Ah, hello, Proper Relegation Battles, we’ve missed you.

The three going down last season looked uncertain at times btu was virtually a foregone conclusion from August onwards as Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United set up camp in the relegation zone and refused to budge. This time, it’s Southampton and then anybody’s guess as to the other two.

Fulham 2-2 Ipswich spelt out why. For Ipswich, the big issue is that they don’t quite have enough quality in their promoted squad to turn all their fight and endeavour into consistent enough wins.

In contrast to Fulham, that’s less in an attacking sense, and more in their ability to avoid making costly errors. But that’s no surprise after their rapid rise up from League One, and it is a credit to them that they have put up as good a fight as they have.

Case in point: Ipswich had to endure plenty of pressure throughout this game, but responded to it all ruggedly – sadly too ruggedly when it came to the penalties they gave away.

When they took the lead in the 38th minute through Sammie Szmodics, it was with their first shot of the game having had just 29% possession. But Fulham were characteristically toothless once again, and had managed just four efforts of their own despite their domination.

When Ipswich were hauled back to level pegging in the 69th minute by a Raul Jimenez penalty, Ipswich immediately got into the Fulham box and won a penalty of their own; there was little doubt that Liam Delap would deliver on smashing the ball past Bernd Leno.

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But then, the final twist that left Ipswich fans gutted but leaves the relegation battle no less finely poised for us neutrals. Another clumsy penalty was given away, and Jimenez again coolly converted.

But Monday morning, once the disappointment of the nature of their dropped points has faded, Ipswich may well feel that any points away from home are valuable in a relegation battle. They did enough here to show, once again, that they remain in an actual battle and do not look like getting cut adrift. Realistically, could they have hoped for more than that?

We were impressed earlier this season by Ipswich’s confidence and tenacity, despite then being yet to claim their first win of the season at the time, feeling that as they got used to the rigorous standard to succeed in the Premier League, they might actually be able to put up a reasonable fight against the threat of relegation. Perhaps not successfully, but respectably at the very least.

Nothing has changed our minds since then, and this game was a perfect example. Ipswich’s respectable showings have proven just what a high standard the Premier League relegation battle has been this season, pitiful Southampton excepted.

Every side down there has had some humbling and heavy defeats, but by and large when you watch Ipswich, Wolves, Leicester et al, they are not actually bad sides at all. Their results have been just as unpredictable as anyone else’s.

Managers often speak about just wanting to see their sides be competitive and then let the chips fall where they may; that’s exactly the word that describes the competition as a whole this season, unless Liverpool or Southampton are involved.

Wolves have taken four points off Spurs, drawn at Nottingham Forest, beaten Manchester United and battered Leicester and Fulham away from home, yet have also been thumped by Everton and Chelsea and lost at home to Ipswich.

Everton have got points at Arsenal and Manchester City, comfortably beaten Wolves and triumphed at Ipswich, yet they also lost at Southampton and have failed to score more often than they have, in fact, scored.

There have been times over the past few years when too many fixtures on a given weekend have not felt worthy of your time, because you have a pretty good idea which way it is going to go. But that has not been the case this season.

Between Forest and Bournemouth’s surprise ascent into European contention, the steep decline of the Manchester clubs, the constant nonsense from Brentford, Tottenham and Brighton, and the genuine battle for places at the bottom, every possible fixture between table-topping Liverpool and rock-bottom Southampton has the capacity to surprise and engross, and even their game finished 3-2 with a late Mo Salah penalty. We’re loving it, to be honest.

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Mikel Arteta’s increasing desperation to furnish his faltering Arsenal side with another forward in January does not make such a move any likelier at all.

Trent Alexander-Arnold
It is funny that reports of Real Madrid doing entirely Real Madrid things in the transfer market apparently have to be treated with absolute seriousness and reverence, as if it is any ordinary team making any ordinary bid for any ordinary rival’s ordinary player.

Making Arne Slot answer questions about the contract statuses of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold at least twice a week is tiresome and tedious enough but forcing him to have to pretend that selling one of those players for £20m halfway through a potentially historically brilliant season is an even halfway realistic outcome is a bit daft.

