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When the parting comes, the stats, considerable though they are, will not define him. The mountain of goals, only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt have scored more than the 255 and counting, will not be the entirety of his legend. No, what Liverpool fans will remember most when he is gone is how Mo Salah made them feel, up there with Kenny Dalglish in the hearts of the Scouse diaspora.

The sense of Salah was perhaps most keenly felt by those attending a celebration of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool Olympia ahead of his final game at Anfield two years ago. Organised by fan group BOSS, the old Victorian auditorium served as a temple thronged by Liverpool worshippers 24 hours before the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Leading the communion was Jamie Webster, a kind of Scouse minstrel who sets his love of Liverpool to music with a string of terrace ballads that capture the essence of the fan experience. Of the many songs sung that day none met with the greater rapture than Webster’s ode to Salah, which to this observer felt like a moment of deep spiritual significance.

As he thrummed the opening chords, the dance floor erupted. “Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Running down the wing. Mo Salah la-la-la la-ahh, the Egyptian king!”

It struck me then how football makes cultural barriers disappear. Here was an Islamic totem at the heart of a community gathering, embraced without a thought to his ethnicity or faith. He was just Mo, and he was there for everyone.

What a wonderful world it is with Salah on the dance floor, the ball glued to his feet, the goal at his mercy, the perfect antidote to Donald Trump bombing the shit out of Iran and the Revolutionary Guard brutalising their own people.

Sport in general, and football in particular as its most popular manifestation, is one of the highest forms of human expression since it requires opponents to come together in an attitude of acceptance and respect.

Self-evidently you cannot play it in a war zone, a fact rammed home during the First World War when, in an act of heartrending spontaneity, hostilities ceased on Christmas Day 1914, allowing British and German soldiers to exchange symbolic gifts and engage in a series of kick-abouts.

Sport’s superpower is its civilising quality, requiring a sense of togetherness and rules-based order to flourish. Yes it is partisan at heart but not at the expense of decency and fair play. Well, in most cases. And at elite level, the emotional connection with football clubs remains one of the great community endeavours. 

Salah engenders universal acclaim not because of his brilliance alone but for the spirit in which he plays the game, without malice or prejudice, always smiling, always trying. Perhaps most significantly of all, there is the feeling that he is representing the people of Liverpool, never himself. He is, in this regard, the anti-Cristiano, and as a result so easy to love.

Read more

• Pete Hall: Where Mo Salah will go after Liverpool exit – with two likely destinations
• Mark Douglas: Everton plot £100m summer war chest as Moyes targets three key transfers

Tar me with a romantic brush, but before we are English, Egyptian, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or any other cultural identifier, we are human beings. The simple joy of communing with one who in other settings might easily have manifested as “other”, reminds us of our commonality. 

In the epoch of Trump and his hateful factions we have never needed this message more. Once again this sentiment is best captured in song, another epic paean to Salah set this time to the tune of “Good Enough” by Dodgy.  

“If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me. If he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too.

“If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me. Sitting in the mosque, that’s where I wanna be!

“Mo Salah la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la.”

Farewell then, Mo. Less an Egyptian king, more a pharaoh of the people, for the people.

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Qualifying for Europe will help accelerate Everton’s planned summer rebuild, with another net spend of around £100m a realistic prospect at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the close season.

David Moyes’ side have put themselves in real contention to return to European competition for the first time since 2018 with three wins from their last four games and sit only three points off rivals Liverpool, who occupy the final Champions League spot.

Crucially Everton seem to have addressed their patchy home form and Saturday’s 3-0 win over Chelsea felt like a landmark victory at their new stadium.

Moyes has made no secret of his desire to propel Everton back into Europe, and it is obvious why.

Sources suggest the impact of qualifying could be transformative ahead of a summer where the Friedkin Group is ready to once again sanction significant investment.

The club’s short-term ambition is to join the pack of challenger clubs like Aston Villa and Newcastle United who have gatecrashed the Champions League in recent years.

But without Europe, becoming the so-called “best of the rest” looks like a long shot.

With it they have an improved sales pitch to players and also new revenue streams for a club that wants to leverage their new stadium to make further funds available to Moyes.

Given Everton are likely to sell out every home game in Europe, even in the Conference League, each fixture could be worth up to £2m on the bottom line.

Financially, the Toffees have undoubtedly made progress in the last 12 months.

It is understood that the club’s upcoming accounts will show a small loss in the most recent financial year, but also that commercial revenues are now at record levels.

That will give them room under the Premier League’s financial rules to invest, with their quiet January transfer window a deliberate policy to enable a clear run at the summer.

Planning is underway for the next transfer window and a right-back, centre-back and forward are understood to be priorities.

Everton also remain hopeful of negotiating a deal for Jack Grealish, who is continuing his recovery from a stress fracture and continues to be a visible presence at club events.

The Manchester City winger is keen to return to Everton next season and that enthusiasm is reciprocated by Moyes.

But the deal will have to work financially for the Toffees as they look to strengthen in other key areas over the close season.

Having committed around £10m in terms of wages and fees to a season-long loan deal, Everton’s valuation of Grealish is around the £20m mark.

The Toffees will be helped in talks with City by the fact that there are few other viable suitors for Grealish given his age and contractual status.

Pep Guardiola has made it clear that the England winger has no future at the Etihad and even if there is a change of manager at City, that stance is unlikely to alter.

