A whole host of action for you this weekend, all covered on Guardian Sport.

And that concludes the blog for today. Thanks for reading.

The winners of the new Fifa Women’s Champions Cup will receive $2.3m (£1.7m) in prize money. The semi-finals take place at Brentford on Wednesday, with Gotham playing Corinthians before Arsenal take on AS Far. The losers of Sunday’s final at Arsenal will get $1m. The beaten semi-finalists will take home $200k each, and Auckland United and Wuhan Chegu Jiangda, who have already been eliminated, received $100k each.

Here’s this week’s Football Daily. Thanks a lot, Gianni.

The way we were at the start of the Premier League. All those hopes and fears. Where are we now?

Women’s Super League and WSL2 clubs will soon be able to offer 16-year-old academy players contracts of up to two years in length, under new plans being introduced by the league’s board.

At present, no women’s clubs can offer professional deals to young players until they are 18.

The new academy contracts will have a set salary that it is understood will be the same regardless of whether the youngster is on the books of a WSL2 club, for example Ipswich or at the defending top-flight champions Chelsea. Sources have said that is to encourage players to choose the best club for their development rather than being incentivised by financial differences.

It will also be possible to offer a contract alongside an apprenticeship, similarly to men’s clubs’ academies.

Sad news for Evertonians this week with the death of Tommy Wright, the one-club man who played full-back for England at the 1970 World Cup. Here’s his obituary.

Leeds have been linked with Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen but Daniel Farke is not panicking that his club have bit landed a striker.

“We have a capable group. This group has made sure that we’re on a good path, already on 25 points. Nothing is achieved yet, but we definitely have a chance to achieve our goals during the season, to stay in this league. We want to keep the group tight. We want to keep our togetherness and our unity.

“If we got the feeling there was an option that makes us better, then we would do it. But you also know my attitude - I think the January market is a difficult one, and for that, we are not in panic mode, not under any pressure to do something.”

Huge game in Scotland on Sunday. Celtic v Hearts looks like a title decider if Hearts win at Parkhead. Martin O’Neill, interim manager twice, knows the importance.

“It’s going to be very big, no question about it. If we get beaten, it’s a long way back for us. It is a bit of a trek at the minute, so we would go out to try and win the game if we can. It’s not the end of the road (if Hearts win) but nine points would be a lot to claw back with 15 games left.”

Celtic have lost both of their previous matches against Hearts this term - under Brendan Rodgers and then Wilfried Nancy.

Story via PA Media.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s joke about British fans’ behaviour at the Qatar World Cup was “neither helpful nor accurate”, the UK’s football policing lead has said.
Infantino aimed a jibe at British supporters during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying the Qatar finals in 2022 were special because “no Brit was arrested”.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the football policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “Whilst these things may be said in jest, it is neither helpful or accurate to make this sort of comment.

“For the record, ‘British’ fans behaving at World Cups is the norm, not something special. In Qatar (there were) no arrests of English or Welsh fans, in Russia - three England fans were arrested for very minor offences. (In) Brazil - 15 arrests - of which seven were touts - and South Africa (saw) seven arrests for minor matters. Given the high number of fans who travel and pay a lot of money to get to World Cups, there are many, many other countries who are more problematic for hosts.”

The Football Supporters’ Association said on Thursday that Infantino should focus on providing cheap tickets, rather than making cheap jokes at fans’ expense.

And on that transfer bombshell, I’ll hand you back to John Brewin for more nuggets.

Hot news from Crystal Palace. Manager Oliver Glasner has revealed he had a “long dinner” with the chair, Steve Parish, this week to resolve their differences and has insisted he is “100% committed” to seeing out his contract until the end of the season.

Glasner accused Parish and the Palace board of abandoning him and his squad after informing them that the captain, Marc Guéhi, would be sold to Manchester City the day before they were due to face Sunderland last weekend. A 2-1 defeat at the Stadium of Light made it 10 games without a victory under the Austrian, who had confirmed before the game that he would be leaving in the summer.

Parish decided against sacking Glasner over his outburst and the 51-year-old is hoping the return of Ismaïla Sarr from the Africa Cup of Nations and Daniel Muñoz from injury can help to lift spirits after a difficult fortnight.

“I was quite emotional after the game and I think it shows how much the players, how much Crystal Palace means to me,” Glasner said. “I agreed one year ago in February at a meeting, I agreed to sell Mark. It’s all about timing and replacement. That was the whole situation.

