Football Culture

🚨 Does FFP actually protect the big clubs? - Chelsea fined £10m for 74 breaches, zero points deducted - Everton docked 10 points for a breach a third of that size - Forest lost 4 points for a £34.5m breach, appeal rejected - Man City's 115 charges have sat unresolved for 3.5 years - City already beat a UEFA ban on appeal back in 2020 - Villa sold their women's team for £55m just to stay legal - Villa still fined ~£20m by UEFA over that same deal - Newcastle sold Minteh, Anderson, Isak, Tonali to stay compliant - Howe admitted PSR, not football, drove some of those sales - Smaller ambitious clubs losing players while big clubs stall - Is FFP just protecting whoever can afford the longest fight? Full STORY ⬇️

🚨 Besiktas eye offer to land Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock - Besiktas are willing to offer around €10m for Joe Willock in the winter window - The Turkish club want to address a "series of injuries" in midfield - They made a concerted effort to sign him in the summer - President Serdal Adali said the deal was on course before Newcastle shut the door - That followed Willock's impressive display against Liverpool - The 27-year-old is in the final year of his contract at St James' Park - Newcastle are said to be demanding €15m to sanction a January departure - Tutto Mercato Web says Besiktas "want to try again" rather than wait for a pre-contract - Willock was reportedly receptive to a switch last month - He has three goals this season and ranks among Newcastle's leading scorers

🚨 Sky Sports criticised over Everton vs Newcastle Carabao Cup coverage - Everton hosted Newcastle in the Carabao Cup last 16 at Hill Dickinson Stadium - The game was not shown on any main Sky Sports channel - Tennis was broadcast on three channels, with golf and cricket highlights also shown - The only scheduled football was League One and Two highlights - Viewers were left with Sky Sports+ coverage instead - That meant no live studio, plus second-rate commentary, pundits and graphics - Jack Grealish was left out of the Everton squad for disciplinary reasons - There were 8,000 away fans present with the home end packed out - Jordan Pickford's early frustration sparked Everton into life before James Garner scored the opener - Sky have also moved three upcoming Everton fixtures, including the Merseyside derby

🚨 Number of points Man City are 'likely' to be deducted for 115 charges revealed - Football Insider says City are "increasingly likely" to receive a single-season points deduction - The number touted is around 40 to 50 points - City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges in September 2026 - They lodged their appeal in October, with a verdict expected in early 2027 - Sources say the Premier League are "very keen" to wrap up the appeal before the season ends - Lawyer availability is cited as the biggest potential hurdle - A separate hearing would be needed to determine any punishments - City have 21 points from eight games, so a deduction would end title hopes but not confirm relegation - An extended transfer ban and "astronomical fine" are also expected - Kieran Maguire says sham contracts created a difference of up to £350m over a rolling three-year period

🚨 Non-league manager Marc White goes viral after out-of-control dressing room rant - Dorking Wanderers boss Marc White swore 38 times in a furious half-time rant - He flipped the same table over twice as players flinched and were hit by objects - Dorking trailed Hemel Hempstead 2-1 at the break in their National League clash on Tuesday - White told his players their performance was "embarrassing for me" - He criticised their decision to press on what he called a poor pitch - The manager stormed out, then returned to order the squad out of the dressing room - Dorking improved after the break, scoring twice in an eventual 3-3 draw - The footage was captured by the club's Bunch of Amateurs YouTube series - White said cameras have followed the club for around seven years - He admitted he was "definitely more angry than normal"

🚨 Jose Mourinho makes Brahim Diaz decision as Real Madrid prepare contract announcement - Mourinho wants Brahim Diaz to stay at Real Madrid despite his limited minutes - Madrid are expected to announce a contract extension in the coming days - The 27-year-old has made just six appearances this season, including two starts - He has played only 211 minutes, registering two assists and no goals - Brahim has been an unused substitute on seven occasions - His existing contract expires in June 2027 - Africafoot says he is not among the players Madrid would consider selling in January - Fenerbahce and Al-Ittihad have both been linked, with a reported €25m offer from the Saudi club - Competition has intensified with Yan Diomande, Endrick, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva - AS reported in June that terms were agreed on a deal until at least 2030

🚨 Barcelona have identified their 'dream' January signing - Barcelona have earmarked Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol as their dream signing - The Blaugrana want the Croatian at the Spotify Camp Nou in an ideal scenario - Mundo Deportivo says Gvardiol "has everyone's support" at the club - Barcelona's board have already decided to dip into the winter transfer market - An early-season injury crisis exposed their lack of defensive depth - Deco and co intend to bring in a new centre-back for the run-in - The new arrival would man the heart of Hansi Flick's backline - Barcelona know the only avenue to the deal is a major Manchester City sanction - City face potential punishment over their long-term financial breaches - Any Premier League sanction would need to be club-altering for the move to happen

