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talk SPORT has you covered for all the latest football news as the Premier League finally returns this evening. After an extended break for internationals and the FA Cup, the top-flight is back and there is plenty of action to come. Arsenal and Manchester United are playing tonight before Manchester City and Liverpool feature on Wednesday. The midweek schedule then ends with Chelsea vs Spurs on Thursday to wrap up a bumper few days. Tuesday, April 1 Wednesday, April 2 Thursday, April 3 Neither game has started very quickly, but Arsenal have had the first shots of the evening. Declan Rice had an effort blocked before Thomas Partey's effort flew wide of the post after a cut-back. At Molineux, the tempo remains slow and there's yet to be a shot on goal from either side. Wolves have seen more of the ball in the early stages. Where will we see the opening goal? We're underway in the two 7: 45pm kick-offs! Arsenal are looking to decrease the gap to Liverpool to nine points at the Emirates against Fulham. Bukayo Saka is back on the bench for the Gunners. Meanwhile, Wolves can go 12 points clear of the relegation zone with a win over West Ham at Molineux. We'll have all the latest updates throughout and kick-off at the City Ground is coming up in 15 minutes. .. Nottingham Forest will be concerned about the absence of Chris Wood this evening at the City Ground. Wood has scored 18 goals this season and he's been a major reason why Forest are in the top four of the Premier League. So much of a reason in fact, that they have a very poor record when playing without him in the team. Under Nuno Espírito Santo, Forest have won just one of their five league games playing without Wood (20 per cent - D1 L3). This is compared to a 46. 7 per cent win rate with the New Zealand striker featuring under Espirito Santo. Advantage Manchester United? Brighton have confirmed a summer signing already. The Seagulls have signed 18-year-old Sunderland winger Tommy Watson and he will join when the window opens. Watson was close to joining the club in January but talks broke down after a fee was unable to be agreed. But the deal is done now and talk SPORT understands the fee for the teenager is £10million. Brighton's technical director David Weir said: "Tommy is an exciting young talent who we have been tracking for a significant period of time. “He's had an excellent breakthrough season with Sunderland, and we are looking forward to him joining us in the summer. “However, for now his full focus is on helping them finish their season as strongly as possible. " Chris Wood has missed out on the Nottingham Forest squad again after picking up a hip injury. Forest's star man is absent despite some hopes being raised by Nuno Espirito Santo, meaning Taiwo Awoniyi starts. Callum Hudson-Odoi is an unexpected absentee for the hosts. As for Man United, Patrick Dorgu is back from suspension with Ruben Amorim making four changes. Joshua Zirkzee leads the line over Rasmus Hojlund while Casemiro comes into midfield alongside Manuel Ugarte. Harry Maguire and Mason Mount return to the bench. Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams, Yates, Danilo, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Elanga, Awoniyi. Subs: Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Toffolo, Dominguez, Moreno, Jota, Sosa, Boly. Man United XI: Onana, Dalot, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Yoro, Dorgu, Ugarte, Casemiro, Fernandes, Garnacho, Zirkzee. Subs: Bayindir, Amass, Lindelof, Maguire, Collyer, Eriksen, Kone, Mount, Hojlund. Evan Ferguson starts for the first time for West Ham this evening, partnering Jarrod Bowen up front. Luis Guilherme also makes a rare start in midfield, while Niclas Fullkrug is fit enough to make the bench. Mohammed Kudus is out with an injury. For Wolves, Matheus Cunha is suspended, so a front three of Marshall Munetsi, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Jorgen Strand Larsen remains. Joao Gomes is in midfield after signing a new contract. Wolves XI: Sa, Doherty, Agbadou, T. Gomes, Semedo, Ait Nouri, J. Gomes, Andre, Munetsi, Bellegarde, Strand Larsen. Subs: Johnstone, Bueno, Djiga, Lima, Traore, Doyle, Hwang, Sarabia, Forbs. West Ham XI: Areola, Kilman, Mavropanos, Cresswell, Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Ward-Prowse, Guilherme, Paqueta, Ferguson, Bowen. Subs: Fabianski, Coufal, Todibo, Emerson, Rodriguez, Alvarez, Soler, Soucek, Fullkrug. Bukayo Saka is on the bench for Arsenal this evening. He makes his first appearance in the Gunners squad since December after recovering from hamstring surgery. Mikel Merino remains up front while Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Martinelli start out wide, with Saka an option to replace them. As for Fulham, Jorge Cuenca starts over Calvin Bassey while ex-Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe comes in too. Raul Jimenez leads the line after a rest in the FA Cup. Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Merino. Subs: Neto, Tierney, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Gower, Sterling, Saka, Trossard. Fulham XI: Leno, Castagne, Diop Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Lukic, Berge, Smith Rowe, Traore, Jimenez. Subs: Benda, Bassey, Sessegnon, Reed, Cairney, Pereira, Iwobi, Willian, Muniz. The Premier League is finally back! 16 days after the last top-flight fixture, we're back in action with a trio of brilliant games this evening. Arsenal will look to cut the gap to league leaders Liverpool to nine points and hope to force some pressure onto the Reds. They face Fulham at the Emirates at the same time Wolves host West Ham aiming to move further clear of the bottom three. At 8pm, Manchester United take on Nottingham Forest who are riding the high of reaching the FA Cup semi-finals. Forest are having a season to remember and another win tonight will see their Champions League dream move closer. We'll have updates from all the Premier League action, so stick with us for the key moments and every goal as they go in! The Premier League have announced that semi-automated offside technology is set to be introduced. It will first be used in top-flight fixtures on Saturday, April 12. The introduction of the technology comes after non-live testing in the league and live operation in the FA Cup this season. The Premier League's announcement read: "Semi-automated offside technology automates key elements of the offside decision-making process to support the video assistant referee (VAR). "It provides more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, using optical player tracking, and generates virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for fans. "The technology maintains the integrity of the process while enhancing the speed, efficiency, and consistency of offside decision-making. "The Premier League has worked in collaboration with PGMOL and sports data and technology company Genius Sports to develop the new semi-automated offside technology system. " Wolves have confirmed that midfielder Joao Gomes has penned a new contract at the club. The Brazilian international has been a key player since moving to Molineux and has established himself as a Premier League player. There were several teams interested in acquiring Gomes, but the Old Gold have tied him down to a new five-year contract. Speaking to the club's website, head coach Vitor Pereira said: “I’m very happy because Joao is a team player. He gives every time 100 per cent, in training, in the games, and he has the quality to help this team and this club to make the next step. “At the end of the game, he’s given everything for the team, defending, attacking, supporting the teammates, and this is what we need in our team, this is the spirit we need at this club. We must come to Wolverhampton with this hunger, this spirit to help the team, help the club to grow up. “He’s very important because he’s a midfielder with physicality and the power to run for 90 minutes, and he’s young. He has big potential and can be a top player. ” The Bellingham family must certainly be proud of Jude and Jobe, and after Jude joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund, his brother could be on the move as well. talk SPORT understands that Jobe is a big summer target for Crystal Palace. He currently plays for Sunderland in the Championship, but if the Black Cats fail to make the Premier League this year, they face a large summer exodus. Jobe is expected to be one of those who moves on, and a transfer to south London might be on the cards. If Sunderland fail to be promoted, expect to see other Premier League clubs compete for Jobe's signature. Former Watford striker Troy Deeney believes that Viktor Gyokeres wouldn't turn Arsenal or Manchester United into title challengers. The Swede has been linked with summer moves to both, with Sporting Lisbon set to let him go. A transfer to Old Trafford would see Gyokeres reunite with Ruben Amorim, while a move to Arsenal would see him lead the line for Mikel Arteta's men. Since leaving Coventry in the summer of 2023, he has scored 85 goals in 92 games for the Portuguese giants. But Deeney told talk SPORT. com that he doesn't think Gyokeres is a natural finisher. He said: "You know when you say something the clip is going to come back in six months. "I genuinely think he's a good footballer, he works really hard, all of that. "But I don't think he's a natural finisher. "And again, everyone is going to pull up his goal record, I get that. "But I don't think he takes either of those two to winning the Premier League. "That's just my opinion, and if he did, they'd have already bought him. "It's not the same league (as the English top-flight). "And we'll find that out when Gyokeres comes over. " Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that they are set to be without Erling Haaland for an extended period of time. The star striker had a weird game against Bournemouth as he missed a penalty and scored before limping off as City made the FA Cup semi-finals. It appeared to be an ankle injury, and ahead of Man City's return to Premier League action, he shared a negative update. