GM football fans. It’s Friday, Feb. 6 - A points deduction puts Leicester City near the drop zone, Fifa reports a record number of international transfers in January, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MD25: Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Sat 7, 12:30 GMT / 7:30 ET. Man United are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games, though they’re winless in their last six league games against Spurs. However, Thomas Frank’s Spurs side are winless in their last six league games. Arsenal vs. Sunderland, Sat 7, 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 18 home league games against Sunderland, and the away team are winless in their last seven top-flight games on the road. That said, the reverse fixture in November ended as a 2-2 draw. Liverpool vs. Manchester City, Sun 8, 16:30 GMT / 11:30 ET. Man City have only won one of their six Premier League matches in 2026, plus Anfield is one of just two grounds that Erling Haaland has failed to score in the English top-flight. Liverpool have improved of late, with no side losing fewer Premier League games than the Reds since Matchday 13. See every Premier League Matchday 25 fixture here.
Results…
Copa del Rey QF: Betis 0-5 Atletico
Coppa Italia QF: Atalanta 3-0 Juventus
Coupe de France last 16: Strasbourg 3-1 Monaco
TOP TALKING POINTS
Points Deduction Issued
Championship club Leicester City have been handed a six-point deduction for breaching the English Football League’s (EFL) financial rules. The deduction will be applied immediately, meaning the Foxes fall from 17th to 20th in the Championship and are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference—see the table here.
An independent commission ruled that Leicester exceeded the EFL’s Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) threshold by £20.8m. The club argued their allowable loss limit should have been £105m, based on the Premier League’s limit, but the commission ruled it was £83m because they spent two seasons in the Premier League and one in the Championship. Leicester’s calculated PSR loss was £103.8m.
Leicester, who are without a permanent manager, have posted £320.5m in pre-tax losses since their Champions League season in 2016-17. In three of the last five seasons, wages have exceeded revenue, and in their 2022-23 Premier League relegation season, the Foxes had the highest wage bill ever for a relegated English club (£206m).
Ronaldo Issued Warning
The Saudi Pro League has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that “no individual — however significant — determines decisions beyond their own club.” It follows Ronaldo’s frustration that his former teammate, Karim Benzema, moved to league leaders Al Hilal from Al Ittihad earlier this week, a move Ronaldo reportedly tried to block. Benzema scored a hat-trick on his debut for Al Hilal in a 6-0 win over Al Okhdood on Thursday.
In a statement, a Saudi Pro League spokesperson said: "The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules.” It continued: “Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters."
Al Nassr are expecting Ronaldo to play on Friday against Al Ittihad, sources said, after he failed to feature in a match on Monday against Al Riyadh.
Record Transfer Window
A record number of 5,973 international transfers were recorded in the January trading window for men’s football, according to a Fifa report. While this marks a 3% increase from the previous year in cross-border deals, the total spending was down about 18% from last year’s record, to $1.95bn.
English clubs were again the biggest spenders with a $363m (£268m) outlay on transfer fees and recouped just $150m (£111m) by selling players to clubs in other countries. Italy followed in second with $283m (£209m), with Brazil, Germany, and France also making the top five. Meanwhile, French clubs benefited most, earning $218m (£161m) in transfer sales.
In women’s football, clubs spent more than $10m (£7.38m) on international transfers, up 85% from the previous record a year ago. English women’s clubs topped the spending with over $5m (£3.6m), and were also the biggest earners. Read the women’s report here.
POLL
Should teams use ‘dark arts’ tactics if it improves their chances of winning?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior says Arsenal showed his side a lack of respect during the warm-up for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final (More)
> Real Madrid forward Rodrygo has been handed a two-match ban for insulting a match official during last week's 4-2 Champions League loss at Benfica (More)
> Monaco have dropped Paul Pogba from their Champions League squad for the knockout stages in order to make room for their January new signings (More)
> Germany forward Serge Gnabry has extended his contract at Bayern Munich by two years until 2028 (More) | Cologne Under-19s have broken the attendance record for a Uefa Youth League match with 50,000 people watching the side take on Inter Milan (More)
> Celtic are moving closer to an agreement with former England international and free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (More)
Americas
> The Northern Super League, Canada’s top-flight women’s league, announced its 2026 regular season schedule; see the full schedule (More)
> Inter Miami will play Barcelona SC on Saturday (Feb 7) as part of their pre-season; see all MLS pre-season matches (More)
> Sporting Kansas City has signed 15-year-old midfielder Zamir Loyo Reynaga, putting him on a trajectory for a 2027 MLS debut (More)
Rest of the World
> Former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran is on his way to join Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia (More)
> Richard Keys and Andy Gray will leave their roles fronting coverage for Qatari broadcaster beIN SPORTS at the end of the season (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you ever think it’s right for a footballer to boycott a match over a dispute with their club?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (26%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (69%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 R.B: “It’s selfish of fans to expect players to play for owners who are doing them wrong when we as workers in society wouldn’t work for an employer who treats us unfairly. Players have an obligation to the club and fans, but the owners have an obligation to the players.”
🙅♂️ L.J: “The Ronaldo situation is obviously rather unusual given the PIF aspect, but seriously, who does he think he is that he can try and block the Benzema deal — a transfer that didn't directly involve the weakening of his club?! It was akin to Declan Rice trying to stop Isak from joining Liverpool! Agitating for a move is one thing, and if your head isn't in the right place due to a failed transfer, then that's another matter, maybe miss a game, two at most in that situation, but ultimately you're paid to play football, and fans pay money to see you do just that.”
🙅♂️ G.P: “The player has signed an often very lucrative contract. If they aren’t happy with things, it should be resolved behind closed doors with the manager. It can’t do a player’s reputation any good as potential future employers will be put off by such behaviour.”
✍️ C.S: “This is not a simple yes or no question. From what I understand of the Al Nassr and CR7 situation, my answer would be ‘no.’ However, if a player opts to boycott over something a club is permitting that contradicts his or her religious beliefs, or even moral standards, the answer is ‘yes.’”
EXTRA TIME
Ref cam of Chelsea and West Ham brawl released.
Why are Real Madrid players training in masks?
Seven big name free agents this summer.
There are fewer big wins in the Prem—here’s why.
The most remarkable almost-one-club players in football.
Newcastle CEO talks new stadium and 2030 ambition.
GAME FACE ON
Question: James Milner is Leeds’ second-youngest top-flight debutant in 2022. Can you name the player who was younger than Milner when he made his debut a year later, in 2003?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
Stevo
Answer
Aaron Lennon.
