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⚽ The latest football news heading into the weekend

⚽ Premier League: 10 things to look out for | Mail Niall A bit of breaking transfer news from Sky Sports: Wolves have rejected a bid from Leeds for £40m-rated striker Jørgen Strand Larsen! So, despite what Daniel Farke said yesterday (see 9. 24), Leeds do appear to be in the market for attacking reinforcements. This weekend’s Premier League games are the reverse fixtures of the season openers, back in sun-soaked August. Looking back, the most jarring result was Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford, with the teams taking very different trajectories since then. “It was certainly a tough day for us all, but it is pretty obvious to see the development that we have made in the months since that, and I am delighted with the progress we have made, ” Brentford manager Keith Andrews said yesterday. “We have gone day-to-day, week-to-week, and game-to-game to build a team, a squad, a way of playing and a way of working. It is nice to see players flourish and grow in confidence. The way we are playing recently is really pleasing. ” Do you like football but also other sports too? Then the Friday quiz is for you! Eddie Howe is now taking questions, and he says Bruno Guimaraẽs could feature against Aston Villa after suffering an injury against PSV in midweek. “Reasonably positive after the game, so we will give him every chance this weekend, ” the Newcastle manager said. Howe added that Dan Burn is back in training after suffering a punctured lung during December’s derby defeat to Sunderland – and was tight-lipped on transfers, saying the club “won’t panic” but will have to be guided by their PSR situation this month. Régis Le Bris’ side shook off Afcon concerns by going unbeaten while those six players were away. “Our recent form shows the strength of the group, ” the Sunderland manager said yesterday. “It is part of our identity. It is more about teamwork than individuals. We have had players missing, but we have stayed competitive. ” As for West Ham, Nuno Espírito Santo says he has seen an improvement in his players’ morale after winning at Spurs last weekend. “When you perform well and win, the week is good, ” he straight-batted. “The boys have been working really, really hard. ” Sunderland go to West Ham in Saturday’s early kick-off. The club have welcomed back six players who travelled to Afcon, including Habib Diarra of champions Senegal – and they were all presented with framed pictures yesterday, which is a nice touch. This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. The name’s Bord, James Bord. An interesting story from Matt Hughes about the poker player interested in buying Sheffield Wednesday, with links to their cross-city rivals. A few Premier League managers spoke to the media on Thursday, including the man with football’s most exceptional voice, Daniel Farke. He takes his Leeds side to Everton on Monday night, and isn’t planning to make any big January signings beyond the loan move for Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte. “We want to keep the group tight. We want to keep our togetherness and our unity. If we got the feeling there was an option that makes us better, then we would do it. But you also know my attitude - I think the January market is a difficult one, and for that, we are not in panic mode, not under any pressure to do something. ” Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler is the first Premier League manager facing the press today, with Eddie Howe following at 9. 30am (GMT) and Arne Slot at 10am. Then the lunchtime rush will see Andoni Iraola and Pep Guardiola front up at 12. 30pm, Rob Edwards at 1pm and six different managers at 1. 30pm – Michael Carrick, Mikel Arteta, Liam Rosenior, Oliver Glasner, David Moyes and Marco Silva. Aston Villa sealed a top-eight finish in the Europa League after Jadon Sancho’s first goal for the club gave them a 1-0 win over Fenerbahce in Turkey. But the Villa manager, Unai Emery, was involved in a touchline spat with Youri Tielemans after the midfielder was substituted in stoppage time. Emery, who appeared to shove Tielemans as the Belgian left the pitch, appeared to laugh off the incident saying: “He’s my son. He’s my son. ” Emery went on to say he was pleased to secure progress to the last 16, and said: “Europa League is important for us and we have got in the top eight. Building the team with some circumstances not helping us but next week we can finish the transfer window and hopefully we can get everything we need to complete the squad for the competitions we have. ” No Premier League team has a win streak longer than one game, and a turbulent month shows no sign of settling down. Manchester United are enjoying a rare spell as the form side in their city after a derby demolition – Sunday’s trip to leaders Arsenal, fresh off two goalless draws in a row, feels less daunting than it might for Michael Carrick’s men. As for City, their Arctic meltdown in midweek gives a home tie against spirited Wolves an unexpected edge. Will Marc Guéhi be parachuted straight into their threadbare defence? And what next for Palace, with players jumping ship and their manager starting fires? It may depend which version of Chelsea turn up at Selhurst Park. The only team with two league defeats in a row – Thomas Frank’s Spurs! – got a big win at home to Dortmund, but any goodwill gained will be obliterated by defeat at Burnley. Was West Ham’s away win a blip, or is a great escape on the cards? We’ll get an idea in their early kick-off tomorrow, at home to Sunderland. We’ll have all the latest from today’s press conferences, transfer updates and will also look ahead to a big WSL weekend, as Chelsea host Arsenal on Saturday and hope for Manchester City to slip up at London City Lionesses on Sunday. Here we go …