🚨 Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be forced out of Manchester United - The Glazers have the contractual power to force Ratcliffe to sell his roughly 28% stake - A drag-along clause lets them proceed with a full sale without his approval - From February 2027, a protection guaranteeing Ratcliffe at least $33 per share will expire - United shares were trading at around $20.77 on Thursday, well below his purchase price - A source connected to the Glazers called Ratcliffe's stewardship a "travesty" - No takeover has been agreed, with the Daily Mail reporting the details - The Glazers could instead await the proposed £2bn stadium development to boost valuation - Ratcliffe completed his minority investment in February 2024, taking control of football operations - His restructuring brought almost 500 redundancies and increased ticket prices - Michael Carrick's side have won just two of their opening 12 matches and sit 16th

🚨 Chelsea 'line up Como defender Jacobo Ramon in January transfer' - Chelsea have reportedly lined up a January move for Jacobo Ramon - The 21-year-old starred in Como's Champions League win over Manchester United - He joined the Serie A club from Real Madrid in summer 2025 - The Daily Mail says his performances have caught the eye of the Blues - Ramon played under Xabi Alonso in Real Madrid's youth system - Manchester United and Arsenal are also credited with interest in the Spain U21 international - Real Madrid retain a 50 per cent sell-on clause plus a buy-back clause - Chelsea's long-term interest dates back to January 2025, when

🚨 Generali Stadium presented by Inter and Milan, construction to begin in 2028 - Inter and AC Milan have unveiled plans for a new 71,500-seater arena at San Siro - It will be called the Generali Stadium, with naming rights sold for a reported €26m per year - The 25-year contract would bring total revenue of €650m - In European competitions the ground will be called Milano Stadium instead - Designs come from Foster+Partners and MANICA, who also designed the new Wembley - The concrete X-frame structure is inspired by Milan's Duomo Cathedral - The Curva Nord will host Inter fans and the Curva Sud AC Milan supporters - LED panels will let the exterior be lit in different colours depending on who is playing - Construction is expected to begin in 2028 with the first match targeted for 2031/32 - The clubs aim to host matches at EURO 2032, which Italy co-hosts with Turkiye

🚨 Spain World Cup-winning midfielder wanted to replace Alexis Mac Allister - Liverpool are considering Barcelona's Gavi as a Mac Allister replacement, per Fichajes - The move is being eyed for the 2027 summer transfer window - Mac Allister is out of contract in 2028 with no new deal on the horizon - Liverpool risk losing the Argentine for nothing and may sell in January or summer 2027 - He joined from Brighton in 2023 for £35m - Real Madrid are reportedly waiting in the wings for the World Cup winner - Gavi is contracted to Barcelona until 2030 but is said to be "up for sale" - The 22-year-old has slipped down the pecking order since Rodri's arrival from Manchester City - He has made only two La Liga starts this season, with Frenkie de Jong back in contention - Gavi is a three-time La Liga champion and a former Golden Boy winner

🚨 Dejan Kulusevski thought he would "never play again" amid Tottenham injury hell - Kulusevski told his mother he did not think he could play football again - The Spurs forward was out for more than 18 months with a patella problem - He picked up the injury on the final day of the 2024-25 season against Crystal Palace - The injury came from an innocuous collision with Marc Guehi, now of Manchester City - It meant he missed the 1-0 Europa League final win over Manchester United in Bilbao - He called that day in the Basque country "one of the hardest days of my life" - Kulusevski could not celebrate with team-mates or collect his winners' medal - "I had to prepare her, I don't think I can play anymore," he said of the talk with his mother - He broke his cartilage, which flew out and moved to another part of the knee - The Swede made his long-awaited return in the recent 3-1 win over Coventry

🚨 Tottenham made approach to sign forward Roberto De Zerbi loves - Spurs reportedly made an approach for Amine Gouiri in the summer window - Talks were opened over a possible move for the Marseille forward - De Zerbi wanted to reunite with a player he managed at Marseille - The deal failed to materialise as Spurs could not offload Richarlison or Dominic Solanke - Richarlison is not even registered to play in the Premier League - Solanke is expected to stay after being named captain against Manchester United - Spurs did sign Omar Marmoush from Manchester City in the summer - Marmoush has played out wide and at number 10 rather than as an out-and-out striker - De Zerbi has compared Gouiri's movement to that of Gonzalo Higuain - He says Gouiri "has everything to be one of the best European centre-forwards"

🚨 Man United 'weighing up' January move for Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Manchester United are reportedly considering a January move for the Leeds forward - The Daily Mail says United are admirers of the 29-year-old's talents - They had considered a move in summer 2025 after his release from Everton - Calvert-Lewin has scored 20 goals in 49 appearances for Leeds - He has five goals in 10 appearances this season after 15 last term - The striker scored against United in the Premier League earlier this month - He has 75 Premier League goals and 19 assists in 282 appearances - His contract at Elland Road runs until June 2028 - A mid-season transfer is viewed as difficult given the rivalry between the clubs - Benjamin Sesko is out until at least January with a long-term shin problem

