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• Head coach goes after outburst at Leeds game

• Oversaw worst Premier League finish of 15th

Ruben Amorim has been sacked by Manchester United after 14 months as their head coach. He leaves after a power struggle with the hierarchy over transfer policy, with Amorim demanding his colleagues in the recruitment department “do their job” after Sunday’s draw at Leeds.

Amorim believed United were prepared to back him in the January window should a major signing become available but then said last Friday: “We have no conversation to have any change in the squad.”

Systemic failures at Old Trafford led them to the wrong man last time around – and there is concern that those problems remain

When Manchester United embarked upon this season full of fresh hope and optimism, there was an unexpected note of caution from one of the best executives in the game. “It’s clear they don’t have a process,” the executive said of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new regime early in the season.

It was a stark pronouncement at odds with the consensus that Ruben Amorim, with a proper pre-season to bed in his tactical system and exciting signings, would be able to demonstrate his considerable abilities unencumbered by the hospital pass he had been given on his appointment in November 2024.

The head coach (or should that be manager?) fired cryptic shots at his Old Trafford bosses, then was fired himself

• Amorim sacked after power struggle over transfers

Discontent at Manchester United these days is only ever deferred. Ruben Amorim’s departure from the club on Monday was long anticipated and came, in the end, with a weary sigh. He had made a half-hearted protest about the recruitment structure after Sunday’s draw at Leeds, but it felt even at the time like barely more than a gesture. And so another manager, the seventh since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, falls victim to the United meat-grinder.

Everybody at United, fundamentally, is unhappy. And not unhappy in the sense that Alex Ferguson used to be unhappy, when the club was essentially fuelled by his volcanic rages, but enervated, frustrated by the realisation that this is not how things used to be, that this was once the biggest football club in the country and now they keep failing to get the win they need to lift them to fifth.

An Old Trafford season-ticket holder on why the club’s real problems go far deeper than the departing head coach

Well, here we go again. The clown car called Manchester United just tooted its horn, backfired loudly and threw its latest driver out on to Sir Matt Busby Way.

Darren Fletcher is now at the wheel, where Ruben, Ole and so many others have been before. A wheel that seems to come off in the hands of those who attempt to grip it.

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Considering it took Chelsea 19 days to sack Enzo Maresca following his very public act of insubordination towards the Stamford Bridge hierarchy in mid-December, it is only the speed with which Manchester United kicked their head coach towards the kerb following yesterday’s outburst at Elland Road that might have come as a surprise to Ruben Amorim. Short of rocking up for his post-match press conference waving a placard bearing the slogan “Please Sack Me”, the Portuguese could scarcely have done more to ensure the abrupt receipt of his marching orders. As if his repeated insistence he was “going to be manager of this team, not head coach” wasn’t enough, Amorim threw shade at Jason Wilcox, the club sporting director, and announced there’d be a Ruben-shaped hole in the Old Trafford exit door when his contract expired in 18 months – unless he was sacked first. Less than 18 hours later, with the monotonous predictability of a Bazballing batter throwing away his wicket to a time-killing pre-lunch long hop, any remaining confusion over the 40-year-old’s exact job title was finally cleared up – Amorim is now neither manager nor head coach at United, but gainfully and perhaps mercifully unemployed.

What next for the bin fire that is present-day Manchester United? Will they bring back Ole Gunnar Solskjær, hire Carlo Ancelotti’s eyebrow, or ask Martin O’Neill to steady the ship but just for eight games? Perhaps they’ll blow the cobwebs off Sir Alex Ferguson and get him to see out the campaign (except he might actually win a trophy and then insist on staying in charge). Still, it could be worse — they could give Big Ange his third Premier League club of the season. After all, what could possibly go wrong? – Mark McFadden.

My family and I have been attending every England match for the last three years to get enough caps to secure tickets for Englands World Cup campaign in USA USA USA. Despite the paltry ticket allocation and ridiculous prices we applied for tickets. Over the weekend we cancelled our applications. Peace prize anyone?” – Ben Gibbes.

La Liga side Osasuna have just launched an ‘Osasunista desde la cuna’ (Osasunista from the Cradle) initiative, in which all babies born in Navarra receive a free shirt, shorts, toy and notebook, plus €50 deposited in an account. I would suggest Premier League clubs do the same, but we all know how that would pan out” – Noble Francis.

