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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admits he was "upset" after his side failed to score from a set piece in their 4-1 north London derby win against Tottenham on Sunday. The Gunners dominated their arch rivals at the Emirates, scoring all four of their goals from open play, something the Premier League leaders have been criticised for failing to do so far this season.

Arsenal flex attacking credentials against Spurs

The absence of Gabriel brought elements of doubt into how Arsenal might perform against Tottenham at the weekend, particularly considering their reliance on set pieces this season. 12 of their goals in 2025-26 have come from either corners, free-kicks, throw-ins or penalties, but not when the lights were brightest. When Spurs made the short trip across north London, the Gunners were free-flowing and ruthless in front of goal. Eberechi Eze's hat-trick stole the headlines, and even Leandro Trossard's opener did not require a dead-ball situation. 

Their performance proved that while Gabriel is an impressive tool to have in their goal catalogue, Arteta's men are more than capable of putting the ball in the back of the net in any way they choose. That did not stop the Spanish head coach from having a light-hearted joke with the media ahead of the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta: I am upset

Most managers would claim they were concerned if their primary method of scoring goals was from set pieces, but not Arteta. Pep Guardiola's disciple is clearly keen for his side to continue dominating the final third in the air, and even admitted his frustrations after failing to bag from a corner or free kick. Speaking in his press conference, he said: "I am upset we didn’t score with a set piece. I want to score with a set piece as well."

Guardiola's disciples go head-to-head

While Arsenal fans will still be bathing in the glory of winning the derby, Arteta's focus has already shifted to Bayern Munich's visit in the Champions League. The Bavarians join the Gunners as the best teams in the competition so far this season, each winning their four games. Vincent Kompany's return to England is a special occasion for the Arsenal boss, who coached him during his time at City with Guardiola.

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Getty Images SportGunners ready for ruthless schedule

Things do not get any easier for Arsenal as the days pass. After facing Bayern, they face Chelsea in a crucial clash at the top of the Premier League. The Blues sit second, behind their London rivals, and a win could take them within three points of top spot. That match at Stamford Bridge will end the Gunners' run of three games in six days. 

It is certainly not an ideal situation for the league leaders, but once again, Arteta had no complaints. He said: "We will try and beat Bayern and then we have Chelsea – that is how ruthless the schedule is. But at the same time, how privileged we are to be involved in three incredible games in six days.

"Every opponent brings different challenges. They are in a great moment. The level of consistency they have shown in results and performances is impressive. We know that, but it is a massive opportunity for us to show what we are capable of.

"We have the same intention to win it. We made sure we had very good preparation again. We know the importance of the match. We are in a really strong position, we want to maintain that for sure."

It turns out Walker Buehler had a little bit of extra juice in his Twitter fingers when he shot out a social media message targeting Francisco Lindor after their game.

On Tuesday night, Buehler was ejected from the Boston Red Sox matchup with the New York Mets after arguing with home plate umpire Mike Estabrook. After the game, Buehler quote-tweeted a clip of Lindor cheerleading for his ejection and said, "I wouldn't want me out there either. Sad thing is the BULLPEN is full of f–king animals. Tough choice."

Buehler was asked about the tweet on Wednesday, and MassLive's Chris Cotillo relayed his response. The 30-year-old said, "I said my piece—sponsored by Buffalo Trace a little bit. We’re all competitive. It is what it is at that point. I’d probably do the same if I was him."

Having a few pops of whiskey and hopping online to fire off a tweet? We’ve all been there before.

Manchester United’s poor form under Ruben Amorim has continued, with the Red Devils currently on a run of just one win in their last five matches.

However, Fabrizio Romano has recently confirmed the higher-ups at Old Trafford will continue backing the Portuguese manager and are not considering a change.

That could mean Amorim is once again backed in the January transfer window, as INEOS look to find players who are better suited to his infamous 3-4-2-1 system.

Indeed, they spent over £200m in the summer to sign a new-look attack and Senne Lammens as their new goalkeeper.

If recent reports are to be believed, United will be dipping back into the market in January.

United’s latest transfer target

There have already been several reports linking United to a new midfielder, a clear focus for them over the next two windows.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Two of those are English duo Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton, although there could be a sizeable price tag for each Three Lions international.

Instead, the Red Devils have been linked with a more budget-friendly option. According to a report from Football Insider, Olympiacos midfielder Christos Mouzakitis is ‘definitely on the radar’ of the 13-time Premier League champions.

