Football news LIVE: Mourinho agrees Benfica return, another late Liverpool winner and Kane downs Chelsea
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17th Sept 2025, 17:54By Jake Lambourne
Jose Mourinho is weighing up whether to go for the Portugal job after the 2026 World Cup, talkSPORT understands.
Final negotiations are taking place with Benfica and the Special One.
Mourinho has asked for a one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.
The legendary Portuguese manager could take Benfica training as early as Thursday.
If all goes to plan, Mourinho's first match back at Benfica, who he managed in 2000, will be away at AVS Futebol SAD.
And his first Champions League match will be away at former club Chelsea on September 30.
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17th Sept 2025, 17:43By Jake Lambourne
Matt Hobbs has now started work as Crystal Palace's sporting director, talkSPORT understands.
Hobbs had worked in the same role for the Eagles' Premier League rivals Wolves.
He has spent ten years at Molineux, where he also worked as the club's chief scout and head of recruitment.
But he has now linked up at Selhurst Park having replaced Dougie Freedman.
But I think that's what I've been told.”
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17th Sept 2025, 16:45By Jake Lambourne
Robbie Savage and Forest Green Rovers made use of a loophole in the National League Cup on Tuesday night.
Savage's Forest Green had just kicked off against Wolves U21s in their cup tie before he made a strange decision.
The non-league side made four substitutions after just one minute of the game in which they went on to win 3-2.
Savage took off Tom Knowles, Kyle MacAllister, Neil Kengni Kuemo and Abraham Kanu just seconds after the first kick.
It was Yahya Bamba, James Balagizi, William Merrett and Akai Bonnick who took their place.
But as bizarre as this seemed at the time, the Forest Green boss had a perfectly good reason to make the changes.
He was taking advantage of a loophole to avoid breaking the National League Cup rules.
Rules state that each team in the competition must field a team that includes at least four players who started their last league game.
Knowles, MacAllister, Kuemo and Kanu did just that - and it appears they were chosen to start just to fulfil that requirement.
But then as soon as the game started, Savage opted to save their legs for a future fixture, replacing them with others from the squad who have had fewer minutes this season.
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17th Sept 2025, 16:15By Jake Lambourne
Gianluigi Donnarumma has stressed he only had eyes on joining Manchester City amid rumours linking him with Manchester United in the summer.
The goalkeeper linked up at the Etihad from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day for £26million.
And he has quickly endeared himself to the Citizens faithful after keeping a clean sheet on his debut in the 3-0 win over rivals United last time out.
Speaking ahead of City's Champions League opener with Napoli, Donnarumma said of his transfer: "Before the summer I knew that City were very interested in me.
"And then the relationship strengthened after the Club World Cup and I knew the coach was pushing for my arrival here, everyone wanted me here.
"That really spurred me on.
I hope to do it for many more years to come."
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17th Sept 2025, 15:44By Jake Lambourne
Crystal Palace have been fined £8,693 by UEFA following a banner they displayed last month.
During their first leg Conference League play-off first leg against Fredrikstad at Selhurst Park, Palace supporters aimed a stinging jibe at Europe's governing body.
Showcasing UEFA logo's, the words inside the crest read 'UEFA Mafia'.
The middle of the logo contained a Euro symbol as they hit out at UEFA's decision to demote them from the Europa League.
Similar banners were also seen during their Community Shield win over Liverpool, and in their Premier League opener away at Chelsea.
And Palace have now been dished punishment for bringing the governing body into disrepute and transmitting a message that is not fit for a sports event under articles 16(2)(e) and 11(2)(d) of UEFA regulations.
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17th Sept 2025, 15:16By Jake Lambourne
Manchester United have released their financial results for the year ending June 30, 2025.
Despite suffering their worst-ever Premier League season, the club achieved record revenues in a boost for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The Red Devils ended last season in 15th as they missed out on European football for the first time in 11 years.
Meanwhile, their points tally of 42 was their lowest in a top-flight campaign since suffering relegation in 1974.
However, those on-field woes did not prevent United from achieving £666.5million in revenue.
It is the highest annual revenue in the club's 147-year history despite not competing in the Champions League last term.
Responding to the financial results, chief executive Omar Berrada explained: "To have generated record revenues during such a challenging year for the club demonstrates the resilience which is a hallmark of Manchester United.
"As we settle into the 2025-26 season, we are working hard to improve the club in all areas."
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17th Sept 2025, 14:47By Jake Lambourne
Phil Jones has received a Diploma in Sport Directorship after graduating from the PFA Business School.
The former Manchester United defender was presented with his diploma at a ceremony on Tuesday.
Jones was a member of the latest graduating class after completing a course with the Professional Footballers' Association.
He was amongst the current and former players to be recognised at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
Newcastle's Yoane Wissa and five-time Premier League winner Ilkay Gundogan were also amongst the graduating class.
Jones, who retired aged 32 last year, is looking ahead to putting his Diploma to use in the future.
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17th Sept 2025, 14:15By Jake Lambourne
Wolves are in talks with boss Vitor Pereira to tie him down to a new deal, talkSPORT understands.
