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Sunderland have been in dreamland this season, with the addition of Granit Xhaka’s top level experience a huge factor in their success, and Regis Le Bris has hinted at another major signing.

The Black Cats are set to return to action from the international break in the hope of picking up where they left off against Arsenal two weeks ago. They shocked the Premier League leaders by coming from behind to rescue a late draw at the Stadium of Light. Now, with a trip to face Fulham up next, Le Bris has admitted that he expects a “tough challenge” in West London.

Victory could take Sunderland to as high as second and just four points off leaders Arsenal if a number of other results go their way. It would represent the remarkable run that they’ve been on, which has already almost guaranteed safety and potentially allowed them to focus on other ambitions.

Much of their success has come courtesy of an excellent summer transfer window. The arrival of former Arsenal man Xhaka has proven to be particularly successful, with the midfielder ending some unfinished business in the Premier League.

It’s been such a success that the Black Cats may look to repeat their genius in 2026 by signing another former Arsenal man in Matteo Guendouzi. Le Bris recently had his say on a potential deal for the Frenchman.

Le Bris shares Matteo Guendouzi to Sunderland update

Speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference before his side’s meeting with Fulham, Le Bris refused to rule out signing Guendouzi and even shared that he’s still in contact with the midfielder.

This follows reports from Italy that Sunderland have joined the race to sign the Lazio midfielder, who is valued at around €30m (£26m).

It seems as though it would certainly be a welcomed reunion for Le Bris, who worked with Guendouzi at Lorient in the early stages of both of their careers. Now, with the Frenchman far more experienced these days – he has 14 senior caps to his name – the Sunderland boss could reap the rewards.

Sunderland make decision on selling Granit Xhaka as Juventus eye January move

One of Regis Le Bris’ key players is now being targeted by a Champions League club.

By
Dominic Lund

Nov 18, 2025

Described as a “great professional” by former Germany defender Arne Friedrich in the past, Guendouzi could yet have the chance to follow Xhaka’s path and end some unfinished business in the Premier League, courtesy of Sunderland next year.

Sunderland make contact with Real Madrid over signing in-demand £17m+ ace

When the dust settled on the 2024 World Series, few would argue against the notion that the Los Angeles Dodgers completely outclassed the New York Yankees. It's true that the Yankees nearly pushed the Dodgers to a sixth game after going down 3–0, but Los Angeles emerged victorious.

However, according to Chicago Cubs (and ex-New York) third baseman Jon Berti, the Dodgers' trash talk after finishing off their title crossed a line.

"I don't know if I've ever heard a World Series-winning team talk as badly as they did about the World Series-losing team," Berti said on Wednesday's edition of . "It felt like we were being disrespected to the point of we didn't even belong in the World Series."

Benefitting from a down year in the American League, the Yankees downed the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS and ALCS, respectively. Berti slashed .182/.250/.182 in 11 postseason at-bats, managing a run in Game 4 of the ALCS.

"We won a lot of games last year. We won our division," Berti said. "We went and took care of Kansas City and took care of Cleveland. So we deserved to be there, unfortunately we didn't perform at our best."

Jeremy Doku always had the ability to do something extraordinary on the football field, but what he lacked was the sense of when and how to pull off his magical tricks. He had stood out for possessing a unique footballing talent as young as 15, but on Sunday against Liverpool, the club who wanted to sign him before he turned 16, Doku emerged as the player many knew he could become.

Doku's scintillating performance in Manchester City's 3-0 routing of the Reds was an increasingly rare case of one player utterly dominating a top-level fixture. This was not a player producing one moment of genius to decide a game, rather Doku weaving magical move after magical move, creating havoc every time he picked up the ball. It was one of the great individual displays in a Premier League game, certainly one of this magnitude. 

It could be filed alongside Thierry Henry's hat-trick for Arsenal against Liverpool in 2003-04, David Silva's virtuoso display in City's 6-1 hammering of Manchester United in 2011-12 or Mark Viduka's treble for Leeds United against Liverpool in 2001.

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  Emulating Hazard

  In statistical terms, no one had put a similar stamp on a Premier League game since Doku's compatriot and short-time Belgium team-mate Eden Hazard back in 2019. Hazard was the last player to win at least seven duels, complete seven dribbles, create three chances and have three shots on target in a single English top-flight game, but that was against a mid-table West Ham, not the reigning champions who had beaten Real Madrid a few days earlier.

