Football news LIVE: Liverpool confident of Salah contract agreement, Saka hints at imminent return, FA Cup quarter-final build-up

Striker's form 'disappointing for Arsenal'

Ian Wright has admitted it is 'disappointing' Mika Biereth never got a chance at Arsenal.

The Danish striker has been in stunning form since joining Monaco in January.

Meanwhile, the Gunners have been left without a recognised striker since Gabriel Jesus' season-ending injury.

Wright and Biereth became friends during the latter's time at the Emirates Stadium.

In three years on Arsenal's books, Biereth was loaned out three times without making a first-team appearance for his parent club.

The 22-year-old was sold to Sturm Graz last summer before a mid-season move to Monaco two months ago.

He has since scored 11 goals in just 12 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, including three hat-tricks.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has been forced to play Mikel Merino as a makeshift centre-forward.

Wright believes his friend would be starring in North London if was still at the club, telling The Guardian: "Mika should’ve been in and around it at the moment.

"It’s disappointing for Arsenal but, on a human level, I’m delighted for him."

Chelsea's Estevao plan

Chelsea have made a decision on Estevao Willian's Club World Cup commitments.

The Brazilian wonderkid will join the Blues from Palmeiras this summer.

However, both sides have qualified for the expanded tournament in the USA, which is scheduled for June 14 to July 13.

After agreeing to sign Estevao last summer, the teenager will finally arrive at Stamford Bridge ahead of next season after turning 18.

According to Fabrizio Romano, he will be allowed to feature for Palmeiras at the Club World Cup.

Estevao had been set to become a Chelsea player on July 1.

The winger will instead now link-up with Enzo Maresca's side after the tournament.

Palmeiras will face Porto, Al Ahly and Inter Miami in the group stage, whilst Chelsea's pool includes Flamengo and Esperance de Tunis.

Arsenal boost?

Arsenal could be set to receive a major boost ahead of their Champions League quarter-final next month.

They will take on Real Madrid in the first leg of the tie on April 8, but the 15-time winners may be missing some key stars.

That's because UEFA have opened an investigation into Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Ceballos.

The four Real players are alleged to have made gestures towards Atletico Madrid fans following their penalty win over their rivals.

TV coverage showed Rudiger appearing to make a throat-slitting motion and Mbappe appearing to do a crotch-grabbing gesture.

If they are charged, a ban could follow and that would majorly benefit Arsenal if it happens before the quarter-final.

Of course, there's a likelihood that the case will not be heard before April 8, which would mean they would be able to play.

More information is expected to be made available 'in due course', according to a UEFA spokesperson.

Repaired relationship

Nottingham Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently in his best form in the Premier League this season.

And he's eyeing a call-up to the England squad.

But there could be an issue, as Hudson-Odoi didn't have the best relationship with Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.

Tuchel once subbed the forward on before taking him off 30 minutes later due to his 'attitude' while also playing him out of position.

However, Hudson-Odoi and the German managed to figure things out and they could link up again with England.

"We had our differences at times and that is normal," the Forest star told BBC Sport. "Every player and coach has their differences.

"Like [when Tuchel had me] playing wing-back and I am like why am I here? But it was to benefit the team and it benefits myself, helping me work on my defensive game.

"It's good that we had that moment and we have talked about it. He is an amazing manager and he knows how to get the best out of players.

"If the possibility and chance [for England] comes – I will have to go there and prove myself all over again.

"I just control what I can control. It's about enjoying my football once again, smiling and being positive."

'Utterly incomprehensible'

Bradford City have released a strongly worded statement after damage was caused to a 'sacred' club memorial.

The League Two side condemned the act, which damaged a memorial that honours the 56 Bradford and Lincoln City supporters who lost their lives and those left with life-changing injuries in the Valley Parade disaster in 1985.

"Bradford City AFC is appalled and disgusted by the damage caused to the Valley Parade Fire Memorial at the University of Bradford Stadium this week," the statement on the club's website read.