Read more

• Daniel Storey: Jordan Pickford is criminally underrated
• Kat Lucas: Nigel Farage’s “hypocrisy” has been exposed at Ipswich Town

Everton are also looking to bring in another centre-back and are keen on Arsenal’s Ben White, with his status at the Emirates uncertain.

The i Paper understands that Everton are one of the clubs interested in Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi, who will be a free agent this summer.

There will be intense competition for the 28-year-old though, with Serie A sides Roma and Juventus among his suitors.

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Roberto De Zerbi is ready to “get his hands dirty” and take on the Tottenham Hotspur job, as club chiefs consider moving to appoint him immediately in an attempt to re-energise their relegation fight.

Tottenham are giving serious thought to replacing interim boss Igor Tudor, who has lost four of his five Premier League games in charge. His attempt at short, sharp shock therapy has failed and De Zerbi’s willingness to take on the role now gives Spurs a serious decision to make.

The Italian has been out of work since leaving Marseille earlier this year but is keen to return to English football. He was on Manchester United’s shortlist but it is believed interest from Old Trafford has cooled and the De Zerbi camp are under the impression that he is no longer a candidate.

De Zerbi would relish the opportunity at Spurs. Others are understandably cautious about moving to the club. The i Paper was told by one prominent figure in football, who has been in touch with Tottenham over another role, that there is confusion about their vision and the skewed powerlines on the board.

Yet De Zerbi is not intimidated by the size of the task of keeping Spurs in the Premier League and reports he had wanted a break until the end of the season were wide of the mark. He is refreshed and ready to get stuck into his next job.

Mauricio Pochettino and Andoni Iraola are alternative candidates but neither would be available until the summer at the earliest. Bournemouth are attempting to convince Iraola that they can match his ambition and, as The i Paper revealed earlier this month, are set to reopen talks with him over a possible new deal.

The i Paper understands that Tudor would be due sizeable compensation if he were relieved of his duties before his initial short-term contract, which could have been a factor in holding off a big decision after he oversaw a much-improved performance and result at Liverpool.

Tudor is mourning the death of his father Mario and Spurs will be mindful of giving him time and space this week. But it appears as if discussions have been held behind the scenes and things could move quickly.

There has been some feeling that Tudor could move on by mutual consent given the personal circumstances he was in after the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

The Croatian was always a left-field choice but some at Tottenham have been impressed with his work in making the players fitter and have acknowledged the mammoth injury list he has had to contend with. The i Paper was told players were focused on getting their heads down though there had been some tension over Tudor’s handling of Antonin Kinsky following his mistakes against Atletico Madrid.

There is still alarm at results, however, with the second leg win over Atletico – once the tie was effectively over – a fillip in mood that proved a false dawn.

Spurs do have players returning to fitness in April, though Mathys Tel is the latest to suffer a setback and Guglielmo Vicario has just undergone surgery on a hernia.

Read more

• Kevin Garside: Only one thing can save Tottenham now
• Kat Lucas: Richarlison’s fight should embarrass the Tottenham board

A number of former players and managers have thrown their hat into the ring, including Harry Redknapp and Tim Sherwood, but if Tudor does depart the focus is on a more current candidate. Adi Hutter, who last worked with Monaco in 2025 but who like Tudor does not have Premier League experience, has also been linked.

Given his reputation for calmness under pressure, Chris Hughton has been mentioned in some quarters as a possible interim solution for Spurs. But he has distanced himself from the prospect.

“I’m keeping out of all conversations around the Tottenham job,” he told The i Paper.

“The only conversation I’ll have is it is disappointing where they are because they’re a big club. It’s the nature of this division though, they’re in real trouble. Because of my Tottenham roots I’m hoping they can get the results that kick them into gear, as such.”

Hughton’s last managerial role in England was at Nottingham Forest in 2021 and he admits the game has changed.

“There’s been a lot changes – more in the last three years for the 10-15 years before that,” he said. “For me to get back in it would have to be the right one. It’s become a game for young managers.”

As much as the Spurs hierarchy were mindful that axing Tudor would not be a good look a little over a month after they appointed him, the threat of relegation and its financial implications is getting more serious by the week.

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Nigel Farage makes a lot of videos, and among the ones promoting neo-Nazi events and endorsing dubious cryptocurrencies, it would have been easy to miss his 2021 rant against England players taking the knee.

In a clip titled “Southgate turns England fans against him”, Farage claimed footballers were advocating “a new communist order”, the “defunding of the police” and the destruction of “Western capitalism” by performing the anti-racism gesture.

Yes, that’s the trouble with modern football – riddled with “Marxists”. But much has changed since then, not least this supposed Crystal Palace supporter adopting a new team in Ipswich Town and suggesting politics and football should mix after all. He was pictured this week at Portman Road, holding aloft a blue “Farage 10” shirt. In one photo, every shirt in the dressing room had his name plastered across the back.

This is perhaps the kind of die-hard devotion to be expected from a former Conservative-turned-Anti-Federalist-League-turned-Ukip-turned-Brexit-Party-turned-Reformer, but there are bigger questions.

It is understood staffers booked him onto a stadium tour and the club maintain there was no official invitation. What is unclear is how he managed to change all the shirts in the dressing room, make a short film, or pose in front of a sponsorship board without their knowledge. Indeed without a single member of staff noticing. He thanked them for a “lovely welcome”. The kindest interpretation is that Ipswich have been hopelessly naïve.

