Summary

  • 'Everyone is united' - Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag

  • Premier League news conferences including Chelsea & Man City

  • Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard signs new five-year deal

  • Julian Nagelsmann named Germany head coach for the Euros in 202

  • Sheffield United 'devastated' after death of midfielder Maddy Cusack aged 27

  • Women's Nations League: England v Scotland (19:45 BST)

  • Get Involved: #bbcfootball, WhatsApp 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply)

  1. That's all folkspublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Another busy Friday ticked off.

    That's 15 news conferences covered across the day and also, much to the delight of Arsenal fans, a new five-year contract for captain Martin Odegaard.

    There's more live action to come tonight from the inaugural Uefa Women's Nations League.

    You can follow build-up, team news and live text coverage of Wales' trip to Iceland 19:00 BST here.

    And you can follow along as England host Scotland at 19:45 BST here.

    There's also plenty of content on the football index for you to enjoy.

  2. 'Difficult to take control'published at 16:23 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brighton v Bournemouth (Sun, 14:00 BST)

    Bournemouth

    Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola on facing Brighton: "It's difficult to take control of the game from them. You have to be ready to press, and then be beaten, and then come again to press.

    "Obviously I watched [them] last season on TV and in the games this season. They've been really good, especially offensively, but it's the Premier League and you have to be ready to face very good players and coaches. It's the challenge we have."

  3. 'We think we improved'published at 16:20 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brighton v Bournemouth (Sun, 14:00 BST)

    Bournemouth

    Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola speaking to BBC Radio Solent's Jordan Clark about keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea: "It's something we talked about in the international break.

    "We were conceding the chances especially when we were defending lower. We think we improved."

  4. 'Adams won't be available'published at 16:17 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brighton v Bournemouth (Sun, 14:00 BST)

    Bournemouth

    Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola on team news: “Everyone that was involved last week is ready to play.

    “The only one that’s different and is not so far away is Tyler Adams, he won’t be available for the Brighton game but he has started training partially with the group.

    “There is a chance of having him in the next week or two weeks or so.

    “Alex [Scott] is completely different, it’s the first week he’s been outside doing physical work, that’s his first step in the right direction but he’s far away from Tyler.”

  5. This is a good place for young players to come and develop - Hodgsonpublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Crystal Palace v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Crystal Palace

    Winger Eberechi Eze has become an England international since joining Crystal Palace from QPR in 2020 and the 25-year-old is set to make his 100th appearance for the club.

    Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: "Good job you told me that, because I didn’t know!

    "I think the squad we have now is a good one, certainly a lot stronger than squads we have had in the past and, in particular, a lot younger and more athletic than perhaps certain teams we had in the past.

    “The club has to be very happy with the way they moved things forwards and changed the way the team looks. At the moment this is a good place for young players to come and develop.

    “In my opinion, we play good football. If young players are at Crystal Palace they have a better chance of keeping their place and playing in the league than at one of the more established clubs playing European football, where the squads are bigger.”

    Eberechi Eze playing for England against ScotlandImage source, PA Media
  6. Guehi & Ayew back in training for Eaglespublished at 16:13 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Crystal Palace v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Crystal Palace

    Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed that both Jordan Ayew and Marc Guehi are available for Saturday's game.

    Defender Guehi was injured on international duty while forward Ayew suffered a knock in Palace's defeat at Aston Villa last weekend and both joined first-team training this week.

    “[Jordan] is fine – he took a nasty blow, it gave him a dead leg but he's trained fine,” said Hodgson. “We have also recovered Marc Guehi, who picked up an injury playing for England. That has recovered well.

    “The players we have out longer term are Michael Olise and Mathues Franca.

    “Shorter-term, the players we have out are James Tomkins, Jefferson Lerma and Naouirou Ahamada. Ahamada has sprained his ankle. It was a freak one during training, where no one was near him at the time. He stretched and caught his ankle in the turf.”

  7. Hodgson expects Palace & Fulham to be competing for top-10 finishpublished at 16:08 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Crystal Palace v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Crystal Palace

    On his former club Fulham, who finished 10th last season, Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “They are a good team, a good club. [Manager] Marco Silva has done an outstanding job. They have everything you want from a Premier League team: they are organised, they have quality players, they work very hard.