Liverpool sold a whole two true first-team players in January transfer windows during Jurgen Klopp’s entire managerial reign. And even then, Dominic Solanke was very much on the periphery of the squad before Bournemouth sensed a £19m opportunity. The only actual meaningful sale of a star midway through a campaign was that of Phillipe Coutinho seven years ago

So unless Real have an extra £120m or so stowed away somewhere and £20m was just their opening gambit to an ambitious long-term play, Alexander-Arnold will not be leaving Liverpool before the end of his current contract.

All parties respect and realise that. Liverpool have no intention of losing one of Arne Slot’s key players while leading the Premier and Champions League tables. Alexander-Arnold might have his head turned at some point but it is screwed on enough to know that he stands to lose plenty but gain nothing by leaving early, if he even plans to at all. Real are playing their usual games and that is fine.

But is it really necessary for the wider footballing world to imagine ‘Liverpool might sell Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid for £20m in January’ is A Thing? That the supposedly perennial fear of losing a player to free agency in any way overrides common sense and might persuade a frustratingly sensible club into a panicked cut-price move which would likely derail their season?

As foolish/brave as Liverpool are to let three vital players simultaneously run their contracts down, there are precious few clubs who actually indulge in the rushed sale of someone with six months left until their terms expire just to recoup some money. It’s about as frequent as genuine swap deals in terms of both excited reporting and rare occurrence.

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Alexander Isak
Newcastle have contributed to the conversation somewhat with their negligent squad-planning and semi-frequent scaremongering about how no player is unsellable, but it does feel like a few more tectonic plates would have to shift before any of their Holy Trinity is actually sacrificed to the PSR overlords.

The most recent workaround was to simply offload a couple of pure profit wunderkinds. Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson helped fill the most recent black hole so none of Isak, Bruno Guimaraes or Anthony Gordon had to.

Those three players have been predictably crucial to Newcastle’s recent rejuvenation and as hilarious as the fan meltdown would be, there is zero prospect of any being sold to a Premier League rival or otherwise while the Magpies are 5th and in a cup semi-final. The summer is a slightly different matter but even then, Jacob Murphy’s emergence as a £50m-rated uber-effective forward has been timely.

The new contracts signed by Gordon and Guimaraes in the last two Octobers do offer a more relevant outlook on their futures as even though Isak’s deal has more than three years remaining, there will be a desire to bring him back into line with the highest earners to reflect his importance to the side before he is tempted away.

But Newcastle retain all the bargaining power for now and no amount of textbook January Window Bingo nonsense from Paul Merson imploring Arsenal to “break the bank for him” will change that. A former player giving such sage transfer advice? That’s your replacement for Edu as sporting director right there.

Marcus Rashford
Again, Rashford has framed the narrative in a certain way by publicly saying he is “ready for a new challenge and the next steps”. Having not played since that grand declaration, it seems apparent his first career hurdle will be to get back into the Manchester United side.

From there it will be interesting to see what happens. It is an imperfect transfer storm of obviously good player in consistently poor form on ridiculously high wages. Rashford will want something close to his current £350,000-a-week pay packet and Manchester United would demand £60m or so, but any buying club looking at those figures will compare them to his recent output and point out that simply do not match.

With the notoriously difficult January transfer window another factor to consider it is unfathomable that all the necessary boxes could be ticked with such volatile elements at play. An exit for Rashford this month is simply not feasible.

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Matheus Cunha
While an obvious example will have been missed, it is difficult to recall the last time a club actively fighting Premier League relegation decided to sell quite clearly their best player mid-season. While the promise of inflated funds to invest in and hopefully improve the overall standard of a sinking ship can be tempting, the risk far outweighs any potential reward.

Even the most ridiculous of clubs generally recognise this and with the days of clubs feeling forced to accept cut-price deals for prized assets after dropping into the Championship long gone, the panicked January sale to drive finances makes almost no sense.

Far more common and practical is the mutually beneficial but ultimately flimsy contract extension which scratches the back of the selling club by guaranteeing a fair price and the player by making an eventual exit ironically easier.