The 57-year-old took charge at Molineux in December with the Midlands outfit sitting 19th in the table.
He guided the club to safety, with Wolves eventually finishing 16th in the Premier League table.
His current deal expires in 2026, with Wolves chiefs looking to extend his stay.
And given he is a client of super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has a big influence in the boardroom at Molineux, negotiations are expected to be relatively straightforward.
Wolves currently sit at the bottom of the table having failed to take a single point from their opening four games.
But Pereira has plenty of credit in the bank with the club’s hierarchy.
And if things go smoothly, Pereira could seal new three-year deal before the weekend.
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17th Sept 2025, 13:49By Jake Lambourne
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hasn't taken kindly to his side not being considered to be one of the favourites to lift the Champions League.
The 2023 winners get their campaign underway on Thursday night against Napoli at the Etihad.
And speaking in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola appeared to make a slight dig at those already writing the Citizens off.
He said: "Apparently we are not [contenders].
"Just enjoy the moment, we are happy to be here after the path we have been [on] so we are just focusing on tomorrow and the game we have to play and starting well in this competition.
"We have more games than the previous seasons.
but if you start with a bad result it can be difficult.
"Last season we drew the first game against Inter [Milan] and hopefully we can do better."
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17th Sept 2025, 13:18By Jake Lambourne
The opening night of the 2025/26 Champions League season saw Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur beat Spanish opposition.
We saw Trent Alexander-Arnold limp off just five minutes for Real Madrid with a hamstring injury, while Juventus and Borussia Dortmund produced a stunning 4-4 draw.
Attention now turns to another massive night.
At Anfield, we will see Liverpool take on Atletico Madrid, where Alexander Isak is expected to play some part.
It is a repeat of one of the final games before COVID, where Atletico knocked the Reds out of the Champions League.
And in Bavaria, Chelsea are taking on Harry Kane and co.
It should be an absolute cracker, and both will be on the talkSPORT network.
Elsewhere, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain start their campaign.
17:45: Olympiacos vs Pafos17:45: Slavia Prague vs Bodo/Glimt20:00: Ajax vs Inter Milan20:00: Bayern Munich vs Chelsea – talkSPORT 220:00: Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid – talkSPORT20:00: PSG vs AtalantaCopied
17th Sept 2025, 12:51By Joe Brophy
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has claimed that he is not surprised by Scott McTominay's form at Napoli.
"No [I'm not surprised]," Guardiola stressed.
"He has really good conditions [in Naples].
I haven't seen it back properly, so I can't say what I think at the moment."
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17th Sept 2025, 08:50By Joe Brophy
Jose Mourinho has agreed a deal to become Benfica's new manager, talkSPORT understands.
The Portuguese giants sacked ex-Wolves boss Bruno Lage on Tuesday night after losing at home to Qarabag in the Champions League.
While announcing Lage's sudden departure, club president Rui Costa revealed a new manager would be put in place immediately.
Costa said: "Regarding the new coach, we expect that by Saturday, in Vila das Aves, he will already be on the bench."
Mourinho is now set to be confirmed as their new boss just 19 days after he was sacked by Fenerbahce.
Ironically, the three-time Premier League winner was given his marching orders after losing a Champions League qualifier to Lage's Benfica in August.
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16th Sept 2025, 22:27By Jake Lambourne
Brentford have sealed their place into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Aston Villa on penalties.
The Villans opened the scoring through Harvey Elliott - the club's first goal of the season - before Aaron Hickey equalised in the second half in spectacular fashion.
And it was the hosts that emerged victorious, with John McGinn and Matty Cash missing in the shootout with the Bees scoring each of their four efforts.
"I didn't meet with Bernardo [Silva] or Ruben [Amorim] before the game.
"Ruben is under contract with Manchester United, and I don't comment on Manchester United's results."
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16th Sept 2025, 15:30By Ciaran Wiseman
Paulo Wanchope is eyeing a return to English football as he looks to take the next step in his managerial career, talkSPORT understands.
The Costa Rican recently left his role in charge of Deportivo Saprissa in his homeland after five months at the helm.
Wanchope still has family living in the UK and believes his coaching style is well suited to English football.
The 49-year-old’s playing career saw him score 50 goals in 156 Premier League appearances for Derby, Manchester City and West Ham.
He has held a string of managerial positions since retiring back in 2008.
Most notably of those, he spent six months in charge of the Costa Rican national team in 2015 before returning to club football.
Wanchope also guided Cartagines to a Costa Rican Cup triumph three years ago.
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16th Sept 2025, 15:20By Ciaran Wiseman
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has paid a touching tribute to Ricky Hatton.
The former world champion sadly passed away aged 46 on Sunday.
Kompany, who captained Hatton's beloved Manchester City for eight years, spoke of his impact on the city on Tuesday.
During his pre-match press conference ahead of Bayern's clash with Chelsea, the Belgian said: "If you've been in Manchester, you understand how big Ricky was.
"All Mancunians would have been talking about.