“I know that Crystal Palace will always sell players if they have big offers from other clubs. But it was just the situation, telling the team 28 hours before a Premier League game that the captain is leaving. This was my feeling at that moment and this is what I tried to express.

“I know it feels like criticism, but for me it was just telling the feelings, the emotions I had, the team had.”

He added: “I had a very long dinner with Steve this week and we talked about this situation. Not to sell Mark, it’s the timing and the possible replacement. This was the situation I wanted to explain and the talk was a very good talk for both of us.

“But nothing changed what I said at the press conference before the Sunderland game. When I said I will give my best to play a great season. Steve and I are 100% committed that we will do our best to have a great rest of the season, a great four months together.

“Dani Muñoz came back at the beginning of the week. Ismaïla Sarr came back as an Afcon winner from Senegal. Now we are preparing for the rest of the season. It was a thunderstorm, but always after a thunderstorm the sun is shining.”

Glasner also denied Jean-Philippe Mateta had submitted a transfer request, with Aston Villa and Juventus interested in signing the striker this month, and said Mateta would start against Chelsea on Sunday.

“To be very clear, he didn’t hand in a transfer request, and we have no bid received right now,” said Glasner. “I think with every player there is a price where a club says: ‘OK, we agree to a deal.’ But again, no bid came in, and he didn’t hand in a transfer request, so he will play tomorrow.”

Everton boss David Moyes has given an update on Jack Grealish’s foot injury. The 30-year-old attacker will see a specialist in the next few days and the Toffees hope some reports of a three-month absence are wide of the mark.

Moyes said: “It’s not for me to give the timescales, we’ve not got it from the doctors yet. He’s got a stress fracture in his foot, that’s about as far as I can tell you.

“It’s a big blow because he’s been hugely important to us since the start of the season. He’s been a big part of the team. We’ve had a few injuries but this is a big blow to us.

“We’re in close contact with Manchester City so we’ll see how that works as we go along and we get more decisions from the specialist.”

Moyes was also asked if Grealish’s injury could impact Everton’s transfer strategy with just 10 days of the window left. “It’ll add to our thinking,” said Moyes. “Getting them is a different story. Is there anything out there that we think we could do? We could possibly consider. But at the moment we’re just waiting to get the assessment back from the specialist, then we’ll know more.”

A few Opta facts ahead of the weekend Premier League fixtures. Amaze your friends with these. A few unlikely heroes in this lot.

Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka has made more line breaking passes that have led to a goal than any other player in the Premier League this season (8). Four of these have been direct assists by the Swiss, another league high.

Tottenham’s Pedro Porro has played more passes into the box (180) and delivered more open play crosses (113) than any other player in the Premier League this season, with the Spaniard also creating the most chances among defenders (32).

No centre back has been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke (5 – 3 goals, 2 assists), with the Dutchman assisting Charalampos Kostoulas’ late equaliser against Bournemouth last time out.

Igor Thiago’s 16 goals for Brentford this season is already the most by a Brazilian player in a single Premier League campaign. The last South American player to net more was Sergio Agüero in 2018-19 (21).

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes has created the most chances in the Premier League this season (62), while he also has the most assists (9). He ranks first for chances created both in open play (40) and from set plays (22) and his current ratio of 3.4 chances created per 90 minutes is the best by a Man Utd player since Ryan Giggs in 2008-09 (3.7).

Leeds striker Lukas Nmecha – who netted the winner against Everton earlier this season – is averaging a goal every 122 minutes in the Premier League this season, the fourth-best ratio among players with 500+ minutes

Mo Salah is set to play his first Premier League game since setting up a goal for Hugo Ekitike in Liverpool’s home win over Brighton on 13 December. That’s presuming Arne Slot picks him for Saturday evening’s clash at Bournemouth although it looks likely after the winger got the nod in the Reds’ 3-0 win at Marseille in midweek.

The Vitality Stadium could be the ideal place to make his return given that Salah has netted seven goals there in his time. That includes a hat-trick although he did miss a penalty in a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth in 2023. Not a Panenka though. Talking of which, Salah finished second top scorer at Afcon with four goals for Egypt - two behind Morocco’s Brahim Diaz whose Golden Boot award was somewhat tarnished by his fluffed penalty in the final.

Mikel Arteta has spoken about Ethan Nwaneri’s loan move to Marseille. The Gunners boss said the French side are ideal for the teenager and referenced how another Arsenal player, William Saliba, had benefited from his loan there in 2021-22.

