The ESPN Player of the Month award, now in its fourth edition, recognizes the most outstanding players from the top five European leagues. The format, which has already featured editions in October, November, and December, now honors the stars of January, kicking off the 2026 calendar year. In Ligue 1, Brazil international Endrick has only played two games with Lyon, but that was enough for him to take first place.
Lyon earned some breathing space in fourth place in the table with the victory, with Ruben Kluivert and Tyler Morton also getting on the scoresheet for Paulo Fonseca's team. Endrick joined Lyon on loan for the second half of the 2025-26 season from Real Madrid in December and has announced himself in style, scoring four goals in his first three matches for Lyon in all competitions.
Chelsea are interested in signing the Real Madrid prodigy Endrick. The 19-year-old has struggled for gametime at the Spanish club, and he needs a fresh start. Chelsea would be prepared to provide Endrick with an exit route, as per Fichajes. It will be interesting to see if they can get the deal done. They have added substantial depth to the attacking unit during the summer transfer window.
- Manchester United and Arsenal are leading the race to sign 16-year-old German sensation Kennet Eichhorn, says The Sun. The Hertha Berlin youngster, who has already been dubbed the "next Toni Kroos," is also on the radar of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Eichhorn is a Germany U17 international and has played eight times in 2. Bundesliga for Hertha so far this season.
Sources told ESPN in September that the eight-time Ballon d'Or-winner was close to finalizing a new multiyear contract, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the year. Now, following the 38-year-old's strong end to the MLS regular season, Romano reports that the "final details" of the new contract are being sorted. Messi is "fully focused" on the Inter Miami project, having first joined the club in the summer of 2023 from Paris Saint-Germain.