Wolves, apropos of nothing, have opened talks with Cunha over a longer deal with better pay and a lower release clause in the event of relegation. Welcome to Arsenal or Manchester United in the summer, buddy.

Cristiano Ronaldo has offered himself to a Premier League club with the former Man Utd superstar rejected by Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports.

The Portugal international left the Red Devils in controversial circumstances at the end of 2022 with Erik ten Hag allowing him to leave and join Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.

Ronaldo had two spells at Old Trafford, becoming a world-class player under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2003 and 2009 before returning in August 2021.

The second stint ended in tears, with the Portuguese superstar ripping the club and everyone associated with it a new one.

Former Man Utd striker Ronaldo has scored ten goals in 12 Saudi Pro League matches this term with Al Nassr currently fourth in the standings.

But reports in Spain now claim that Ronaldo has a ‘desire to return to Europe’ but his age and salary are making a ‘return difficult’ for the 39-year-old.

The report adds: ‘PSG have declined the possibility of incorporating the Portuguese striker into their squad. The French club, which is looking to rejuvenate its team and maintain a salary balance, considers that Ronaldo’s age and his high salary do not fit into their current sporting project.’

It is not only PSG who Ronaldo has ‘offered himself’ to with Premier League side Chelsea, Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid and German giants Bayern Munich also ‘rejecting the possibility of signing him’.

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Although Ronaldo won’t be returning to Man Utd as a player, former Red Devils striker Louis Saha thinks the Portugal legend has the “passion and dedication” to return to Old Trafford as a coach one day.

Speaking in August, Saha said: “Cristiano Ronaldo has the passion and dedication to return to Manchester United one day.

“That could be as a coach or even a manager. His second spell didn’t end how everyone had hoped and you can see why that frustrated him.

“He didn’t see the same formula and didn’t see the passion from young players that he had been used to seeing.

“Now he will know that he needs to find a new way to communicate when he becomes a coach, which maybe isn’t as harsh or direct as it was when he was at the club.

“He will work out how to be successful and use all his knowledge to do that, we’ve seen Roy Keane go into management and have success.

“Cristiano will understand what he needs to do as a manager and I see no reason why he wouldn’t be a success.”

The Premier League clash between Liverpool and Man Utd ‘will go ahead as planned’ after two safety meetings were held today.

Liverpool host Man Utd in a crucial clash for both sides with Arne Slot’s side looking to give themselves an eight-point lead over Arsenal after the Gunners drew at Brighton on Saturday.

The Red Devils, meanwhile, have lost their last four matches in all competitions with Ruben Amorim looking for a positive performance and result to boost the mood around Old Trafford.

But there were worries earlier today that neither side could get a chance to secure a valuable result against their arch-rivals after heavy snow overnight caused major disruption in the North West.

More snow is forecast and the Met Office – who have issued an amber weather warning across the region – said in a statement: “Snow will become persistent and locally heavy as it pushes south to north across the warning area.

“As well as snow, a period of freezing rain is also likely bringing some hazardous travel conditions, before milder air follows across all areas by Sunday morning.

“While there’s some uncertainty in details, 3-7cm of snow is likely for most of the warning area, with locally 15-30cm for the higher ground of Wales and the southern Pennines.

“Freezing rain could lead to ice accretion in places, especially parts of Wales – before the milder air leads to a rapid thaw of snow and ice in the south of the warning area through Sunday.”

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And The Sun claimed on Sunday morning that the match between Liverpool and Man Utd was ‘firmly in doubt’ with the North West ‘bracing for more severe weather just days after being hit with major flooding’.

The report adds:

‘The warning will remain in force throughout Sunday until 23.59pm GMT at least. Merseyside is one of the areas affected by the amber warning and with temperatures set to drop below freezing on Saturday night.

‘That means Anfield and surrounding areas could be blanketed in snow – leaving Liverpool and Manchester United’s clash under threat.

‘While it would be relatively easy to make the pitch playable, the bigger risk would be to the tens of thousands of home and away supporters heading to the stadium.

