Brentford striker Igor Thiago endured a disastrous afternoon at the Amex Stadium after being sent off for a moment of madness against Brighton. The Bees forward was dismissed for violent conduct, leaving his teammates with a mountain to climb in the Premier League encounter.
Brentford have ruled out sanctioning a mid-season departure for record signing El Hadji Malick Diouf following fresh transfer links to Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool. Having only recruited the 21-year-old Senegal international from West Ham United for up to £40 million in late August, Gtech Community Stadium chiefs consider him untouchable this winter.
Jack Grealish has officially returned to training at Finch Farm as he looks to put a difficult period at Everton behind him. The 31-year-old playmaker is now targeting a Premier League return following the international break, having missed the Toffees' most recent outings due to a combination of fitness issues and internal disciplinary measures.
Liverpool will need to identify a new No.1 in the summer of 2027, as long-serving Alisson runs his contract down towards free agency, and former Reds goalkeeper Brad Friedel has speculated with GOAL about who could register on the Anfield recruitment radar. Caoimhin Kelleher, Unai Simon and Gianluigi Donnarumma are among the names to have been mentioned.
Sunderland have entered the pursuit of Almeria midfielder Stefan Dzodic as Atletico Madrid step up their efforts to sign the highly rated 21-year-old prospect. The Serbian talent is protected by a €40 million (£33m/$45m) release clause in southern Spain and has also attracted interest from several other English clubs.