So, you urged the reader to ‘pour yourself a pint of wine’ (Football Daily Christmas awards). I received that at 12.04pm on 17 December, possibly a new record. Given the time of year, would it be 100 miles wide of the mark for me to suggest that pints of wine contributed to the timing, as well as the content of this piece?” – Glynn Marshall.

As a patron of your august publication. I totally delighted in your working conditions sign-off in the Christmas awards. Fabulous. Well deserved. Thanks for your efforts” – S Sullivan (Sully).

Please stop” – Frankie Dodds.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

⚽ Match poised at 1-1 after 90 minutes
⚽ Get in touch: email Taha about the game

4 min: Salah twists and turns when dropping into midfield, keeping hold of the ball to get Egypt moving.

3 min: Mohamed Hamdy, the Egypt left-back, commits a foul when pressing up the wing. The favourites begin to knock it around themselves … before Benin’s Tosin tries his luck from miles out. It’s a dreadful effort.

• Shortest managerial career in club’s history

• O’Neill and Maloney candidates for short-term role

Wilfried Nancy’s woeful reign as Celtic’s manager has ended after 33 days – the shortest managerial career in the Scottish club’s history.

The 48-year-old French coach was hired from the Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew on a two-and-a-half year contract on 4 December. He was in charge for only eight matches, six of which ended in defeat, before being sacked by the crisis-hit Scottish champions on Monday. A 3-1 home defeat by Rangers on Saturday proved the final straw. Celtic led 1-0 at half-time before a second-half collapse prompted more protests towards the club’s deeply unpopular board and their most recent managerial appointment.

• Sheffield United have given 699 pages of new evidence

• Footballer was found dead at her home aged 27 in 2023

A coroner has apologised to the family of Maddy Cusack for distress caused by a further delay to the inquest into the Sheffield United player’s deathThe case was adjourned on Monday until at least 29 June.

The midfielder, who played more than 100 games for the club, was found dead at her home in Derbyshire in September 2023, aged 27, and an inquest – delayed multiple times in 2025 – had been due to begin on Monday, but was adjourned after the family received 699 pages of new evidence from Sheffield United 10 days before Christmas. That was described by the family’s lawyers as “totally unacceptable, for a hearing due to start on 5 January”.

• Striker understood to be dissatisfied with life under Nuno

• West Ham have signed Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos

Callum Wilson is in talks to leave West Ham five months after joining. It is understood the striker has grown dissatisfied with life under Nuno Espírito Santo and wants a new challenge.

Wilson was signed on a cheap incentivised one-year deal and his situation is an apparent sign of wider discontent within the squad over their manager. Nuno, whose side are at increasing risk of relegation from the Premier League, is in danger of losing the dressing room’s support because of concerns over his tactics and man-management.

Goalkeeper who swapped city rivals in the summer proved pivotal on his return with a stunning series of saves

“I hope people don’t get angry but he’s my friend.” There wasn’t long until the Barcelona derby and Jofre Carreras had briefly abandoned the warm-up to talk to the TV. There on the touchline, talk inevitably turned to his former roommate, housemate and teammate Joan García, now in goal for their greatest rivals. Carreras’s answer was just about audible over all the noise and then he was off again: he had something else to do before it all started, accepting a shirt marking his 100th game for Espanyol. Behind them as club legend Rafa Marañón presented it, the team captains lined up for a photo of their own with the first Catalan to referee this fixture in 80 years and, way off to the left out of shot, García clapped. Like everything else he did, except actually play, he did so discreetly.

Joan and Jofre, both 24, have known each other “for as long as I can remember”, in Carreras’s words. Over four years they shared a room at Espanyol’s residency on Carretera de Mataró in Sant Adrià del Besòs and then they shared an apartment. When García collected his award as Espanyol’s best player in 2023-24, and was handed a supply of sausages, Carreras also received an award – two different supporters’ clubs rewarding two different winners on the same day. When García started being noticed beyond Barcelona, Carreras declared his friend the world’s best. And when the summer heat got a bit much – and, boy, did it – García took refuge at Carreras’s. Now though they were opponents. And that, Carreras said, was “a bit strange”.

