The Hill Dickinson Stadium is Everton's new home (Image credit: Getty Images) Everton entertain league leaders Arsenal at the impressive Hill Dickinson Stadium this weekend kick off is 8pm Saturday night. Regular tickets sold out weeks ago, but VIP packages are still available, with prices starting at 139. These tickets include a host of extras along with some of the best views in the ground.
Suddenly at the heart of what has become a real fairytale, the Villains open this weekend's fixtures remarkably sat just three points adrift of top spot. Coming from behind twice last week as they eventually snatched a 3-2 victory away at relegation scrappers West Ham, the one-time PSG boss has seen his squad gain a string of plaudits from across the continent.
Niclas Fullkrug is becoming an increasingly likely January arrival for AC Milan, and a first offer was sent by the club today. This morning, MilanNews reported that Milan wanted to finalise the signing of Fullkrug before the end of 2025. Of course, he cannot arrive before the mercato arrives, but he can arrive ready to play on January 3. Now, it seems that the first step towards that has been made.
Arsenal are among a host of top European clubs interested in one of the brightest emerging talents from Norway this week. The north London side have become renowned in recent years for bringing through starlets from their youth ranks, Bukayo Saka being the obvious poster boy. The winger paved the way for the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly to follow, with 15-year-old Max Dowman the latest to step up into the first-team equation.
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.
It was a great moment, I appreciate, always thankful. In some moments when you don't win games, they have been not happy, but it's normal. But overall, the fans have always been there. These are the kind of games that I fall in love even more with the players because you cannot imagine how easy it is to slip, to slide, because they are tricky games.
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.