Accompany the photos, Farage joked on X: “I’ve never been too bad on the right wing.”

The attempts at humour mask something more sinister.

Reform UK operates as a private company limited by guarantee. Farage and its spokesperson for home affairs Zia Yusuf are directors. So far they have sold over 5,000 “football shirts” with their branding on, despite printing the Union Jack in the wrong colours and using a “Made in Britain” logo without permission.

Farage’s forays into the sport are not “pandering” to genuine football fans but a cynical attempt at naked populism. He accused Gareth Southgate of being “out of touch” with England fans – which England fans? Who are they and what are their views?

Like many people who know very little about football, it appears his own interpretation lies in meaningless, classist stereotypes of the 1980s. The kind of logic whereby to be an England fan is to smear Combat 18 tattoos over your skull and chant in favour of the National Front.

Retro-style football stickers are being daubed across stadiums and on lampposts around the country. “On the charge with Farage”. “Stop the boats”. None of this is an accident, rather a flagrant bid to infiltrate the national game in the hope of winning votes.

The problem for Farage is that it is not necessarily rooted in reality. Football fans are one of the most diverse demographics in the UK. Polling shows that for the most part, they support the wearing of rainbow armbands and kneeling against discrimination.

Portman Road is a curious choice of venue too. Across the road in Felixstowe, Reform had to abandon a walkabout due to protests from local people. Twelve of Ipswich’s current squad identify under one more than one nationality. Almost a third of their players were born outside of the UK.

The numbers may have escaped Farage, who says he actually prefers cricket, presumably in the same way he prefers the GB News studios to his own constituency.

It is strange then, to see his stance on kicking politics out of football change direction quicker than Johan Cruyff, but he clearly believes it will be a vote-winner; real man-of-the-people stuff, in the same vein as attending Dulwich College and amassing £1m a year outside of his parliamentary salary.

The latter he has achieved by catapulting himself into endless media appearances and enjoying wholly disproportionate levels of attention for the leader of a party with eight MPs. Outside that climate, the Ipswich stunt might otherwise be ignored for the shameless opportunism it is.

“Keep politics out of football.” Unless of course they’re my politics, and they can be coopted in time for the local elections.

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On the night Coventry City truly believed in their Premier League destiny, Jack Rudoni had to watch from the sidelines.

The 24-year-old has endured a season packed with plaudits but punctuated by minor injuries. He has been in and out of the team. When the Sky Blues swatted aside Preston North End to go eight points clear of Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship, he was injured.

On his way off the pitch, fist pumps completed at Singers Corner, Coventry boss Frank Lampard was greeted by a beaming Rudoni. The midfielder, decked out in black from head to toe, was thrilled with the result but frustrated not to have been a part of it. The enthusiasm with which he embraced his teammates at full-time spoke volumes.

The first of six successive wins was against Coventry’s chasers-in-chief and Rudoni sees it as the turning point of the Sky Blues’ season.

“I remember the week leading up to Middlesbrough and training was electric, everyone was at it,” he tells The i Paper.

“It was intense, it was competitive. Everyone was fighting to be in the squad, fighting to make sure we were at our best. I think the calibre of the opponent made us train that way and we knew that at home we were going to get right after them.”

"That is absolutely ASTOUNDING"

Jack Rudoni doubles Coventry lead with a STUNNER pic.twitter.com/K5R9Ngi18K

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 21, 2026

Haji Wright’s hat-trick capped an excellent display and Coventry have been flying ever since. Rudoni left his imprint on that game, a player evidently improved by working under Lampard but eager to shout in his own voice.

“I’ve never tried to style myself on anyone else on or off the pitch,” he says.

“I want to be Jack Rudoni. I play how I play. I obviously play to win but I think my style is slightly unique as a No 10 who can get in the box and is good with the ball.

“I just want to do everything I can to help us get promoted and off the pitch, I can express myself through my clothes.”

Rudoni does not hold back when it comes to what he wears and how he wears it. His choice of clobber has attracted attention this season from Lampard and the Sky Blues squad. He does not walk the middle of the road away from football any more than he does on the pitch.

“I love clothes. I love fashion. I love looking at it, wearing it, trying out different stuff,” he says. “I think people say I like dressing a little bit different to the general tastes and I think that’s what makes me like fashion so much.”

Born and raised in the southern suburbs of London, Rudoni left local club AFC Wimbledon to join Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2022. He immediately became a Championship regular and remained in the second tier after the Terriers were relegated.

He joined Coventry in 2024 and soon found himself playing for Lampard. The former Chelsea and England midfielder was brought in to replace Mark Robins and has taken the Sky Blues to the cusp of promotion and an end to 25 years outside the Premier League.

“He’s everything I need from a mentor,” Rudoni says of Coventry’s head coach.

“There’s nothing more I could ask. He’s brilliant to work with. We talk a lot, we work very closely in training sessions, and we talk off the pitch.

“I think you can see it in the way my game’s come on, especially in the last season and even just the last few weeks. This season’s been hard for me but I’m finally getting back to how my form was.”

Lampard and his players share a bond. The team now functions in his image and his influence is especially clear in his midfielders. Lampard does not need asking twice to pay tribute to Matt Grimes, Victor Torp, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Jamie Allen, Josh Eccles or January loan signing Frank Onyeka.

