Tottenham have made the signing of Atletico Madrid<\/a> midfielder Conor Gallagher<\/a> official, bringing him back to the Premier League<\/a> in a \u00a335m move after hijacking Aston Villa<\/a>\u2019s move for the former Chelsea<\/a> product, as the January transfer window<\/a> heats up.<\/p>\n Gallagher isn\u2019t the only England international on the transfer merry-go-round with Arsenal<\/a> joining the race to sign Crystal Palace<\/a> defender Marc Guehi<\/a>. The Eagles skipper is said to prefer a move to the Gunners or Liverpool<\/a>, but Manchester City<\/a> are desperate to overcome any hurdles <\/a>and secure his signature this month, while European heavyweights Bayern Munich have now also expressed an interest in the England centre-back.<\/p>\n Mikel Arteta<\/a>\u2019s side are also rumoured to have entered the race to sign Real Madrid<\/a> superstar Vinicius Jr<\/a>, with one outlet even reporting they will offer Gabriel Martinelli in a swap deal, but Chelsea<\/a>, who have reportedly made a huge bid for Federico Valverde, are also reportedly still interested in Vini Jr.<\/p>\n Manchester United<\/a> have meanwhile confirmed the appointment of Michael Carrick<\/a> as interim manager and now look to strengthen their squad before the window closes, with Carlos Baleba, Marcos Llorente and Elliot Anderson all rumoured as targets, although Man City are also said to be eyeing Nottingham Forest talisman Anderson. <\/p>\n And while United\u2019s managerial picture looks clearer for the short-term, speculation remains frantic over the future of the Real Madrid dugout after Xabi Alonso\u2019s shock exit<\/a>, with the Spanish giants hoping to lure former Liverpool<\/a> boss Jurgen Klopp<\/a> back into coaching in what would be a spectacular move. <\/p>\n Follow all the latest <\/strong>transfer news<\/strong><\/a>, gossip, rumours and done deals in <\/strong>The Independent\u2019s<\/strong> live blog below<\/strong><\/p>\n January transfer window latest updates<\/a>Madrid duo set to stay after Alonso sacking<\/p>\n Spanish media are now reporting that Real Madrid\u2019s Brazilian duo of Vini Jr. and Rodrygo Goes are now intent on staying at the Bernabeu after the departure of Xabi Alonso. <\/p>\n It has previously been reported that both players could be leave \u2013 either through their own desire for game time or simply being forced out \u2013 but it now seems like both players will stay and fight for their places after the appointment of former Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa as manager. <\/p>\n Chris Wilson14 January 2026 22:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Conor Gallagher hailed as \u2018leader\u2019 after completing \u00a335m Tottenham move<\/p>\n Gallagher has joined Spurs from Atletico Madrid<\/a> in a deal worth in the region of 40m euros (\u00a334.7m) and signed a contract until summer 2031.<\/p>\n Aston Villa<\/a> had initially led the race for Gallagher, who is keen for more playing time ahead of this summer’s World Cup, but Tottenham were able to convince the former Chelsea academy graduate to return to London.<\/p>\n “I’m so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club,” Gallagher told the Spurs website.<\/p>\n Chris Wilson14 January 2026 21:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Jude Bellingham hits back at claims he ousted Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid<\/p>\n Jude Bellingham has taken to his own app to furiously hit back at claims that he ousted Xabi Alonso from the Real Madrid dugout.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil now I’ve let far too many of these slide, always hoping the truth will come to light in its own time,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut honestly… what a load of s***.<\/p>\n \u201cTruly feel sorry for the people that hang onto the every word of these clowns and their ‘sources’.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not believe everything you read, every now and then these lot need to be held accountable for spreading this kind of damaging misinformation for clicks and added controversy.\u201d<\/p>\n Will Castle14 January 2026 21:00<\/p>\n <\/a>\u2018World class\u2019 Cole Palmer has \u2018so much more\u2019 to offer Chelsea \u2013 Liam Rosenior<\/p>\n Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior believes there is much more to come from \u201cworld class\u201d Cole Palmer but warned it may take time to unlock his full potential.<\/p>\n Yet, hampered by injury setbacks, the 23-year-old has struggled to make a consistent impact this term.<\/p>\n Chris Wilson14 January 2026 20:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Why Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso \u2013 and how it impacts the Premier League<\/p>\n It finished as it started, with a new coach like Xabi Alonso<\/a> apparently totally out of sync with the grand old institution of Real Madrid<\/a> around him.<\/p>\n While many around the club were all too keen to point to Kylian Mbappe<\/a> allegedly stopping his teammates giving Barcelona<\/a> a Super Cup guard of honour, as appeared to have been suggested, some went back much further. They went back to Alonso\u2019s first assignment, and a fixture against Al Hilal at the Club World Cup.<\/p>\n Although Florentino Perez<\/a> actively wanted the club to constantly proclaim the historic significance of this new competition, in keeping with his own ambitions for modern football, Alonso couldn\u2019t really hide the fact that he didn\u2019t attribute any sporting importance to it. Sources maintain this immediately created an issue for Perez with his vaunted new appointment. There was barely any public support for Alonso after that, and not even a mention in the president\u2019s annual Christmas message.