JANUARY WINDOW OPENS: WILL MAN UNITED BEAT LIVERPOOL TO OTHMANE MAAMMA TODAY?
Manchester United join Liverpool in the race for Watford’s Othmane Maamma. Get the latest on Ruben Amorim’s 2026 transfer strategy.
Manchester United is expected to be busy in January, trying to bring in new players.
After a poor showing last season that saw them finish 15th, United wants to get back into the top four this year. Coach Ruben Amorim's team has improved, but there's still work to do. Performances at home against teams like Wolves and Everton prove they still struggle with consistency.
The club knows it has a good chance to grab a spot among Europe's best, especially since Tottenham and Newcastle are struggling and Liverpool, currently in fourth place, looks beatable.
There's talk of big signings in January, like Carlos Baleba from Brighton. Midfield is said to be United's main focus. They're also watching players for the future, with a lot of scouting activity around the star of the 2025 Under-20 World Cup.
Man United and other teams are watching Othmane Maamma, a Moroccan U20 player who's making waves in the Championship.
TEAMtalk reports that United had scouts at Watford to watch Othmane Maamma, along with other clubs.
The 20-year-old winger has caught the attention of Liverpool and Newcastle, who have also sent scouts to see him play in the Championship. Brentford, Brighton, and Sunderland were also reportedly there as Watford won against Birmingham, moving into the top six. Maamma has become a key player for Javi Gracia's team.
Watford signed him from Montpellier for just £1 million this summer. He impressed at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile in October, scoring one goal and providing four assists as Morocco won the tournament. He was named the tournament's best player after some great performances.
Watford might find it hard to refuse a big offer for Maamma in January. It's believed that many clubs were at Vicarage Road earlier this week to watch him.
Man United could compete with Liverpool for his signature, as they are also looking at Yan Diomande, a 19-year-old winger from RB Leipzig, and Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace.
Amorim said that he doesn't expect changes during the January transfer window.
Amorim told reporters that there are no current plans to change the squad. He added that they are close to the Champions League spots but also close to the teams behind them, so they are concentrating on the next game.
He also said that no players have asked to leave this month, and he doesn't think they will.
Although Amorim is downplaying the rumors, United is likely to make some big moves in 2026.
With uncertain futures for Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, and Manuel Ugarte, midfielders are a priority. Injuries to Bruno Fernandes and the absence of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui due to AFCON have further complicated things, stretching United's squad thin.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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