‘A Safety Advisory Group meeting is likely to take place on Sunday at some point.

‘Officials from both clubs and representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council are expected to be present.’

But Liverpool released an update on Sunday morning with the match ‘planned to go ahead as normal’ after a ‘safety meeting’.

Liverpool wrote on X: ‘A safety meeting was held this morning to assess the weather and travel conditions for today’s fixture against Manchester United at Anfield. At this stage the match is planned to go ahead as normal and every effort is being made to get the game on.

‘A further safety meeting will take place again at midday to assess the latest conditions. We will update supporters just as soon as we can. Please take extra care out there, Reds.’

Before Liverpool then later revealed: ‘Today’s fixture against Manchester United will go ahead as planned. Two safety meetings were held earlier to assess the weather and travel conditions. We thank everyone involved in helping us to get this game on today.

‘If you’re travelling to Anfield then please take extra care. We look forward to seeing you there.’

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Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is ‘determined to join’ Premier League side Man Utd in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Red Devils have had a terrible first half of the season with their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday their fourth loss in a row in all competitions.

Man Utd face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, weather permitting, with Ruben Amorim’s side having the chance to move above Tottenham into 12th in the table.

Amorim’s side have been struggling to score goals in the Premier League this season with new signing Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund and wantaway forward Marcus Rashford all coming in for criticism.

Only Everton, Ipswich Town and Southampton have scored fewer goals than Man Utd in the Premier League this season with the Red Devils fans hoping the club bring in reinforcements over the January window.

There have been reports that Man Utd will struggle to make any new signings unless they manage to move on some of their current squad members.

And now Nigerian outlet Business Day insists that Osimhen, who has contributed 13 goals and three assists in 16 matches while on loan at Galatasaray this season, is ‘determined’ to secure a move to Man Utd after the Red Devils gave up on a transfer for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres in the winter window.

The report wrote:

‘Sources indicate that Osimhen is determined to join Manchester United, with preliminary moves already underway to finalise the deal. Napoli is believed to have inserted a €90 million release clause in Osimhen’s contract, with €10 million of that earmarked for Galatasaray.

‘However, there are rumors that the clause could drop to €75 million to facilitate the transfer.

‘This development follows news that new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has assured Sporting CP he will not sign Viktor Gyökeres mid-season.’

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Former Man Utd striker Louis Saha urged the Red Devils to bring Nigeria international Osimhen to Old Trafford earlier this season.

Saha said: “It would be a difficult signing to make, but I think he is exactly the type of player that Manchester United need and that is a striker like Victor Osimhen. I don’t know if it’s a realistic option because he is on loan at Galatasaray, but if you’re talking about a proven goal scorer with pedigree, he is the man.

“He would instantly improve the team. If you signed Osimhen, you’re not signing potential. You know exactly what he is going to give you.

“A striker like Osimhen is exactly the kind of signing that Manchester United need to make. If it takes a lot of money, and it will to sign Osimhen, you go and do it.

“I think that Manchester United should have broken the bank and signed Harry Kane two seasons ago. He’s a player that you should be willing to break the bank for because you know that he will score at least 30 goals and he’s a wonderful professional for the next generation to learn from.

“I’m not here to give the Manchester United Sporting Directors a lesson in who to sign, and I know it’s a new team since then, but if you want to take the club on an upward trajectory, if you want to win the Premier League, then you need a striker with the profile of Kane or Victor Osimhen.”

Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer would be “amazed” if a team in the Premier League signed Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford in January.

After making over 400 appearances for the Red Devils, the England international revealed last month that he is “ready for a new challenge” away from Old Trafford.

It came after he was left out of the Man Utd matchday squad for their 2-1 win over arch-rivals Man City in mid-December with Ruben Amorim choosing to omit Rashford from the next two squads too.

However, he returned to the bench on Monday as Man Utd lost 2-0 to Newcastle in the Premier League with the result keeping the Red Devils 14th in the table.

Rashford is likely to struggle to earn a recall to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad after Gareth Southgate left him out of the Three Lions’ squad for Euro 2024.