• Midfielder was target of abuse and threats on Instagram

• Club call for ‘meaningful action from Meta’

Newcastle have urged Meta, the owner of Instagram, to assist Northumbria police in identifying the individual responsible for subjecting the midfielder Joe Willock to racist abuse and threats of violence on the social media platform.

Willock, a Newcastle substitute during Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League home win against Crystal Palace, missed a late chance to extend his team’s lead and, shortly afterwards, received a series of racist messages from an anonymous Instagram account.

• Strasbourg manager, 41, to have talks on Monday

• He could be in place before Wednesday’s game at Fulham

Chelsea are closing in on the appointment of Liam Rosenior after the Strasbourg manager flew to London to hold talks over the role.

The 41-year-old is due to meet with the west London club on Monday and it is expected that discussions will end with him agreeing to replace Enzo Maresca, who left Stamford Bridge in acrimonious circumstances earlier this.

Paris FC put up a good fight at the Parc des Princes on Sunday but this derby does not yet feel like a rivalry

By Get French Football News

The first of two Paris derbies in the space of eight days gave Paris Saint-Germain a chance to make a statement against their upstart neighbours. The tifo display in the Parc des Princes – which read “Paris c’est nous” – could be read as both a nod to the clubs’ shared history and a reminder of the one-sided nature of the derby.

For a few years, they were the same club. Paris Saint-Germain are the result of a merger between Stade Saint-Germain and Paris FC in 1970, which the latter split from a few years later. PSG were soon winning trophies but Paris FC went through decades of obscurity before emerging as Ligue 2 regulars in the years before they were taken over by the Arnault family and Red Bull.

First minister announces plan for bank holiday on Monday 15 June after opening game against Haiti

Football fans needn’t worry about the hangover when they celebrate, or otherwise, into the wee hours after Scotland’s first match in the 2026 World Cup – because the day after the 2am UK time fixture looks likely to be a national bank holiday there.

The first minister, John Swinney, announced that Monday 15 June will be designated a national bank holiday to mark Scotland’s participation in the tournament for the first time since 1998.

The manager is no longer the most important person at a football club – perhaps it is time for those above them to front up to the media

‘Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn’t support us” and “I came here to be the manager, not to be the coach” will ultimately be the managerial epitaphs of Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim.

Maresca instigated a chain of events at Chelsea that resulted in his departure, while open sourness between dugout and hierarchy at Manchester United rapidly descended in a civil war that ended with Amorim’s abrupt sacking on Monday.

Nuno lets a golden opportunity slip, Viktor Gyökeres does everything but score and Benjamin Sesko struggles again

Calum McFarlane’s unexpected battle with Pep Guardiola brought back memories of the 2021 League Cup final, when Ryan Mason, Tottenham’s 29-year-old interim coach, faced the significant task of trying to outsmart one of the greatest managers in the game’s history. For Mason there was the added baggage of Spurs’ 13-year trophy drought; for McFarlane, making his senior management debut, it was Chelsea’s astonishingly bad recent record against Manchester City. Four and a half years have passed since Chelsea last beat Guardiola’s side, when Thomas Tuchel’s team triumphed in the Champions League final, and a draw on Sunday took that winless run to 12 matches. But Enzo Fernández’s injury-time equaliser, combining with the midweek upheaval at Stamford Bridge, made it a triumphant point, something Enzo Maresca didn’t achieve against City during his tenure. Taha Hashim

Match report: Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea

Match report: Fulham 2-2 Liverpool

All the latest Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A deals and a club-by-club guide

• Women’s transfer interactive – all the January deals

Every deal in the WSL, NWSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue and Serie A Femminile as well as a club-by-club guide

• Men’s transfer interactive – all the January deals

Price tag for winger’s move to Manchester City would make headlines in any other country but not in England

Antoine Semenyo, it seems likely, will soon join Manchester City from Bournemouth for a fee of £65m. Given how well Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden have played from the right this season, it is not immediately obvious why City need him, but the modern game is the modern game, the rammed calendar makes large and flexible squads essential and Pep Guardiola may have some esoteric plan for the Ghanaian anyway. But perhaps what is most striking about the deal is the fee – or, more precisely, how little attention it has drawn.