  While many top players freeze when the world is watching, Doku seemed to revel in the occasion. "In big games, there is always more exposure and more beauty," he told .

  The former Anderlecht wideman had been threatening to put in a performance like this after making an imposing start to the season. He was outstanding in the 3-0 win over Manchester United in September, ripped Burnley apart a few weeks later and he had warmed-up for Sunday's game with an important display against Borussia Dortmund.

  Doku is now handsomely paying off the £55.5 million ($73m) City paid Rennes to sign him in 2023, and if he keeps this level up he will soon feel like a bargain. There were, however, a few questions over the past two seasons regarding his transfer fee and his suitability to a City team that can often be metronomic, which can lead to the Etihad being a difficult place for individually brilliant players to thrive.

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  Super-sub reputation

  Doku did not take long to make an impression on City fans. He got plenty of bums out of seats during his home debut against Fulham, while he found the net next time out at West Ham. Just two months into his City career, meanwhile, he made Premier League history in a 6-1 drubbing of Bournemouth, becoming the youngest player to produce five goal involvements in one game (four assists and one goal), as well as the first City player to provide four assists in 90 minutes.

  However, that incredible display against the Cherries was followed by a barren spell, not helped by six weeks out with a muscle injury. Doku went 10 games without a goal contribution and he was barely trusted in the Champions League, starting just one game. He was seen as a super-sub more than anything, which was summed up by him coming off the bench to spark a goal for Kevin De Bruyne against Real Madrid and then Bernardo Silva's winning strike in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

  In his first two seasons at City, Doku averaged three goals and seven assists in the league, not exactly the numbers you would expect from a £55m player at one of the best teams in the division.

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  Earning Pep's trust

  Then again, Doku had never been a player whose goals and assists made you sit up and take notice. In his best season with Rennes he only managed six goals and two assists in Ligue 1, something which Guardiola reminded everyone of on Sunday.

  "I think he will never be a top scorer, to be honest," the coach said. "But he’s demanding himself to be better, he listens, and has special attributes of dribbling. He was aggressive with and without the ball. We tried to help him and he played an outstanding game."

  Guardiola has not always been so effusive about Doku. After a 4-0 thrashing of Brighton in the run-in towards winning the title in 2024, he gave the winger a public dressing down for giving the ball away a couple of times after coming off the bench. Last season, meanwhile, Guardiola criticised Doku's performance against United at Old Trafford, and it was only towards the end of the campaign, after a good display in a win at Everton, that the coach admitted he had been "unfair" on the winger by not playing him more. 

  Indeed, Doku was at the risk of being phased out of the team as Guardiola preferred to flood the central midfield and look to full-backs Nico O'Reilly and Matheus Nunes to provide width. Now, though, he is one of the first names on the team sheet, playing in 16 of City's 17 games in all competitions this term, starting 11 of them, including all four Champions League fixtures.

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  Seeing the bigger picture

  Doku would not be the first player who needed an adaptation period under Guardiola. Jack Grealish, Josko Gvardiol and Nico Gonzalez all needed the best part of their first season to get to grips with the coach's style. Doku essentially needed two, but he seems to have mastered the art of what Guardiola wants from him. And unlike Grealish, his stardust remains intact. 

  The difference is that he has now worked out how to make the most of his skillset, even if Guardiola was keen to stress that only Doku was responsible for his turnaround in form by saying: “I know I'm good, but don't overestimate me. The players do it themselves. We have to give them a good environment and make good connections. I don't teach Doku how to dribble; that is natural talent."

  Indeed, watch videos of Doku as a child and he is instantly recognisable from his style of dribbling. Doku honed his unique way of dribbling on a concrete pitch in his home city of Antwerp, spending endless hours there with his brother Jefferson and his friends. He enrolled in the academy of Belgian giants Anderlecht at the age of 10, but a professional education could not curb his tendency to keep his head down and play for himself rather than his team-mates. 

  Henry worked with Doku as assistant coach to Roberto Martinez in the Belgium national team. and when he was still a Rennes player he raved about his dribbling ability. But last week the Arsenal legend admitted that Doku still had to work on his in-game intelligence.

  "He has zero limits but he needs guidance," Henry said on . "When you explain something to someone, if there is no thought process behind it, they're not going to comprehend what needs to happen. We all know that he can finish, but sometimes you need to slow down and re-accelerate to see the big picture."