But Shearer thinks the Man Utd forward needs to “sort himself out” before he can even think about reigniting his England career.

Shearer told Betfair: “For Marcus Rashford, hard work and the correct attitude will see him get back to his best.

“I don’t know what’s gone on, but something must have happened for him to do that interview and say that it’s best for him to leave Old Trafford.

“You can’t just flick a switch and get back to your best form, we all have difficult periods where you might not be playing or can’t find the back of the net.

“There’s only one way to get through that; and that’s to get your head down, work hard and then things should change for the better.

“I think that it’s too early to talk about his England career – he needs to sort himself out and the club needs to sort themselves out as well.

“I don’t think that he can afford yet to be looking at an England career, which has gone pretty stale.

“He hasn’t been picked for such a long time now, and he hasn’t been playing recently, so I don’t think that anyone can entertain any England talk yet with him.”

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Rashford has been linked with a move to French side Paris Saint-Germain, while Saudi Arabian clubs are also interested in the Man Utd man.

Shearer added: “Whether something can be done in the next month or so, or whether he’s going to try and force his way back into the Manchester United starting eleven, I don’t know.

“I do get the idea that it would be very difficult to get a deal done, because of all the different angles and parties involved with the deal.

“I do think that it will be difficult to get a deal done this January, regardless of a loan or permanent deal. It’s a really difficult transfer to do.

“There’s a lot to do and so many aspects to a transfer. First of all it’s about agreeing a fee, secondly agreeing a salary – he’s on a huge wage right now and I’d be amazed if somebody in the Premier League would be willing to match that.

“But just because nobody reports it, doesn’t mean that there’s no interest from Premier League clubs in signing him.

“Nothing really surprises me in football, and just because there’s been no talk doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been any enquiries whatsoever.”

Man Utd forward Joshua Zirkzee has told his agent to find him a new club in January after being mocked by Red Devils supporters, according to reports.

The Red Devils paid around £36.5m for the Netherlands international in the summer transfer window with Zirkzee completing a move from Serie A side Bologna.

However, things haven’t gone to plan for Zirkzee or Man Utd this season as the Dutchman has only managed to provide three Premier League goals in 19 appearances with the Red Devils currently 14th in the table.

He has been heavily linked with a move back to Italy this month and the likelihood of that happening was made more likely when Ruben Amorim chose to substitute him on 33 minutes in their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday.

Zirkzee was reportedly ‘reduced to tears’ in the tunnel after beeing booed off the pitch by the Man Utd supporters with the Red Devils fans losing patience with their side.

Speaking after the match, Amorim explained his decision to substitute Zirkzee: “You have to think about the team and also sometimes about the player because the player is suffering.

“I was there a few years ago and I know that he wants it because I saw it during the week. That is the more important thing and he’s suffering during the game.

“I felt the team was suffering and needed another midfielder to have more and then we started to have more ball with Kobbie Mainoo.

“But it was really, really tough on me to do that and I talked with Josh about that because it’s important to express the message.

“But I’m always thinking about the team and, in that moment, it was important for the team [for] Josh [to] go out.”

And now Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Transfers) claims that Zirkzee ‘has demanded to leave’ Man Utd after being booed off against Newcastle earlier this week.

The report adds:

‘Gazzetta dello Sport report that Zirkzee has instructed his agent Kia Joorabchian to find him a new club this month, so devastated is he with how he was treated against Newcastle.

‘Joorabchian is already in talks with Juventus, who are desperate to sign a striker and are favourites to bring in the Dutchman on an initial loan.’

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker insists Zirkzee will “never trust” Man Utd boss Amorim again after he was hauled off against Newcastle.

Reo-Coker told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a tough experience for a player and a tough pill that Ruben Amorim will have to swallow.

“As a player, when you go through a moment like that, you need to think about the human element.

“He will look at Ruben Amorim and never trust him again. He will be able to look at him and say ‘good morning boss’ but he will not have any respect for him deep down.

“It’s an admission from Amorim that he got the team wrong.

“He’s going to have to try to fix the relationship because he will probably have to go back to him at some point and get him back on side and wanting to play and compete.”