However, this is not going to be a straightforward deal for United to do. Mouzakitis is said to be wanted by ‘probably every big club in Europe right now,’ so it’ll be tough competition for Amorim’s side.

Real Madrid, for example, are one of the sides vying for his signature, although United are ready to ‘push’ the LaLiga outfit for his signature.

At a fee of just £30m, it represents great value, especially in January.

Why Mouzakitis would be a good signing

There is no doubt that 18-year-old Mouzakitis, who turns 19 on Christmas Day, is one of the most talented young midfielders in Europe.

That was recognised earlier this week when he won the 2025 Golden Boy fans’ choice award.

Indeed, it is clear to see why the Greek international, who already has seven caps for his country, is so highly rated. Despite being so young, he’s already played 52 times for Olympiacos, bagging two goals and assisting six in that time.

One of the real positives to Mouzakitis’ game is the fact that he is a versatile player. Whilst he has played most of his career as a number eight, the teenager has also operated in a deeper role for Olympiacos.

Como scout Ben Mattinson is someone who has been full of praise for the Athens-born midfielder. He even said Mouzakitis’ profile is “similar to Granit Xhaka,” suggesting he is a true controller in the middle of the park, just like the Swiss veteran.

Indeed, his underlying numbers perfectly highlight just how good he is in possession. For example, the 18-year-old 1.73 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes.

That number ranks him in the top 6% of midfielders in Europe over the last 365 days.

Key passes

1.42

80th

Passes into penalty box

1.73

94th

Progressive passes

5.99

76th

Shot-creating actions

3.78

90th

Ball recoveries

5.83

86th

Of course, going into the next couple of windows, United would love to bring a player like Wharton to Old Trafford.

Described as “very calm, composed, and a joy to play with” by Eberechi Eze, he is one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe.

However, his price tag could be a sticking point for United. The Eagles are said to want £100m for their prized midfield asset.

That would be a club-record deal for the Red Devils if they were to pay that fee.

Signing Mouzakitis, though, could be the dream alternative. Mattinson has previously said he would “compare him” to Wharton.

Like the Blackburn-born midfielder, he is a true controller in the middle of the park.

Not only are their profiles similar, but he’d also save United £70m, according to their reported price tags. That is a huge saving which could weigh into INEOS’ thinking, in a window where they need to spread their money out to sign a few players.

Signing Mouzakitis represents a deal for the present and future, saves them a fortune and helps them sign a needed profile in midfield. It certainly seems like a great option for United.

Cunha 2.0: INEOS to fast-track Man Utd bid for 'best winger in England'

Manchester United look set to make a huge move for one player in the upcoming January window.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 5, 2025

Chasing 152, Hurricanes were bowled out for 114 to register a second successive loss

AAP26-Nov-2025South African Marizanne Kapp has again showed how big a loss she will be to the Melbourne Stars once she leaves the WBBL for international duties. Kapp starred in the field as the Stars easily beat Hobart Hurricanes by 37 runs on Thursday at Junction Oval.Their third-straight win left the Stars second on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s massive home derby against the third-placed Melbourne Renegades.While teammate Amy Jones was Player of the Match, Kapp bowled Lizelle Lee with the first delivery of the Hurricanes innings. She removed fellow opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the third over and took an outstanding catch to remove No.4 Nicola Carey.But Saturday’s match will be the last for Kapp before she returns to the South African team.”Obviously Kappy is going to be a massive loss – it seems like she’s playing her best cricket, now that she’s leaving us, which is a bit frustrating,” teammate Kim Garth said. “But I feel like we do have the depth to cover it.”Garth added they were worried about what damage Lee could do.”I was pretty relieved – she was hitting them pretty well,” Garth said. “We did a lot of planning for her and when Kappy comes in and knocks her over first ball, it’s quite nice.”After starting the season with five-straight wins, Hurricanes have lost their last two and are in danger of ceding top spot to either Melbourne team.Renegades will host Perth on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Stars, who are only one point behind Hurricanes.After Hurricanes won the toss on Wednesday at Junction Oval, Jones and Danielle Gibson gave momentum to Stars’ stalled innings and the home side reached 151 for 6 from their 20 overs. Hurricanes were bundled out for 114 with 22 deliveries left.Jones top-scored with 59 from 40 balls, featuring six fours and a six. Jones and Gibson came together at 91 for 4 in the 14th over – not yet a crisis, but Hurricanes would have felt they had the momentum.Instead, Gibson belted 39 from 27 deliveries, with five fours and a six, as they put on a quickfire 44 for the fifth wicket. Carey took 2-29 from her four overs.After Hurricanes slumped to 59 for 6, captain Elyse Villani and Hayley Silver-Holmes gave them a glimmer of hope with their 40-run stand for the seventh wicket.Then Sophie Day bowled Silver-Holmes for 18 from 14 deliveries and Sutherland bowled Villani for 38 off 21 balls to kill off the late rally.Kapp took 2 for 29 from her four overs, while Sutherland also snared two and Day cleaned up the tail on the way to 4 for 17 from three overs.