Rudoni’s attributes mesh beautifully with most configurations of Coventry’s midfield. An attacking midfielder with a creative eye and the kind of technique that appears innate, he has also done a roaring trade in headed goals since Lampard’s arrival. He has not developed that skill by accident.

Lampard is overseeing the Championship’s most successful team effort but values the individual swagger of Rudoni as a difference-maker and a match-winner.

“He talks to me a lot and even when I’ve been going through my struggles with little injuries and things that have maybe hindered me at times through this season, he’s been so good with me,” he says.

“We’ve worked hard together to get me back to the level I need to get to and was at before. I think we’ve seen that coming out in the last few.

“A lot of the staff have been helping me, especially the gaffer and [assistant manager] Joe Edwards, not just tactically but also personally being there for me and helping me get back to my best.”

Coventry weathered a mid-season wobble and have emerged as a more formidable force than ever.

Their emphatic win over Preston pried open the future but Rudoni only has eyes for now. Typically, he affords that sentiment a positive and confident twist.

“I don’t set limits for myself, honestly,” he says. “I believe there’s no limit for me if I put my mind to it. With hard work, I genuinely don’t see a limit. But right now, the only focus for me is getting Coventry City to the Premier League.”

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Though this is the last opportunity for England to experiment before the World Cup, the focus against Uruguay and Japan should be fine-tuning, not radical revision. It is about balance and connection now, hitting a familiar rhythm with a team capable of caprice as well as control.

England’s experience under Gareth Southgate exposed the limits of caution and containment at the big show. The choice to absorb rather than apply pressure at the Euro 2024 final in Germany not only handed the initiative to a Spanish team built to attack, it stifled the front-foot instincts of an England ensemble equally endowed with offensive power.

The message was rammed home at Wembley on Sunday. Carpe diem. Instead of investing in themselves, Premier League leaders Arsenal played with fear and inhibition against their title rivals, thus gifting momentum and ultimately the Carabao Cup to Manchester City.

We saw the benefits of adventure and belief in the Champions League last 16, where Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain rampaged past English opposition. Real Madrid were not shy either in doing what Arsenal did not, putting it on City from the first bell.

England have two more friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica in the first week of June before the World Cup opener against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel could arguably pick two XIs capable of reaching the knockout stages, such is the depth of the squad, but to win it, he must fashion a team capable of carving open the best, and that will need finessing.

Assuming a full strength squad free of injuries, which almost never happens, here is my team memo to Tuchel.

Goalkeeper

Jordan Pickford is the obvious and safe choice for his solidity and big-match experience. If it ain’t broke, etc.

Defence

Lewis Hall could be Tuchel’s lucky charm, ending the reliance on right-footed players on the left side. Hall is quick and sure-footed, and keeps the pitch wide with his ability to hug the touchline and get to the byline.

At right-back, Tino Livramento is struggling for form, which gives Djed Spence an opportunity to claim the starting spot. Spence is aggressive, quick and keeps the game simple, despite the car crash that is playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

The centre-back pairing starts with Marc Guehi, solid, reliable and quick. John Stones would be the first choice beside him but is hampered by lack of playing time at City. That brings in one of Harry Maguire, Dan Burn and Ezri Konsa. Maguire has the experience, Burn height and physicality, Konsa is Burn with superior mobility. 

The ability to step out of defence into midfield is one of the key differentiators in the modern game, which makes Stones so valuable. Maguire has that ability too, but can be ponderous. Konsa is a solid all-rounder and might be the compromise selection.

Midfield

Tricky area for Tuchel, this. Too much talent for too little room. Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers, Adam Wharton reprises past overloads involving Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes, and before that Bryan Robson, Ray Wilkins and Glenn Hoddle. You cannot pick them all.

I would avoid the double pivot, play Rice as a six, Bellingham an eight and Rogers at 10. Alternatively, Anderson at six, Rice at eight and Bellingham at 10. Or what about the nuclear option, Anderson over Rice at six with Bellingham and Rogers?

Wharton does not have the experience of his rivals but could be a game-changer at six with his eye for the forward pass, exceptional positional radar and his ability to link through the thirds. Unlikely early in the World Cup but should injuries strike, so might Wharton.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka gets first dibs on the right side of Harry Kane, though Noni Madueke is leaning heavily on his Arsenal teammate, propelled by his dynamic display against Serbia in Belgrade.

The left side is the big problem. Tuchel’s preference for Anthony Gordon is based on pace, but his being right-footed means the by-line is largely a left-side dead zone. Gordon predominantly comes inside and everything slows down. 

I would select Cole Palmer, who at full tilt is arguably England’s most elusive presence, almost Lamine Yamal-like in his ability to find space, wrong-foot his opponent, and pick a pass. Palmer is too good not to be involved and the team is flexible enough to accommodate Palmer’s more instinctive inputs. Eberechi Eze would also work on the left in the same way.

England will have to be bold to emulate the boys of 66. The time for that is now.

4-3-2-1: Pickford, Spence, Guehi, Konsa, Hall, Rice, Bellingham, Rogers, Palmer, Kane, Saka.

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Even the most loyal Premier League aficionados are close to their tipping point. More scrappy goals, launched long balls or set-piece royal rumbles and even the most ardent English footballers will start to look elsewhere.

