Arne Slot suffers transfer blow as ‘anti-Liverpool’ deal weighed up to block move​

With temperatures dipping and the winter chill beginning to bite up in the terraces, many clubs in the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga and beyond have released their official Christmas sweaters to keep their fans cosy throughout the festive period.

Where once we were awash in a sea of cheap and cheerful acrylic, many (but by no means all) of Europe’s biggest teams are putting a considerable amount of effort into their jumpers, with some producing an array of legitimately stylish designs.

Most designs are inspired by standard Christmas themes: Santa, reindeer, snowmen. However, some clubs have chosen to pay homage to their stadiums, city, badges and even their recent trophy hauls. Some have created chic knitwear that would be the toast of any Yuletide gathering, while others targeted the ironic ugly sweater market.

After scouring the club shops of the continent to peruse the full gamut of footballing Christmas knitwear available this year, we have picked out the best (and a few of the worst) of the bunch and signed each one off with a rating out of 10.

Firmly upholding Milan’s reputation as the fashion capital of the world, this tartan-themed Yuletide offering from the Rossoneri is traditional and refined — from the delicate knitted pattern to the gilded laurels of the club’s commemorative 125th-anniversary crest. Stick a name and number on the back and the team could probably wear it during their pre-Christmas fixtures.

Rating: 9/10

The Dutch club’s latest festive sweater design features a fun cartoon that makes the wearer look a little bit like Santa Claus. Ideal if you urgently need to pretend to be the big guy at short notice but don’t have access to a full costume.

Rating: 5.5/10

Arsenal have presented fans with a couple of alternatives when it comes to their Christmas catalogue. The first is a decent retro kit-themed jumper which is covered in snowflakes, trees and fleur-de-lis. But the other, more notable design is a tribute in 100% acrylic to the game’s most charismatic prehistoric mascot; Gunnersaurus Rex. At least one dinosaur survived to celebrate Christmas.

Rating: 7/10

Atleti have played it fairly straight this year by releasing a Fair Isle pattern in club colours with assorted pine trees, snowflakes and trimmings making up the design. It’s unremarkable, and we’re also knocking a point off for it being printed on a basic cotton sweatshirt rather than a traditional knitted sweater.

Rating: 5.5/10

Showing Atleti a thing or two about the importance of weft and weave, Barcelona have embraced the very chunkiest of knits. The Catalans have placed their crest at the heart of a nifty tricolour woven design and even given fans the chance to pull together a full winter ensemble by offering a matching hat and pair of socks.

Rating: 9/10

Christmas came early for Leverkusen this year when they sealed a sensational domestic league and cup double without losing a single match. The angular architecture of the German club’s BayArena home is included as part of an eye-catching pattern along with a silhouette of Santa and his prancing reindeer.

Rating: 8/10

Bayern are among the most reliable clubs when it comes to festive apparel. This year they have produced another absolutely top-notch Christmas sweater that comes in classy white and features a large wintery tableau of a cable car in silhouette scaling the snowy peaks of the Bavarian Alps. Stunning.

Rating: 9/10

If Cole Palmer ever gets too cold out there at the Bridge, then he could do worse than slipping on Chelsea’s latest Christmas jumper design. It’s actually a fairly standard Fair Isle design based on the club’s rampant lion crest, but we’re sure the ribbed pullover would be toasty enough to keep the shivers at bay — at least until he scores and that trademark celebration gets wheeled out again.

Rating: 6/10

The Nerazzurri have released a knowingly ugly sweater that bears the message “Happy [W]inter.” While the pun is clumsy, the overall composition of the design is fun and colourful. What more do you need, really?

Rating: 7/10

The Bianconeri have steadfastly refused to introduce any Christmassy colour and instead stuck to their famous monochrome palette with a Nordic design that has the club’s name emblazoned across the front and “Happy Holidays” repeated through the pattern.

Rating: 6/10

In an approach that would be approved of by Ebenezer Scrooge, Liverpool have simply re-released last year’s LFC Fair Isle design. A Premier League title tilt may well be ongoing at Anfield, but that is simply no excuse for complacency on the seasonal knitwear front. Bah! Humbug.