<\/p>\n That\u2019s quite a bookend to a brief coaching tenure, that only symbolises the way every Madrid coach always gets squeezed out by the stars and the president. The saying at the Bernabeu – that has actually been articulated to executives of other major clubs \u2013 is that the coach barely matters.<\/p>\n Miguel Delaney14 January 2026 20:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Three ways Manchester United will line up under Michael Carrick<\/p>\n Michael Carrick is the new man in charge<\/a> of Manchester United after signing a contract until the end of the season.<\/p>\n Interestingly, there was no mention of the word \u201cinterim\u201d in United\u2019s confirmation statement, announcing Carrick instead as simply \u201chead coach\u201d. That suggests that while the club are looking for a permanent manager to take over in the summer, Carrick is not entirely out of the frame to stay on beyond the next six months.<\/p>\n He takes over a club sitting seventh in a congested Premier League table, only three points behind Liverpool in fourth, but only six points above 15th-placed Bournemouth, and his task is simple: finish in the Premier League\u2019s top five.<\/p>\n There is no European competition to distract his team and no cup involvement either. Carrick has 17 games, starting with the visit of Manchester City to Old Trafford on Saturday, in which to qualify for next season\u2019s Champions League.<\/p>\n So how will Carrick set up his Manchester United team? Lawrence Ostlere <\/strong>explores the different possible setups:<\/p>\n Lawrence Ostlere14 January 2026 19:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Sunderland facing battle to keep duo<\/p>\n Sunderland are intent on keeping Romaine Mundle despite growing interest from the likes of Feyenoord and Rangers, according to Sky Sports.<\/p>\n Mundle wants assurances over game time and has not ruled out any of his options, which includes a potential contract extension.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Rangers are among the club looking at Dan Neil, whose contract expires in the summer.<\/p>\n The Gers are joined by West Ham and now Bundesliga outfit Koln, who are interested both in signing him now or on a free transfer at the end of the season. <\/p>\n Will Castle14 January 2026 19:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Souza set for Tottenham medical<\/p>\n With Conor Gallagher coming through the door, it doesn\u2019t seem like Spurs fans will need to wait much longer for their next signing.<\/p>\n Santos defender Souza is reportedly expected to undergo his Tottenham medical in London on Thursday ahead of a \u00a313m move to the club, the details of which is being finalised.<\/p>\n The Brazilian will be brought in to provide cover and competition for Destiny Udogie.<\/p>\n Will Castle14 January 2026 18:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Middlesbrough in talks over Jeremy Sarmiento<\/p>\n Middlesbrough are continuing talks with Brighton over a potential permanent move for Jeremy Sarmiento, according to Sky Sports, though nothing has been agreed between the two clubs yet. <\/p>\n The 23-year-old is currently on loan at Serie A side Cremonese and Boro would need that cancelled for any switch to go through this month.<\/p>\n Will Castle14 January 2026 18:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Jurgen Klopp on Real Madrid links<\/p>\n Jurgen Klopp has reacted to reports linking him with the vacant Real Madrid role after Xabi Alonso\u2019s sacking, insisting that the news \u201cdidn\u2019t trigger anything in me\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to ServusTV in Germany after news broke that Alonso had left Real, Klopp said: “My phone did actually ring – but not from Madrid.<\/p>\n “There were, however, a few people who felt they needed to bring it up with me.”<\/p>\n Klopp then added: “In general, it’s a sign that not everything there is 100 per cent right when Xabi Alonso, who showed over two years in Leverkusen what an outstanding coaching talent he is, has to leave Real Madrid just half a year later.<\/p>\n “When you come in after a legend and an incredibly successful coach like Carlo Ancelotti, who had a very specific way of managing his teams, and then try to introduce new rules, that has now proven to be too difficult.<\/p>\n “I really feel sorry for him, because I consider him a great coach. It has nothing to do with me and didn’t trigger anything in me either.<\/p>\n “The coaching market is being reshuffled, and it’s not a bad thing to experience all of this from an observer’s perspective and not think about what it might mean for yourself – because you’re in the right place where you are.”<\/p>\n Will Castle14 January 2026 17:46<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arne Slot will speak with Dominik Szoboszlai after Conor Hourihane accused him of a lack of professionalismYour support…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,179,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-696334","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-liverpool","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115895878706665462","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Jude](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/302a8a24df55ab8c6a4e0c59efb47d17Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzY4MzMwNDIy-2.82759329.jpg\")
Jude Bellingham with Xabi Alonso (Mike Egerton\/PA) (PA Wire)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2246372363.jpeg\")
(Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2208171706.jpeg\")
(Getty Images)<\/p>\n