Young boys and girls from all around the world have been desperate to try to fulfil their top flight ambitions in recent years, because the product created by millions invested in the most exhilarating talent on offer was simply too irresistible.

As is often the case, it all became too much. The riches on offer have caused the Premier League to eat itself this season. The desperation to garner those lucrative titles, Champions League qualification places and higher television revenues has put the focus on being the defender, not the aggressor. It is beyond Darwinism out there each weekend: survival of the strongest.

Safe to say Ben White and Pep Guardiola weren't fans of Rayan Cherki's juggling… pic.twitter.com/JmLLNGlxuR

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 23, 2026

Manchester City maverick Rayan Cherki offered us a way out on Sunday. And those so wrapped up in the focus on results could not handle it.

“I think it’s a bit too early for that if I am being honest,” said chief party pooper, Gary Neville, after Cherki had performed three kick-ups in the second-half of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final. “That was a little bit arrogant.”

The France international’s manager, Pep Guardiola, immediately shook his head in disgust too. Guardiola can be forgiven, given his vested interest. Neville spends so much time being negative about Manchester United, repeating the same “it’s not as good as it was in my day” mantra, that anything that could put victory in jeopardy automatically elicits chastisement.

In this season of all seasons, in a league of bruisers, we need these few seconds of sweet relief. A glimpse into the past when football used to be fun.

It was not out of character. As Guardiola clinched his 40th career trophy and Arsenal’s long wait for a title dragged on, the City boss was about to burst into celebration as the referee blew the final whistle at Wembley. Only to be barged in the back by the only player who comes close to his own nonconformist mindset.

City have spent half a billion pounds in the past 18 months. While many of their captures have impressed, filling the shoes of elite treble winners Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker and Ederson has proven a tough task, especially in the short term.

Plenty have come in and excelled, but to the level of their illustrious predecessors? Cherki is again the only one to buck the trend.

His all-round performance in the second-half against Arsenal was a lesson to the then quadruple-chasing Gunners: brute and brawn can only get you so far.

On the grandest of stages, ingenuity, breathless skill and attacking intent, conspicuous by its absence on a weekly basis in the Premier League, can still win the day.

If the byproduct of a player with that enviable level of supreme ability on the ball is that, every now and then, he might start doing kick-ups in the middle of the pitch, even when a game is far from won, then so be it.

It is a sacrifice more managers now must be willing to take, for everyone’s sanity. Did we say the same about Ronaldinho’s no-look passes? Or Cristiano Ronaldo’s mindboggling stepovers?

Neville might believe what Cherki did to be arrogant, but boy could the Premier League do with some arrogance right now. Remember when football used to be fun? No, me neither. So let those who are trying to take us back to those days do what they want, when they want and more often.

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Eddie Howe is safe as Newcastle United manager but insiders acknowledge that there needs to be change in the summer to avoid another season of struggle.

Faced with the choice of ripping things up and starting again under a new boss or rebuilding with Howe in charge, the message at the moment is that they will opt to do the latter.

But there is also acknowledgement that the season has fallen below the standards the club have set for themselves with Newcastle languishing in 12th and now having been beaten by rivals Sunderland twice in three months.

Howe fronted up to angry supporters in an excruciating lap of appreciation in the aftermath of Sunday’s derby defeat and accepted his own role in a bad week for the club.

That accountability has been noted in the boardroom as the manager continues to shield under-performing players from the lion’s share of the criticism.

Howe holds talks with Newcastle over his future

Newcastle’s players were given the day off on Monday and the club’s hierarchy held supportive calls with Howe, who cut a crestfallen figure after the final whistle.

The Magpies do not play again for nearly three weeks, which will test the belief inside the club that they are better when they get time on the grass to prepare and strategise.

Howe is known to be deeply introspective after setbacks and over the course of this season there have been plenty of brutally honest debriefs with director of football Ross Wilson and chief executive David Hopkinson.

There is still unity among those three key figures but plans to change course on recruitment in the close season feel more important than ever.

Magpies prepare for potential summer exodus

While sources bristle at talk of a complete rebuild, Newcastle are preparing for up to five or six players who are part of the first-team group to depart this summer.

Out-of-contract veterans Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier are set to leave while Aaron Ramsdale will not be signed on a permanent basis. Joe Willock, who did not impress as a substitute on Sunday, is also available.

In addition to that the future of several crown jewels is also uncertain, with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali linked with moves away.

England international Tino Livramento, who has struggled since returning from injury, also has admirers.

Newcastle intend to be front foot on those questions and have apparently learned from their reactive stance on Alexander Isak.

A change in transfer strategy

The plan is to lean into European markets for players who can grow with Newcastle rather than rely on supposedly tried-and-trusted Premier League performers who come with a premium, drop the average age of the squad and build a new group.

Parsimony in January means they have ample space under financial rules to spend.

No-one is saying it outright but all of this depends on Howe evolving, too.

While some of the criticism of the manager feels too vitriolic, there is no doubt that questions around whether he can develop a new way of playing are justified.

Nick Woltemade has been converted, unsuccessfully, into a midfielder rather than change the system to suit his strengths. The issues that have been there since August have recurred at an alarming rate.

Externally among Premier League rivals, there is some puzzlement at the model and chain of command at Newcastle.

As difficult as it was with no senior executives to run the show, it is not true to say he has not been backed.

