" amid Les Blues' ongoing feud with PSG.
Toni Kroos has hit out at the decision to send off Luis Diaz during Bayern Munich’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, insisting that "it wasn't a red card”. The German and Real Madrid legend believes referee Maurizio Mariani was influenced by Achraf Hakimi’s injury rather than the tackle itself. Diaz, however later apologised publicly, while Bayern backed their forward.
Sandro Tonali has sparked uncertainty over his long-term future at Newcastle United after admitting he is taking things “year by year” amid ongoing rumours of a potential return to Serie A. The Italian midfielder, who recently signed a secret contract extension until 2029, insists he is “happy” on Tyneside but refused to rule out the possibility of one day leaving the club.
Real Madrid “did a great job by not signing Erling Haaland”, according to former Blancos star Wesley Sneijder, with the Norwegian striker considered to be the wrong fit for a team that now has Kylian Mbappe leading the line. Sneijder, who is a big fan of Haaland, has also picked out the obvious heirs to crowns that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have worn with such distinction for so long.
Aurelien Tchouameni has been ruled out of action for Real Madrid and France after he was diagnosed with a semitendinosus muscle injury in his left leg, Los Blancos announced in a statement on Thursday. The news will come as a huge setback for both Tchouameni's club and country, as he had become indispensable under both Xabi Alonso and Didier Deschamps.
Lamine Yamal “wouldn’t suit” Manchester United, according to former Red Devils coach Rene Meulensteen, with Xavi Simons and Florian Wirtz being used as warnings to the Barcelona wonderkid if thoughts of a Premier League transfer cross his mind. The talented teenager has been told that Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City could be suitable landing spots.
Bayern Munich are preparing a formal offer to extend Konrad Laimer’s contract following his superb form under Vincent Kompany. The Austrian, hailed by Lothar Matthaus as a “perfect team player”, has become one of Bayern’s most trusted performers impressing with his versatility, intelligence, and tireless work rate across multiple positions.
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