Arteta added that the Marseille manager, Roberto De Zerbi, was another attractive factor, describing him as “an incredible developer of young talent” and a “really courageous coach in how he plays”.

Nwaneri’s move has brought back memories for Arteta who, as an 18-year-old player, went on loan to Paris Saint-German from Barcelona. Every young player, Arteta said, had to deal with the moment when excitement met reality.

“One day, you have to go: ‘OK, pack your bags, this is the flight ticket and you have to go to Marseille.’ That is fear, insecurity … it’s getting out of a place that has been really comfortable for him and being around his family and then you have to be thrown there into the sharks, into an incredible football culture and atmosphere and club. It’s going to make him so much better.”

Michael Carrick says Kobbie Mainoo is a prime example of the type of academy graduate who is vital to maintain the foundation of Manchester United. Carrick gave the 20-year-old a first Premier League start of the season in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Manchester City, the midfielder impressing after previously falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, who was sacked nearly two weeks ago. The interim manager was asked how important Mainoo is regarding United’s future.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Kobbie,” said Carrick. “I’ve known him since he was young. I started working with him when he was 13, 14 years old when I was going through my badges [as a coach]. This club needs young players coming through and being the foundation for understanding what the club means. Kobbie’s a prime example, to come through so quickly and have his rapid rise is impressive.”

Mainoo joined United when he was six, and made his debut at 17 in a 3-0 EFL Cup win over Charlton in January 2023. He scored the winner in the following season’s 2-1 FA Cup final victory against Manchester City and started for England in that summer’s 2-1 Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.

As Carrick has been appointed only until the end of the season, he was asked if his input on strengthening the squad will be considered.

“Looking too far down the track hasn’t happened just yet - I think it’s been the initial thoughts of what’s happening now,” he said. “The important thing for me is any decision I make or my staff make or the club make - it’s not short-term, not just to get through to the end of the season.

“I’ve got responsibility for whatever happens next for the club to make sure it is in a good place and moving forward. So, as time goes on I’m sure I’ll be part of it and we’ll work our way through it.”

Who wants to see Pele riding a horse? Of course you do. Let Pablo Iglesias Maurer give you the background.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is up now and he’s been chatting about striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker came off the bench to score in the 3-1 win at Inter in midweek but the first two goals were netted by his replacement, Gabriel Jesus.

Arteta: “He started the season without pre-season as well and a lot of minutes and a lot of responsibility on him. Now the fact that we have other options as well is something positive for the squad. We could see the other day with Gabriel Jesus scoring two goals and Viktor coming in and making an impact in the game.”

A quick look at some numbers:

Gyokeres – 9 goals in 27 games. Perception: Slight flop
Hugo Ekitike – 12 goals in 30 games. Perception: A definite hit
The Swede is scoring every one in three while it’s one in every two-and-a-half for Liverpool’s French striker. Not much in that. Then again, the eye test would say something different. There are always shades of grey (underrated Monkees song) in all this of course.

More from Liam Rosenior. This time he’s been discussing teams news and the virus that spread through the camp in the last couple of weeks.

“In terms of sickness, the players are coming back gradually to full health. We’ve had to be very careful with that.

“Estevao was very ill. Jamie Gittens was very ill. That altered our plans over the week in terms of what we wanted to do but thankfully the lads have come through that, Enzo [Fernandez] as well.

“[Filip] Jorgensen had his scan, which is not as bad as first feared. He won’t be available for Palace but could be, potentially, for Napoli.”

Chelsea take on Crystal Palace on Sunday before travelling to Italy to play Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Chelsea news and new boss Liam Rosenior has been discussing Cole Palmer’s return and importance to the team. There have been stories today that the midfielder could be itching for a return back to Manchester.

“Cole is in a good place. He joined training today, which is really positive. We’ll assess his reaction to training. I’ve had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very, very happy to be here. He is very, very happy to be here,” said the Chelsea boss.

“He’s a huge part of our plans in the long term. He’s an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult times in his career because of injury. I don’t think it’s any reflection on his quality.

“My job and the club’s job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level he wants to. There was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he isn’t happy here, just because he was in pain and he couldn’t perform to the level he wanted to for the club.

“He’s a great kid and an outstanding player but we have to make sure we look after him in the right way. That’s why I didn’t involve him in the last game.”

Thanks John. Sticking with Man Utd and Paul Scholes is refusing to apologise to defender Lisandro Martinez after suggesting Erling Haaland would have him on toast in last weekend’s Manchester derby.