Few managers have the chance to impact recruitment to the extent that Howe had last summer and the fate of their two big striker signings illustrate that things did not go well.

He is five years into his tenure now and Newcastle believe this is a crossroads rather than the end of the road.

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WEMBLEY — Part of the reason why Arsenal were odds-on favourites to win the season’s first piece of silverware was how Manchester City have drifted at a time of year when they are normally at their unstoppable best.

The business end of the season is where Pep Guardiola’s men activate beast mode, where everything that dares cross their path is swept aside with aplomb. Of late, their expensively-assembled side has looked distinctly ordinary – even Erling Haaland appearing more human than ever, picking the wrong time to endure the worst goalscoring spell of his career.

Before the end of March, Arsenal not only had the chance to breathe life into their quadruple dream by earning that expected victory over an incongruously timid City, they effectively could have hammered the final nail into their coffin of the league title challenge, potentially Guardiola’s final tilt, too.

Instead, one selection in particular, along with that profound inability to get over the line when it really matters, could have even more damaging consequences in the coming weeks.

"Kepa's lost it, AND O'REILLY HAS STOLEN!"

Manchester City take the lead at Wembley! pic.twitter.com/L9KFaERBmn

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 22, 2026

Sticking by Kepa Arrizabalaga is in some ways admirable. The Spanish deputy goalkeeper had played all the previous Carabao Cup rounds enroute to the final. But, with the outcome of the first showpiece of the season carrying so much more meaning than just a trophy, no chances, on an error-prone stopper, should have been taken. Arsenal haven’t even won a trophy for five years, after all.

City followed suit, in giving their number two keeper, James Trafford, his chance. But the difference in dependability between the two teams’ respective backup stoppers is night and day. Kepa has played in three League Cup finals without winning any, famously refusing to be substituted off by Maurizio Sarri before a penalty shootout in 2019 and then blasting the decisive spot-kick over the bar as Chelsea lost to Liverpool in 2022. It’s the joint-most finals played by any player in the competition’s history without ever being on the cup-winning side. Which tells you all you need to know.

“I have to do what I think is right, honest and fair,” Arteta said after the match. “It would have been very, very unfair on him [Kepa] and on the team to do something different.” A fair play award isn’t going to suffice this season, though.

David Raya is Mr Reliable. The best goalkeeper in the league. Even Europe. Would he have let Rayan Cherki’s cross slip through his hands on the hour mark to allow Nico O’Reilly to set City on the road to victory? Almost certainly not. This is where finals of the barest of margins are won and lost.

City were there for the taking in the first half. Guardiola’s offensive 4-2-4 out of possession leaves them vulnerable. But even before taking to the pitch at Wembley, the Catalan’s extraordinary 22nd semi-final or final appearance at England’s footballing home, Arsenal had the psychological edge.

Successive seasons of getting so close has given Arsenal that extra determination needed to break their Premier League title drought. So much hard work, albeit less aesthetically pleasing endeavours than previous title winners, had gone into getting the Gunners into a quadruple-threatening position.

They had City on the ropes early on. A triple save from Trafford is all that kept Arsenal at bay. From the seventh-minute onwards, until they had to throw in the kitchen sink late on, Arteta’s side did not create another open-play chance.

Some Arsenal players suggested post match that two weeks until the next game will give them time to regroup, with Arteta also claiming: “We are going to use this fire in the belly to have the most amazing two months.”

That time could, however, get into their heads and cause an overthink, allowing the jitters to creep in. Those amazing two months should have began in earnest on Sunday. Instead, the worst-possible outcome took place – Guardiola has been sparked into life.

And, more often than not, that means only one thing.

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WEMBLEY — The local boy, with a 0161 postcode on his arm, keeps Pep Guardiola’s fire burning strong. Ending Arsenal’s quadruple dreams as quickly as they had become a realistic possibility.

Nico O’Reilly is another of Guardiola’s inventions – an attacking player deployed as a full-back. He has played in six positions this season alone, but a goalscorer he is not.

The most unlikely of O’Reilly braces was a result of a devastating second-half Manchester City display that not even one of the best defensive units in Premier League history could contain.

Nico O'Reilly scores ANOTHER! pic.twitter.com/AhPZ29VCKP

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 22, 2026

Arsenal still have so much to play for this term, so will not be too downbeat at losing a Carabao Cup final. What is most concerning is who they lost to, and the galvanising effect it could have on a team who have made long winning streaks their calling card down the years.

Just as it did in the Bernabeu a few weeks ago, Guardiola’s 4-2-4 system left City too open in the opening exchanges.

A stunning triple save from James Trafford – getting his chance in the Carabao Cup again – kept the Gunners at bay early, after a move that sliced right through the centre of the vulnerable City rearguard.

Arsenal, however, failed to pick that final pass for the remainder of the opening period. The only threat coming, of course, from set plays. “Boring, boring Arsenal” boomed down from the City end at Wembley. In the first half, Jeremy Doku, who was hardly a huge threat, completed three dribbles alone, two more than the entire Arsenal side.

Erling Haaland, without a career goal in a final, headed City’s best first-half chance over. Slowly but surely Guardiola’s side grasped how this attritional encounter would be won – by throwing caution to the wind.

Without Ruben Dias at centre-back, City came out for the second half with a mentality akin to the great Brazilian teams of yesteryear – the best form of defence is to attack, constantly.