    “They all know what they are doing. They have played together for a while, so their habits are well ingrained. I don’t think any team will come up against Fulham and have anything other than a tough challenge. It is up to us to face up to that challenge and to play good enough football to overcome that challenge.

    “I don’t know if there is anybody I am looking at as rivals at this time. With five games gone, we still have two or three, or possibly four, players who might impact our team once fit again. It would be foolish to start concerning myself at this stage with being one place above or below a team at this time. I would expect both teams to be pushing for places in the top 10, so in that respect they are a rival, yes.”

  8. Hodgson impressed by Edouard and Matetapublished at 16:04 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Crystal Palace v Fulham (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Crystal Palace

    Odsonne Edouard has already scored five goals for Crystal Palace this season, two less than the 25-year-old French striker managed in the whole of last season.

    Palace boss Roy Hodgson, who has recovered from illness, said: “We were pretty happy with him last season too, but no doubt in the summer we did see him make a step forwards. Like anything else, you come into a club and see 10 games and sometimes you need to bed in to make that next step.

    “We saw in the summer that he was bedding in quite well. Luckily that has carried on to this season. Ever more fortuitously, in some ways, is him having a strike partner, someone who also plays up front in Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is playing very well. When he has been called upon to do something he has stepped on to the field and he has done it.”

  9. 'Wolves have to find a way to win'published at 15:59 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Wolves

    Michael BrownImage source, .

    Yes, Wolves would love more points but they have still got some really talented players.

    The week before the season started you would have been watching a lot of players going out of the door, a new manager coming in, financial restraints and starting to think they were in a bit of trouble.

    But I was there at Manchester United with that wonderful performance and it was one of the best things that could have happened in giving them confidence and belief.

    They managed to win at Everton and against Liverpool they did well, were creative and showed great work ethic. They just have to find a way to win by being more clinical, but it was the same last season as well.

    Without disrespecting Luton, with the squad Wolves have got they will feel this is a game they have to go and win.

    Newly-promoted teams are looking for a fragile horse to jump over - are Wolves in that category? They are probably a side people are looking at and this is a chance for them to get away from that quickly.

    Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Joe Bradshaw

  10. 'I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve seen with Neto'published at 15:53 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Luton Town v Wolves (15:00 BST)

    Wolves

    Wolves' Portugal winger Pedro Neto has claimed four assists from five games this season and boss Gary O'Neil says it's all down to hard work.

    He said: “I didn’t see Pedro up close last season and he’s suffered some injuries, but the upturn in his performances this season has been because he’s fully committed to the work that we’re doing, to how we’re going to play and how it’s going to benefit him.

    “He’s attacked every training session with 100% commitment and you’re starting to see the benefits. He will be hugely important for us, he’s a fantastic player, hugely talented and he’s working extremely hard without the ball as well as bringing big quality with it, so I’m really pleased with Pedro.

    “I spoke to him at length this week about his game and bits we can still add to it, but he’s one of the ones I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve seen with him.”

    On his team generally, O'Neil added: “We’re just trying to progress it all and improve every little bit, which can make a huge difference to the fine margins which determine the result.”

  11. An adaptation with training needed to take place - O'Neilpublished at 15:46 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Luton Town v Wolves (15:00 BST)

    Wolves

    Now here's a fitness update from Wolves boss Gary O'Neil: “Everyone’s good, which is obviously important because we’ve changed the training structure, and when you do that sometimes you can pick up some injuries and niggles during that changeover spell and nothing’s happened yet, so the boys are in a good spot.

    “[Joe Hodge] will be back in and around it and has been training for the last few days, which is positive, and the rest of the players seem fine.

    “We’ve just made [training] more intense, I don’t know about the length or duration, but the intensity is definitely higher. Having looked at the numbers they were producing before I got here to what we’re doing now, training is a bit more intense than it was. We just do things slightly differently to how they were doing them, so there’s an adaptation that needed to take place and hopefully we’ll start to see the effect of that fitness-wise.”

