In a move that has surprised absolutely no one who follows football, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alex Scott, Cole Palmer, and Rio Ngumoha have been recalled to the England squad. Phil Foden, meanwhile, has been left out, presumably to make room for yet another midfielder who will be played out of position.
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Jason Steele. Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrod Branthwaite, Trevor Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Tino Livramento, Nico O'Reilly, Jarrell Quansah. Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Alex Scott. Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Rio Ngumoha, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka.
Fabian Hurzeler, riding high with Brighton, offered some caffeine-fuelled insight ahead of his side's clash with Arsenal: "Bart [Verbruggen] buys the coffee when he keeps a clean sheet. Before coming here I didn't drink coffee, it's becoming a daily habit. Mines an espresso macchiato." Because nothing says Premier League management like espresso-based incentive schemes.
Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane has named his first France squad, ahead of a match against Turkey in Izmit on 25 September, followed by a trip to Belgium and then home games against Italy and Belgium in October. New faces include goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, defenders Jeremy Jacquet and Andy Diouf, midfielder Lucas Da Cunha, and forward Esteban Lepaul. The full squad: Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (Milan), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), Robin Risser (Lens). Defenders: Andy Diouf (Inter), Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus), Ibrahima Konate (Real Madrid), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich). Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Lucas Da Cunha (Como), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris St Germain). Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Liverpool), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Desire Doue (Paris St Germain), Esteban Lepaul (Rennes), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich).
In other news, Kylian Mbappe has been waxing lyrical about his new venture: "From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow's game. I want to bring my experience and perspective into what we create, push what's possible through innovation, and always stay true to the joy of football. We have a shared dream, and this is only the beginning." Because what the world needs is another celebrity-branded product line.
Jacob Steinberg has weighed in on the England squad, noting that hauling Trent Alexander-Arnold out of cold storage is "intriguing if slightly perplexing." Why now? Does Tuchel actually trust the Real Madrid defender? Would Alexander-Arnold, who hadn't been selected since June 2025, be there if Spence, James, or even Ben White were fit? The former Liverpool right-back has been in fitful form for José Mourinho's Madrid and has never established himself with England. Tuchel, who does not intend to use the 27-year-old as a midfielder, told newcomers that earning a call-up had to be followed by performing in an England shirt.
In the ongoing saga of JJ Gabriel, the Press Association understands Manchester United will not accept the 15-year-old's request to be de-registered and have sought to persuade him to stay. However, there remains a risk that Gabriel could use a FIFA loophole to walk away when he turns 16 on October 6. He wouldn't be allowed to join another Premier League club if United don't cancel his registration, which runs until the summer, but as he qualifies for an EU passport via his Irish lineage, there is precedent that would allow him to sign for a European club after his birthday. On Friday, reports suggested Gabriel had arrived in Barcelona, having also been linked with Real Madrid, Paris St Germain, and Bayern Munich.
Michael Carrick, clearly thrilled with the attention, said: "I think he's a young boy, JJ, and I think it's important that we certainly don't play anything out here. I think the exposure and the scrutiny and everything, you've got to be careful and be sensible and think of him as much as anything, so the situation will work itself out, whatever way it's going to work itself out. Making sure he's okay is the important thing."
In geopolitics-meets-football news, Ukraine's minister of youth and sports, Matvii Bidnyi, has responded to Russia's admission to the U-15 World Cup, saying it "legitimised a terrorist state." He added: "The international sports community must maintain unity and principled consistency, ruling out any concessions to the aggressor state. The FIFA football festival in Azerbaijan featuring the Russian under-15 national team with official national symbols - is nothing less than the legitimisation of a terrorist state, even if framed as an unofficial festival format. It is a direct attempt to provide Russians with a platform to display state symbols and spread Russian propaganda. While Russian youth are admitted to international football festivals, the aggressor state continues to commit crimes against Ukrainian children. According to Bring Kids Back UA, more than 20,000 cases of deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children by Russia have been verified, which underpins the ongoing International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. What 'equal opportunities' can we talk about when Russia has deprived our children of a normal childhood? We express our gratitude to Iceland and Germany for refusing to participate in this festival. We call on other national associations to join this decision and make a clear stand. FIFA's 2022 decision to suspend Russia from international competitions must remain inviolable across all levels - without any loopholes for unofficial tournaments."
In FIFA news, via the Associated Press: The soccer body's vice presidents from Europe and North America have written to president Gianni Infantino, calling for each member federation to get an extra $10 million from its swelling cash reserves after a successful World Cup. The letter says FIFA should have cash reserves of $6 billion after the World Cup and can afford such a "one-off release" - which would total $2.1 billion to the 211 federations - UEFA's president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf's leader Victor Montagliani tell Infantino in a letter seen by AP. This comes as they step up efforts to oust him for trying to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors.