For 20 minutes after the break, it was all City, with wave after wave of blue endeavour proving too much for even Arsenal’s near-impenetrable defensive force.

The major surprise was the identity of that matchwinner. A day after becoming legally able to drink in the United States, two headers from a left-back halted Arsenal in their quadruple-hunting tracks.

It was somewhat churlish to think Kepa Arrizabalaga, in the Arsenal goal, was not going to have a major say in the outcome. The man who famously refused to be substituted by Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in 2019, took his life into his own hands when bringing Doku down outside the penalty area, receiving a yellow card.

Not done there, Kepa let Rayan Cherki’s cross, and Arsenal’s quadruple hopes, slip through his fingers, on the hour mark, O’Reilly on hand to set the ball rolling.

"Kepa's lost it, AND O'REILLY HAS STOLEN!"

Manchester City take the lead at Wembley! pic.twitter.com/L9KFaERBmn

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 22, 2026

Less than four minutes later, the Mancunian was on hand again to put the encounter to bed, this time from a Matheus Nunes pickout.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, Guardiola charged down the touchline to celebrate, like a mechanical hare around a greyhound track. That flame still burning on his 22nd visit to Wembley. Jurgen Klopp has the next highest number of appearances in that time, at five.

Arsenal struck the woodwork twice as they chased a way back into the match – Riccardo Calafiori flicking the base of the post and Gabriel Jesus heading against the crossbar.

The league leaders, however, got what they deserved. Don’t write this City team off on other fronts, too.

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — What did we expect? How might it have been different when Spurs are a team led by a coach without connection to the club or its players? The selection of Igor Tudor came from nowhere, which is apt since that is where he appears to be leading Tottenham Hotspur, and with his foot on the gas.  

The minimum requirement in any match is the kind of sleeves-rolled-up fight displayed by Forest and exemplified by Elliot Anderson. In a contest between two teams fighting to stay in the top tier, who had forgotten how to win in the Premier League, Spurs winless in 2026, Forest winless in eight prior to this epic flowering, you better engage your inner dog. 

Elliot, a player lauded for his calm authority and ability to keep the wheels turning in central midfield will look at the highlights and wonder if he were not playing a game of rugby such was the time he spent in contact, hustling in and out of tackles, winning some, losing others, but always competing.

And at his shoulder a swarm of unified red shirts that appeared to be operating according to a plan. At the end, manager Vito Pereira reached out to the Forest fans whilst slapping his chest as if he had known them all his life. This might be the performative standard these days but it felt authentic and reciprocal, despite his temporary station.

You would not have known Pereira was the fourth to wear the Forest tracksuit this season. Then again, the Forest support would take any to their hearts who is remotely capable of striking up a tune on a day heavy with significance like this.

Ultimately the draw at Liverpool and the win against Atletico Madrid proved ephemeral straws for Spurs, free hits, first in a match they were not expected to win at Anfield followed by a Champions League victory in a tie that was already lost.

It was not that Spurs did not try. Kevin Danso attacked every high ball as if it had his worst enemy’s face on it. Richarlison chased across the Forest defensive line tirelessly and Mathys Tel was industry personified down the left channel, but none of it felt connected. Only Archie Gray rose above the dross to at least try to impose structure and he is only 19.

The only highlight on a dismal afternoon for Spurs was the result at Villa Park, where West Ham also lost to keep Spurs out of the bottom three. The Hammers’ ineptitude might be the only thing that can save Tottenham now. But in what has become a desperate race to the bottom, even investing in the poverty of their London rivals might not be enough for a Spurs team that has returned only one point of a possible 21. 

West Ham faced the harder assignment at Villa Park yet have taken nine points in the same period. Though they have an inferior goal difference, they trail Spurs only by a point with seven games remaining. Do the math.

The fans are, of course, the ones absorbing the pain for they are the only cohort emotionally attached to the club. This was a fixture outlined for protest. Instead an estimated 15,000 gathered along the Tottenham High Road to greet the arrival of the team, waving flags and blowing horns of unconditional support.   

“Winners” was the name etched on the back of one white shirt. Since Spurs had won only twice at home all season, the first thought was irony, and then a sense of humour. Well the sun was shining and the fans were imbued by gallows optimism.

Three goals too easily conceded brought the vibe back to reality. Tudor was spared the duty of answering for the loss by a personal matter. Standing in, Bruno Saltor clung to a 20-minute period in the first half when Spurs colonised the ball if not the big moments and the support of the fans, which was more than the club deserves.

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ST JAMES’ PARK — The Tyne-Wear derby makes or breaks reputations.

After the latest frenetic, frantic and spite-flecked instalment of this rivarly Bryan Brobbey can look forward to the prospect of never having to buy a drink again on Wearside after a brutal, brilliant throwback centre-forward display culminated in a last-minute winner. But for Eddie Howe this feels like a moment of genuine peril.

If not quite staring into the abyss, a second defeat to an injury-ravaged Sunderland – and one in which his team were out-fought, he was out-thought and fans turned at the end – leaves him teetering.

As Sunderland’s players danced in front of the jubilant travelling supporters, Howe led his players in an excruciating lap of appreciation. For the first time at St James’ Park there were loud boos from many of those who remained and that felt significant. Managers don’t always come back from the sort of anger that was expressed at the end.