  12. We know we need to be going there and getting a result - O'Neilpublished at 15:42 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Luton Town v Wolves (15:00 BST)

    Wolves

    Wolves boss Gary O'Neil on aiming for a second win of the season: “We feel [Luton] are a team that we can have a really good go against, and there are certain games in this league – and we’ve had a few of them already, Manchester United away, Liverpool at home and even Brighton the way they’re going – that you know you need to be at your very best and you need everything to go your way to be successful on those days.

    “We’ve had some tough fixtures, and Luton away is of course a tough fixture, but with our group of players and what we have available, we know we need to be going there and getting a result. It’s a game that we can go and get a result from, as was Everton and as was Crystal Palace.

    “They’re very good at how they choose to play, they’re very direct, generally a front two who are a handful. They go front to back very quickly, are a threat from set-plays, and Luton itself, the stadium and the feel of the place is different to most that you face in the Premier League.

    “The atmosphere and the feel of the game will be something that the players need to cope with as well and they’re well prepared for and understand. The lads know what Luton are going to pose for us tomorrow and the best way to come out on top.”

  13. 'Luton will look at Wolves as a must-win'published at 15:36 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Luton Town

    Michael BrownImage source, .

    When you come up to the Premier League, you are trying to find a fragile horse that you can get over.

    All three newly-promoted sides,Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United, will be saying, "Which club can we get at?"

    Are Wolves in that category? They have started well although they would like more points and so they are probably a club people are looking at.

    I imagine Luton will be looking at them and thinking that this is a must-win game if they want to stay in the Premier League.

    Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Joe Bradshaw

  14. 'O'Neil has made good start'published at 15:27 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Luton v Wolves (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Luton Town

    Luton manager Rob Edwards on Wolves boss Gary O'Neil: "He was a better player than me so I didn't come up against him much. He's made a good start there and I like the way they play.

    "They probably haven't got the points they deserve. After tomorrow I wish him well."

  15. 'Result just around the corner'published at 15:25 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Luton v Wolves (Sat, 15:00 BST)

    Luton Town

    Luton manager Rob Edwards on performances: "You can see we're improving every game.

    "We're not giving as many big chances away and we look more solid. We created good chances against West Ham and Nottingham Forest but we need to take our chances too.

    "If our performances keep improving we're on the right track. We're a new team with 12 new players and we need time.

    "I get we need results but I think that's just around the corner."

  16. 'Big loss'published at 15:14 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brentford v Everton (Sat, 17:30 BST)

    Brentford

    Brentford manager Thomas Frank on Rico Henry, who looks set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury: "It’s a big loss for us, he's a key player, mostly I feel for him as he started so well.

    "In my opinion he would have been close to have been picked for the Euros. We will find a solution. He has already been in the training ground to work on strength."

  17. 'Mbeumo keeps stepping up'published at 15:13 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brentford v Everton (Sat, 17:30 BST)

    Brentford

    Brentford manager Thomas Frank on Bryan Mbeumo: "Very impressed with him, he has been very good in the four years.

    "He is stepping up levels each season and he’s developed so well. He's a good finisher, arrives in box, links up well and needs to keep going."

  18. 'Dyche will find a way'published at 15:10 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brentford v Everton (Sat, 17:30 BST)

    Brentford

    Brentford manager Thomas Frank on Sean Dyche: "Sean is an experienced manager, he’s a good manager and I like him as a person. He will be aware of the need to gets points and I’m convinced that he will find a way."

    On trying to improve on last season's results against Everton: "Previous games have no particular relevance. All games in the Premier League are tough, they play with high intensity and we need to be good in the second ball."

  19. 'Good to have Toney back'published at 15:06 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

    Brentford v Everton (Sat, 17:30 BST)

    Brentford

    Brentford manager Thomas Frank on striker Ivan Toney, who has been unable to train after being handed an eight month ban for breaking Football Association betting rules: "[Toney is] back in training, it's very good to have him back in.

    "He’s fully fit - we have four months to focus on getting him ready. It’s different to an injured player we have to do it differently, we want to focus on his development."