Rating: 3/10 (6/10 last year)

With their form faltering as they come bumbling into the seasonal schedule, City have chosen to issue a timely reminder that they are still four-time reigning Premier League champions. Given the current gap between themselves and the top of the table, it looks like they will have no need to update their design in time for next Christmas.

Rating: 6.5/10

These aren’t the happiest of times at Old Trafford, but at least the Red Devils have found it within themselves to offer a little festive fun with their polar bear Christmas sweater design. The pun work is exquisite and the playful graphic makes a welcome change from the morass of boring Fair Isle prints out there this year.

Rating: 8/10

Newcastle’s festive knitwear is a feast for the eyes with black and white stripes, mini magpies, the city skyline and even a panel of text on the back that reads “Ho Ho Howay The Lads” — a Santa-themed riff on local Geordie dialect. Purely belter, as the regulars at St James’ Park might put it.

Rating: 8/10

The lack of an actual knit is disappointing, but the design pf this PSG sweater is absolutely on point. The red zigzag offers a subtle nod to the French club’s famous “Hechter” stripe and the club crest affixed to the chest ties the whole thing together nicely. You could wear this around the chic 8th arrondissement of the French capital and hold your head high.

Rating: 6.5/10

Excellent stuff here, with the German club drumming up a lovely tri-colour seasonal sweater that is positively begging to worn for a round of après-ski schnapps by the fire in a snowbound Alpine chalet. It’s chunky knit, it’s Nordic, and it even has a small leather tag stitched onto the lower hem for that extra designer label feel.

Rating: 9/10

It’s worth noting that Real Madrid are offering an impressively substantial range of nine Christmas jumpers this year, including a club crest pattern on sale in three different shades of club-appropriate white (“white,” “off-white” and “ice white”). The standout design, though, is a light-hearted imager of a teddy bear who appears to be wheeling away in celebration after scoring Bear-nabéu.

Rating: 7/10

Roma can undoubtedly claim to have the most esoteric choices in their festive range this year, with the Italian side producing a super snazzy Giallorossi cardigan complete with patchwork panels and vintage leather-effect buttons. As if that wasn’t funky enough, fans can also accessorise their Christmas knitwear with a set of matching suspenders.

Rating: 10/10

Capitalising on the newfound fondness for retro kits, Spurs’ Christmas sweater is a nostalgic ode to one of the club’s most revered jerseys of yesteryear. The navy/purple jumper, based on the club’s classic 1994 away shirt, is made festive by the inclusion of snowflakes and the tweaked “sponsor” logo. We can’t imagine there are many items of clothing that could carry a seal of approval from both Santa Claus and Jurgen Klinsmann, but Spurs have cracked it here.

Rating: 8/10

Images courtesy of acmilan.com, ajax.nl, arsenal.com, atleticodemadrid.com, asroma.com, bayer04.de, chelseamegastore.com, fcbarcelona.com, fcbayern.com, inter.it, juventus.com, liverpoolfc.com, mancity.com, manutd.com, newcastleunited.com, psg.fr, realmadrid.com, redbullshop.com, tottenhamhotspur.com

Arsenal suffered a major injury blow on Monday after Mikel Arteta confirmed winger Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks” with a torn hamstring.

Sources have told ESPN that the 23-year-old was told the news after seeing a specialist, having left the stadium on crutches following the Gunners’ 5-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend.

“It’s not looking good,” Areta said. “He’s going to be out for many weeks. I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks.

“It’s a huge [blow]. He’s obviously a big player for us, you just have to see the impact that he has on the team. It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.

“I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet. But I have a few. Then I want to speak with the players as well to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because that is going to mean we are going to be different.

“He was gutted. You can tell that he has not been injured because he was really, really emotional and really down. And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. And he will be fine but he is going to need a few days. He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room.

“His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”

Although Arteta was keen to play up the internal alternatives, news that Raheem Sterling is also set for a spell on the sidelines following a knee injury is a further blow given the Chelsea loanee would have been an obvious replacement.

