Mikel Arteta has praised Arsenal for showing resilience during a difficult period and described his players as a joy to work with ahead of a crucial week in the Premier League title race.

All three title contenders – Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – are in action twice this week, with the Gunners taking on Chelsea and Tottenham in two huge London derbies.

They returned to the top of the table with Saturday s 2-0 win over injury-hit Wolves, but with City possessing a game in hand, the destination of the trophy remains out of their hands.

Following a difficult few days in which Arsenal surrendered control of the title race and exited the Champions League against Bayern Munich, Arteta was delighted with their response at Molineux.

If you look…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are planning to sell Fabio Silva in the summer transfer window, according to . Silva is on loan at Scottish Premiership club Rangers from Premier League outfit Wolves at the moment. The 21-year-old forward moved to the Gers on loan in the January transfer window and is scheduled to stay at Ibrox until the end of the season.

TEAMtalk has claimed that Wolves are planning to offload Silva for good. The 21-year-old cost the Wanderers £35 million in transfer fees when they signed him from FC Porto in 2020. The Portuguese youngster has failed to establish himself in the first team, and the Wanderers are ready to cut their losses and sell him for £15 million.

Although Rangers would love to keep Silva at the club beyond the end of the season, the Gers …

Everton are being sued by former manager Carlo Ancelotti, court records show.

Online case listings show that Ancelotti, who is now in charge of Spanish giants Real Madrid, has taken High Court action against the Premier League club.

A claim has been filed in the commercial court, part of the High Court, in London and relates to “general commercial contracts and arrangements”.

The case is listed as Ancelotti v Everton Football Club Company Limited.

Listings give no further details.

The 64-year-old Italian managed Everton between December 2019 and June 2021, before leaving to take up the role of head coach at Real Madrid.

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It is yet another Merry Christmas for Sydney FC in the A-League.

The Sky Blues are top of the table on Christmas Day for the third time in four seasons, continuing their dominance.

Being top on December 25 means a record-breaking trophy is likely for Sydney FC.

Alongside Melbourne Victory, they have won seven trophies in the A-League era – four championships and three premierships.

We asked their boys for their Christmas shopping lists for a few of the players, here s what is getting for , and

What would you buy them?

— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC)

Another premiership is likely but a championship less so as we assess where previous league leaders on Christmas Day have ended up, thanks to Opta data.

Only once have a team…

Aston Villa are willing to sell Diego Carlos in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Carlos is one of the players that Villa will listen to offers for because of profit and sustainability rules.

Carlos has two years left on his current contract at Villa and is earning £100,000 per week as salary. The Villans, who will play in the UEFA Champions League next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League table this campaign. 

The Brazilian defender has been on the books of Villa since 2022 when he joined from Sevilla. He has had injury problems, but when fit and available, he has done well for Unai Emery’s team. Carlos has made 20 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League for Villa this season. He also played …

Italy will become the laughing stock of international football if they continue to hypothesise routes into the World Cup, federation president Gabriele Gravina said on Saturday.

The Azzurri failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 after losing to North Macedonia in a play-off semi-final in March, a stunning result that has caused much upset.

Former Juventus star Roberto Baggio said this week it was shameful that Italy were not automatically allocated a World Cup place on the basis of their Euro 2020 triumph.

There has been speculation Italy could get in through the back door if Ecuador are thrown out, after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings into allegations the South American team fielded an ineligible player in their successful qualifying campaign.

According…

Manchester United are interested in signing Inter Milan central defender Milan Skriniar in the summer of 2023, according to . Skriniar is out of contract at former Serie A champions Inter at the end of the season, and ex-Premier League champions United are among the clubs keen on securing the services of the 27-year-old Slovakia international centre-back on a free transfer.

Skriniar has been on the books of Inter since 2017 and is one of the best central defenders in Serie A. The 27-year-old has played almost 200 Serie A matches for the Nerazzurri, and won the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana once each with the Milanese giants.

The Slovakia international centre-back has made 14 starts and one substitute appearance in Serie A for Inter so far t…

Marcus Rashford is thrilled to have Cristiano Ronaldo back at Old Trafford and is hoping the superstar forward can provide a push for Manchester United to win trophies.

The Portugal forward made a sensational return to the red half of Manchester on deadline day this year and has since scored five goals in just six appearances across all competitions – the most of any player at the club.

The 36-year-old has done so despite ranking third at United this season for total shots (23), recording the best conversion rate (21.74 per cent) of any player at the club who has taken at least eight shots.

Ronaldo s finishing and ability to find dangerous positions clearly remain at an elite level, with the forward slightly outperforming his expected goals total of 4.…

With Thomas Tuchel still trying to find some stability since arriving at back in March, it appears that this season’s Bundesliga title chase is going down to the wire.

Although the Premier League might have broken a string of financial records over the past two transfer windows, Germany’s top-flight has produced a host of European superstars this season.

After watching the likes of leave Germany in search of a new Spanish adventure last year, it appears that a number of Bundesliga stars are at the heart of real interest in 2023.

Ahead of what looks like it could be a rollercoaster summer from across Germany, we have taken a look at three Bundesliga superstars who are eyeing a blockbuster move.

Jude Bellingham Borussia Dortmund

While Borussia Dortm…

Asked how much he had enjoyed the competition, Howe said: “I’ve really enjoyed the Champions League. My only frustration is that we have not had the freedom to attack the competition as we would have liked to have done (because of injuries).

“That’s my only feeling that I’m left with that is negative.

“The tournament itself is special, the places we have been are incredible, the stadiums, the atmospheres and the experiences we have had at home have all been memorable.

“We have one more game to go and we have to make this as memorable as possible.

“My message to the fans is to make this a magical European night. They can only do so much, we have to do our bit to make it that.”

Since the competition got under way in September, Howe…