Scholes and former United team-mate Nicky Butt sparked a backlash after making the claims on their podcast: The Good, The Bad and The Football. Martinez even suggested Scholes should meet him face to face after an excellent display in United’s 2-0 win.

Scholes addressed the spat on Sky Bet’s The Overlap Fan Debate.

“I didn’t realise I had so many Argentinian friends,” Scholes joked. “Look, what we said probably wasn’t great when you look back. I’m not apologising for it. The thing we were trying to say was what we thought and still is, physically, it’s a mismatch, but the way we described probably it wasn’t great and probably shouldn’t have done that.

“He’s had one good game though. I hope to God he proves me wrong, but look at the week before against Brighton and Danny Welbeck. Look at the week before that against Burnley. He gave the goal away against Burnley.

“We probably worded it not in a great way and I hope he proves me wrong. He had a great game against City, he was brilliant and we have got to see that now again for the rest of the season.”

With that, I shall pass the reins to David Tindall.

More Michael Carrick on Manchester United’s game at Arsenal: ““Looking forward to the game, it’s a big challenge. They’re a very good team. They have so many strong points to their game, they are where they are for a reason, we’re fully aware of that.

“We’re in a good place and looking forward to the game. It’s where we want to be, with that energy and enthusiasm to go and be positive.”

Some Manchester United injury news on Matthijs de Ligt, from Michael Carrick: ““He had a bit of setback before I arrived, only small but he was a little bit slower than we had liked. He’s getting closer and hopefully in the next couple of weeks he will be back and around it.”

The Dutch defender has a back problem.

Strand Larsen is not one of the following transfer storylines to follow. But he’s one to follow in the next week or so.

Talking of Wolves, their manager, Rob Edwards, has confirmed Leeds bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen this week.

“We’re under no pressure to sell. We want to try and be as strong as we can throughout the period unless we feel it’s the right thing, no one will go. No-one’s been knocking on my door [to leave], no-one, they’ve all shown real desire and attitude to be here.”

Guehi, by the way, will make his City debut against Wolves on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola has been speaking after a fairly disastrous week for Manchester City: “We were in Newcastle one week ago and we won 2-0. In my opinion, against Bodo, we missed the chances that we had and the long balls, we were not aggressive enough. We conceded two goals in two minutes. We had chances with the Max Alleyne header.

“I’m not talking about the game against United. In the game against Bodo, I did not have that feeling.”

On Rodri’s struggles for form: “I know the reason why we are struggling now. I know 100%. It’s been 11 months. Give him more time. Our standards are so high and I know the reason why we are a little bit inconsistent. I’m pretty sure, yes but that depends on the team as well and not just him.”

And on Marc Guehi: “We cannot lose games. Man City is so perfect that we cannot lose games. It is what it is. We have to change the dynamic to try to win games tomorrow and Wednesday.”

Thanks, Dom. What a welcome. Some big news around, particularly that Andy/Andrew Robertson story. Seems odd but then again he is out of contract this summer, and may feel he has plenty in his legs, and plenty of earning power, too.

That’s my stint done and it’s my pleasure to hand over to John Brewin, East Cheshire’s finest living footie scribe.

Nottingham Forest: The honeymoon period is well and truly over for Sean Dyche at after last night’s drab showing against Braga.

With some boos after that 1-0 defeat in Portugal and patchy form in the league, what comes next? Ben Fisher explores.

Here’s an interesting statistical titbit: the most xG created in the Premier League this season. Manchester United are top of the tree, how about that?

1. Man Utd - 45.48

2. Arsenal - 42.70

3. Man City - 42.69

Pep Guardiola has started his Manchester City press conference by confirming Marc Guéhi will make his debut for the club against Wolves tomorrow. At home to a team that have scored just 15 goals in 22 league games this season, it’s hardly the toughest of first tests for the England international.

In the National League, Aldershot v Carlisle and Gateshead v Wealdstone, games set for 3pm tomorrow, have been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

So Tottenham will presumably now have Andy Robertson, Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies, Djed Spence and Souza, the new Brazilian, as left-backs at the club.

Will one of them leave this month to make room for the Scot? Davies is injured for the rest of the season, in fairness. Souza is just 19 and newly arrived – perhaps he will head out on loan.

Since I was little, I have looked up to clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona. I feel like they are some of the biggest teams in the world. I’ve always wanted to eventually play in Europe and play on a team like Chelsea so when I got the opportunity, I couldn’t say no.

Chelsea’s Alyssa Thompson chats to Sophie Downey. Read the interview here.