“He’s going be out for weeks I believe,” Arteta said. “He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury. It’s his knee. We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”

It is the third hamstring injury Saka has suffered this season.

The England international is a pivotal player for Arteta, starting 16 of their 17 Premier League matches — only missing October’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth through injury.

He has amassed nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games across all competitions and when asked whether Arsenal are ready to go into the January transfer market to replace Saka if needed, Arteta replied: “The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem out at the same time.

“We predicted more it would be something else, for example if something happened in the defensive line. But the job is done and, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad.”

Arsenal host Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Arsenal suffered a major injury blow on Monday after Mikel Arteta confirmed winger Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks” with a torn hamstring.

Sources have told ESPN that the 23-year-old was told the news after seeing a specialist, having left the stadium on crutches following the Gunners’ 5-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend.

“It’s not looking good,” Areta said. “He’s going to be out for many weeks. I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks.

“It’s a huge [blow]. He’s obviously a big player for us, you just have to see the impact that he has on the team. It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.

“I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet. But I have a few. Then I want to speak with the players as well to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because that is going to mean we are going to be different.

“He was gutted. You can tell that he has not been injured because he was really, really emotional and really down. And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. And he will be fine but he is going to need a few days. He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room.

“His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”

Although Arteta was keen to play up the internal alternatives, news that Raheem Sterling is also set for a spell on the sidelines following a knee injury is a further blow given the Chelsea loanee would have been an obvious replacement.

“He’s going be out for weeks I believe,” Arteta said. “He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury. It’s his knee. We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”

It is the third hamstring injury Saka has suffered this season.

The England international is a pivotal player for Arteta, starting 16 of their 17 Premier League matches — only missing October’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth through injury.

He has amassed nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games across all competitions and when asked whether Arsenal are ready to go into the January transfer market to replace Saka if needed, Arteta replied: “The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem out at the same time.

“We predicted more it would be something else, for example if something happened in the defensive line. But the job is done and, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad.”

Arsenal host Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Ruben Amorim is under no pressure from Manchester United bosses to pick Marcus Rashford, a source has told ESPN, with the Portuguese head coach being allowed to handle the situation with the England forward without outside intervention.

Rashford has been dropped from the squad for the last three games, including the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday. Speaking during his exile, the 27-year-old has said he is “ready for a new challenge.”

His continued absence could harm United’s negotiating position ahead of a possible move when the January transfer window opens. But a source has told ESPN that Amorim will be left to decide when to reintegrate Rashford with no pressure from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe or technical director Jason Wilcox to bring him back in from the cold.

Wilcox is heading up United’s recruitment following Dan Ashworth’s exit as sporting director just five months after arriving from Newcastle United.

Rashford is one of United’s top earners on more than £325,000-per-week. He’s under contract until 2028 — a potential stumbling block for any interested club looking for a cut-price deal.

A source told ESPN that Rashford has been told there is no guarantee that a January transfer will materialise. United are willing to listen to realistic offers.

Despite a downturn in form which has contributed to Rashford losing his place in the England squad, he remains United’s biggest star and they will not consider offers which are not viewed as financially viable.

Rashford said he wanted a “new challenge” just two days after being axed from Amorim’s squad for the 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It is unclear whether he has submitted a formal transfer request.

Speaking about Rashford’s decision to comment publicly on a potential move away from Old Trafford, Amorim told Sky Sports on Monday: “It is a hard situation. I understand that these players have a lot of people around them, making choices that are not the first idea from the player.

“I am always here to help Marcus. I have to do what I have to do. They chose to do the interview, as it is not just Marcus. I understand that.

“As a coach I focus on performance and the way you train. The rest, it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes. At the moment I focus on improving Marcus and we need a talented guy like Marcus. I forget the interview now and see what I see on the pitch.”

Rashford has scored seven goals in 24 appearances in all competitions so far this season. He signed a lucrative long-term contract in July 2023 but has scored only 15 goals in 67 games since.