In-stadium VAR Announcements

GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 28 - Neymar’s homecoming, the transfer market big spenders, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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FIXTURES

Champions League, Wednesday 29, 20:00 / 15:00: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool. Arne Slot has secured seven wins in seven in the UCL since taking over Liverpool, while PSV have suffered just one home defeat in their last 53 matches across all competitions. Brest vs Real Madrid. Los Blancos have won five of their last six away matches, but Brest are unbeaten in all three of their UCL home games this season. Aston Villa vs Celtic. Despite a strong start to the UCL, Villa are winless in their last three matches across all competitions. Meanwhile Celtic are assured of at least a play-off finish in the league phase. See the full UCL fixtures here.

Editor’s Note: There are no UCL fixtures on Tuesday. All 18 remaining games are being played on Wednesday, simultaneously. We’ll include more fixtures ahead of the games in tomorrow’s edition.

Results…

• La Liga: Alaves 1-1 Celta Vigo (League Table)

• Serie A: Venezia 1-1 Verona | Genoa 2-0 Monza (League Table)

• EFL Championship: Burnley 0-0 Leeds (League Table)

TOP TALKING POINTS

Neymar Move Imminent

Neymar is close to returning to his former club Santos as verbal agreements have been reached, multiple reputable outlets confirm. If the deal is completed, Neymar is set to travel to Brazil this week and could play for Santos as early as February 5.

The Brazilian’s contract with Al Hilal–where he reportedly earns a base salary of $107m a year–will likely be terminated. Since joining Al Hilal from PSG in August 2023, Neymar has made just seven appearances. The frustrations with his injuries led to the team’s manager Jorge Jesus stating earlier this month that the 32-year-old "no longer plays at the level we are used to.”

There are still some complications before the deal will go ahead. Neymar is reportedly trying to recoup some of the $65m remaining in his current deal with Al Hilal. While this is a sticking point, he’s expected to make up some of the shortfall having himself and his father, Neymar Santos Sr., become part of an investment fund that includes shares in Santos.

Neymar holds the record for the most expensive footballer in history with his move from Barcelona to PSG worth €222m in 2017. See the full list of players here.

Transfer Spending Up

Premier League clubs have spent £247m on transfers this month–up from last year’s £90m total–with a week left in the January window. Manchester City have spent the most in this window with four new signings, costing the club £123m. Ligue 1 is the next highest-spending league at £106m, with over half spent on PSG’s signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. 

On the other hand, La Liga has spent just £2m–a fraction compared even to the EFL Championship’s £44m spend so far. It’s thought this is because of stringent financial rules, plus the financial struggles felt by Barcelona, one of the league’s biggest spenders.

In terms of other potentially notable deals, Manchester United could offload Alejandro Garnacho to Napoli or Chelsea. Marcus Rashford is also for sale. Meanwhile, Arsenal are "actively looking" to sign a striker, with Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, Wolves' Matheus Cunha and Newcastle's Alexander Isak all linked.

See all the deals from Europe’s top five leagues here.

VAR Announcement Trial

Germany’s two top tiers will trial referees explaining VAR decisions to stadium spectators via loudspeakers on Saturday (1. Feb) and Sunday (2. Feb). Nine clubs, including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, have volunteered to be part of the trial.

The trial will take place over five matches. Referees will explain a decision after they have been to the review area and screen or the VAR has suggested they overturn a decision. The German Football League’s (DFL) aim is to further transparency in referring decisions.

The pilot scheme in Germany follows the trialling of in-stadium VAR announcements in the English Carabao Cup semi-final this month. Referee Stuart Atwell became the first referee in England to announce a decision by VAR inside the stadium during Tottenham and Liverpool’s first-leg bout.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> Ruben Amorim says he’d rather pick a 63-year-old goalkeeping coach over Marcus Rashford because of a perceived lack of effort (More) | Manchester City have bought New York City FC defender Christian McFarlane; NY FC will receive a sell-on percentage if he is sold in the future (More)

> Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has signed a contract extension that will keep him in his post until Euro 2028 (More)

> Stuart Kettlewell resigns as Motherwell manager after he felt fan abuse was affecting his family (More) | Police are investigating "threats and abuse" directed at referee Michael Oliver following Arsenal's game against Wolves (More)

> Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen denies punching a Turkish journalist and plans to take legal action against him (More) | Radja Nainggolan has been arrested in a drug smuggling investigation (More)

Americas

> Major League Soccer announced plans to build on its broadcast studio and evolve MLS productions, offering more content and centralising its broadcast content and graphics (More)

> Juventus captain Danilo has left the club by mutual consent and he is reportedly going to join Brazilian club Flamengo (More)

> Miguel Almiron has reportedly joined Atalanta United from Newcastle for $11.4m (More)

> Canada head coach Jesse Marsh is confident he can help secure the nation’s first-ever win at a World Cup tournament (More)

Rest of the World

> The Final Draw for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 concluded (Full Draw Results)

> Auckland FC manager Steve Corica said their strong first season in Australia's A-League is down to the club's culture and players' attitude (More)

> Ivan Toney scored twice today as Al-Ahli won 5-0; he now has 11 goals for the season (More)

> Timur Kapadze was named Uzbekistan's national team coach following the departure of Srecko Katanec due to ill health (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Do managers have a duty to protect young players' confidence when they debut in the first team?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Absolutely... (89%)

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅 Nope... (9%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (2%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👍 W.G.P: “Young players are an asset. Good coaches and leaders are responsible for managing and developing their assets, and maintaining confidence is a major part of that, for both young and old players. If confidence were not important, we wouldn't constantly hear discussions from analysts about whether teams have "belief" or not.”

• 🙅 F.B: “They are there to win, period. If they thought they were good enough to play for the first team, then they should be able to handle it.”

• ✍️ D.J: “Any manager is going to want to get the best from their new players, which will mean they should protect their confidence when they start. However, protection should not come at the cost of real and honest feedback. At this level, the ability to accept constructive criticism and work on it should be part of the mentality that (presumably) is one of the reasons they've been given a debut in the first team. Encourage and protect, whilst being honest about their performance.”

EXTRA TIME

Referee David Coote’s first interview since sacking. (Source warning: The Sun via YouTube)

Which league is expected to get an extra UCL spot next season?

When Denis Irwin faced Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fan builds his own stand to watch from his garden.

The high school student who topped FPL charts.

Sacramento Republic FC’s classy new home kit.

Is this the worst unveiling video in history? (via X)

BBC’s Premier League team of the week.

The biggest Champions League upsets ever.

Could Spurs really get relegated?

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who managed AC Milan during their unbeaten Serie A season in 1991-92?

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

EFL Championship

• Portsmouth vs Millwall (19:45)

*All time in UK. ET -5. CST -6. PST -8. MST -7. CET +1.

Answer

Fabio Capello.