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David Moyes has returned for a second spell as Everton manager, following Sean Dyche’s sacking by the struggling Premier League club.
Moyes, 61, made his name during an 11-year stint in charge at Goodison Park from 2002 to 2013, a period that included a fourth-place Premier League finish in 2005 and an FA Cup final appearance in 2009.

Dyche was sacked on Thursday by the club’s new United States-based owners, the Friedkin Group, hours before an FA Cup victory over Peterborough, with Everton 16th in the Premier League table and just one point above the relegation zone.
Moyes is reported to have agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract that will see him lead the club into a new 53,000-capacity stadium next season.
“It’s great to be back! I enjoyed 11 wonderful and successful years at Everton and didn’t hesitate when I was offered the opportunity to rejoin this great club,” said Moyes in a club statement on Saturday.

“Now we need Goodison and all Evertonians to play their part in getting behind the players in this important season so we can move into our fabulous new stadium as a Premier League team.”

Moyes’ success in his first spell at Everton saw him handed the chance to succeed Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but he was sacked after less than a season in a troubled time at Old Trafford.

Short stints at Real Sociedad and Sunderland followed, but the Scot rebuilt his reputation during two spells at West Ham.
After leading the east London club out of relegation trouble in the 2017-18 season, he returned in 2019 for a five-year spell that led the Hammers into Europe three times and ended a 43-year wait to win a trophy by lifting the Europa Conference League in 2023.
“We are pleased that David is joining us at this pivotal time in Everton’s history,” Everton’s Executive Chairman Marc Watts said.
“With over a decade of experience at the club, he is the right leader to propel us through our final season at Goodison Park and into our new stadium. We look forward to working with David to build the foundation of a new era for Everton,” he added.

Moyes has been out of work since leaving West Ham at the end of last season.
His second spell will begin at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Dyche’s two-year reign came to an end after a five-game winless run in which Everton managed to score just a single goal.

Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter was reportedly among Everton’s top targets but he joined West Ham this week, with Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho, who previously worked with the Friedkin Group at Roma, also reportedly distancing himself from the job.
Former Everton defender Leighton Baines, now the club’s under-18s head coach, and captain Seamus Coleman took charge for the win against third-tier Peterborough.

Patrik Schick scored a first-half brace as Bayer Leverkusen won 3-2 at a flu-hit Borussia Dortmund on Friday, closing the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to one point. Already struck by an injury crisis, illness ripped through Dortmund’s defence, with centre-backs Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck, along with left-back Ramy Bensebaini, ruled out just hours before kick-off as the Bundesliga restarted from the winter break.
The defending champions took advantage of Dortmund’s inexperienced defence early, scoring through Nathan Tella after just 25 seconds before Patrik Schick added another on the eight-minute mark.

English winger Jamie Gittens pulled one back but Schick restored Leverkusen’s two-goal lead shortly afterwards.
A late Serhou Guirassy penalty gave Dortmund hope but Leverkusen held on for their ninth straight win in all competitions, turning up the heat on Bayern, who travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
“I’ll be honest, we’re not looking at Bayern, we’re focused on ourselves and we’re on the right track,” Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka told DAZN.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso benched in-form midfielder Florian Wirtz due to an “internal issue”.
Dortmund’s problems were less vague, with three first-choice centre-backs along with wing-backs Pascal Gross and Bensebaini missing.

Dortmund’s makeshift defence, including youngsters Almugera Kabar and Yannik Luehrs, was breached almost immediately.
England-born Nigeria winger Tella unleashed a superb strike into the top corner after Leverkusen pressed the nervous hosts into a mistake while playing out from the back.

The visitors quickly doubled their lead, Schick tapping in Piero Hincapie’s low cross.
Dortmund dragged themselves back into the match just four minutes later when Gittens chipped in after Robert Andrich inadvertently poked the ball into his path.