Former Premier League boss Gus Poyet has quit his post at South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors days after his assistant manager departed amid a racism scandal. Poyet, who guided Jeonbuk to both the K League 1 title and the Korea Cup this season, informed the club he wished to terminate his contract after Mauricio Taricco was handed a severe punishment for what league officials deemed a racist gesture towards referee Kim Woo-seong.

Taricco incident sparks crisis of trust

The storm erupted during a league match last month when, deep into stoppage time, Jeonbuk were leading 2-1 and protesting a handball not initially given by the referee. Tempers flared as VAR intervened and awarded a penalty, prompting Taricco to continue his protests after being booked. Moments later, he was shown a second yellow card, during which he placed his fingers near the corners of his eyes, a gesture the referee interpreted as a racial insult. Referee Kim immediately reported the act to league authorities. The K League’s disciplinary committee reviewed the footage and issued a damning verdict, declaring Taricco guilty of making a universally recognised “slanted-eye” gesture mocking people of Asian descent. In their statement, the panel emphasised that the gesture had been penalised multiple times by FIFA and was unequivocally regarded as ethnic mockery. Taricco was banned for five matches and fined 20 million won ($13,600).

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPoyet's breaking point in Korea

Rumours of a split between former Sunderland boss Poyet and the club surfaced at the K League Awards on December 1, where he hinted that Taricco’s departure might force his hand.

"Touching my coaching staff is the same as touching me," Poyet allegedly said, as reported by

Jeonbuk officials attempted to convince him to stay, offering reassurances about next season and support for Taricco, but the 58-year-old insisted he could not continue under the circumstances. According to sources, the episode created "psychological pressure" for Poyet, who was concerned that the depleted think tank would not be able to give the best results in the future. 

In a message to fans, he said: “I’m sorry to leave without properly saying goodbye. The passion of our supporters will stay in my heart. I’ll keep cheering for Jeonbuk from afar and hope to return to Korea one day.”

Taricco has defended himself

In his response, Taricco said he had only intended to ask the referee whether he had clearly seen the disputed handball incident, claiming cultural context had been ignored.

"I have worked with many people in many countries and have lived and socialised with them without any problems related to their culture or race, and I have considered this a blessing," he wrote in a statement. "However, I have now been branded a racist by ‘self-proclaimed’ authorities due to a single misunderstanding where the context, cultural expressions, and meanings of all situations I continuously explained were ignored. I merely covered my eyes to emphasise that the referee should have directly seen the handball foul.

"My life, regardless of nationality and race, must continue in a place where there is safety, respect, peace, and equality before the law as a football person, so with a heavy heart, I have decided to leave this place after the end of this season. I would like to express my gratitude to the club and players with whom I could share success and history, and I am truly grateful to the fans who have given me unwavering support. I will not forget you."

Jeonbuk also showed support for their assistant manager and wrote: "It would be unreasonable to view [Taricco’s behaviour] as an intention of racial discrimination. The club expects a more objective and balanced judgment to be made through the appeal process and will do its best until the end so that coach Tano [Taricco] can quickly get out of this dishonourable situation and his memory of the K League and Korean football does not remain as a bitter pain."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

Poyet’s departure marks a sudden and bittersweet ending to a campaign that had otherwise transformed Jeonbuk’s fortunes. He is expected to return to the UK in the coming days, drawing another chapter in a colourful career to a close. Before embarking on his coaching career, Poyet was a dynamic midfield presence in English football. He scored 45 goals in 145 games for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup, the Super Cup and the FA Cup. His later spell at Tottenham was more controversial but equally memorable, featuring 18 goals in 82 appearances. As a manager, he guided Brighton to the Championship play-offs, kept Sunderland afloat in the Premier League and later served as head coach of Greece. 

The Houston Astros have been without star slugger Yordan Alvarez since early May as he's been sidelined with a small fracture in his hand.