After watching on as Celtic fell further behind in the Scottish Premiership last weekend, Chris Sutton and Kris Boyd had a lengthy chat about Brendan Rodgers’ future.

Rodgers blasts unacceptable Celtic

The Scottish Premiership champions are beginning to falter under Rodgers. The Bhoys now find themselves as many as five points behind Hearts and Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Dundee only compiled their misery.

With their European form creeping into their domestic outings, questions will continue to be asked about Celtic’s summer recruitment. Many around Celtic Park were far from confident that club chiefs had done enough in the summer and have since been proved right.

Rodgers, however, took aim at the players that he did have at his disposal against Dundee rather than those that Celtic missed out on in the summer.

The former Leicester City manager told reporters: “I just said that this is where you really have to be a man, because at Celtic it’s great from the outside when you look in and you win in trophies and playing great football, but you’ve got to deal with pressure.

“And also the result and performance today isn’t good enough or acceptable for Celtic. I’ve come here a number of times over a number of years, and that today is not the level, so we have to find it.”

At a time when Rodgers’ future remains so uncertain, the Bhoys’ current form is far from ideal. The manager is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal and one Sky pundit has already delivered a worrying verdict about his time at Celtic.

Sutton reacts to damaging Rodgers claim

Speaking about the future of Celtic’s manager after his side’s defeat against Dundee, Sutton reacted to Boyd’s claim that Rodgers is publicly looking for a Premier League job.

Sutton replied to Boyd’s verdict by asking: “Did he say that?

“I think he took a bit of responsibility there [in his post-match interview]. He said it was his issue to get the team playing better.

“He will point – and I think fairly so – to rotten recruitment.

“You look in the final third for that spark and the players who have left and have they replaced them. I get the argument but should the team be playing better?”

Whether Celtic are in for a repeat remains to be seen, but they must turn their form around with or without their manager. Up next, the Scottish champions play host to SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League, where they’ll hope to pick up the first win of their European campaign.

Forget Yang: Rodgers can solve Maeda blow by unleashing Celtic star in new role

Celtic could solve their Daizen Maeda injury blow by unleashing this star in a new role.

1

By
Dan Emery

Oct 20, 2025

Then, as if things couldn’t get more difficult, the Bhoys travel to face league leaders Hearts. Lose that and they will be as many as eight points behind the unexpected leaders with plenty of football left to play. Simply put, it is a massive week for Celtic’s season.

Despite making a big blunder, Miguel Rojas does not want to be blamed for the Los Angeles Dodgers' loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS.

On Wednesday, Rojas took to Instagram to blast fans blaming him for the team's loss. He hopped into the comments on the account @lajayshow after a video on the account blamed him for the team losing 6–5.

The user complained the shortstop kept a Padres second-inning rally alive by attempting to take a ground ball to second by himself instead of flipping it to second baseman Gavin Lux. Rojas rushed to the base instead and was beaten by Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill. Rojas's throw to first was also late and beaten out by Xander Bogaerts. Instead of a double play, the Padres had first and second with no outs. David Peralta followed with a two-run double, giving San Diego a 3–1 lead.

Rojas jumped in the comments section, replying with the following:

"You think you guys are the only ones who wants to win this sh–, every single one of the players and ppl in this clubhouse are doing everything to f—ing win, it's not bc of the f—ing effort we doing everything possible if that's not enough to you guys I understand all you guys want is a victory after the final out. Nobody in this s— is lost we playing to win not to be the reason for the f—ing L."

He followed that up with another comment:

"Yeah one f—ing mental mistake I wish I would of pass the ball and get one out but my f—ing sorry a– was trying to do everything possible to get two f—ing outs !!! Yeah I f—ed that decision up and you can blame the f—ing reason of the L."

Rojas and the Dodgers are up against it, facing elimination in Game 4 of the NLDS. He is also dealing with an injury to his adductor and had to leave Game 3 as a result. He is out of the lineup for the elimination game, with Tommy Edman replacing him at shortstop.

Wolves have reportedly approached Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards after cutting ties with Vitor Pereira, whose nightmare reign ended with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Fulham last weekend. The Portuguese manager produced no wins during this current Premier League campaign and was sacked less than 24 hours after the final whistle at Craven Cottage, which left them at rock bottom of the table.

• Rob Edwards: The comeback story in the making?