Schick however added his second and Leverkusen’s third on the 19-minute mark, this time diverting in a cross from the right.
“I expect my lads to defend better than that, even with the situation we have in defence,” Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin said.

Schick, who started the season on the bench behind Victor Boniface, now has 11 goals in his past six league appearances.
“I work hard every day. I was of course ready when the chance came,” Schick said.
“I want to give the max for the team and I’m happy I could help out with a couple of goals.”
With 11 minutes remaining, VAR awarded Leverkusen a penalty and Guirassy converted nervelessly from the spot to give the home side a shot at snatching an unlikely point, but Leverkusen held firm.

Champions League finalists last season, Dortmund have won just one of their past five Bundesliga fixtures and could finish the weekend as low as 10th.

La Liga giants FC Barcelona are prepared to ‘go all out’ for the signing of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, according to reports in Spain.
Rashford is allowed to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window after falling out of favour under new head coach Ruben Amorim.

He was first omitted from a matchday squad for the trip to rivals Manchester City on December 15 and has not played since.
The England International was an unused substitute once, though, against Newcastle United two weeks later.
There is plenty of interest in Rashford, with Napoli being linked with a swap deal involving Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund both keen.

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have always been in the background but the Catalan club’s financial situation means a deal will be very difficult to pull off.
Rashford earns over £300,000 a week at Old Trafford and United have reportedly set a £50million asking price, making a permanent transfer impossible for Hansi Flick’s side.
A loan departure seems the most likely this month. Depending on how much of the 27-year-old’s salary the Red Devils want covered, a move until the end of 2024/25 could suit the Blaugrana.

Their interest appears to be genuine as a report from Spanish outlet Sport claims Barcelona ‘will bid’ for Rashford and are ready to go ‘all out’ to sign him on a six-month loan.

Incoming signings depend on sales and if they do get rid of a player or two, the Catalan giants will be ready to pounce.
Indeed, Barca ‘have entered the bidding’ for Rashford’s signature and having initially been an ‘alternative’, they are now ‘a serious option’.

The signing of the England and United star is deemed ‘a complex but not impossible operation’ and Barca sporting director Deco has had ‘informal meetings with players’ environments’ during a trip to Saudi Arabia.

This includes speaking to current Barca players – likely including Juventus and Arsenal-linked defender Ronald Araujo – and potential signings – like Rashford.
The most likely departures in Catalonia are Araujo, Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati, with salary space needing to be freed up if Rashford can be signed this month.

The report claims Rashford ‘has several proposals on the table’ amidst interest from Milan, Dortmund and Napoli, while Arsenal have also reportedly been in contact with their Premier League rivals and FA Cup opponents this weekend.

To add fuel to the fire, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Barcelona’s interest in Rashford.
Romano says the player’s camp has been in contact with Barca, after being ‘informed on conditions of a loan deal’.

Which of the three interested clubs – Liverpool, Chelsea and PSG – Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wants to join has been revealed, with the winger ‘sold on a move’ as early as last summer, according to a report.
Kvaratskhelia, 23, is a man in demand after opening the door to an exit from Napoli this month.

The Georgian ace wants to be rewarded with a new contract that more befits his superstar status. But with Napoli making it clear they cannot and will not match his demands, an exit overseas is now on the agenda.
Napoli’s price tag is €80m (£67m / $82.35m), though they are receptive to that figure being met with the aid of add-ons.
French giants PSG have quickly manoeuvred themselves into the position of favourites. However, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on January 9 that Premier League pair, Liverpool and Chelsea, are both attentive to the situation.

According to a fresh update from trusted reporter Ben Jacobs, Kvaratskhelia’s mind is made up. What’s more, the Georgian has known where he wants to move dating all the way back to last summer.
Taking to X, Jacobs wrote: “Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s preference is to join PSG, having been sold on a move last year.”

PSG initially registered their interest in the left winger last summer. At that point, the forward is understood to have informed PSG he ‘wanted to join’, though a move obviously did not come to pass.
PSG’s interest in Kvaratskhelia and his willingness to move to Paris have not subsided over the subsequent months.