Just to mark your card, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola will be conducting press conferences at 12.30pm GMT.

Later at 1.30pm, Michael Carrick, Mikel Arteta, Liam Rosenior and Oliver Glasner are among the Premier League managers speaking to the media.

We’ll be all over them all, of course.

It is now 10 years ago to the day that Dele Alli scored this wonder goal for Tottenham at Crystal Palace.

As well as making me feel very old, I firmly believe this goal should be recognised among the very best Premier League strikes, yet it somehow gets overlooked. Give me a flick-and-volley over a tippy-tappy team goal any day of the week.

Hürzeler also revealed Diego Coppola could leave Brighton on loan this month to boost the defender’s hopes of being selected for Italy at this summer’s World Cup – if indeed they qualify.

“It’s a 50-50 situation,” Hürzeler said. “Copps might be one player [to leave] but we really enjoy working with him.

“There’s a World Cup upcoming but I’m quite sure in the future he will be a big player for us. But we have to analyse what is best for the club and the individual development for the player.”

Danny Welbeck remains Brighton’s first-choice striker but Seagulls boss Fabian Hürzeler says Charalampos Kostoulas is pushing for a starting berth.

Kostoulas was introduced for the final 15 minutes in place of Welbeck on Monday and the teenager produced a stunning overhead kick to help Brighton to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

All but two of the 18-year-old’s appearances this season have been as a substitute and that looks set to continue at Fulham on Saturday, but Hürzeler is happy to have the young Greek as an alternative.

“We all know his big potential and he can really change the game for us,” Hürzeler told reporters. “He’s still a young player and he’s still in a phase where he needs to develop and we try to help him.

“He’s definitely pushing (to start) by performance, that’s for sure. It’s definitely a tough decision but it’s helpful to have good back-up like him for Danny Welbeck.” PA Media

A bit of unexpected transfer news: Tottenham are working on deal to sign Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, according to transfer reporting doyen David Ornstein.

The 31-year-old is no longer first choice at Anfield and apparently Spurs have brought forward plans to snap him up, having originally planned to get him as a free agent in the summer.

Manchester United are reportedly ready to hand Kobbie Mainoo a bumper new contract, with the 20-year-old clearly now at the forefront of their midfield plans given the news of Casemiro’s impending summer exit.

There are some murmurs that the Stockport-born star will get a four-year extension worth around £150k a week.

It’s amazing how quickly things can change. Less than a month ago Mainoo was on the periphery at United, having failed to start a league game all season under Ruben Amorim. After one (admittedly impressive) 90-minute performance against Manchester City and a clear indication that Michael Carrick – rates him, Mainoo is once again the golden child of Carrington.

To be fair, that shimmy away from Antoine Semenyo in the derby was rather special, a microcosm of the best of Mainoo’s midfield grace.

Here’s a bit more from Slot on how Liverpool have improved defensively:

In all of the 13 games we are unbeaten, I think maybe only in the Brighton game we conceded more than one xG. To be honest, I think against Marseille we conceded two or three more good chances than we’ve conceded in other games but a good thing in football is that it doesn’t continue all season where the other team has one chance and it’s a goal.

Thank you Niall. I note that Arne Slot’s complaint about playing Wednesday-Saturday is strikingly similar to the notes chimed by his Anfield predecessor … at least Liverpool are playing at 5.30pm rather than 12.30pm.

Time to hand over to Dominic Booth, who will take you through the next few hours of team news and transfer tittle-tattle.

With the January transfer window slowly creaking shut, here are some players likely to make a move by the end of the month, according to WhoScored.

Nice work if you can get it: Matthew Hall reports that the Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, is paid more than $3m (£2.22m) per year for five hours per week of work.

A little more from Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimarães, who he will give “every chance” to feature at home to Aston Villa on Sunday.

With Bruno we hope it’s not serious. The extent of the injury is still unknown, but he was reasonably positive after the game. Speaking to him again, he’s the guy that will never rule anything out, so we’re going to give him every chance for this weekend. Let’s wait and see.

[Bruno] is a pivotal player. I’ve always said he’s been the match-winner for us so many times over the years. He’s an inspirational figure so we need him, but of course we need him fit and available and able to perform to his best level, so we’ll try and make all the calculations and come up with the right decision.

Could Cole Palmer return to Manchester – and join United? Find out more in today’s Rumour Mill …

Bayern Munich continue their surge towards the Bundesliga title this weekend as Vincent Kompany’s unbeaten side host Bavarian neighbours Augsburg. Centre-back Dayot Upamecano has a viral infection and joins a growing defensive absentee list, with Josip Stanisic, Konrad Laimer and Sacha Boey also unavailable.