English football has become inured to big transfers. The fee feels about right. Semenyo is 25. He has four and a half years left on his contract. He is quick, skilful, intelligent and works hard. He is disciplined, but has the capacity to do the unexpected. Of course a player of his ability costs that much. Yet £65m would make him the third-most expensive player in Bundesliga history. He would be the seventh-most expensive in Serie A history, the 14th-most expensive in La Liga history. Only nine non-English clubs have paid a fee higher than that. Even in Premier League terms, Semenyo sneaks into the top 25.

• Spurs sign Julie Blakstad after bringing in Hanna Wijk

• Arsenal sign Sweden right-back Smilla Holmberg

Leicester are poised to sign the experienced full-back Ashleigh Neville , afterTottenham completed deals for Julie Blakstad and Hanna Wijk.

Tottenham on Monday announced the signing of the Norway international Blakstad on as free transfer, after her contract expired at Hammarby. The 24-year-old former Manchester City player can operate as a winger, wing-back or left-back.

Perhaps they underestimated Harrison Reed. Certainly there was little reaction when the ball came back to the Fulham substitute with 97 ­minutes gone. Liverpool ­simply stood off, almost daring Reed to shoot, and they rued their lack of urgency when one of Fulham’s more unfashionable ­players rescued a point for Marco ­Silva’s ­stubborn side by ­ripping a stunning shot into ­Alisson’s top corner.

It was a jawdropping moment – after all, it was only the scurrying 30-year-old midfielder’s fourth goal in six years in west London – and it spoke to some of Liverpool’s issues this season. The champions were vague in attack despite scoring twice and, where once there was the determination to force themselves over the line, here there was only defensive inertia when the task was to hold on after going 2-1 up through Cody Gakpo in the fourth minute of ­stoppage time.

Thomas Frank rued attacking shortcomings but defended the sale of Brennan Johnson after Tottenham were held to a draw by Sunderland that produced more boos from supporters at the full-time whistle. Having taken the lead in the first half through Ben Davies, Spurs had chances to go further ahead before being pegged back by Brian Brobbey’s 80th-minute equaliser when the visitors looked the more likely to go on to win it.

An injury to Mohammed Kudus, who was forced off before the 20th minute with a muscle problem, comes after Frank’s forward options were weakened by the sale of Johnson to Crystal Palace for £35m. Without the suspended Xavi Simons, serving the last of his three-match ban, they lacked, in Frank’s words, “a cutting edge”.

• Player concern over man-management and tactics

• Hammers host Forest in crucial game on Tuesday

Nuno Espírito Santo is in danger of losing the support of West Ham’s squad because of concerns over his man-management and tactics. The east London club are at increasing risk of relegation from the Premier League after their 3-0 defeat by Wolves on Saturday and it is understood that the mood at the London Stadium is rapidly deteriorating.

Nuno has struggled badly since replacing Graham Potter in September, winning only two of his 15 games in charge, and is under growing pressure before Tuesday’s crunch game against his former side Nottingham Forest. The indications are that West Ham, who are in 18th place and lie four points below Forest, will stick with their manager but his methods are coming under increased scrutiny.

• Match at MKM Stadium called off due to safety concerns

• Visitors insist they ‘were ready and willing to play’

Watford have criticised the decision to call off their Championship match at Hull 18 minutes before kick-off on Sunday – and have claimed they did not agree to the postponement.

The referee, Anthony Backhouse, called the game off due to safety concerns over areas surrounding the pitch while the players were already warming up. The MKM Stadium clash was one of three second-tier fixtures to fall by the wayside due to frozen pitches, while 14 games across Leagues One and Two were also postponed.

Ousmane Dembélé becomes our seventh winner as he beats Lamine Yamal into second and Vitinha into third on our list of the best players on the planet

• Premier League dominates list | How every judge voted | Our methodology | The top 100 female players for 2025

• 2024 edition | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

The Frenchman, who has been named the best male footballer in the world by the Guardian, has benefitted from PSG’s focus on the team rather than individuals

What makes a good player great, and a great player the best? This question has been occupying me since 2014, when the Guardian first asked me to contribute to its inaugural Next Generation feature. My job was to look for a France-based talent born in 1997 who could go on to have a stellar career.