The 28-year-old has been rehabbing his ailing hand in Florida, but has suffered a setback in his recovery. According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Alvarez's rehab has been shut down and he's now set to visit a specialist in order to determine the best course of action.

Alvarez reportedly felt soreness while swinging a bat on Monday, prompting the team to shut him down.

Alvarez last played for the Astros on May 2. He'd been struggling at the plate all season, looking like a shell of his usual self throughout his first 29 games. Alvarez had a .210 batting average with a 82 OPS+ and just three home runs and 18 RBIs prior to landing on the IL.

The team expects to know more about his injury after his visit with the specialist, but this setback is certainly a cause for concern among fans, who were hoping to have Alvarez return to the lineup for the second half of the season.

Celtic are back in Scottish Premiership action once again this evening as they prepare to welcome Dundee to Parkhead for Martin O’Neill’s last game in charge.

The 73-year-old manager has confirmed that the match will be his last as the interim boss before Wilfried Nancy is in post ahead of the clash with Hearts at the weekend.

Celtic won 2-1 away at Hibernian in his final away game in the dugout for the Hoops, but the experienced Northern Irishman may want to make some changes to the starting line-up from that win.

Celtic's best performers against Hibernian

Among the players who should keep their place in the XI after that game against Hibs is goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who only gave possession away 11 times from 54 touches and saved all three of the shots against him from open play, per Sofascore.

Celtic’s number one made a couple of impressive close-range saves towards the end of the game and completed all three of his run-outs to clear the ball to preserve all three points, whilst it would be incredibly harsh to criticise him for not saving Martin Boyle’s penalty.

The two goalscorers, Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels, should also retain their positions in the line-up, along with Reo Hatate and Hyun-jun Yang, who set up the goals.

Whilst Yang was not officially credited with an assist for Engels’ goal, the clip above clearly shows that it was his cross that was slightly deflected into the Belgian’s path.

Liam Scales, despite being harshly penalised for a handball, should also keep his place after winning eight of his 12 duels, per Sofascore, and completing 95% of his attempted passes.

Meanwhile, there were a couple of players whose performances may lead to them dropping out of the line-up, including right-sided attacker Luke McCowan, who should be dropped this evening.

Why O'Neill should drop McCowan today

The Scottish central midfielder has been utilised on the right wing in recent weeks, in the absence of any natural options in that position, and he started there against Hibernian on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the left-footed star was unable to deliver a high-quality performance to suggest that he deserves to keep his place in the team heading into O’Neill’s final game against Dundee.

McCowan, who was signed from Dundee in the summer of 2024, played the opening 63 minutes of the clash with Hibernian, before the manager opted to bring Benjamin Nygren on out wide.

Minutes

63

Touches

34

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Goals + assists

0

Duels won

1/4

As you can see in the table above, the 27-year-old flop had fewer touches in the game than Schmeichel, a goalkeeper, and failed to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch.

The experienced midfielder also lost 75% of his physical duels in the win, per Sofascore, which shows that he found the physicality of the game a bit too much to deal with whilst playing on the right wing.

McCowan provided quality on a regular basis in the final third in the 2024/25 campaign, with a return of eight goals and eight assists in 36 league outings for Dundee and Celtic combined, but he has been unable to carry that into the current season.

The Hoops midfielder has not provided an assist in the Premiership since O’Neill’s first game in charge against Falkirk, and his only goal of the league season came against St Mirren on the opening day at the start of August.

This shows that McCowan has not provided much of a threat at the top end of the pitch for the Scottish giants in recent months, which may be why the experiment of playing him on the wing has not been too successful.

It is also why O’Neill should ruthlessly drop him from the starting line-up for tonight’s clash with his former club, opening the door for Nygren to start on the wing instead of in central midfield.

Celtic flop who was "really shaky" v Hibs is the first player Nancy must bin

This Celtic flop is the first player who should be sold by incoming manager Wilfried Nancy in January.

ByDan Emery Nov 30, 2025

The Sweden international has scored seven goals in all competitions for Celtic this season, including five in the Premiership, per Sofascore, and he may carry more of a threat than McCowan did from the start against Hibernian on Sunday.

