After the international break and FA Cup quarter-final weekend, the Premier League returns with all 20 clubs in action across the next four days.
A host of managers are taking press conferences today. Keep track of all the news here with Daily Mail Sport…
De Zerbi aiming high after Spurs survival fight
Roberto De Zerbi believes Tottenham can challenge for the title in the future.
De Zerbi, whose first game as Spurs boss will be at Sunderland on Sunday, has signed a five-year contract without a relegation escape clause.
Tottenham have not been relegated since 1977 but De Zerbi is the third man to sit in the managerial hotseat this season and even though he is focused on the final seven matches of a difficult campaign, he plans to aim high after he signed a five-year contract.
Asked about his relatively short spells at Brighton and Marseille, De Zerbi pushed back: ‘I stayed three years in Sassuolo and then I left (Shakhtar) from Ukraine when the war started.
‘In Brighton I left for different problems and in Marseille maybe the same, (but) I would like to stay four or five (years), for a long time.
‘In my plan, for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham – and I’m not speaking about the titles because it’s not the right moment now – but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because everything is here to reach that level.”
Matt Barlow
Arteta looks ahead to new deal
Mikel Arteta reaffirmed his long-term commitment to Arsenal as he has ‘so much things’ to win, with his contract entering the final 12 months.
The Spaniard penned a three-year deal in 2024 which is worth £10million a season, plus a further £5m triggered by Champions League qualification.
He said: ‘I’m fully committed here, I’m really happy and I feel good.
‘My family is good. I still have so much ambition and things to do in this football club and for now we are in a good place.
‘I think we will have time to discuss that. The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season.’
Isaan Khan
Van Dijk’s emotional tribute to departing duo
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has written a tribute to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, who will both leave the club at the end of this season.
Writing on Instagram, he said: ‘Nine years… that’s not just a chapter, that’s a whole era. And when you think about everything we’ve been through in that time, it’s pretty incredible. We know all good things eventually come to an end…
‘Through the highs, the pressure, the big moments, and the celebrations, you’ve been there every step of the way. Together, we’ve won everything. But more than the trophies, it’s the memories, the battles, and the laughs along the way that we’ll remember most. We’ve been through everything together, big wins and tough defeats.
‘But no matter what was happening, when the whistle blew, we knew we could count on each other. You’ve both been more than team-mates, leaders, brothers, and men we could always count on when it mattered most.
‘So thank you both for the effort, the commitment, the laughs, and the memories. Thank you for helping us win everything, and for making the journey even better along the way.
‘You came as team-mates, you leave as legends… and more importantly, you leave as family.’
Pep demands consistency in title run-in
Pep Guardiola was bombarded with questions about captain Bernardo Silva today but had a message for his team as they now embark on the true run-in.
That starts at Chelsea on Sunday – over 24 hours after Arsenal host Bournemouth.
‘We have to win our games,’ Guardiola said, speaking for the first time since Bernardo, 31, revealed he was leaving the club this summer. ‘Playing before or later, we have to win every single game.
‘The situation that we are in in the Premier League, we need to win all of them otherwise it will not give us a chance to try until the end. We were not consistent enough, we dropped points.
‘That’s why we are in a position that now we cannot do differently.’
Jack Gaughan
Hurzeler responds to Leverkusen claims
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says it would ‘take a lot’ to tempt him away from the club, amid speculation linking him with Bayer Leverkusen.
Hurzeler has been touted as a possible replacement for Kasper Hjulmand, should he pay the price for Leverkusen’s struggles this term.
But the 33-year-old talked up the links he has forged at Albion, who will continue their battle for European football when they face Burnley on Saturday.
‘I feel there is a connection, especially with the fans, a connection that we started building through the highs and lows and now we want a strong finish to the season,’ he said.
‘It will take a lot to take me away from this place. I feel this is a long-term project here, a project where we can be very successful. We need to keep working hard but the main thing for me is how is the relationship with the players, with the team, staff, owners and supporters.
‘I feel really settled and I feel the foundation is really strong and really good that we can build something.’
Captain Lewis Dunk will be suspended for the game at Turf Moor, with Hurzeler also serving a touchline ban, but the manager is content that others can step up.
‘We have other leaders who can solve it on the pitch and beside the pitch. We are quite confident that the team are strong enough to handle these things,’ he added.
Under-pressure Slot ‘feels supported’
Arne Slot insists he feels support from ownership and fans at Liverpool after a bruising week in which his side lost to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
It has led some to question Slot’s future with the team needing a minor miracle to overturn a two-goal deficit against the European champions in the second leg of the PSG tie to keep their silverware hopes alive this season.