🚨 Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger wanted by Chelsea...Again - Chelsea are eyeing a potential reunion with Antonio Rudiger - The German is widely expected to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2027 - Florentino Perez and Madrid do not intend to offer him a contract extension - Rudiger turns 34 next March - He is not considered part of Jose Mourinho's long-term plans at the Bernabeu - The report comes from Fichajes, citing Football Insider - Xabi Alonso is said to fully back the move - Rudiger is seen at Chelsea as a "Thiago Silva 2.0" - The club believe he would bring leadership and contribute from the first minute - He scored Real Madrid's fourth goal in their Champions League win at Roma this month

🚨 Youri Tielemans backs Michael Carrick to stay "We don't want a sudden change" - Tielemans says United's players do not want a change in the dugout - The midfielder told TNT Sports the team simply needs "stability" - He joined from Aston Villa in July after conversations with Carrick - Tielemans says the manager "definitely" has the backing of the squad - He insists a dismissal would disrupt things more than they already are - United are winless in eight matches in all competitions - They sit 16th, one point above the relegation zone with seven points from eight games - Tielemans says "a lot" of the responsibility falls on the players, not just the manager - He understands the booing from fans, calling it "their frustration coming out" - Training this week has focused on "tactically, being more compact"

🚨 Jack Grealish dropped for Everton's League Cup tie after disciplinary breach - Grealish was left out of Everton's fourth-round clash with Newcastle - The club cited "a breach of club discipline" - It was reported the breach related to an unauthorised absence from training - The 31-year-old missed Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal through illness - He is on a second season-long loan from Manchester City - Grealish had started Everton's three league games before the Arsenal defeat - He has made six appearances for David Moyes' side this season - His most recent outing was the 17 October loss to Chelsea - Grealish has faced years of criticism over his off-pitch behaviour - Fleetwood await the winner of Everton v Newcastle in the quarter-finals

🚨 Numbers don't lie: are West Ham really reliant on individual brilliance? - West Ham rank second in the Championship for expected goals, behind only Middlesbrough - They have created the most big chances in the division with 48 - The Hammers have also missed the second-most big chances with 28 - Only Cardiff have squandered more big chances - West Ham have scored a league-high eight set-piece goals - Konstantinos Mavropanos has five of them but is now injured - They are the only side to have missed two penalties, through Taty Castellanos and Jarrod Bowen - Nuno's side slipped to third after losing to Southampton despite almost 30 shots - George Elek says they have only lived up to their potential against Derby, Wrexham and nine-man Lincoln - Don Goodman called the 6-0 win over Wrexham a "statement performance"

🚨 Manchester United's lack of striker depth could cost Carrick his job - United are on a winless run of eight games in all competitions - Michael Carrick appears to have lost sections of the dressing room - The club are currently playing without a designated central striker - Benjamin Sesko, signed to be that figure, is out injured for a number of months - Carrick says they are "still not clear" how long, calling the situation "unfortunate" - United have no back-up number nine in the squad - Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have operated through the middle as emergency strikers - Moving both players inside has disrupted United's forward line - The Athletic reports Dominic Calvert-Lewin is an option for January - Diogo Dalot is playing at left-back due to a lack of cover in that position

🚨 Ian Wright questions Chelsea's £65m transfer decision - Ian Wright has questioned Chelsea's decision to sell Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa - Jackson has scored seven goals in 11 appearances since the £65m summer move - He netted a brace in Villa's win over Premier League leaders Manchester City at the weekend - Chelsea signed the Senegal striker from Villarreal in 2023 and he scored 17 in his first season - He spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, who paid £14m with a £56m conditional obligation - Playing back-up to Harry Kane meant Jackson did not meet the appearance conditions - The presence of Joao Pedro at Stamford Bridge complicated his future - Gary Neville asked whether Jackson is "the most improved player in the Premier League" - Wright says you can "actually see the confidence in him" now he is scoring - Unai Emery hailed Jackson's "quality and his power" after the Manchester City win

🚨 Barcelona consider Lisandro Martinez as Antonio Conte's Man Utd stance is revealed - Barcelona could target Josko Gvardiol and Lisandro Martinez in January, per Mundo Deportivo - Defeats by PSG and Real Madrid saw them concede six goals after 11 straight wins - The club could not afford a centre-back and full-back in the summer after planned sales fell through - They now want an experienced centre-back who can make an immediate impact - Gvardiol is described as "the dream centre-back" but would require a Man City penalty - Martinez is seen as more feasible with his United contract expiring in June 2027 - His recent criticism of the hierarchy has left him in a "precarious position" at Old Trafford - Nicolo Schira says Antonio Conte is in Sharm el-Sheikh and leaning towards Serie A next season - Conte is reportedly not in advanced talks with any English or Italian club