UP Warriorz head coach was “very surprised” to bag Sophie Ecclestone for INR 85 lakh, as he expected her to go for 1.50 crore

Daya Sagar28-Nov-20253:39

Karim: ‘Getting Lanning a masterstroke by UPW’

Coming into the WPL 2026 auction with the leanest squad and hence the biggest purse, UP Warriorz (UPW) made some heads turn by buying Shikha Pandey for a whopping INR 2.40 crore, using the RTM (right to match) option for Deepti Sharma, whom they had released earlier, and getting England’s left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for just INR 85 lakh. Their new head coach Abhishek Nayar, who takes over from Jon Lewis from the upcoming season, said they wanted Pandey for her experience and using the RTM for the Indian names was always their plan.”[Shikha] came for the trials. She is an experienced player and we wanted her experience of having played in high-pressure tournaments,” Nayar told ESPNcricinfo after the auction in Delhi on Thursday. “Her numbers in the WPL are the best among Indian pace bowlers in the last three years, be it in the powerplay or death overs.”We wanted experience in those aspects. Kranti Gaud is a young and exciting player, but like I said we wanted experience.”Pandey last played a T20I for India in February 2023 and has since been playing in T20 franchise leagues around the world such as the WPL, the Women’s CPL and the WBBL. Even though she currently doesn’t have a WBBL deal, she recently played all four games for Trinbago Knight Riders in the WCPL and finished as their top wicket-taker with five scalps and an economy rate of 6.73. Overall, she was joint-third on the wicket-taking charts.Related

WPL coaches explain why they didn't pick Healy

How the five teams stack up after the mega auction

WPL 2026 from January 9 to February 5

Deepti, Kerr, Shikha get biggest bids; Healy unsold

Like Nayar said, Pandey is the top wicket-taker among Indian pace bowlers in the three seasons of WPL, with a tally of 30 (and economy rate of 6.96), just behind Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 32. The next Indian fast bowler on the list is Arundhati Reddy with 14 wickets. Pandey, Gaud, Tara Norris of USA, and allrounder Deandra Dottin will be the pace-bowling options for UPW.Leading their spin attack will be Deepti and Ecclestone, along with Asha Sobhana, Georgia Wareham and allrounder Chloe Tryon among the other options. While UPW splurged INR 3.2 crore on Deepti, Mumbai Indians spent INR 3 crore on Amelia Kerr, Asha fetched INR 1.1 crore and Georgia Wareham INR 1 crore (from RCB) – all spinners – it came as a surprise to many that Ecclestone got a top bid of just INR 85 lakh, despite being the No. 1 ODI bowler and No. 4 T20I bowler in the ICC rankings.”I was very surprised, everyone was surprised,” Nayar said of Ecclestone’s price. “I thought she would go for something like 1.5 crore. But we got her for a great deal at just 85 lakh. But that’s how the auction works – sometimes you pay less, sometimes more. So I’ve very happy overall.”Even before using the RTM for Ecclestone, UPW used that option for Deepti, who led them earlier this season in the absence of Alyssa Healy. While their decision to release Deepti before the auction might have been surprising, using the RTM for her was not.”We wanted a big purse in the auction, that’s it,” Nayar said. “The first retention price was 3.5 crore, we got her in 3.2 [at the auction]. So, there is still some money saved and we can get an extra player. Getting someone like Pratika Rawal, though she is injured, has become possible.”So the mindset was we are going to get her (Deepti), that is the advantage of having the RTM. If we didn’t have the RTM, I think things would be different but we were very confident with the RTM, we just wanted to try and use it in the auction.”UPW went into the auction with four RTM options and used them on Deepti, Ecclestone, Gaud and Kiran Navgire, but not on Healy, who was the first name to come up in the mega auction and she eventually went unsold. UPW filled the opening slot with former Australia captain Meg Lanning, the third-highest run-scorer in the WPL, behind Sciver-Brunt and Ellyse Perry. They also picked Phoebe Litchfield, whom Lanning has earmarked as a future captaincy candidate for Australia. Will Lanning and Litchfield open together for UPW?

“Our attempt was to get those players who can play for India in the long run, are potential superstars, and who can become the face of this franchise.”Abhishek Nayar on buying the injured Pratika Rawal

“Meg is a leader, we all know,” Nayar said. “Phoebe is also a kind of a leader, we think. She can add a lot of value to the team. She is a fearless cricketer and she can play 360 (degree cricket) or 180. So we were very excited to have someone like that potential and I feel really good to buy her with that money (INR 1.20 crore). But right now we can’t say that they both are going to open for us. If we reveal that here in this interview, teams will already be making strategies about it .”Another opening batter UPW bought was India’s ODI opener Rawal, who was prolific in the recent World Cup-winning campaign at the top with Smriti Mandhana, but is yet to make her T20I and WPL debut. She picked up an injury while fielding in India’s last league game in the World Cup and missed the knockouts after that, and may not be fit in time to play the WPL too.”When you buy a good player there’s no guarantee that she will be fit or not for the season,” Nayar said. “We know that she is not fit right now but we also know that if there’s a superstar rising through Indian cricket, it’s Pratika Rawal. Like I said earlier our attempt was to get those players who can play for India in the long run, are potential superstars, and who can become the face of this franchise. That was an important thing to do because that will be an advantage for the next retention cycle after two years.”

