Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has opened up emotionally ahead of the Reds' final match of 2025, admitting the squad are still struggling to process the devastating loss of Diogo Jota. Speaking as captain, the Dutch defender reflected on a year of extreme highs and heartbreaking lows, as the Merseyside giants prepare for an emotional Anfield clash with Wolves.
Diogo Jota’s two sons will accompany the matchday mascots when the late striker’s former clubs Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers meet at Anfield on Saturday. The Premier League fixture is the first time the two teams have met since the Portugal international died - alongside his brother Andre Silva - in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora in July.
As we reach Christmas and approach the midway point in the Premier League season, the time has come to reflect on the first half of a campaign that has delivered drama and unexpected twists in abundance. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed a transfer to, or within, the English top-flight back in the summer, with a decent sample size of games now under their belts.
Pure excitement has been the theme of this Premier League season. Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are locked in a three-way title race while practically the rest of the division is competing for a European place. Indeed, the table is so crowded it feels more like the Championship than the top-flight, with back-to-back wins being all it takes to propel teams from 15th to the top five.
Matt Doherty says he and his Wolverhampton Wanderers team-mates run the risk of being called “cowards” if they do not show more accountability as the club’s woeful Premier League season plunged to new depths. The Molineux club equalled an unwanted record as they suffered their 15th top-flight defeat of the campaign in a 2-0 reverse against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' executive chairman Jeff Shi stepped down from his operational role, bringing an end to nearly a decade at the helm during which fortunes have swung dramatically. The 48-year-old departs with the club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, winless and stranded on just two points, while the spectre of relegation looms large.
Former Wolves starlet Ethan McLeod has tragically died in a car crash at the age of just 21. The youngster was travelling back from a National League North game with current side Macclesfield Town at Bedford Town when his car collided with a barrier on the M11 motorway. Macclesfield have confirmed McLeod's passing and offered their condolences to his family and friends.
The Africa Cup of Nations is back this December and January, with the continent's very best set to battle it out in Morocco as they aim to take Cote d'Ivoire's crown after their unlikely victory at the start of 2024. AFCON's prestige, drama and quality remains up there with the Euros and Copa America, but the downside for European clubs is it's another tournament which falls slap bang in the middle of their seasonal calendar, meaning most teams will be losing players for up to a month.
Bukayo Saka conceded Arsenal had "luck" on their side as they narrowly edged past a "frustrating" Wolves side 2-1 courtesy of two own goals on Saturday evening. The England international was heavily involved in Sam Johnstone and Yerson Mosquera putting through their own net as the Gunners moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Mikel Arteta slammed Arsenal’s display as "unacceptable" after a chaotic late win over bottom-placed Wolves, admitting his title-chasing side made life far harder than necessary before scraping a stoppage-time victory through a second own goal. While the dramatic finish preserved Arsenal’s lead at the top, Arteta warned that the lapses that nearly cost them points cannot continue.
Mikel Arteta has admitted it is "not good news" for Arsenal after Ben White limped off with a hamstring problem during the win over Wolves, raising fresh concerns in a squad already stretched by defensive injuries. White had only recently returned to fitness but now faces another spell out, deepening the Gunners’ mounting fitness crisis as a hectic December schedule looms.
Arsenal have suffered another injury blow after Ben White hobbled off in the first half of their Premier League clash with Wolves. The defender has been working his way back to fitness after various injuries but the 28-year-old could no longer continue around the half-hour mark after aggravating his hamstring. The Gunners have had a lot of bad luck in defence with injuries, and now that problem has worsened.
William Saliba has been forced to "modify his running" after the ankle injury as Mikel Arteta revealed a potential comeback date for the Arsenal defender. The Frenchman has missed the club’s last four matches after completing 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in late November, and what was initially described as a “minor” setback has evolved into a more serious situation.
Wolves fans vented their anger on social media as unpopular chairman Jeff Shi made an honest admission that he's "not an expert" with the club tumbling towards Premier League relegation. However, his honesty has further poured fuel on a mounting fire at Molineux, where supporters have already been protesting against the club's direction under Fosun's ownership.
Ruben Amorim has revealed that a blunt and emotionally charged half-time team talk was the catalyst for Manchester United’s much-needed 4-1 victory at Molineux on Monday night, after his side briefly flirted with embarrassment against struggling Wolves. The two teams went in level at the break, but the Red Devils fired in three goals in the second half to walk away with all three points.
Wolves' home ground Molineux was half-empty during the first half of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Monday. Wolves have made a nightmare start to their 2025-26 campaign as they are yet to win a match in the Premier League after 15 games and are placed at rock bottom on the league table with only three points, as they stare at possible relegation.
Josko Gvardiol has warned Arsenal that they have no room for error after Manchester City again sliced away at the Gunners' lead at the top of the Premier League. City capitalised on Arsenal's dramatic 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sunderland, reducing what was a seven-point deficit two weeks ago to a two-point gap.
Troy Parrott has become a “cult hero” with the Republic of Ireland, but will he be back in England by the time a bid to reach the 2026 World Cup is completed? That question has been put to Stephen Carr, with the former Tottenham defender discussing future plans for the in-form striker and collective efforts to reach a first global gathering since 2002.
Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lifted the lid on a single appearance that changed the course of his entire career. The striker moved to United in July 1996, joining from Norwegian side Molde for just £1.5m, winning the Champions League three years later. But it could have been so different, revealing the Manchester giants weren't the only English side interested in securing his services almost three decades ago.
Borussia Dortmund summer signing Fabio Silva is already weighing up a shock January exit after struggling for minutes under Niko Kovac, with the Portugal international frustrated by his peripheral role and worried about missing out on the 2026 World Cup. The former Wolves forward has played just over 100 minutes in the Bundesliga, prompting talk of a rapid departure.
There's been a lot of talk lately about the Premier League as a product. Is modern football actually boring? Are teams now too reliant on set pieces to score goals? Are the mavericks and the willing protagonists being silenced just to preserve their manager's tactics? Have we gone too far in pursuit of sporting perfection?
Wolves could reportedly swoop in for Wrexham star Conor Coady as new manager Rob Edwards is keen to reunite with the defender. The Molineux club have turned to a familiar face in a desperate bid to rescue their season by bringing Edwards in on a three-and-a-half-year deal following the sacking of Vitor Pereira. The former Luton and Middlesbrough boss now inherits a team who are sitting rock bottom of the Premier League table with just two points from 11 games, and are staring relegation squarely in the face.
Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed the appointment of Rob Edwards as their new manager. The 42-year-old has left Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough to sign a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Molineux club, who sacked Vitor Pereira following a torrid start to the 2025-26 season which has left them winless after 11 league games.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
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