As such, agreeing personal terms is not expected to be a problem for Luis Enrique’s side. That should not come as a surprise given Fabrizio Romano reported PSG are offering Kvaratskhelia “over four times” his current salary.

Romano stated direct club-to-club talks between Napoli and PSG have begun and Jacobs provided his take on the situation in his update.
“PSG exploring various formulas to see if a deal is possible,” added Jacobs. “Napoli’s asking price is €80m, but they are prepared to sell in January. This is a change from their summer stance.”
While not yet verified, reports in Italy claimed PSG’s intention is to offer just €45m as an opening gambit. A bid of that size is sure to be rejected by Napoli.

One way PSG have been linked with attempting to lower the cost is by either including centre-back Milan Skriniar as a makeweight or selling him to Napoli in a separate deal.
Napoli are open to signing Skriniar, though it’s understood they view his current wages in Paris as too expensive.

The potential of Posh youngster Tyler Young facing his father Ashley in the FA Cup third round tie at Everton gained much media attention ahead of the match and was perhaps a contributing factor to the game being moved away from the weekend in the first place.

The potentially historic moment did not happen, however, Ashley came off the bench for the home side after 73 minutes but Tyler remained on the bench as Posh brought on forward Malik Mothersille with the game poised at 1-0 Everton with two minutes of normal time remaining.

By the time, Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty made it 2-0 in stoppage time, Posh had no remaining substitutes.

The decision saw Darren Ferguson abused at full time by an unnamed Everton player.

The Posh boss said that he did want to bring on the 18-year-old but simply had to do the best for this team.

Thursday night was the fourth time in Young’s Posh career that he had made the first team squad. His only appearance came in the final 28 minutes of the 2-0 EFL Trophy victory over Stevenage in October.

Ferguson said: “The last substitution was a difficult one because I did want to get Tyler on. As much as I wanted to get home on with his dad, I had to do what’s right for my team.”

It was very difficult but I’ve got to do what’s best for the team. As much as I wanted Tyler to get on; if the game had been 2-0 at that point, I would have put him on but at 1-0 I couldn’t. If I brought a central midfielder on at 1-0, I’ve got three forwards sitting on the bench wondering what’s going on.

“One of their players had a bit of a pop at me, which is bang out of order but I’ve got to do what’s best for out team and, at that point, it’s 1-0 and we’re trying to get a result.”

The headline news in the Barcelona camp last night, of course, came in the form of confirmation that Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor had been afforded precautionary registration for the 2nd half of the campaign.
After seeing appeals rejected by both La Liga and the RFEF, Joan Laporta and co. were forced to take the matter to court.

And, in a major boost for the Blaugrana, the CSD (Spanish Higher Sports Council) ultimately came to the conclusion that the respective registrations of Olmo and Víctor should be granted.
Both, in the time since, have in turn been re-registered on La Liga’s official website.

Safe to say, however, that another of Spanish football’s leading clubs were not at all happy with this outcome.
In a lengthy statement released on Thursday evening, Atlético Madrid expressed their ‘deep concern’ with a development which they feel has called into disrepute the very ‘rules of the game’:

Club Atlético de Madrid wants to show its deep concern for the situation generated in Spanish football after the resolution adopted by the Consejo Superior de Deportes (“National Sports Council”) on Wednesday. We consider that this decision jeopardises the current system, questioning the rules of the game.
‘The Ley del Deporte (‘Sports Law’) itself includes and protects LaLiga’s economic control and yet, with this resolution, it is put at risk. LaLiga’s economic control has been the main tool that has managed to turn our football into a solvent sector, a process admired internationally

‘Our club, like all LaLiga members until this resolution, has been complying with the rules of economic control and we will continue to respect them. In fact, in order to be able to compete at the level we have been competing at in recent years, we have decided to carry out various capital increases, despite the enormous effort that this entails.
‘This government intervention creates a very dangerous precedent, as it opens the door to circumventing the rules and repeating the serious mistakes of the past. Atlético de Madrid remains committed to rigour and responsible management. Without clear and equal rules for all, no fair competition is possible.’

Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo struck to earn Real Madrid a 3-0 win over Mallorca and set up a Spanish Super Cup final clash with rivals Barcelona.

Madrid have the chance to earn revenge for their heavy Clasico defeat in LaLiga in October after Bellingham’s clinical second-half strike sent them on their way to victory on Thursday in Saudi Arabia.

Backed heavily by fans in Jeddah, Madrid never looked like letting the advantage slip and a stoppage-time own goal by Martin Valjent secured their win, with Rodrygo adding a late third from close range.

Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, was full of praise for the way his side claimed control of the match as an attacking force in the second half. “When those up front activate, anything can happen,” he said of his front three attackers and Bellingham. “The four [forwards] are very dangerous. That’s quite evident. Everyone can see it, the quality they have.”
Real Madrid made the early running against last season’s Copa del Rey runners-up, with Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo Goes coming close in the opening stages.

Kylian Mbappe appealed for a penalty after going down under pressure from Dani Rodriguez, but it would have been soft.

Jagoba Arrasate’s Mallorca found their footing and did well to restrict the Spanish and European champions to no further clear chances in the first half.

peared frustrated to be withdrawn.
Madrid broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute through Bellingham after the post, and Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif kept Rodrygo and Mbappe at bay.

A blistering Madrid move bore fruit when Rodrygo’s header from Vinicius Junior’s cross hit the upright and Mbappe’s effort was parried by the scrambling Greif.

Bellingham was in the right place at the right time to carefully slot home the rebound past defenders on the goal line, continuing a stunning run of individual form.

The England international has eight goals for Madrid in his last 10 games across all competitions.
“Jude is a phenomenal player. He helps us win games all the time, with goals, assists or just his work,” Bellingham’s fellow midfielder Tchouameni remarked afterwards, adding that he was unharmed by the head collision that saw him withdrawn from the game.

Mallorca struggled to find a way back in and ended up contributing to Madrid’s second goal when Valjent stretched to cut out a pass but slid the ball into his own goal.
Rodrygo wrapped up the win late on to set up a repeat of last season’s final, won by Super Cup holders Madrid.

Madrid must wait on the availability of Luka Modric for Sunday’s final after the midfielder fell ill and missed Thursday’s match.
“Our player Luka Modric is out of the game against Mallorca because of a viral illness,” said the Spanish champions in a statement only hours before the semifinal.
Croatian midfielder Modric, 39, became Madrid’s oldest goalscorer when he netted last week against Valencia in LaLiga.

Dani Olmo and Pau Victor will be allowed to play for Barcelona after Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) on Wednesday allowed the LaLiga club to provisionally register the duo, four days after Spanish football authorities rejected their requests.
Barcelona signed the two players in the close season but due to the club being unable to meet LaLiga’s wage cap, they were allowed to be registered for the first half of the season only.

“This measure, which is provisional until the final resolution of the appeal lodged by the club and the aforementioned players, suspends the Agreement of the Monitoring Committee of the RFEF-LaLiga Coordination Agreement… and the cancellation of the sporting licences of the aforementioned players,” it said.
“Likewise, it maintains the validity of those licences until this appeal is finally resolved.”
Two courts had also previously rejected Barcelona’s requests but the CSD upheld the club’s appeal, stating that professional athletes “have the right to a sporting career in accordance with their potential with guarantees and certainty.”
“The CSD considers that the non-adoption of this precautionary measure would cause serious economic and sporting damage to the club and, above all, to the players,” the CSD added.