"To say this act is wholly unacceptable does not go far enough - it is utterly incomprehensible. This memorial is sacred to our club, our supporters and the people of Bradford.

"For someone to deface or damage it in any way is not only an attack on a physical tribute but a disgraceful insult to the memory of those we lost and to the families and community still affected.

"We are reviewing CCTV footage and working closely with local authorities to identify those responsible. We will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served."

Jor dropping

talkSPORT's Simon Jordan has revealed his 'maudlin interest' in talks with the Chelsea ownership.

A consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital bought the Blues for £4.25billion in 2022.

Club chairman Boehly shares an equal split of 38.5 per cent ownership with Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter, whilst Clearlake owns the rest.

Behdad Eghbali, a co-founder of the United States-based firm, is said to have been running the day-to-day operations at Chelsea.

talkSPORT reported in September that tensions between him and Boehly have become increasingly strained over how the club is run.

"If they fall out to such a point, he [Boehly] will lose, because Clearlake and Eghbali have got more money than him, and that will find its way to the surface," he said on White and Jordan.

"But whether they have diverging agendas or converging agendas, there's always going to be differences of opinion.

"It's not about having differences of opinion, it's about how you react to them. It's if you become entranced in ideologies or the principle of who is at the front of the queue.

"I don't know the personalities. I spent a bit of time with Todd, I don't know Eghbali, various people I know that are representing Chelsea are working with them and there's opportunities for me to perhaps go and watch Chelsea games and get myself involved in that sort of framework if I wanted to, in terms of having discussions with these sort of guys.

"But I've always believed that the Chelsea project is a very interesting one, it's a very different one."

"Would you be motivated to have a chat with these guys?" Jim White questioned his talkSPORT colleague.

After a slight hesitation, Jordan responded: "Yes and no, just out of maudlin interest.

"In the same way that I was motivated to sit talking to Boehly in Qatar, because these guys are influential people.

"Chelsea's a… whilst I consider it to be a manufactured football club, much to the irritation of Chelsea fans, is a big football club now, in terms of the scale that Roman Abramovich gave it, so it's interesting."

Sak's back

Bukayo Saka has delighted Arsenal fans by confirming his return to Arsenal training with a post on social media.

The England international has been in the treatment room since suffering a severe hamstring injury in late December.

The 23-year-old sustained the issue in the 23rd minute of the 5-1 win at Crystal Palace and was pictured leaving Selhurst Park on crutches.

After undergoing surgery, Saka has missed 19 matches across all competitions as he approaches the 100-day mark injured.

Prior to his injury, Saka had been Arsenal's standout player, with nine goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

In his absence, the Gunners have crashed out of both domestic cup competitions and have all-but conceded the Premier League title.

Their only realistic chance of winning silverware this term is in the Champions League, where Arsenal will face holders Real Madrid.

However, talisman Saka has now handed the north Londoners a huge boost by sharing a picture of him training.

He captioned the post: "Hello again."

Roo the day

Plymouth Argyle chief Andrew Parkinson insists Wayne Rooney’s doomed appointment was not ‘for profile reasons’.

Instead, the Manchester United legend proved himself to be the ‘best candidate’ from what Parkinson claimed was a 30-man list.

Rooney was appointed as the Pilgrims’ manager in May last year, four months after he was sacked as Birmingham City boss following an ill-fated 15-match tenure in which he won just twice.

A 4-0 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday in his first game in charge set the tone for what was to come as Rooney won just five out of his 25 games in charge.

He was eventually relieved of his duties following a 2-0 defeat against Oxford United on December 29, which was Plymouth’s sixth in their last seven games.

“He was the best candidate we saw when it got down to the interviews,” Parkinson said in an interview with Business of Sport.

“The biggest thing for him is that he really wanted it.

“There’s lots of other things that play into that. We went down from a long list of 30 and the process isn’t a straightforward one.