Fabian Hurzeler also shared his thoughts on Brighton's form: "The players are in a good mood. They have a lot of confidence. They have a lot of belief in themselves. They build connections, especially when you have these long away trips. We really try to make them connect through games, through conversations, through discussions they have, and I think that's crucial that we can use this time very effectively because on the pitch in the end it will come back to these things - how strong are the relations, can they trust each other, can they rely on each other? So yes, it's positive."
Michael Carrick, when asked about his future, was less than impressed: "In terms of the future and ownership and how long I've got, it's totally nothing. Thinking about it is ridiculous in the position I'm in. It's just not on the radar. We've got to perform and we've got a lot of games to plan for." He added: "History tells you that any team that's successful goes through periods when you have to work through it, come through it and improve. We've had a small period, in recent time, when it hasn't been exactly what we want it to be. I was expecting a point when we would go through it, it was going to come. We had such a good spell last season, going into this season. It is a week or two, the games haven't gone our way. It's tiny margins in some of those games. We will work through it. Winning games is always the answer, it can cover up a lot of things at times as well. Sometimes it's the small disappointments that lead to something a bit bigger. It's part of coping and being at this great football club."
On the England squad, Martin Jachnik got in touch: "Adam Wharton, need I say more?" His continuing omission remains a mystery. Similar goes for Morgan Gibbs-White.
There are reports that JJ Gabriel, Manchester United's enfant terrible, is in Barcelona for talks. Confirmation needed, but that looks like the end of his time in Manchester.
Leeds have had a fine start to the season, though Daniel Farke, who a year ago was under pressure, is keeping feet on the ground: "It's not a coincidence anymore. It's not just a good period, it's quality what we are delivering and everyone can be proud of this and take lots of confidence. But, in this league nothing is guaranteed. The momentum can change very quickly. If we think we can be big time, it is the first step to failure. We won't be successful at all. The table at the moment is not important. What is important is we are on eight points - this is quite good. But not good enough to achieve what we want to achieve."
This was an unfortunate misjudgement from those at Oxford. Imagine the panic when the mistake came to light. This game will be broadcast on ITV, terrestrial TV in the UK, on Saturday. What could possibly go wrong?
In a piece on the Millwall vs. Crystal Palace rivalry, the writer notes: "There is nothing to glorify here. This will be the 100th competitive meeting, if discontinued, minor tournaments are included, and anyone failing to see the logic behind the rivalry can be forgiven. The sides are not on each other's doorstep and Millwall are south of the Thames, meaning Crystal Palace and Charlton are more obvious enemies. Yet it is not really about football. The tribalism runs deep, dating back to when the clubs were formed by rival shipbuilding firms at docks on the Isle of Dogs in east London, and is more down to hooligan elements than anything that happens on the pitch."
Roberto De Zerbi will be glad to hear he has the backing of Unai Emery, whose Aston Villa team play Tottenham on Sunday: "De Zerbi is a fantastic manager. He played fantastic football here and performed fantastic here in Brighton. He did a fantastic job before as well in Italy and Marseille. They are getting better. They compete fantastic, even losing against Liverpool. Facing them is a difficult match. Of course, being very demanding defensively for us. Tottenham, I expect them to be in the top four."
David Moyes also chimed in on Jarrad Branthwaite's deserved call-up: "I'm really pleased for anybody who gets selected for their country. Jarrad even more so because of the injuries that he's had but I was hearing that he's only got one England cap and it was only 25 or 27 minutes or something. I hope he doesn't play four games that's for sure."
We've still got a good number of Premier League press conferences to come this afternoon. As well as Arbeloa, Daniel Farke, Pierre Sage and others have been facing the media glare in the past hour or so. And here to guide you through it all is the venerable Mr John Brewin.
Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has been asked about Michael Carrick being under pressure ahead of his side's clash with Manchester United: "Every Premier League manager is under pressure, it's the same for every manager. It's not because what comes from outside it's because you have to be really demanding from yourself. All the managers, we want to win every weekend and for sure when you are a coach of a big team you are always under pressure, but it's the same for me because I need to win games."
Carrick hit back at journalists today by claiming the suggestion his job was under threat was "ridiculous." On United's indifferent form, he added: "History tells you that any team that's successful goes through periods when you have to work through it, come through it and improve. We've had a small period, in recent time, when it hasn't been exactly what we want it to be. I was expecting a point when we would go through it, it was going to come. We had such a good spell last season, going into this season. It is a week or two, the games haven't gone our way. It's tiny margins in some of those games. We will work through it. Winning games is always the answer, it can cover up a lot of things at times as well. Sometimes it's the small disappointments that lead to something a bit bigger. It's part of coping and being at this great football club."