David Ornstein

Ashley Cole is set to leave Birmingham City and join the Football Association (FA) on a full-time basis. The FA confirmed in August that Cole would assist Lee Carsley during his temporary spell in charge of the England men’s national team. Cole assumed that responsibility alongside his duties as a first-team coach for Birmingham and helped oversee wins against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the UEFA Nations League. The 43-year-old previously worked with Carsley at Under-21 level, during which he continued in roles at Chelsea, Everton and then Birmingham. But now Cole is to depart the...

Catch all the latest Arsenal news, including updates on Mikel Arteta to Man City, William Saliba to Real Madrid and referee latest.

Rodri is set to be ruled out for a significant period of time after suffering a serious knee injury in the Premier League draw with Arsenal and there are fears he may not return this season. The Manchester City midfielder went down clutching his right knee and was forced off after 21 minutes at the Etihad Stadium. He stumbled and fell after making a front-post run at a corner while being marshalled by Thomas Partey. He immediately appeared in pain and a number of his team-mates quickly gestured for him to receive medical attention. Rodri walked off the pitch accompanied by two members of the...

Manchester City teenager Kaden Braithwaite will become the third-youngest player in the club’s history when he makes his first-team debut later on Tuesday evening. Pep Guardiola is expected to name the 16-year-old defender in the City starting XI for their third-round Carabao Cup tie against Watford after impressing the City head coach in training. Glyn Pardoe holds the record for the club’s youngest ever player having made his debut in 1962, aged 15 years and 341 days. Braithwaite, who can play at full-back or as a left-sided centre-back, has started all four of City...

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke has been called up to the England squad for the first time in seven years. Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, though, has not been included in the senior side and will again be part of the Under-21 squad. Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is also among those left out by interim head coach Lee Carsley, as are Solanke’s Spurs team-mate James Maddison and West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen. Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has been selected after featuring in both of England’s Nations League games last month. Solanke, 27, has scored three...

Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain is expected to leave the club at end of this season. The Spaniard originally planned to step back from day-to-day operations when he turned 55 but was so invested in the City project and working alongside manager Pep Guardiola that he extended that to his 60th birthday. He reached that age in August and the decision was made with full knowledge and endorsement of the club hierarchy. City are believed to have reached an agreement to appoint a replacement, who is due to start in early 2025. Begiristain played a leading role in the...

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley is in talks to buy Portuguese club Moreirense. Foley, 79, is the managing partner of Black Knight Football Club, the group of investors who bought Bournemouth in December 2022 and then acquired a 30 per cent stake in French side Lorient a month later. Black Knight then bought Auckland, an Australian Professional Leagues (APL) expansion franchise in New Zealand’s largest city before buying a minority stake in Scottish Premiership side Hibernian. The group have been evaluating the option of buying a Portuguese club and had been in talks with Lisbon-based Casa Pia,...

Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has had minor surgery after experiencing heart palpitations and hopes to be available to play in the next few weeks. Mazraoui pulled out of the Morocco squad on Monday, with United saying his withdrawal was “a precaution”. The 26-year-old right-back was substituted at half-time of last Sunday’s goalless draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League. United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed after the game it was a forced withdrawal and Mazraoui would have to be assessed, but did not specify his issue. Sources close to United and the player expect...

Manchester City are set to hire Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain as their new sporting director. Viana’s arrival at City could be announced as early as next week, after The Athletic reported that Begiristain is expected to leave the Premier League club at the end of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday. Begiristain, who has been a pivotal figure in City’s success since his arrival in 2012, had initially planned to step back when he turned 55 but was so invested in the club’s project and working alongside manager and friend Pep Guardiola...

Jonas Eidevall is to leave his role as head coach of Arsenal Women. Arsenal have won just two of their last seven matches across all competitions and have picked up just five points from their opening four matches in the Women’s Super League (WSL). That run included a 5-2 Champions League loss at Bayern Munich last week. Eidevall’s final game was the 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea on Saturday, where his side were booed by the Emirates Stadium crowd after going two goals down in the 16th minute. Eidevall took charge of Arsenal in 2021, replacing Joe Montemurro. The 41-year-old won the...