“People might be at existing clubs and might not want to come, they may have contracts where it will be expensive to get them out of it. Sometimes it is more difficult to get people to come down to Plymouth, let’s face it.

“When we got down to our final candidates, he absolutely wanted to prove himself, wanted to show he could do the job.

“He’d had a couple of difficult experiences at other clubs, but at the time we felt he was the best candidate.

“We didn’t do it for profile reasons at all.”

Lew beauty

Jamie Carragher’s son got himself a prized souvenir from his first-ever international break with Malta.

James, who plays for Wigan Athletic in League One, recently acquired Maltese citizenship through father Jamie’s grandfather and mother.

The 22-year-old then received his first call-up with Malta earlier this month for their World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Poland.

Carragher played the entirety of both games in front of his family, with Jamie recalling the experience on Stick to Football.

“Started both games,” the Liverpool legend revealed. “Wasn’t sure he would, it was his first time he’s been there.

“They played Finland in the first game where he played well, but they lost 0-1. Then they went away to Poland, where they lost 2-0, but it was great to watch him. I wasn’t nervous watching him, but I could see my dad was nervous.

“And what do you do when you’re nervous? You have a drink. But no, it was good. I wanted [Robert] Lewandowski to start, but he came on. He did alright.”

Ian Wright wondered if James was able to get hold of Poland striker Lewandowski’s shirt at full-time, and the defender was successful.

“He did actually,” Carragher confirmed. “He was up against him at the end, in the last 20 minutes.”

'Gibbs-White doesn't have to prove anybody wrong'

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has discussed Morgan Gibbs-White not getting any minutes for England.

He said: "We are proud of all of our players that went on international break. Morgan went and he was in the squad and hopefully, he gets a chance in the future.

"With Morgan, I know him so well and he knows me. We don't need to talk. For me, Morgan is a top, top player with so much talent and quality.

"The level of performance and quality he has been giving to us with and without the ball - I admire Morgan."

On whether Gibbs-White needs to prove Thomas Tuchel wrong: "He doesn't have to prove anybody wrong.

"This is not the state of mind that he should have. He has to compete and play and give his teammates and Nottingham Forest everything he has. Things will come naturally."

'He's been to a specialist'

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed that Chris Wood has seen a specialist with his hip injury.

The in-form Forest striker has been on fire this season in the Premier League, but he picked up a knock on international duty.

Espirito Santo has given an update on Wood in his pre-FA Cup quarter-final press conference this afternoon.

And he's confirmed that he will miss the Brighton clash on Saturday.

Nuno said: "He went for a scan today. We are still waiting. He has been to a specialist for a scan. We will wait on the information and see.

"He will not be available for this game. He felt a kick really hard on his hip so there is pain there. We have to wait."

Feeling Blue

Former Chelsea star Tony Cascarino has torn into Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku for their poor form before the break.

Sancho hasn’t scored since December, while Nkunku has largely played second fiddle to Nicolas Jackson under Enzo Maresca.

“Sancho, from the player I watched at Crystal Palace, who looked really good, has lost his way as the season has gone on,” he told talkSPORT.

“Nkunku, the guy I watched in Germany at Leipzig, and he really was a handful to play against, looks absolutely redundant in the Chelsea team. He doesn’t look like he’s going to cause any issue.”

To be Frank

Frank Lampard has been front and centre in Coventry’s revival, and midfielder Matt Grimes gave a glowing tribute to the club manager.

The Sky Blues were 17th in the Championship, 10 points from the play-off spots and only two points above the relegation zone when Chelsea legend Lampard took charge.

However, a run of 13 wins in 23 games has propelled them into the promotion shake-up.

Lampard has overseen Coventry’s best run of form since 1970 and sit fifth in the Championship with eight games to go.

Up next for the Midlands outfit is a trip to fellow promotion chasers Sheffield United on Friday night – live on talkSPORT 2 – and a win at Brammall Lane would further cement Coventry’s playoff credentials.