After a great deal of research, I narrowed it down from my shortlist of five by asking questions not about the players’ football ability, but about other attributes: resilience, adaptability, decision-making, creativity, work ethic, response to feedback and willingness to learn. Qualities we cannot see, and are harder to measure.

Aitana Bonmatí has been voted the best female player on the planet by our panel of 127 experts ahead of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo

• 2024 list | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

• Meet the judges | See how every judge voted

• Subscribe to Moving the Goalposts, our free newsletter

The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishes

They say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.

Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game.

On the podcast today: Arsenal move six points clear at the top after Manchester City drop four points in six games. Did Pep Guardiola get outthought by Chelsea caretaker Calum McFarlane? Elsewhere, a first win of the season for Wolves and Harrison Reed scores a goal-of-the-season contender for Fulham to deny Liverpool victory. Plus, Venezuela, Donald Trump and the Fifa Peace Prize, a bad afternoon for Celtic and your questions answered.

And yes, the pod finished recording just before Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United. Join us tomorrow for a special edition on his tenure and what happens next.

Chapters:

00:00 - Amorim sacked...

01:00 - Coming up...

01:25 - City 1-1 Chelsea

15:15 - Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal

19:51 - Wolves 3-0 West Ham

25:43 - Fulham 2-2 Liverpool

33:41 - Leeds 1-1 Man Utd

41:12 - Everton 2-3 Brentford

43:22 - Villa 3-1 Forest

46:33 - Spurs 1-1 Sunderland

48:47 - Premier League round up

51:00 - FIFA, Trump and the Peace Prize

55:53 - What's going on at Celtic?

59:04 - Championship round up

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England defender publicly confronted racist abuse at the Euros and ended 2025 a title winner with club and country

The Guardian Footballer of the Year is an award given to a player who has done something remarkable, whether by overcoming adversity, helping others or setting a sporting example by acting with exceptional honesty.

Jess Carter has spent her life grappling with when to hold back and when to speak up; wrestling with being naturally herself, embodying the characteristics her parents instilled in her of being open, honest, vocal and confident, and subduing herself because, while society values those traits, in a black woman they can be viewed negatively.

Interim manager is not likely to be in the role for long but Enzo Fernández’s late intervention will provide him with an unforgettable memory

In the 94th minute sheer ecstasy for Chelsea and Calum McFarlane when Enzo Fernández forced home the equaliser. It left Pep Guardiola howling at the heavens and gave Chelsea’s interim manager a golden moment. Guardiola v McFarlane could be billed as the Premier League’s greatest managerial mismatch, so the memory of Fernández’s intervention should warm the 40-year-old in his dotage.

On the home bench was the generation’s pre-eminent figure, with 40 trophies on his CV for Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, taking charge of a 1,012th match. In the opposite technical area, a former coach at Croydon, Whyteleafe and City’s academy (2020-23), who led Southampton Under-18s and arrived to make a senior managerial bow, seconded from his regular post guiding the under‑21s and under-19s.

It’s said that you should never meet your heroes, but 36 years after the Liverpool manager sat by my hospital bed, I got to thank our greatest ally

Born to a son of Anfield in a Warwickshire village, I grew up geographically remote from my spiritual football home. Emotionally, though, the pull of the boys in red was ever-present: from my first game at Anfield in 1974 to FA Cup final defeat at Wembley in ’77, to witnessing the first of Liverpool’s six European Cups, in Rome, when my first hero, Kevin Keegan, ran Berti Vogts ragged. I cried when Keegan left, but soon a new king was born in my imagination: Kenny Dalglish, that wily, tough, insanely skilful Scot. I travelled the country to follow my team through the peaks and troughs that culminated in the lowest possible low, on 15 April 1989, the day of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

There are many things I remember about Hillsborough, some of which returned to me years, even decades, later. My dad saying: “If it’s a nice day tomorrow, we’ll go.” Ian St John on the end of my hospital bed. My best mate laughing as I struggled to eat a yoghurt. The endless bright white lights of the Royal Hallamshire. The surreal trip to my local hospital in an ancient, drafty ambulance. One thing I don’t remember, though, is meeting my hero. And for good reason. For I’m the “miracle” boy woken by the sound of Kenny’s voice when he spoke at my bedside.

