English Premier League

English Premier League

Robert Lewandowski's future at Barcelona remains one of the most delicate and closely watched situations inside the club. Despite being one of the most experienced figures in the dressing room, the Polish striker is approaching the final stretch of his contract, which expires at the end of the season, with no renewal talks having been opened so far. From Barcelona's perspective, the delay is not accidental.

Oliver Glasner's recent decisions in the managerial market have sent a clear message across European football. By turning down two contract offers within the last six months, the Austrian coach has underlined not only his confidence in his own abilities, but also his ambition to remain in the Premier League and eventually take charge of a genuine top-tier club. This was not a rejection of opportunity, but a calculated move

I already played a lot on the wing, although I drifted centrally, and he put me in the middle. That position suited me perfectly. Working with him was on another level, because he already knew everything the other team was going to do, he had everything prepared, and things just fell into place during the match. It's another level.

After Bournemouth had equalised almost straight from the restart, the Brazilian conceded the free-kick from which James Tavernier scored to put the visitors 3-2 up. To compound matters even further, Casemiro was shown a yellow card for his foul on the Cherries forward. With that being his fifth individual booking of the season, the midfielder must now serve his second suspension of the campaign.

Barcelona avoided an upset in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, running out 2-0 winners over CD Guadalajara of the Spanish third-tier to progress to the last 16. Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford found the net in the last quarter of an hour as the competition holders saw off their lower league opponents. The Catalan club, the most successful side in the history of the cup, are still on course for a 33rd triumph, having beaten Real Madrid in last season's final.

Madrid president Florentino Perez used his Christmas address to draw attention to the Negreira case, the refereeing corruption charge against Barcelona. Perez referred to it as the "biggest scandal in the history of football" and called for the Blaugrana to be punished, which is the opposite of the 2024 address in which he claimed Madrid and Barcelona needed to stick together.

In his blog, Keys wrote: How West Ham must be missing the Moyes days top half finishes and trophies. As we often say be careful what you wish for. The Scottish manager helped West Ham United win the UEFA Europa Conference League and he helped them secure a top half finish as well. However, he was shown the door and none of the West Ham managers have managed to do a decent job since his departure.

Sevilla attacker Ruben Vargas has been linked with a move away from the club, and multiple Premier League clubs are keen on him. Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Leeds United are all monitoring his progress, and they could look to make a move for him. According to Fichajes, Leeds are already preparing a 20 million offer to sign the 27-year-old attacker. It will be interesting to see if Sevilla are prepared to sanction his departure.

Chelsea are aiming to avoid becoming the third team to suffer a shock against Cardiff City in this season's EFL Cup when the Premier League side visit the Bluebirds on Tuesday. The hosts are top of League One and have won 2-1 at top-flight strugglers Burnley and Championship club Wrexham in their last two ties in the competition. The Blues, who have won the EFL Cup five times, ended a four-match winless run in all competitions with a 2-0 victory at home to Everton

Manchester United are interested in signing the Trabzonspor midfielder Christ Inao Oulai. The 19-year-old midfielder will cost around 40 million, and he is a target for Manchester City as well. Pep Guardiola views him as the ideal replacement for Rodri in the long-term. It will be interesting to see if Manchester United can beat them to his signature. According to a report from TEAMtalk, Manchester United have already initiated contact with the player's representatives regarding a move.

The 25-year-old England international has struggled for regular opportunities, and he might need to leave in January in order to play more often. Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle are interested in signing the player. According to TEAMtalk, the player is open to a loan move in January, and Manchester United are receptive to the idea of signing him temporarily as well. They need more quality and depth in the middle of the park.

The 23-year-old has done quite well since joining the French outfit, and he is certainly one of the best midfielders in the league this season. He is a talented young player with a bright future, and he could develop into a key player for all three clubs. Manchester United need someone who can break up the opposition attack and protect the back line. The 23-year-old could be ideal for them.

Mounting an impressive second-half comeback at home against Besiktas over the weekend as they eventually snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw, Trabzonspor should find the mood in their camp at a continued high. Booking their Turkish Cup group stage ticket earlier in the month as they secured a routine 2-0 victory against Vanspor, Faith Tekke's side are scrapping it out at the top of the Super Lig standings and they currently find themselves sat in bronze medal position among Turkey's elite.

This year's period covers their participation in the Club World Cup and its aftermath. The figure, which goes some way towards vindicating Enzo Maresca's rotation and his complaints about injuries, is contained in a report published by the insurance company Howden, which puts the cost of injuries to clubs in Europe's top five leagues over the past five years at almost 3bn.

The 52-year-old saw his team booed off by travelling Spurs fans after losing 3-0 at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Frank has faced growing criticism from sections of the Tottenham supporters with Spurs currently 11th in the Premier League having won six of their 16 games under the Dane.

Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen has returned to the spotlight after recovering from his back injury and receiving medical clearance. The goalkeeper has now been included in the squad for three games in a row, including tonight's Copa del Rey match against Guadalajara, where he could get minutes if Hansi Flick and the club deem it appropriate. However, Ter Stegen's future at Barça is far from clear, with the German now becoming the third-choice goalkeeper behind Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny.

Having signed for Newcastle this summer as a direct replacement for Alexander Isak, Nick Woltemade has enjoyed a bright start to his first season in the Premier League.

"I thought in the first half we got some really good opportunities, especially in the transitions, and we were very sloppy," Eustace told reporters. "The game could have probably been out of sight really, with the amount of chances we had on the turnovers, just if our final pass or the finish was better. That would have been great. However, in the second half, I felt we controlled the game a lot more. When we did get those opportunities, we were finishing the actions and getting shots on target, so to win 3-0 is really pleasing."