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: "Sometimes there are years when this kind of thing happens - it has happened all season. "With all of the injuries we've had this season, I am so sorry for them, and I am sorry for Erling as well. "I wish him a good recovery and to be back as quick as possible. " When asked about when Haaland would be back, he said: "The doctors told me he would be out for between five and seven weeks. "Hopefully, he'll be back for the end of the season and the Club World Cup. " talk SPORT understands that Brighton have slapped £100 million price tags Joao Pedro and Carlos Baleba in an effort to ward off Liverpool. The Reds are planning a summer rebuild, with Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving to join Real Madrid, and several other players also potentially heading out of the door. Arne Slot wants a new striker, and Liverpool like Alexander Isak, though the Magpies are more than reluctant to sell the star forward. That could see the Reds looks at Pedro, but it would take an enormous fee to get him to leave the south coast. The same can also be said for Baleba, with Tony Bloom under no pressure to sell after palming off Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115 million. Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has thanked Wor Flags and the Toon fans for the huge flag of him at the Carabao Cup parade on Saturday. As the players and staff left St James' Park on a couple of open-top buses, a huge flag was unveiled down the front of the Sandman hotel in Newcastle showing the Toon boss. Howe became the first Newcastle manager since Joe Harvey to win silverware on Tyneside, achieving something that Kevin Keegan and even the great Sir Bobby Robson couldn't. He has forged his name into Newcastle's history, and the supporters wanted to make it clear just how much he means to them. Since arriving at Newcastle in 2021, Howe has transformed the Toon into a top side, and winning the Carabao Cup was a moment that many Magpies thought they would never see. Of course, he was taken back by the flag and spoke about it during his pre-match press conference before Newcastle face Brentford. He said: "It was totally unexpected. I didn't know it was there and didn't know it was coming. You're in a little bit of shock in that moment because it's never about one individual, it's never about me, it's always about the team, but there was a lot of thanks from me to the people that thought of that. "To have that connection with the city and the supporters, to acknowledge that they know that I'm trying for them and giving my best in the job - that's a great thing to have. " Jeff Stelling and Ally Mc Coist believe that Bruno Fernandes could leave Manchester United this summer despite Ruben Amorim insisting he won't be sold. The Red Devils captain and star man has been linked with a £90 million move to Real Madrid, but Amorim was adamant that the Portuguese international isn't leaving. However, talk SPORT Breakfast hosts Stelling and Mc Coist can see a scenario in which Man United do sell Fernandes. Stelling said: "I like Amorim, I know he listens to the show, but I'm sorry, it won't be down to Ruben Amorim whether they sell Bruno Fernandes or not. " Mc Coist then added: "100 per cent. You're absolutely spot on. It will be down to one or two other factors. " Stelling then stated: "They're talking £90million from Real Madrid, if Real Madrid genuinely came in with a £90m offer, Jim Ratcliffe is shaking his hand and saying, 'Good luck son. '" Mc Coist then remarked: "He's away. And not only that, there'll be a knock at the door from Fernandes himself, saying, 'Excuse me, I've got a chance to go to Real Madrid here, ' so they are two massive factors, no doubt about it. "But it goes without saying, he has been there only shining light this season, a lot of people have questioned him over whether he should be captain. "I'll be quite frank with you, some of his - tantrums is far too strong a word - but some of his reactions to things are sometimes I don't think are sometimes befitting of a captain. "But I tell you what you cannot argue with, the way he's performed and led by an example as a captain should, so he would be an absolute savage loss to Manchester United. " Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been speaking about the Merseyside derby and his behaviour. The Dutchman was sent off at the end of the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park earlier this year after confronting Michael Oliver at the final whistle. He was handed a two-match touchline ban for his role in the incident, and ahead of the match at Anfield, he has revealed he will try to act differently. However, he's making no promises. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: "I hope I would act differently, but I can't promise that. "I experienced eight minutes of so many controversies against us. I don't think I will experience that again, but you never know. " After the euphoria of winning the Carabao Cup, it is back to the Premier League for Newcastle United, with the Champions League in their sights. The Magpies host Brentford tomorrow, and Eddie Howe has provided an injury update on two key players. Anthony Gordon suffered a hip issue while representing England over the international break, but he's expected to be back in training soon. He was suspended for tomorrow's match anyway, meaning Harvey Barnes will likely start. Meanwhile, Howe hopes to have Dutchman Sven Botman back before the end of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Speaking at his pre-match press conference about Gordon, he said: "He has some nasty bruising around his thigh but he's up and running and feeling quite good. He's not trained with the group yet so we anticipate he'll do that within the next few days. " And on Botman: "Sven's not too bad. He's had a very minor operation just to clean out some floating bone that was in his knee and was causing him a problem. The initial diagnosis was between six and eight weeks but I think he's already got through a few of those. Fingers crossed we'll see him in May. " Liverpool manager Arne Slot has responded to talk of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving this summer. talk SPORT understands the England international has agreed a deal to join Real Madrid and Jude Bellingham, and he will leave his boyhood club for nothing this summer. Ahead of the Merseyside derby on Wednesday, Slot revealed that Alexander-Arnold wouldn't be involved, while he refused to comment on the player's future. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: "His situation is unfortunately that he is injured, otherwise people would have probably spoken about him that he had one or two brilliant performances for the England team. But he's injured and for him that means he is fully focused on his recovery and for us that means we are trying to help him to be back as soon as he can. "For the rest, of course, for eight months it went a bit up and down maybe, with all kinds of talks about him, Virgil [Van Dijk] or Mo [Mohamed Salah]. But we have never been focused on those talks, we have always been focused on what we have to do. "For Virgil and Mo that is trying to win the Merseyside derby, and for Trent, that is making sure he is can get fit as soon as he can. "It's a situation that is there for eight months now and all these three players have performed so well under these circumstances so it doesn't affect me at all. "I think there was a bit of noise about us losing against Paris St-Germain and us losing against Newcastle as well. I always try to be rational. I was a bit more frustrated about the final, because I think we deserved to lose that one. For the first time, we deserved to lose a football game. " Okay, the Premier League is back tonight, meaning we have a round of press conferences to get through. Yesterday, we heard from Mikel Arteta ahead of Arsenal playing Fulham this evening, and today, we will hear from Arne Slot. The Dutchman is speaking right now and is expected to be asked about Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is set to join Real Madrid this summer. It is also the small matter of the Merseyside derby at Anfield. Newcastle United's Eddie Howe is also currently speaking to the press, and he'll no doubt be asked about the club's incredible parade at the weekend. Pep Guardiola is also set to give his thoughts, and he should have an update on Erling Haaland, who hobbled off at the weekend. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is expecting a big summer of spending to help the club take "the next step" and end their wait for silverware. Arteta was speaking a day after the Gunners announced their successor to sporting director Edu, with Andrea Berta, formerly of Atletico Madrid, taking up the reins. Arsenal, whose last trophy was the 2020 FA Cup, have been criticised for not signing a striker in recent windows, and their failure to act has been exposed in the second half of this season with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both sidelined. Without a recognised striker, the north London outfit have fallen 12 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League. It leaves them on course to finish runners-up for the third consecutive season. But speaking ahead of his side's match against Fulham at the Emirates on Tuesday, Arteta said: "It's going to be a big one (summer) and we are very excited about it. "When you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad and the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. "Every summer is big because it is an opportunity and especially because of the number of players we have in the