  According to , Edwards has emerged as the frontrunner to take over in the West Midlands. He has quietly built a strong reputation in the Championship and is one of three high-profile names on Wolves’ radar as they scramble to find a steady hand. The 42-year-old is currently under contract with Middlesbrough until June 2028, meaning Wolves would need to pay significant compensation to lure him back to familiar territory. Meanwhile, for Boro, who have climbed to third in the table under Edwards after 14 games and seven wins, losing him now would be a massive blow. However, the report mentions that the pull of returning to Wolves, the club where he spent a good amount of time as a player and coach, could prove irresistible.

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  From youth coach to potential saviour

  Edwards’ connection to Wolves runs deep. He made 111 appearances for the club during his playing days before turning to coaching, where he spent several formative years in their youth setup. His journey began with the under-18s in 2014, followed by a stint with the senior coaching staff a year later, and eventually led the under-23s in 2019. Edwards later took the managerial reins at Forest Green Rovers in 2021, guiding them to promotion, before moving up to the Championship with Watford. 

  However, his time at Vicarage Road was short-lived as he was sacked after just ten games. But redemption came swiftly when he joined Luton Town as he masterminded an incredible promotion campaign in 2022–23, dragging the Hatters into the Premier League against all odds. 

• Edwards plays coy, but doesn’t rule it out

  When asked about speculation linking him to a Wolves return, Edwards tried to steer clear of the gossip, but his words only added fuel to the fire.

  "You know my links to the club [Wolves]," Edwards said. "But my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around. Speculation is hard for me to comment about. We've done a decent job so far. It's all speculation anyway. I never get drawn on stuff that's all hypothetical and I don't want to get drawn on that.

  "I love being Middlesbrough manager and that's what I want to think about. All I can say is I've not given it a single thought because my focus is just on this. It's all the stuff that my daughter was telling me about."

  While Edwards remains the prime target, Wolves have also explored other options. Michael Carrick, who is currently without a club, is also said to be under consideration. However, his lack of Premier League experience could be a stumbling block. Former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil was also sounded out, but he reportedly withdrew from the race. 

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  Teti has also left Wolves

  The turmoil at Wolves goes far beyond the manager’s office. On Tuesday, the club confirmed that director of professional football Domenico Teti had left by mutual consent, just months after joining as part of the club’s leadership team. 

  Executive chairman Jeff Shi said: "Domenico approached his role with total professionalism and built strong working relationships across the club during his time with us. He made a positive contribution to our football processes and has carried himself with integrity throughout. We thank him for his efforts and support and wish him every success in the future."

  With just two points from ten matches, Wolves are fighting for survival. For now, interim head coach James Collins will step into the hot seat, taking Friday’s press conference before leading Wolves into a daunting clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It’s their final fixture before the international break, and potentially their final chance to avoid complete collapse before a new era begins. They are eight points away from safety, and if they are to claw their way out of the bottom three, the next appointment must be the right one.

Former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has picked his favourite manager out of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, having achieved great success playing under both.

A glittering career for Gundogan under great managers

The German is now very much in the autumn of his career, but he has arguably been one of the most successful and influential midfielders of his generation.

Gundogan won five Premier League titles and one Champions League crown with City under Guardiola, during the peak of his powers, but he also tasted Bundesliga title glory alongside Klopp in his younger days at Borussia Dortmund.

Guardiola and Klopp are right up with the best managers of the past 20 years, and among the longest-serving coaches in Premier League history, with the pair huge characters who enjoyed a great rivalry during their respective spells in charge of City and Liverpool.

Everyone will have their favourite out of the two, with some preferring the Spaniard’s tactical genius and others liking Klopp’s more free-flowing style, but what about Gundogan?

Gundogan picks between Guardiola and Klopp

Speaking to The Athletic, Gundogan gave Guardiola the edge over Klopp, due to achieving so much trophy-winning success with him in a City shirt.

This is clearly a tough choice for Gundogan, with the 34-year-old an enormous admirer of two people who have had an incredible impact on him as a player, but it does feel right to go with Guardiola, given their dominance of English football together with City.

As mentioned, Gundogan was a younger player with Klopp at Dortmund, scoring a penalty in the 2013 Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich, but he truly came into own as a player at the Etihad, becoming one of the first names on the team sheet in a squad littered with world-class footballers.

The 10 longest-serving Premier League managers

The Premier League has seen some dynasties, and these are the longest.