Dani Olmo and Pau Victor will be allowed to play for Barcelona after Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) on Wednesday allowed the LaLiga club to provisionally register the duo, four days after Spanish football authorities rejected their requests.
Barcelona signed the two players in the close season but due to the club being unable to meet LaLiga’s wage cap, they were allowed to be registered for the first half of the season only.

“This measure, which is provisional until the final resolution of the appeal lodged by the club and the aforementioned players, suspends the Agreement of the Monitoring Committee of the RFEF-LaLiga Coordination Agreement… and the cancellation of the sporting licences of the aforementioned players,” it said.
“Likewise, it maintains the validity of those licences until this appeal is finally resolved.”
Two courts had also previously rejected Barcelona’s requests but the CSD upheld the club’s appeal, stating that professional athletes “have the right to a sporting career in accordance with their potential with guarantees and certainty.”
“The CSD considers that the non-adoption of this precautionary measure would cause serious economic and sporting damage to the club and, above all, to the players,” the CSD added.
“This could also harm the interests of the Spanish national team, as well as the rest of the national competitions, including LaLiga.”
However, the verdict came after Hansi Flick announced the squad for Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao later on Wednesday, with neither Olmo nor Victor named among the starters or substitutes.
Olmo, who was signed from RB Leipzig on a six-year deal in August for around 55 million euros ($56.70 million), and Victor were only registered for the first half of the season and their four-month allowance expired on December 31.

The club had managed to register Olmo after long-term injuries kept first-team players out of the squad for months, allowing Barca to allocate a portion of wages to register the player who was joint top scorer at Euro 2024.

Real Madrid may have moved to strengthen their right side in the January transfer window, with an approach for Trent Alexander-Arnold, but they are also waiting patiently to see if they can tie down a top left-back too. Alphonso Davies, like Alexander-Arnold, is out of contract this summer, and can sign with Los Blancos to join in the summer.

However there is more confidence that Alexander-Arnold will be signed sooner or later, with Davies still in talks over a new deal with Bayern Munich. On Tuesday, agent Nedal Huoseh arrived in Munich to continue talks with Bayern, with recent reports in Germany claiming significant progress has been made in recent months. He will meet face to face with the Bayern heavyweights to try and thrash out an agreement.

It looks as if it could be the decisive meeting, with Sky DE reporting that Davies is on the verge of extending his deal. That said, it’s a transfer saga that has seen several twists.

The latest from Spain is that Real Madrid are pleased with how things have gone with Davies, who has run down his deal into its last six months. That said, Los Blancos have not altered their terms from an initial agreement that was met in March of 2024, and are not set to improve their offer. It looks as if Real Madrid will rely on the attraction of playing for the club as their means of tempting him.

France’s 2018 World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps announced on Wednesday he will leave his post after the 2026 World Cup in North America.

“I have been there since 2012, it is planned that I will be there until 2026,” Deschamps told French broadcaster TF1 on Wednesday.
“I have done my time, with the same desire, the same passion to keep the France team at the highest level, but 2026 is good,” he added.
Deschamps led the French team ‘Les Bleus’ to the 2018 World Cup title, becoming only the third man to win the football tournament as a player and a manager.
He took over from Laurent Blanc in 2012 and has taken France to three major finals in total, losing the Euro 2016 final to Portugal and the 2022 World Cup showpiece to Argentina.

Deschamps was captain when Les Bleus won their first World Cup on home soil in 1998.
The 56-year-old has already set the record for longest-serving official France coach.
European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, gets under way later this year.

Zinedine Zidane, who won the 1998 World Cup as a player alongside Deschamps, has long been tipped as the favourite to eventually replace him in the dugout.

Now 52, Zidane has been lying in wait since ending his second spell as coach of Real Madrid in 2021. One of France’s greatest ever players, he won the Champions League three times with Madrid but has not managed any other club.
“Nobody is irreplaceable,” admitted Deschamps. “I have tried to be as indispensable as possible with the results that you know, but that is behind us now.”
Zidane’s shadow will continue to hang over the France team in the coming months, as they prepare for their next matches, beginning with a two-legged Nations League quarter-final in March against Croatia.

Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal players failing to adapt to the different ball used in the Carabao Cup contributed to them missing a hatful of chances in their defeat by Newcastle.

The Gunners were beaten 2-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night after goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon

Arsenal squandered numerous opportunities on their way to a first home defeat of the season. They had 23 shots on goal, but just three were on target.

Arteta believes the ball could have been a factor, bringing it up unprompted when asked if the missed chances could have an impact on his players from a psychological perspective.

In the Carabao Cup, teams play with a Puma football as opposed to the Nike one used in the Premier League.

Asked about his players missing chances and how he can help them to put it out of their minds, Arteta said: “Nothing, just try and show them, give them kicks or tips of what they can do better.

“We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better.

“But at the end that’s gone, there’s no way back, it’s about the next game and that’s our world, the reality is our world.”

Asked specifically about the ball used in the Carabao Cup, Arteta said: “It’s just different.

“Very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different. When you touch it the grip is very different as well so you adapt to that.”

Arsenal now have a mountain to climb when they head to St James’ Park for the second leg next month, but Arteta is refusing to give up.

“We have to be disappointed as it’s another result that we wanted, but that’s the reality,” he said. “I have full belief. I have seen my team playing against them – I believe we can do it.

“It’s just half-time [in the tie]. When I see the team play, and how we deal with a lot of situations and play against a very good team, I must say I have full belief that we can go out there and do it.”

Elon Musk’s father has claimed his billionaire son is interested in buying Liverpool.
Errol Musk said his son, the world’s richest man who is embroiled in an extraordinary feud with Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, was eager to add the Premier League leaders to his business empire.

“He would like to yes, obviously,” Musk Snr told Times Radio. “Anybody would want to – so would I!”
Musk Snr’s mother – his son’s paternal grandmother – was born in Liverpool before leaving the UK to settle in South Africa.
He added: “His grandmother was born in Liverpool, and we have relatives in Liverpool, and we were fortunate to know quite a lot of The Beatles because they grew up with some of my family. So, we are attached to Liverpool, you know…”

He had earlier been coy about his son buying Liverpool, saying he feared current owners Fenway Sports Group would “raise the price” if they knew of the interest.

This is not the first time Musk has been mentioned regarding owning a football club. In 2022, he said that a suggestion that he wanted to buy Manchester United was a “joke”.
Some fans had urged the billionaire tech entrepreneur to buy United after a 4-0 humiliation at Brentford in only the second match of former manager Erik ten Hag’s spell in charge.
Musk tweeted: “I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome (sic).” – a comment that quickly set the football world abuzz. The original post received almost 40,000 retweets and over 200,000 likes within a couple of hours.

But he later clarified that he was joking. In his reply to a comment on the tweet, he wrote: “No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams.”
He added: “Although, if it were any team, it would be Man Utd. They were my fav team as a kid.
“And I’m not buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in, despite the extreme popularity of such a move.”

But he later clarified that he was joking. In his reply to a comment on the tweet, he wrote: “No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams.”
He added: “Although, if it were any team, it would be Man Utd. They were my fav team as a kid.
“And I’m not buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in, despite the extreme popularity of such a move.”

Cora Amelia Robinson, his paternal grandmother, was born in Liverpool in August 1923. She married South African Walter Musk, who was transferred to British intelligence towards the end of the Second World War, in 1944. She then gave birth to Elon’s father in 1946.

Martin Brundle, meanwhile, labelled Musk an “interfering d—” on X.
The F1 legend competed between 1984-96 and has become a major part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the sport. Brundle said on X that he is contemplating leaving the platform because of its owner.

He wrote: “I’m conflicted. I like Twitter/X and it has served F1, Sky, me, and people around me, very well for a good while. But @‌elonmusk is such a daily globally interfering d— I feel the need to go somewhere else.”