squad right now that is necessary. "But it's a big summer for many things because first of all we have to maintain the good foundations that we have and then obviously how can we improve and evolve the team. " Wayne Rooney says he can understand why a possible move to Spanish giants Real Madrid would be appealing for Liverpool and England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alexander-Arnold is out of contract at Anfield this summer. He has reportedly agreed terms on a free transfer to Real. "If Trent Alexander-Arnold does join Real Madrid this summer, fair play to him. I was once tempted to make a big move to Spain myself, " Rooney said, in his BBC Sport column. "Alexander-Arnold is 26 and out of contract at the end of the season, so he is in a position where he either commits the rest of his career to Liverpool or decides to go to Real - who clearly want him. "If he was to leave Liverpool for any other club you might wonder why, but, because it is Real we are talking about, I don't think you could question it as a career move. " Rooney said that Real, Barcelona and Chelsea made approaches for him in 2010 when speculation was rife about his Manchester United future, before he agreed a new deal at Old Trafford. "A deal with Real looked more likely for a couple of days, but it was Barcelona whom I thought about the most, and how I might fit into their side alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets, " he added. "Real are the same now with superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, so of course it must be appealing to Alexander-Arnold to think about playing alongside them - anyone would feel the same. " Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed they are having a 'temporary issue' regarding the payment of player salaries in March. A club statement continued: "This has occurred as a result of significant sums of money owed to the chairman’s businesses which has in turn impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow. "The chairman is working hard to resolve this situation at the earliest possible opportunity and in the meantime thanks everyone for their patience and understanding. " This is not the first time Wednesday have experienced problems of this nature with chairman Dejphon Chansiri revealing he was concerned the club would be unable to pay players and staff their October 2023 wages on time amid what he described as ‘cashflow issues’. In a bizarre moment, Chansiri asked fans to stump up £2million within a few days to save their club. However, all payments were satisfied within 24 hours and their transfer embargo was lifted. The Owls are currently 12th in the Championship, five points off a play-off spot. Erling Haaland is out for an indefinite period after sustaining an ankle injury yesterday. The forward went off in the second half of Manchester City's FA Cup win at Bournemouth on Sunday having injured his left ankle. City have now confirmed that following tests on Monday, Haaland will see a specialist to confirm the full extent of the injury. While the club didn't give an idea on how long he'll be out for but City did say the Norwegian is expected to be back before the end of the season and should be available to play during this summer's Club World Cup. If Haaland is out for a prolonged period it would be a big blow in City's bid to finish in the top four. City are currently fifth in the Premier League table, a point behind fourth-placed Chelsea with nine games to go. In what's been an uncharacteristically sloppy season for Pep Guardiola's side, Haaland has remained consistent having scored 30 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions with 21 of them coming in the Premier League. Nuno Espirito Santo won't allow excuses from Nottingham Forest when they face Manchester United after playing extra-time on Saturday. Forest went the distance against Brighton and won on penalties to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. They may still be feeling the effects of the 120 minutes of football, but head coach Espirito Santo insists this won't get in their way. "No excuses. Don't give anyone excuses, " he said before their home clash against United on Tuesday. "We're going to go. "We'll assess the players, we'll prepare for the game and we're going to compete. It's very difficult on the players but they are recovering well. "They are always being positive so we are confident we can perform against a good team. "These short turnarounds are all about recovering and fortunately the match is in the evening so it will gives us the day to finalise the details, so we will be OK. "We are delighted that we will play in more matches. We are delighted that we will have more chances to perform and improve and grow as a club and as a squad. "We are in the final stages of the season and we are delighted to be in this position. " © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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