“Despite these absences, we still have good competition for the defence,” Kompany told a press conference. Kim Min-jae was sent off in Bayern’s Champions League win over Union Saint-Gilloise but is expected to play on Saturday, alongside Hiroki Ito and Joshua Kimmich.

Elsewhere this weekend, it’s the Hamburg derby tonight as St Pauli host HSV, while Dortmund – 11 points behind Bayern in the title race – go to Union Berlin tomorrow.

Slot adds that Salah is “ready to play” at the Vitality after starting against Marseille, but he will decide on his line-up tomorrow after a final training session. “Mo played 90 minutes and yesterday we had a recovery session, we trained today and knowing Mo he is ready to play tomorrow.”

The Liverpool manager is also keen to point out that, unlike Newcastle and Chelsea, his team are playing on Saturday after a Champions League game on Wednesday.

Ibrahima Konaté missed the Champions League trip to Marseille because his father sadly passed away this week. Slot says he has spoken to him “a few times” but he’d rather keep the details private. The defender will “need time” before he returns, so will not feature against Bournemouth on Saturday evening.

Arne Slot is speaking to the press, and expresses shock that the first question is not about Mohamed Salah. Instead, he’s asked for his thoughts on Dominik Szoboszlai – “a great leader – without the ball, he’s incredible. He’s improved this season on the ball.”

A bit of breaking transfer news from Sky Sports: Wolves have rejected a bid from Leeds for £40m-rated striker Jørgen Strand Larsen! So, despite what Daniel Farke said yesterday (see 9.24am), Leeds do appear to be in the market for attacking reinforcements.

This weekend’s Premier League games are the reverse fixtures of the season openers, back in sun-soaked August. Looking back, the most jarring result was Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford, with the teams taking very different trajectories since then.

“It was certainly a tough day for us all, but it is pretty obvious to see the development that we have made in the months since that, and I am delighted with the progress we have made,” Brentford manager Keith Andrews said yesterday.

“We have gone day-to-day, week-to-week, and game-to-game to build a team, a squad, a way of playing and a way of working. It is nice to see players flourish and grow in confidence. The way we are playing recently is really pleasing.”

Do you like football but also other sports too? Then the Friday quiz is for you!

Eddie Howe is now taking questions, and he says Bruno Guimaraẽs could feature against Aston Villa after suffering an injury against PSV in midweek. “Reasonably positive after the game, so we will give him every chance this weekend,” the Newcastle manager said.

Howe added that Dan Burn is back in training after suffering a punctured lung during December’s derby defeat to Sunderland – and was tight-lipped on transfers, saying the club “won’t panic” but will have to be guided by their PSR situation this month.

Régis Le Bris’ side shook off Afcon concerns by going unbeaten while those six players were away. “Our recent form shows the strength of the group,” the Sunderland manager said yesterday. “It is part of our identity. It is more about teamwork than individuals. We have had players missing, but we have stayed competitive.”

As for West Ham, Nuno Espírito Santo says he has seen an improvement in his players’ morale after winning at Spurs last weekend. “When you perform well and win, the week is good,” he straight-batted. “The boys have been working really, really hard.”

Sunderland go to West Ham in Saturday’s early kick-off. The club have welcomed back six players who travelled to Afcon, including Habib Diarra of champions Senegal – and they were all presented with framed pictures yesterday, which is a nice touch.

The name’s Bord, James Bord. An interesting story from Matt Hughes about the poker player interested in buying Sheffield Wednesday, with links to their cross-city rivals.

A few Premier League managers spoke to the media on Thursday, including the man with football’s most exceptional voice, Daniel Farke. He takes his Leeds side to Everton on Monday night, and isn’t planning to make any big January signings beyond the loan move for Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.

“We want to keep the group tight. We want to keep our togetherness and our unity. If we got the feeling there was an option that makes us better, then we would do it. But you also know my attitude - I think the January market is a difficult one, and for that, we are not in panic mode, not under any pressure to do something.”

Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler is the first Premier League manager facing the press today, with Eddie Howe following at 9.30am (GMT) and Arne Slot at 10am. Then the lunchtime rush will see Andoni Iraola and Pep Guardiola front up at 12.30pm, Rob Edwards at 1pm and six different managers at 1.30pm – Michael Carrick, Mikel Arteta, Liam Rosenior, Oliver Glasner, David Moyes and Marco Silva.