But Slot, whose side now return their focus to finishing in the top five of the Premier League after a poor title defence, still feels the backing from the key figures at Anfield.
‘I am repeating myself a lot but I have said many times I feel a lot of support not only from the owners but from Richard and Michael as well, and as weird as it might sound I also feel the support of the fans,’ he said.
‘We were going out in Paris when the players went out for the warm-up and the fans after a 4-0 loss (at City) immediately started singing “We love you Liverpool”.
‘And after it’s fair to say we were outplayed over 90 minutes we went to the away end and they were still singing for us and clapping for us.
‘That support, I have felt, we have felt constantly. I’ve said many times as well that the club knows which period of time we are in, and in the meantime I have their complete support.’
It comes at a time where fans are protesting ticket price hikes with supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly urging spectators to not spend money at Anfield this weekend, when the team play Fulham on Saturday.
Marco Silva’s side are the only team Slot has not beaten in the Premier League of those who have been in the division for the Dutchman’s full tenure.
And the Reds boss added: ‘Anfield has shown in history and also in my time here how important these fans are for us.
‘A recent example was Galatasaray when we had a tough game away from home when their fans were really loud and then Anfield showed what being loud really is.
‘They helped us through that game and I can come up with so many examples I’ve been part of but also in the history of this club.
‘Even though there are protests, I hope the fans can be as helpful as they have always been for us this season and last season.’
Slot is not expecting goalkeeper Alisson to return from a hamstring problem but Alexander Isak is ready for more minutes after a short cameo in Paris on Wednesday.
Lewis Steele
Expectation ‘warping’ Newcastle reality
Eddie Howe says he is focusing on the next seven games amid doubt over his long-term future, as he warned of expectation ‘warping’ the reality of Newcastle’s current situation.
The head coach was speaking for the first time since chief executive David Hopkinson revealed last week that star players will have to be sold this summer, given the domestic and European financial rules with which the club must comply.
Hopkinson also cast doubt on Howe’s future when he said they were not looking beyond the remaining matches of the Premier League campaign. The team are 12th in the table and likely to miss out on Champions League football next season.
Daily Mail Sport understands that uncertainty on and off the pitch means all parties will take stock at the end of the season. Relationships remain strong and Howe has support from the hierarchy, with transfer plans taking shape for what will likely be a major summer rebuild.
Asked about his future, Howe said: ‘For me, nothing has changed. I’m 100 per cent committed to the job. That commitment has never wavered from my side. I’ve been working during the break to come back a stronger team.
‘In this day and age, it’s difficult to look too far into the long term. I can only look at these seven games and make sure we perform at our very best level, and make sure the players are ready for these games.’
Hopkinson has stated that he and the Saudi-led ownership want the club to be among the best in the world by 2030, yet that statement runs parallel to the admission that the likes of Sandro Tonali could be sold in the coming months.
Howe said: ‘If that’s the reality (star players being sold), and David will know more than me on that side, then that’s the reality. I’ve got no issues working with the conditions that the club set. Finances dictate. I’ve never had an issue with that throughout my career.
‘As long as that’s made clear to everyone on the outside and the expectations are aligned within that. I don’t think you can have expectations that warp reality. Everything has to be aligned for the players to enter the pitch and be in their best place, where they’re relaxed and not under undue pressure, I think that’s fundamentally important.’
Howe was then pressed on what he and the club needed to move forward together beyond this season.
‘There have certainly been no fallings out,’ he began. ‘I’ve got a very good relationship with Ross (Wilson, sporting director) and David. We’re plotting to try and take the club forward in the smartest way possible. With smart planning and good work we can still be successful. I’ve had really good support from both of them and they are the key figures I work with day to day at the club. We’re all totally aligned on what we need to do.
‘The long-term prospects for the football club, I think, are really strong. But certainly these seasons we’ve experienced previously, we’re probably ahead (of schedule). Not all the forces are with us. We’re going to have to act really smart and try to out-perform the budget to hit the levels that everyone wants.
‘What do I need? Just that, I need support. Good working relationships with the people around me. A feeling of being able to express myself in the best way possible so you see the best version of myself. If I feel that, and the club feels that, then they’re getting the best manager they can from myself. Obviously, if that’s not working for whatever reason, on both sides, then it’s best for the football club… which is the most important thing in all of this, that is Newcastle United, not me or anybody else, it’s Newcastle. I will always reflect that in my decision making. I will put the club before anybody.’
Meanwhile, Howe says he has not sought assurances from Hopkinson after his comments to reporters.
‘Absolutely not – I don’t need assurances from anybody,’ he said. ‘I have got to do my work and I have to make sure the team is successful. We have spoken and had communication but not about those comments.’
Craig Hope