Football provided direction, belonging, purpose and validation. Letting go of that has meant confronting the void left behind

Accepting retirement from professional football has felt like stepping into a landscape shaped by loss and uncertainty. Even when the decision is rational, even when the body is signalling that it’s time, there is something profoundly emotional about acknowledging that an era of your life has ended.

To me, it felt very much like grief. The shock, sadness, anger, confusion and numbness mirror the emotional responses that accompany any major loss I’ve experienced. But instead of mourning the loss of a loved one, you are mourning the loss of a part of you – a big part. For years football provided direction, belonging, inspiration, purpose and validation. A sense of being part of something bigger.

Enzo Maresca got the sack because of his actions. That does not mean the club’s structure needs a complete overhaul

Some clubs build around their manager. Eddie Howe is hugely influential at Newcastle and Aston Villa are pretty much Unai Emery FC these days. Chelsea, though, have adopted an alternative model. They have a team of five sporting directors, led by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and do not want one person to hold all the power.

Yet the question many are asking in the wake of Enzo Maresca’s demise is whether the template will yield success at the very highest level. It is never quiet at Chelsea. They are often busy in the transfer market, meaning there is an element of players coming and going, and they are now looking for their fifth permanent head coach since a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm run by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, bought the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

He holds Wayne Rooney as a key influence, but are stints at Derby, Hull and Strasbourg enough preparation for the hot seat at Stamford Bridge?

Liam Rosenior started this decade as a columnist for the Guardian and is now the favourite to replace Enzo Maresca as manager of Chelsea. While the prospect of Barney Ronay or Jonathan Liew making the move into management is a tantalising one, Rosenior’s rise – from a youth coach at Brighton to an assistant and interim manager at Derby before full-time management at Hull City and Strasbourg – shows just how far the 41-year-old has come.

After a very respectable playing career at Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull and Brighton, Rosenior earned a coaching job at the latter, managing the Seagulls’ under-23 side and supplemented that with punditry roles.

• Wicky is the fifth permanent head coach in team history

• Swiss arrives after stints with Chicago and Young Boys

Sporting Kansas City named Raphaël Wicky as the fifth permanent head coach in franchise history on Monday.

Wicky, 48, coached the Chicago Fire from 2020-21 before managing BSC Young Boys in his native Switzerland from 2022-24. He signed a contract through the 2027-28 MLS season with an option for the 2028-29 campaign.

• Last 16: Morocco 1-0 Tanzania (Brahim 64)

• Cameroon await in last eight after beating South Africa

Brahim Díaz scored his fourth goal for Morocco at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to put the hosts into the quarter-finals with a nervous 1-0 victory over Tanzania in Rabat.

Morocco dominated possession but Tanzania had opportunities to cause a huge shock, and it took a fine strike from Brahim to book a place in the last eight.

Our cartoonist reflects on what Socceroos, Matildas and A-League fans are crossing their fingers for this year

• Coach Thierry Mouyouma also sacked by government

• Veteran defender Bruno Ecuele Manga ditched too

Gabon’s government has announced the suspension of the national football team, the sacking of their coach and the kicking of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the squad after three defeats at the Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Gabon’s acting sports minister announced the suspension of the national team on television after they finished last in their group and were eliminated from the tournament in Morocco.

Coach stopped toeing the line at Stamford Bridge with one eye on the Manchester City job, frustrating his employers

It was late on New Year’s Eve when Chelsea’s patience ran out. They knew that Enzo Maresca was attempting to engineer an exit from the club and now they were ready to call his bluff. Midnight was approaching and the fireworks at Stamford Bridge were about to erupt.

A baffling story soon had a familiar, predictable ending. Maresca, who is not the first manager to run out of friends at Chelsea, had taken the provocations too far. There was surprise when he told staff that he did not want to conduct his post-match press conference after the disappointing 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday night. The official explanation was that Maresca was too unwell to talk in public, despite having just spent the evening coaching on the Stamford Bridge touchline, but the friction was palpable and it was never going to sit well with the Chelsea hierarchy when it took less than 24 hours for reports to emerge that the sickness line was a red herring and their head coach had actually decided not to meet the media because he needed time to consider his options. It was further confirmation that this was someone who wanted to be sacked. Maresca dared Chelsea to act and will have been the least surprised person in the world to find himself unemployed less than a day into 2026.

