🚨 GREAT news for Chelsea, Liverpool ROMP, Brighton make HISTORY, Kompany says NO to sin bins, FIFA LOSE legal battle and more

The latest football headlines, featuring Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and much more!

Good morning everyone and welcome to another Daily Briefing - thanks as always for reading and hope you enjoy!

Today’s top stories:

• EXCL: Si Phillips’ sources on Chelsea’s plan for Andrey Santos

• WATCH: Moussa Diaby’s stunning finish for Aston Villa

• Kai Havertz is continuing to impress Mikel Arteta

• Sean Dyche still can’t believe the scale of Everton’s punishment

• Plus more from AC Milan, Manchester United and West Ham

AC Milan

• Ismael Bennacer is in the AC Milan squad for the weekend, finally back after his long-term injury. Not clear yet whether he will play some part in the game but it’s excellent news for Milan.

• Former AC Milan director Paolo Maldini on new management plans: “You don’t need algorithms or moneyball to sign Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic or Samuel Chukwueze…”

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

• Maldini on leaving Milan: “I still love Milan but the club should keep and trust people like me. Furlani told me we had a small budget for the summer transfer window… then after I left the club, the budget has doubled… Today there’s a new board but there’s someone with no idea or respect for AC Milan’s identity. Please, respect Milan’s history. President Scaroni was celebrating the Scudetto but I often saw him leave the stadium early when things didn't go well.”

• Maldini on Milan trying to sign Lionel Messi: "We tried to sign Messi when he was free after Barça, when he left the club in August. We called and we tried but it remained an idea... just because Leonardo told me PSG were ahead and already in advanced talks to sign Messi."

Al Ahli

• There are still no changes with regards to Gabri Veiga’s situation despite rumours of a possible Celta Vigo return. Al Ahli consider him a key player and they’re very happy with his impact. Two goals and two assists in his last game earned him the man of the match accolade.

Al Arabi

• Rafinha is out of contract in June and is being approached for a new chapter in 2024. There are Brazilian clubs monitoring Rafinha’s situation and also Saudi clubs keeping an eye on him.

Arsenal

• Mikel Arteta was delighted with Kai Havertz’s performance against Lens on Wednesday: “He’s becoming better and better, he’s more confident. Two very important goals as well and his overall contribution again was really, really good.”

• Arteta clearly enjoyed nutmegging his captain, Martin Odegaard, in training [pictures from Sky Sports]:

Aston Villa

• Moussa Diaby’s stunning finish set Aston Villa on their way to a 2-1 win in their Europa Conference League clash against Legia Warsaw. Alex Moreno scored his first goal for the club which proved to be the winner on the night [pictures from Viaplay and TNT Sports].

Barcelona

• Ronald Araújo confirms he has no plans to leave Barça despite reported interest from Bayern Munich: “It’s so special to be at Barça and have the chance to be the captain. I’m proud and I also feel responsible. We have big goals and we’re ready to meet our targets.”

Brighton and Hove Albion

• Five games, five goals in the Europa League for João Pedro and an historical night for Brighton as they qualify for knockout stages of the Europa League thanks to their 1-0 win at AEK Athens [pictures from TNT Sports].

Burnley

• Burnley manager Vincent Kompany isn’t a fan of the proposed idea of ‘sin bins’ in the Premier League unless it’s for dissent [pictures from Sky Sports]:

Chelsea

• Si Phillips gets inside the mind of Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

• Former Atlético Madrid and Chelsea left back Filipe Luis has decided to retire from professional football. His final game will be on Sunday as he will say goodbye to Flamengo fans.

• Chelsea are not going to bid for Corinthians ace Gabriel Moscardo and are not interested in entering the race with other clubs.

• Some great news for Chelsea as Roméo Lavia was involved in training ahead of Brighton game. Pochettino, the coaching staff and everyone at the club are convinced about his potential to be a key player.

Everton

• Sean Dyche has spoken about reports that contract talks between him and Everton have broken down because of the points deduction: “I have no idea where these stories are coming from. I don't know really. I am cracking on with the team here at Everton.”

• “Who knows what comes next?” - Dyche is still stunned by Everton’s punishment [pictures from Sky Sports]:

FIFA

• English football agents have won their legal case against FIFA. There will be no agent caps on transfers. Agencies had joined forces to challenge FIFA on the new regulations.

Liverpool

• “He was my driver!” - Mo Salah’s hilarious recollection of time spent with former team-mate Micah Richards [pictures from Sky Sports]:

• Luis Diaz scored a spectacular diving header to open the scoring for Liverpool against LASK. The Reds eventually went on to 4-0 thanks to a brace from Cody Gakpo and a penalty from Mohammed Salah [pictures from V Sport].

Lyon

• Lyon have decided to sack Fabio Grosso and Pierre Sage will be the interim coach. The French giants are, incredibly, bottom of Ligue Un with only seven points.

Manchester United

• Despite two more errors from André Onana, this time against Galatasaray in the Champions League, Man United manager, Erik ten Hag was quick to jump to his defence: “André Onana is okay. As I said, it (the result) is not about individuals. Of course, individual errors in football can make a difference and you take responsibility for it but it is always about the team.”

Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP

• Benfica aren’t interested in selling Antonio Silva to Man United or any other club in January. A €100m deal could happen in the summer but not before.

Marseille

• Official and confirmed. Medhi Benatia is the new sports advisor at Marseille. Contracts were signed last week and the club have now finally confirmed the agreement.

RB Salzburg

• RB Salzburg’s Croatian talent Luka Sučić has changed agents and he’s now represented by Alen Augustinčić and Andrija Marijanović. He’s under contract at Salzburg until June 2025. Soccertalk GmbH group also represent RB Salzburg striker Roko Šimić.

Real Madrid

• Jude Bellingham on playing for Real Madrid: “Yes, I love the responsibility, the pressure — I enjoy that. My teammates help me a lot also.”

• Carlo Ancelotti on 19-year-old Nico Páz, who scored his first Real Madrid goal against Napoli on Wednesday night: “Nico Páz has helped the team. It was a special night for him. Trust me, he's a player for the future of Real Madrid. He has all the qualities needed to play here for many years.”

Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

• Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's dad Badri: “Khvicha always dreamed and still dreams of playing for Real Madrid. I am sure about it. For Khvicha, playing against Real Madrid was special. In my family everyone is a Real Madrid supporter, except me.”

Roma

• AS Roma director, Tiago Pinto on Romelu Lukaku’s loan deal which is due to expire in June: “We already showed our love to Romelu, otherwise he wasn’t going to join us. It’s too early to decide his future, let’s enjoy him and not create rumours like there were around Paulo Dybala last summer.”

Saudi Pro League

• Will Saudi Arabia Spend Big Money in the January Transfer Window? Angus Scott and Ben Jacobs are joined on The Debrief podcast this week by UAE-based journalist and broadcaster, Chris McHardy to discuss.

West Ham

• West Ham left it late to bag all three points against TSC, Tomas Soucek scoring another last-minute volley to ensure the Hammers headed back to east London with a 1-0 victory and top spot retained in Europa League Group A [pictures from TNT Sports].