By
Ben Browning

Nov 21, 2024

His title-winning goal at home to Aston Villa on the final day of the 2021/22 season will never be forgotten by City fans, and Liverpool supporters for that matter, and his talent has been worthy of playing under two managerial greats of the game.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has confirmed a "long-term injury blow" to Lewis Brunt as the Red Dragons continue to struggle following a dreadful start to the 2025-26 season. Brunt has already undergone surgery after he injured his thigh during the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough last Saturday and is staring at a lengthy rehabilitation before he regains match fitness.

• League Cup dream shattered

  Brunt was forced to sit out Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City in the League Cup, which marked the latest chapter in a spiralling campaign for Wrexham. The midweek clash at The Racecourse Ground was meant to be a night of history as it provided them a chance to reach the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1978. Instead, it ended in heartbreak and disappointment. A much-changed Wrexham side fell flat against a fired-up Cardiff team. The visitors took control early on through Yousef Salech’s opener, before former Manchester City striker Kieffer Moore briefly lifted home spirits by levelling the score. But it was Will Fish’s volley that sealed Cardiff’s 2-1 win and bragging rights in their first meeting with Wrexham in 21 years. The final whistle was met with boos and jeers from frustrated supporters, with their anger compounded by another lifeless performance. Their performance in the league has also been ordinary. The Championship newcomers, who climbed from the National League to England’s second tier in just three seasons, are now 16th in the table, having managed just three wins in 12 games. 

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• Parkinson forced to stretch squad

  As if things weren’t bad enough, Parkinson has also confirmed that Brunt is facing a long spell on the sidelines.

  "It's not good with Brunty," he said before the Cardiff game. "He had a scan and he's going to see a specialist. It is a long-term injury; the actual time-scale on that we won't know until he's seen the specialist. We have got problems in a few areas of the team, we're a little bit stretched at the moment, but we'll deal with those and also protect a few of the lads who have been carrying knocks in these last two league games." 

  The manager had to put a lot of thought into picking his starting XI for the League Cup tie, as Parkinson added: "In any situation like this, you have got to balance the team selection out. Not putting players at risk who have played a lot of minutes and after a Wednesday-Saturday game, we have probably got to get some freshness on the pitch. We have got a big game on Friday [against Coventry]. That's what we've done successfully so far in this competition."

  Later, Brunt himself took to social media to deliver an update on his condition, posting: "Gutted. Surgery successful, back soon ❤️”.

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  Pressure mounting after League Cup exit

  Under mounting pressure after the Cardiff loss, Parkinson cut a frustrated figure in his post-match interview. He admitted his team were “off the pace” and lacked aggression in the first half.

  "We were off the pace in the first half," he said. "That’s probably an understatement. We didn’t close down with enough aggression or intent, and made it too easy for them. Then second half I thought the changes got us back in the game, and I felt we could go on and win the game but we probably didn’t produce the right decisions at the right time in that top third of the pitch. We’re hugely disappointed. We knew it was an important night for us, the supporters."

  Parkinson didn’t shy away from criticism either, even directing some of it at himself.

  "We’ve had lots of praise over the years and we’ll take the criticism, myself included, for going out the cup tonight," he said. "We made a lot of changes and I’m sure everybody will be analysing that, like myself, but I did it for the reasons I thought were the right ones with the schedule we’ve got coming up."

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  Lampard's Sky Blues to inflict more pain?

  There will be no respite for the Red Dragons as they return to league duty on Friday night, hosting table-toppers Coventry City, who are managed by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. Needless to say, it will be a daunting assignment for a side short on form, confidence, and fitness. A 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough last weekend offered a brief glimpse of resilience, but with Brunt injured and other key players struggling for rhythm, Wrexham face a fight to keep their season from unravelling entirely. Pressure is ramping up on Parkinson, and he must deliver against a team who are yet to lose in the division. 

West Ham boss Graham Potter could have just this weekend’s game against Everton and their trip to Arsenal to save his job, according to reliable reports, following the Englishman’s uninspired spell in the London Stadium dugout thus far.

When Graham Potter could be sacked by West Ham

As per club insider ExWHUemployee, David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the Hammers board could decide to delay Potter’s dismissal until after their clash with Arsenal at the Emirates.

Despite the humongous pressure on Potter right now, great uncertainty surrounding his position and West Ham weighing up new managers behind-the-scenes, Ex suggests that Sullivan may hand the Englishman his P45 in and around the October international break.

This would give any new manager the chance to make a good start at home to Brentford on October 20 — not to mention a good few weeks to settle in and meet some of his new players.