“As a footballer, you want to learn your trade from the very best, and I don’t think there’s many better to learn from than the gaffer,” January signing Grimes told talkSPORT.

“I’ve only been here a short period of time, but what I can say is since I’ve been here, he’s been an absolute pleasure to work with.

“With the level of detail every day on the training pitch, you’re so engaged because you want to learn from top players and top managers like him.”

Transfer talk

Premier League clubs have today agreed the dates for the Summer 2025 Transfer Window.

The window will open early, between Sunday, 1 June and Tuesday, 10 June, due to an exceptional registration period relating to the FIFA Club World Cup.

It will then reopen on Monday, 16 June and close on Monday, 1 September.

Crucially, this could have a major impact on whether Trent Alexander-Arnold can make his Real Madrid debut in the Club World Cup.

Can Real Madrid sign Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool before Club World Cup?

Eur kidding?

Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has joined the Euro 2028 board of directors tasked with organising the showpiece tournament.

UK & Ireland 2028 Limited, the company responsible for the local delivery of UEFA Euro 2028, has been established and has begun operations immediately.

The England international will immediately commence his new role alongside his playing duties with Aston Villa, who have domestic and Champions League matters to contend with.

Mings accepted the opportunity to join the board in the lead-up to the tournament that kicks off in June 2028 and will take place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The 32-year-old joins chair of the UK & Ireland 2028 board, Debbie Hewitt in organising the event alongside the Football Associations of each host nation.

Odoi to joy

Callum Hudson-Odoi has shared his belief that he could return to playing for England - if he succeeds in impressing Thomas Tuchel at the second time of asking.

The 24-year-old, who made the last of his three England appearances in 2019, has enjoyed a career revival as a key man for Nottingham Forest this season.

Six years ago, Hudson-Odoi was tipped to be the golden boy of Chelsea's academy stars finding their feet in the first-team/

However, a rupture to his Achilles tendon saw him sidelined for seven months, and numerous setbacks after his comeback continued to hamper his development.

The arrival of Tuchel to Stamford Bridge led to Hudson-Odoi being deployed in an unorthodox wing-back role.

The German gave Hudson-Odoi his most minutes on the pitch of any Chelsea manager he had, but also publicly criticised his attitude and once infamously hauled him off 31 minutes after bringing him on as a substitute.

Fast forward to this season and Hudson-Odoi told BBC Sport: "We had our differences at times and that is normal. Every player and coach has their differences.

"Like [when Tuchel had me] playing wing-back and I am like why am I here?

"But it was to benefit the team and it benefits myself, helping me work on my defensive game.

"It's good that we had that moment and we have talked about it. He is an amazing manager and he knows how to get the best out of players.

"If the possibility and chance [for England] comes – I will have to go there and prove myself all over again.

"I just control what I can control. It's about enjoying my football once again, smiling and being positive."

You for real?

Gary Neville has made the surprising claim that Trent Alexander-Arnold won’t get in the Real Madrid team ahead of Dani Carvajal.

He said on the Stick To Football podcast: “I said that I thought he [Alexander-Arnold] had to get more serious about his defending – I’ve said that constantly – or else it will cause him problems.

“I think it will cause him a problem at Real Madrid because they have Federico Valverde, who is playing right-back currently, and Dani Carvajal when he’s back – he’s going to have some serious competition. They are brilliant players, and he’s going to find it tough there.

“[On whether Valverde and Carvajal are better than Trent] I think Carvajal, from a balance of going forward and back – the problem is that he’s 32 and has had a bad injury – but for me, Carvajal is a better full-back than Trent because of what he gives to the team.

“It’s unbelievable what Valverde is doing for them at the moment, so he’s going to have competition when he goes.

“Coming back to Trent, I said he needs to get more serious about his defending, and that was proven by the fact he couldn’t get in the England team for many years, and he gets subbed for Liverpool a lot. I’ve never known a right-back get subbed so many times in important periods of matches.