Newcastle’s messaging has been consistent on him: he is their man. He gets and deserves patience, however the season ends from here. A rebuild is coming. But the size of this setback is considerable and Howe looked bereft in the press conference afterwards, glassy eyed and stunned by a Sunderland team that have twice this season looked simply like they wanted it more.

Sunderland were significantly weakened by injuries to six first-team players and began tentatively. Luke O’Nien, a surprise pick at centre-back, sliced a clearance straight to Nick Woltemade, whose instinctive pass was gobbled by Anthony Gordon. One up, Newcastle had the perfect plan.

But Regis Le Bris is one of the sharpest managers in the Premier League and his team re-adjusted. In the second half they had complete control. Chemsdine Talbi equalised – Aaron Ramsdale at fault – and then late in the game, as Newcastle’s gameplan was exposed, Brobbey struck. It was no less than they deserved.

A year on from Newcastle’s historic Carabao Cup win, Howe looked flattened by a week in which he admitted he was “disappointed by his delivery”. The second half in Barcelona was bad but this was potentially ruinous: the same problems, the same lack of solutions and the same long-term issues coming home to roost in spectacular fashion.

Comfortable and in control at half-time, how could this happen to Newcastle? It is now 22 points ceded from winning positions for Howe’s side, the worst in the Premier League. They consistently seem to get worse after half-time and experiments that aren’t working – Woltemade in midfield, Joe Willock as an impact sub and Ramsdale as the first choice goalkeeper – play on loop.

They sit in 12th in the Premier League. Two defeats to rivals that have just been promoted fall well below the standards expected and there are big problems to address.

A club that proclaim they want to be competing for everything by 2030 have been hobbled by financial rules, for sure, but a lot of their problems are self-inflicted. Poor recruitment, an inability to cope with three games in a week and an ownership that has made non-existent progress on the big picture stuff. The club’s majority owners, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, need to realise their project has stalled. The end of season review has to be warts and all and at the centre of it is the biggest question: is Howe still their man?

It was a grim day all round for those of a black and white persuasion. There were skirmishes in the city before the game and the match was suspended after Lutsharel Geertruida reported discriminatory abuse. Newcastle say they are investigating.

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Brighton 2-1 Liverpool (Welbeck 14’, 56’ | Kerkez 30’)

Thirty-five: the size of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, and the age of the top English goalscorer in the Premier League.

And yet somehow there is no room for Danny Welbeck in this bumper March edition, which took everyone by surprise when announced on Friday due to the sheer volume of players included.

Tuchel’s thinking, though initially baffling, did make sense through simple explanation, with the plan to rest a group of 11 trusted players – who have “credit” with the England manager – for the first friendly against Uruguay before then introducing them in the build-up and against Japan.

That group includes captain and sure-fire World Cup starter Harry Kane, who has been England’s first-choice striker for more than a decade and is in red-hot form for Bayern Munich this season (he scored one of the best goals you’ll see all year in the Champions League midweek).

If football is art, this is a masterpiece #UCL pic.twitter.com/O1VNYS1o7n

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 19, 2026

The role of playing deputy to Kane is therefore an unenviable one, and it arguably pushed Jamie Vardy towards international retirement in 2018 – when only 31 – given the lack of opportunities.

Welbeck though has not given up on his dream, despite last playing for his country in September 2018.

Going into the weekend, the 35-year-old told TNT Sports that he will “push every single day” when asked about his prospects of making England’s World Cup squad.

That interview was seemingly done before Friday’s snub, which evidently placed Welbeck far down Tuchel’s striker pecking order and at least behind Dominics Calvert-Lewin and Solanke, both of whom also beat Ollie Watkins to make the cut.

By Saturday lunchtime, Welbeck swiftly exposed the flaw in Tuchel’s upcoming experiment when scoring twice for Brighton against Liverpool, taking his tally to 12 in the Premier League this season.

The flaw being: if Tuchel really did want to open the floor to potential World Cup candidates, then why has the league’s leading English scorer not been handed an audition?

It is an insult to Welbeck, and perhaps why the Brighton striker cupped his ear when celebrating his opener at the Amex.

Danny Welbeck grabs his 11th Premier League goal of the season to give Brighton the lead over Liverpool @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Qco71tNCJe

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 21, 2026

More significantly, however, is that it is probably too late. England’s World Cup campaign starts in less than three months, and if Welbeck has not done enough to convince Tuchel by now, then he falls into the Trent Alexander-Arnold category of being overlooked for little reason.

Tuchel called it a “sporting decision” to pick full-backs Jarrell Quansah, Djed Spence and Tino Livramento over Alexander-Arnold in Reece James’ absence – a questionable call given the former Liverpool right-back’s experience at club and international level.

And presumably that is the case for Welbeck as well, the Brighton striker not matching the profile of player Tuchel will be looking to bring on when Kane either looks leggy or needs support, as was the case at Euro 2024 when Watkins emerged the semi-final hero.

Saturday’s showing would suggest Tuchel’s lack of belief is misplaced, with Welbeck’s link-up play as impressive as his spacial awareness for both goals, and if anything proving this humongous England squad was actually a tad too small.

The experiment could have been widened further, giving Welbeck a chance to show Tuchel in-person why he should head to the World Cup.

Instead, he will spend a fortnight away from an England camp where others will get the chance to impress, all while wondering why he hasn’t been given that shot too.

And the stinging reality? That there isn’t really a good enough explanation for his omission.

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