With an unusually high number of elite-level players out of contract in 2026 it promises to be an intriguing January

Transfer fees in women’s football have been rising at a rate of inflation that would cause anguish at the Bank of England. Last January alone, $5.8m (£4.3m) was spent in the women’s game globally and then a record $12.3m (£9.1m) was splashed in the 2025 summer transfer window, which was nearly twice as much as 12 months earlier and a four-fold increase on 2023. What can January 2026 possibly have in store?

The upcoming winter window – which opens for English women’s clubs on 2 January and closes on 3 February – has already got off to a blockbuster start even before officially opening. The Germany striker Lea Schüller and Norway’s attacking midfielder Signe Gaupset are among those to have already signed for Women’s Super League clubs, but this is set to be a unique window for a different reason than merely the usual clamour for reinforcements.

Set pieces on the rise, fans transformed to customers and conspiracies seen in every decision – is football losing its fun?

English football has always mirrored the passions, conflicts, identities and inequalities of the age. After the golden 1960s, the decay of the 1970s and ensuing disasters of the 1980s came the cap-sleeved, rebounding self-confidence of the 1990s. The 21st century so far has taken in globalisation and wanton commercialism. After that rabid, often reckless push for continued growth, society and the game alight on the uncertainties that encapsulated 2025.

To catch the 20 Premier League clubs in live action this season, and this writer completed the full set on Tuesday witnessing Arsenal’s second-half demolition of Aston Villa, has been a study in that uncertainty. From the grumbling of fans, to the ever-fragile egos of managers, to players slugging through the gristle of 90 minutes of hard-pressing slog, a leading question comes to mind: is anyone actually still enjoying this?

Our cartoonist looks back at the big stories and memorable moments as we wave farewell to another year in football

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With the club game hurtling along a Premier League-trodden path, women’s football is at a crossroads

Where will women’s football in England be in a decade’s time? How can we possibly begin to imagine the scale of the interest, attendances and participation then? How will the game on the pitch have developed, with each generation training and playing in better and better environments and at younger ages? It’s near impossible to make even educated guesses.

Women’s football in England is at a crossroads. The Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2 are now run independently of the Football Association, leading to increased outside investment, the rise of multi-club ownership groups, and the million-pound transfer barrier being broken twice in one summer. Minimum standards in the WSL and WSL2 have also been extended or raised and, while there is always talk of maintaining the connection between players and supporters, the women’s game is hurtling along a Premier League-trodden path at a fierce pace.

We look at 10 players likely to create headlines next month, including the ‘new Kevin De Bruyne’

• Men’s transfer interactive: January 2026 edition

While Semenyo would doubtless prefer to be in Morocco at the moment, one of the advantages to Ghana’s failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations has been that the 25-year-old is in the same country as all the clubs who have expressed an interest in signing him. With a contract at Bournemouth containing a £65m release clause that becomes active for the first two weeks of January, Manchester City appear to have won the race for the player who has scored 20 Premier League goals since the start of last season. Chelsea and Tottenham have now moved on to other targets but could Liverpool or Manchester United attempt to steal a late march on their rivals? They need to get a move on if so.

From jaw-dropping tricks to scorpion kicks, flicks, solo efforts and more – enjoy our pick of 2025’s best goals

The very definition of top bins: James Edmondson pops one right in the stanchion at Slough Town to help Macclesfield Town into the third round of the FA Cup.

Forest great was loved in Nottingham but underappreciated in Scotland before going on to thrive as a coach

On the eve of a Celtic European tie 25 years ago, Stiliyan Petrov cut an increasingly agitated figure. The young midfielder, soon to shoot to prominence under Martin O’Neill, was finding it impossible to snatch the ball from a rotund, wizened coach during a possession drill. Petrov’s teammates were cackling with laughter. John Robertson’s brilliance was understated enough in Scotland. Word of his talent in the game was never likely to reach Petrov as he grew up in Bulgaria.

Petrov is part of a recent generation who owe a debt of gratitude to Robertson the coach. More of them later. When news of Robertson’s death filtered through on Christmas Day, the prevailing sense was that his country had lost one of a kind. He was also an individual who, for reasons associated with his own modesty, really never received the kudos he deserved in the land of his birth.

