Author: News Desk

Rio Ferdinand has tipped Max Dowman to become the next Arsenal academy star to break into Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad. The 14-year-old is regarded as one of Arsenal’s brightest academy prospects and he even trained with Arteta’s squad last weekend before their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. In September, Dowman also made history by becoming the youngest-ever goalscorer in the UEFA Youth League. Ethan Nwaneri is already making a strong case for more first-team minutes having impressed since making the jump from Arsenal’s academy, and Ferdinand believes Dowman is on the same path to making a similar impact. ‘This…

Rio Ferdinand has suggested Ruben Amorim may have made a mistake in not keeping Ruud van Nistelrooy on at Manchester United. Amorim touched down in Manchester on Monday to officially take the reins at Old Trafford having been named Erik ten Hag’s permanent replacement at the start of the month. The 39-year-old arrives from Sporting Lisbon with his trusted backroom team in tow, with assistants Carlos Fernandes, Adelio Candido and Emanuel Ferro, goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital and sports scientist Paulo Barreira also arriving at Carrington. It means there is no room for van Nistelrooy in the dugout with United confirming…

Norway have confirmed that Martin Odegaard will return to Arsenal during the international break to continue rehabilitation on his ankle injury. Odegaard injured his ankle ligaments during the September international break and returned from an eight-week absence as a late substitute in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Inter in the Champions League last Wednesday. The 25-year-old was able to complete a full 90 minutes in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday and was called up to Norway’s national side for their upcoming Nations League games against Slovenia and Kazakhstan. However, Norway’s national team doctor, Ola Sand, has announced that Odegaard…

Former Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson believes the BBC have a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings to replace Gary Lineker at the end of the season. Lineker has been the face of the flagship football highlights programme for 25 years but will step away from the role at the end of the current Premier League campaign. The former England international will remain with the BBC to anchor its FA Cup coverage next season and the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada before leaving the broadcaster for good. For years, Lineker was joined by Lawrenson in…

Deportivo Riestra, a team in the top flight of Argentinian football, has been slammed for fielding an influencer in their starting XI as part of a marketing stunt. Riestra picked Ivan Buhajeruk, better known as Spreen, in their team to play Velez Sarsfield on Monday in a Liga Profesional Argentina match. The 24-year-old lasted just 50 seconds on the pitch and did not touch the ball before being subbed off for Gustavo Fernandez. The Spreen selection was all part of a marketing stunt from Victor Stinfale, who owns both the club and its main sponsor, energy drink Speed Unlimited. The…

Erik ten Hag could be offered a speedy return back into the world of management by Roma, with the club on the hunt for their third head coach of the season. Former Torino and Hellas Verona boss Ivan Juric took over the reins from Daniele de Rossi in September but was sacked following Roma’s 3-2 defeat at home to Bologna at the weekend. The 49-year-old Croatian had been in the role for just 12 matches and departed the Serie A outfit with a record of four wins, three draws and five losses. It leaves 12th-placed Roma in a state of…

Wage growth comes in ahead of expectations despite loosening labour market Bank of England rate-setters received a mixed picture from the latest labour market figures, with progress on wage growth stalling even as unemployment crept up. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), pay growth excluding bonuses eased to 4.8 per cent in the three months to September, down from 4.9 per cent previously but slightly ahead of expectations. This confirmed that regular pay growth remained at its lowest level since June 2022. Including bonuses, however, annual wage growth rose to 4.3 per cent, up from 3.8 per cent…

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is facing increased calls for him to step down from his role following the release of a damning report into a child abuser associated with the Church of England.

The report found that Welby “could and should” have reported the allegations against John Smyth when they were put to him in 2013. Smyth died in 2018.

Much-loved football pundit Gary Lineker is to quit hosting the legendary show Match of the Day at the end of the season. He is also planning to leave the BBC altogether following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

A ‘game-changing’ smoking pill is set to be introduced by NHS England in plans to help people quit smoking and reduce smoking-related health issues and deaths.

Fog slow to clear in Northern Ireland, and feeling cold here. Dry and bright elsewhere with sunny spells, best of the sunshine across Scotland. Cloudier in the far southeast with blustery showers through the day. Tonight: Remains blustery in the southeast and turning cloudy with drizzle across the northwest. Elsewhere clear spells leading to mist and fog, thick in places, and frosty conditions for many.