The 50-year-old could even buy himself more time with a convincing performance against David Moyes’ Toffees at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but it would have to be a tremendous West Ham display to convince large sections of supporters that he’s still the right man to take them forward.

So far, the east Londoners have conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League, with seven of their 13 concessions coming directly from corners.

Since Potter’s appointment in January, West Ham also have the worst overall Premier League record out of every single current side in the division, barring last year’s relegated trio.

Matters are desperate for the ex-Chelsea boss, and Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol has now shared how the squad feel about their under-fire tactician.

How West Ham players really feel about Graham Potter

Speaking on a Sky broadcast, via West Ham Zone, Solhekol claims that, despite their poor start to the season, Potter retains the backing of most West Ham players.

He also reports that the mood around Rush Green is somehow “very positive”, with the squad “united” in getting back to winning ways.

Even if this is the case among Potter’s squad, it is exactly the opposite when it comes to West Ham’s fanbase, who are growing increasingly impatient.

West Ham face fan protests at every Saturday home game this season

As per The Telegraph, the divisive board face protests from supporters at every single Saturday home game this season, with the ‘broken promises’ made after West Ham’s move to the London Stadium viewed as key to their discontent.

West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board sent a letter of no confidence to the ownership recently, having failed to build upon Moyes’ historic Europa Conference League victory in 2023, which ended their 43-year wait for a major trophy.

That night in Prague also marked the club’s first European piece of silverware since 1965, but it’s only been downhill ever since then.

Potter is now the latest coach after Julen Lopetegui to bear the brunt of West Ham’s arguable mismanagement, and it is hard to see how any new manager can restore the positivity from Moyes’ era in charge any time soon.

Real Madrid's young sensation Endrick might be on his way out of the Bernabeu in the upcoming transfer window. Xabi Alonso has reportedly approved a loan move but the 19-year-old has his eyes fixated on representing Brazil at next year's World Cup, and has created a set of deciding factors regarding which club he will join next.

• Endrick on the move?

  Having joined Madrid in 2024 on a six-year contract, Endrick featured 22 times in La Liga and nine times in the Champions League last term. He was Los Blancos' key player in the Copa del Rey campaign, where he produced five important goals in just six fixtures. However, cut to the 2025-26 season, and the Brazilian finds himself in a dilemma. With Alonso replacing Carlo Ancelotti this summer, Endrick has yet to feature for a single minute. Initially out with a hamstring injury before the Club World Cup, he is yet to return to action, and images of a clumsy Endrick warming the bench have also been viral on social media in recent times. At such a juncture, Madrid are planning to loan him out to make sure his potential is not wasted. Marseille were one of the interested parties, according to , but there is no haste from the club.

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  Endrick sets conditions for January move

  According to the report, Endrick has set a few conditions, which will prove vital for his transfer. Firstly, he wants to play in the top European leagues – England, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany, to be precise, but might also consider Portuguese sides Benfica, Sporting CP and Porto. The team must also be a participant in continental competitions and preferably be fighting for domestic trophies. The ex-Palmeiras star would prefer a team with an attacking mindset that will play to his strengths. The Brazilian has represented his nation 14 times, scoring three goals, but in recent times, he has not been called up to the camp. The World Cup is around the corner, and Brazil have already qualified for the quadrennial event. At such a juncture, Endrick has made up his mind to find a new club in order to keep honing his skills and ensure a place in Ancelotti's squad. 

• Alonso changes his mind on teenager

  While Alonso is now ready to sanction Endrick's move in January, he was not interested in any such deed a few days back. Recently, he had addressed the 19-year-old's situation, saying that the player needs to be patient. He said: "It's clear everyone wants to play. And a young player even more so. Given the context, we want to compete right now, and it's difficult depending on the match. He has to be patient, be prepared, and know that he's at Real Madrid. His time will come."

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  Which clubs are in the running?

  While Marseille look at Endrick as a potential replacement for Amine Gouiri and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, since they'll be part of AFCON in early 2026, a report in says United are one of the Premier League teams eager to sign him in January. West Ham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also interested parties. Italian outfit Juventus are also keen for the Brazilian. However, there is no chance of him returning to Palmeiras, where he scored 21 goals in 82 games. As per , Real Sociedad could be a potential suitor for Endrick. While Sociedad are struggling in the attacking third, Madrid want the Brazilian to gain more experience in La Liga. 

  Alonso's team play their next game against Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday, and Endrick's participation is highly doubtful given he has not featured under the Spanish coach so far.