Today’s newsletter looks at 10 superlative talents who are ready to take the next step in the coming 12 months

Alara Sehitler, Bayern Munich and Germany (19): Sehitler’s transition into Bayern Munich’s first team has come as little surprise and the creative midfielder has established herself as a strong impact player for José Barcala’s side. She has three Frauen Bundesliga goals this season and sparked Bayern’s comeback against Arsenal in the Champions League. After making her senior debut for Germany in November 2024, she will be looking to establish herself as a regular for their upcoming 2027 World Cup qualifiers.

Giulia Galli, Roma and Italy (17): Galli is widely regarded as one of the best young Italian talents to emerge for a long time and became Roma’s youngest player to make her Serie A debut in May 2024, aged 16 and one month. Establishing herself in the senior squad this season, she scored her first club goal in September and has featured in the Champions League. After starring in Italy’s sensational run to the semi-finals of last summer’s Under-17 Euros, the talented forward played a significant role at the subsequent Under-17 World Cup, picking up the bronze boot. She will surely feature at this autumn’s Under-20 World Cup.

Villa keep coming from behind, keep winning by the odd goal and keep confounding the numbers. At some point it must stop – but not yet

It can’t go on. It makes no sense that it goes on. And yet it goes on.

Aston Villa went into Saturday’s Premier Leage game at Chelsea having won 10 games in a row, looking to match a record set in 1897 and 1914. For an hour there seemed no chance they would achieve it, as Chelsea outplayed them, took the lead and could have had several more. But Chelsea are vulnerable with a lead, especially at home, and Villa have developed a baffling habit of winning away games having gone behind.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.

Give the one you love something special: a free subscription to Football Daily. The gift that never starts giving

Welcome to the fourth Football Daily Christmas Awards. This is the bit where, in our old guise, we would bang on about becoming so jaded that we’d lost count of how many years we’d been churning out this old tat. Hmm … So OK, here we are, refreshed and ready to go! Pour yourself a pint of wine, throw your boots up on the desk, decompress, de-depress, and enjoy!

Today’s fluff is here to neither manage nor coach

Not content with appointing a new head coach in the coming days, Chelsea are plotting a massive £135m move for Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian is not too happy in the Spanish capital, by all accounts, and is yet to agree an extension to his contract that runs until June 2027. This trifling situation could open up the possibility of a sale, to avoid losing the winger for nothing in 18 months.

Adam Wharton would not be short of suitors if Crystal Palace allowed him to leave in the summer, especially if he makes an appearance at the World Cup. Real Madrid have an interest in the England midfielder, boosted by the potential Vinícius loot, but they would face competition in Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United. The last three named would mean the 21-year-old could return to his native north-west.

Max Rushden is joined by Lucy Ward, Lars Sivertsen and Mark Langdon as Chelsea and Enzo Maresca part ways, while 2026 kicks off with three 0-0 draws in the Premier League

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On the podcast today: Enzo Maresca and Chelsea part ways. It seems that it’s a decision that suits both parties? But if the senior people at the club want so much influence over their manager, who will they entice to replace him?

Highs and lows for Alexander Isak, Wolves’ sobering survival chances and were Chelsea lucky at Newcastle?

• Premier League scoring charts

Can results be misleading? That is the question. Aston Villa’s winning streak continued against Manchester United, but so did the nagging doubts. They were the lesser team by several measures – fewer shots (12-15), less possession (43-57), fewer big chances (2-3). As usual, the victory was a slender one. But games are not won by stats. They are won by solid teamwork, shrewd management and individual talent – and Villa have all three. Morgan Rogers may be their only star, but he’s delivering like Father Christmas. Unai Emery is wily, battle-hardened, five years ahead of Ruben Amorim. If Rogers profited from Leny Yoro’s naivety, that was probably because Emery had spotted that Yoro is not a right-back, and told Rogers to start wide, cut in and torment him. Talent and management, working together. Tim de Lisle

Match report: Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United

Match report: Everton 0-1 Arsenal

Match report: Manchester City 3-0 West Ham

Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool

Match report: Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea

Match report: Wolves 0-2 Brentford

Match report: Leeds 4-1 Crystal Palace

From PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye to Brazil’s next hope, we select some of the most talented players born in 2008. Check the progress of our classes of 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and go even further back. Here’s our Premier League class of 2025