“He does have his challenges with the way he plays, but it’s right that Liverpool fans can feel let down about him leaving.

“As a fan, he’s a local kid and fans have a right to feel that way. I also think about it with my David Beckham cap on, thinking about what career he had when he went to Real Madrid, and then Milan, and he had the experiences that have led him to what he’s done since.

“He wouldn’t have had that if he stayed at United, so part of me thinks that since I’ve stopped playing football, I think differently about it. The experience of going to Real Madrid and playing there is incredible for him.”

T-Rent control

Jamie Carragher has spoken for the first time since talkSPORT revealed Trent Alexander-Arnold has chosen to join Real Madrid.

"Where I’m at is that as a local player and a Liverpool fan, Liverpool are in a position where they’re competing for the league and a European Cup every year," he said on the Stick To Football podcast.

"So, if you’re a Liverpool fan and a local player, I’m just disappointed that he doesn’t think that this is it.

"I’m putting myself in his position where I’d be thinking that we could go level with Manchester United in league trophies, I’ve got another seven or eight years at Liverpool and want to get three or four ahead of them, with a couple more European Cups.

"It seems like there’s not one thing people are unhappy with – it’s leaving on a free or that he should have come out and told the club earlier – people are angry for three or four different things,' Carragher added.

"I’m not angry about him going on a free. In an ideal world, Liverpool would get £70m or £80m for him to reinvest, but you can’t have it both ways as a supporter.

"If Liverpool sign someone on a free in the summer, we’d all be delighted, so does that mean that his former club should absolutely hate him?

"Also, when you’re a local player, you don’t cost anything – Trent going on a free is like Virgil van Dijk leaving for £75m, we’d still break even."

Good Apple

Michael Appleton has been appointed Shrewsbury head coach until the end of the season.

Shrewsbury were rocked on Tuesday when Gareth Ainsworth left the club to take over at Gillingham, but the Sky Bet League One outfit moved quickly to bring in Appleton for the final nine matches of the campaign.

Former Blackpool, Portsmouth and Oxford boss Appleton has been out of work since he was dismissed by Charlton at the start of 2024 following only four months at the helm and will be joined at the Shrews by long-serving assistant Richard O'Donnell.

"It's been a difficult seven days, but once Gareth Ainsworth made the decision to leave, it was important we acted quickly to find the right man to guide us through the remainder of the season," Shrewsbury director of football Micky Moore said.

"Michael was my number one target and I'm thrilled that over the last 24 hours we've been able to get a deal over the line.

"I know the past few days have been difficult for supporters. Nobody likes confusion and uncertainty, but hopefully now, by making this quick appointment, we can all get behind Michael and Richard for the remaining nine games of the season."

Bottom-of-the-table Shrewsbury, who are 14 points from safety, begin Appleton's tenure at Birmingham on Saturday.

Turnaround

Arsenal are into the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League as they completed a stunning comeback win over Real Madrid.

Having lost the first leg of the quarter-final tie 2-0, Renee Slegers' side had a mountain to climb ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

But two goals from Alessia Russo as well as a goal from Mariona Caldentey has seen the Gunners through.

Awaiting Arsenal in the last four are Lyon, who have won the Women's Champions League a record eight times.

Tomorrow night it's an all Women's Super League affair with Chelsea entertaining Manchester City in one of the other quarter-finals - City go into the second leg 2-0 up on aggregate.

Fresh start

talkSPORT understands that Aston Villa and Newcastle United are both keen on Noni Madueke.

Chelsea are expected to be tempted to sell the England international this summer in an effort to raise funds to strengthen other areas of Enzo Maresca's side.

Madueke has actually enjoyed a decent season for the Blues, scoring seven times in 23 Premier League games.

However, he has been twice called out for poor attitude on the pitch, and he could have to depart west London.

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