Leeds United
IFAB Considers New Measures After Donnarumma Stoppage Halts Leeds Momentum
IFAB weighs sanctions for goalkeeper stoppages after Donnarumma halted Leeds’ momentum on Saturday.
Lawmakers in football are examining rule changes intended to curb time-wasting linked to goalkeepers receiving treatment. The prospect of forcing an outfield player to spend time on the sidelines is one of the proposals under consideration.
Manchester City were accused of using that tactic over the weekend. Gianluigi Donnarumma received treatment in the second half of Saturday’s clash with Leeds United, giving Pep Guardiola an opening to talk to his team after they were left reeling by a strong burst of form from the visitors. Guardiola denied any skullduggery and even if Donnarumma was hamming it up, he would hardly be the first.
BBC Sport reported that the issue was discussed “at length” in October by IFAB, the International Football Association Board, and the Technical Advisory Panels. One proposal would require an outfield player to spend 30 seconds on the sidelines if that team’s goalkeeper requires treatment. That sidelined player would be nominated by their manager, a suggestion the report said could create complications. An alternative measure under consideration was to ban players from going across to the touchline during these stoppages.
IFAB will likely bring this issue and other proposed rule changes up for further debate at their annual business meeting on Jan. 20, 2026.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke brought the incident into focus after seeing his side’s momentum disrupted. “Everyone knows why he went down, right? It’s not like the elephant in the room,” the German boss seethed. “It’s more like you can speak about it. You can ask me what I think about why he went down. It was obvious.”
Farke acknowledged the act did not currently breach the laws of the game while urging action. “It’s within the rules. It’s smart. If I like it, if it’s in the sense of fair play, if it should be like this, I keep it to myself,” he fumed. “I leave it with the authorities to find solutions for it. It’s within the rules. I asked the fourth official at this point, ‘Do you want to do something?’ He said, ‘No, our hands are tied. We can’t do anything.’”
He added: “We know this happens, but if we don’t educate our players in football, what to do in terms of fair play, sportsmanship and you just try to bend the rules to your advantage, you can even do a fake injury in order to do an additional team talk, it’s nothing I personally like. If it’s within the rules, I can’t complain about it. We should think about how we can deal with it, and also how we educate it.”
Analytics & Stats
One priority signing each Premier League club should target before the window closes
A club-by-club look at the main transfer priority every Premier League side still needs to address.
With less than a month left in the transfer window, Premier League clubs are still expected to be busy. Incomings and outgoings remain likely across the division, and every side still appears to have at least one clear gap to fill before the deadline.
Arsenal may be attracting attention with their pursuit of Vinícius Júnior, but their bigger need is in central midfield. Declan Rice carried too much of the load last season, while Martín Zubimendi faded after the break and Myles Lewis-Skelly is not yet fully trusted there. Another box-to-box midfielder would help enormously.
Aston Villa could soon be short at left back if Lucas Digne leaves, which would leave Ian Maatsen as the only senior option. Bournemouth need more depth in wide areas, Brentford still require a more natural left back, and Brighton & Hove Albion must replace the goals lost with Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have done plenty of work already but still have not addressed the goalkeeper position. Robert Sánchez improved in 2025-26, yet the club still look in need of a top-class solution.
Elsewhere, Coventry City are close to signing Carl Rushworth permanently and would then turn to left back. Crystal Palace need centre-back reinforcements after losing Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix, while Everton must add a defensive midfielder after Idrissa Gana Gueye’s departure.
Fulham will look for winger depth after strengthening up front, Hull City want more options in attack, and Ipswich Town are still waiting for a central midfielder. Leeds United may also need another striker to cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury record.
Liverpool’s most pressing issue is out wide, Manchester City need a right back, Manchester United still want a more destructive midfielder, and Newcastle are alarmingly short at left back. Nottingham Forest must replace Elliot Anderson in midfield, Sunderland need more balance on the left side, and Tottenham Hotspur have already moved aggressively to rebuild after last season’s collapse.
Arsenal
Premier League’s longest-serving managers and the rapid reset shaping 2026/27
A summer reset has left the Premier League with a long list of new managers and just one clear outlier.
The Premier League remains a ruthless place for managers, and the 2026/27 season begins with that reality clearer than ever. A summer of upheaval has left dugouts across the division occupied by a fresh wave of appointments, while one club is still waiting to name a new head coach.
At the top of the list, Mikel Arteta stands alone as the league’s longest-serving manager. Appointed by Arsenal on Dec. 22, 2019, he has outlasted every other current rival and remains comfortably ahead of the pack. Behind him comes Unai Emery, who has been in charge of Aston Villa since Nov. 1, 2022, followed by Daniel Farke, who took over Leeds United on July 4, 2023.
Further down the rankings, the turnover becomes even more obvious. Régis Le Bris and Fabian Hürzeler both arrived in July 2024, while Frank Lampard, David Moyes, Sergej Jakirović, Keith Andrews and Michael Carrick all joined their clubs during 2024 and 2025. The list then tightens further still, with a cluster of appointments made only months before the new campaign.
There are notable cases throughout. Roberto De Zerbi, hired by Tottenham Hotspur on March 31, 2026, sits just outside the top 10. Michael Carrick is inside it after first being named interim Manchester United boss in January and then permanently hired in May. At the other extreme, Álvaro Arbeloa is the latest arrival, taking charge of Fulham on July 7 after an unsuccessful spell as Real Madrid boss.
A number of other clubs have also changed course recently, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Over half the division has turned to new managers in 2026 if Newcastle United are included, with the club still yet to appoint Eddie Howe’s successor.
For now, Arteta remains the benchmark for staying power in a league that rarely gives managers much time.
Bournemouth
USMNT names set for England across the 2026-27 season
A look at the USMNT players set to feature across England’s Premier League and Championship in 2026-27.
English football has long provided a platform for leading USMNT figures, and that remains true as the 2026-27 campaign begins. A number of players who have earned call-ups in the past year will spend the season in England’s Premier League and Championship, continuing a connection that has defined several generations of American internationals.
Tyler Adams is again part of that picture. Almost eight years after leaving New York for Europe, the defensive midfielder built momentum at RB Leipzig before moving on to Leeds United. A strong first year there ended in relegation, but Bournemouth stepped in and brought him back to the top flight. After an injury disrupted his first season on the south coast, he followed with two solid years.
Haji Wright arrives at the new season with momentum of his own. After spells in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Türkiye, he settled at Coventry City and delivered 17 Championship goals last season to help them reach the Premier League. At 28, and with no previous top-flight experience in England, he faces a significant test under Frank Lampard.
Chris Richards has taken a different route to prominence. After failing to establish himself early at Bayern Munich, he has become a key figure at Crystal Palace since joining in 2022. His consistency helped drive Palace through their most successful spell, with Richards playing a major part in the FA Cup and Conference League successes under Oliver Glasner.
Antonee Robinson has spent his career in England and has continued to progress at Fulham after coming through at Everton and spending time on loan at Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic. His 10 assists from defence in 2024-25 underlined his influence.
Brenden Aaronson remains at Leeds after helping the club return to the Premier League in 2025, while Patrick Agyemang must recover from a long-term Achilles injury that could keep him out until 2027. Sebastian Berhalter has joined Middlesbrough from Vancouver Whitecaps, and Aidan Morris is already established there after a busy 2025-26 campaign.