Jurgen Klopp has reportedly emerged as a potential successor to Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid after the club’s disastrous 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo. The German, who stepped away from frontline management after leaving Liverpool and now works as Red Bull’s global head of football, is reportedly one of two names under consideration to replace Alonso as Real Madrid weigh their options in what has rapidly become a full-blown crisis.

Bernabeu hierarchy convene for emergency talks

Madrid’s loss on Sunday night, compounded by two red cards and fury in the stands, has triggered alarm among the club’s leadership. Having taken just six points from a possible 15 in their last five La Liga games, the Spanish giants, who were five points clear at the summit after beating Barcelona in late October, now sit four points behind their eternal rivals. 

According to, Real Madrid officials convened an emergency meeting after the match, one that reportedly stretched until 1 am. The club’s hierarchy was split: some urged immediate dismissal, while others argued for granting Alonso one final opportunity to steady the team during Wednesday’s crucial Champions League fixture against Manchester City. What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that patience is scarce inside the Bernabeu. Senior figures are troubled by what they see as a weakening connection between Alonso and key members of the dressing room. While club officials do not place all the blame on the 44-year-old, there is growing dissatisfaction with both the team’s performances and what one insider described as a confused identity on the pitch.

AdvertisementAFPKlopp’s name resurfaces as Madrid assess options

Though Klopp has repeatedly stated he is no longer interested in full-time coaching, his name has resurfaced in Madrid circles. Some within the club view him as the type of commanding figure capable of re-establishing authority in a fractured squad. His decision to join Red Bull in January drew stinging criticism, with many highlighting the contradiction between his past critiques of multi-club ownership models and his new position within one. It has been widely reported that his contract contains an escape clause allowing him to apply for the German national team role if it becomes available. But whether similar provisions exist for club jobs, such as Real Madrid, is unknown. One source close to Klopp told that he is "happy" in his current role, though few believe the door to a major European job is ever truly closed.

Zidane and Arbeloa also under consideration

Club favourites Alvaro Arbeloa and Zinedine Zidane are also admired by the Madrid hierarchy. Arbeloa, who oversees Real Madrid Castilla, fits the profile of a young coach steeped in the club’s culture. Zidane, meanwhile, maintains enormous affection from Florentino Perez after winning three consecutive Champions League titles. However, reports in France indicate he remains committed to pursuing the national team job should it become vacant. Madrid turned to Zidane for a second time in similar circumstances in 2019 after the short-lived reigns of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari. Yet this time, his availability, and more importantly, his willingness to be back at the Bernabeu dugout, is far from assured.

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AFPCrucial UCL night awaits at the Bernabeu

Wednesday’s continental tie against City now carries immense weight for Alonso’s future, one that may determine whether Madrid make a managerial change before the winter break. All eyes will be on the crowd. The reception Alonso and his players receive could speak volumes about how much faith remains in this project. It's wait-and-watch time for the Real Madrid board.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez is baseball's consensus top trade candidate this season, as the Diamondbacks appear primed to rent out their slugger ahead of his free agency.

However, a wrench was thrown into their plans Monday. Suarez was hit on the hand by a pitch against the Detroit Tigers, forcing him out of the game.

Tigers pitcher Will Vest threw the fateful pitch in the ninth inning—a 95 mph sinker with his team ahead 5–1. Suarez left the contest 1-for-3.

This season, the Venezuela native is slashing .247/.319/.579 with 36 home runs and an MLB-best 87 RBIs—yet another plus season for one of the game's most consistent sluggers. Suarez owns six 30-homer seasons and three 100-RBI seasons since debuting in 2014.

After the game, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo signaled Suarez would receive X-rays and called him day-to-day, via Cody Stavenhagen of .

The Diamondbacks are currently 51-56, and is 6.5 games back of the National League's final wild-card playoff spot. It will play two more games against Detroit before the trade deadline, which is Thursday.