Author: INDEPENDENT

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Mikel Arteta has described stories linking him with Barcelona as “totally fake news” with the Spanish manager vowing not to leave Arsenal.Reports in Spain had suggested that Arteta could be a candidate to replace Xavi after the Barcelona boss announced that he would be stepping away at the end of the season.The Arsenal manager spent time in the Catalan club’s academy as a youngster, and has impressed since taking charge at the Emirates Stadium, pushing Manchester City…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailFormer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is under fire after she suggested some pro-Palestinian protesters are “connected to Russia.”“We have to think about what we’re doing, and what we have to do is try to stop the suffering in Gaza … but for them to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin’s message,” she said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning.“Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter When you start to piece together exactly what happened at The Hawthorns on Sunday, in the FA Cup tie between West Brom and Wolves, it makes a terrifying picture.You may have seen the image of a bald man with blood streaming from a wound on top of his head, his face washed red. Fans appeared to chant “Let him die” as he was escorted away by police.A ball boy required treatment after being hit by a missile.…

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has urged Iran to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East after three US troops were killed in a drone strike on an American base in Jordan.The PM condemned the attack near the Syrian border which has sparked fears about escalating conflict across the region, as the UK blamed “Iran-aligned militia”.US president Joe Biden vowed that the US “shall respond” after blaming Iran-backed groups for the first US fatalities since the Israel-Hamas war – but Iran has denied any involvement in drone strike.“We…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter There is an argument that no team will be so badly affected by the midseason international tournaments as Tottenham. Captain Son Heung-min and midfielders Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are all key starting players under Ange Postecoglou, and were instrumental in the team’s fast start to the season, which briefly saw them on top of the Premier League.The Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations have weakened other clubs, of course. But Liverpool’s squad depth has…

E Jean Carroll exits court after Trump ordered to pay $83.3m for defamationSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailDonald Trump has used the deaths of three American soldiers in a drone attack on their base in Jordan to attack Joe Biden’s presidency, warning the assault by Iran-backed militia leaves the planet “on the brink of World War 3”.Taking to Truth Social on Sunday evening, the Republican presidential contender wrote: “Three years ago, Iran was weak, broke, and totally under control. Thanks to my Maximum…

(AFP via Getty Images)Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter The January transfer window enters it’s final week after a slow month but is set to heat up as clubs try to bolster their squads for the second half of the season.Newcastle United are close to reaching the limit of financial fair play so may need to offload players over the next few days with Bruno Guimaraes, Miguel Almiron and Kieran Trippier all linked to other clubs. Kalvin Phillips has completed a loan move…

Benjamin Netanyahu says he is ready to “do it alone” in Gaza if international support wavers.The Israeli prime minister told TalkTV’s Douglas Murray in an interview that beating Hamas would “take some time”.“A nation has to do what it has to do to survive,” Mr Netanyahu said.“If we have to take action both in the south and in the north, that is understood by many to be a just action… but [if] they cannot stand the heat of public opinion, then we’ll just have to do it alone. We will do what we need to do.”David Cameron last week told…

Erik ten Hag promised to deal with the absence of Marcus Rashford after the England striker missed Manchester United’s 4-2 FA Cup victory at Newport.Rashford reported ill on Friday after reportedly spending the previous evening at a Belfast nightclub.“The rest is an internal matter. I deal with it, we will deal with it,” Ten Hag said after watching his side survive a massive fright in South Wales as League Two Newport fought back to 2-2.Ten Hag said there was a “no good culture” when he arrived at United in 2022 and he has encountered disciplinary issues during his Old Trafford…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsJapan has joined other countries in suspending funding for the United Nations agency in Gaza over “extremely concerning” claims that some UN workers were involved in the 7 October Hamas attack in southern Israel.In a statement, Japan’s foreign press secretary Kobayashi Maki said: “Japan is extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA staff members in the terror attack on Israel on October 7 last year. “In response, Japan has decided to suspend additional funding…