By Thursday morning, a lot had changed around Tottenham Hotspur. The Arsenalresult from the night before had naturally sent a charge around the club, given that the derby is next up. They’ll suddenly be facing a team enduring their own crisis. This has been amplified by the shift that comes from a new coach, no matter who it is. While there have been questions about Igor Tudor, he has spent most of his time so far seeking to implement his own game model. It’s foundation-first.
There have already been a few quips about how Thomas Frank would have overly focused on Arsenal, a factor that had started to grate on some of those around the club.
They – and Arsenal – are also conscious of how the atmosphere on Sunday is going to be different. The toxicity that surrounded Frank will be gone, at least temporarily. The derby will only amplify this better mood.
That suddenly creates a new danger for Arsenal. This could be an especially bad week.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a longer-term risk for Spurs from some of this, and that goes beyond the threat of relegation.
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This is the first time that a north London derby has involved both the title and survival since 1934-35, when Arsenal were champions and Spurs went down. Arsenal won those fixtures 5-1 and 0-6.
Thomas Frank was sacked by Tottenham last week (AFP/Getty)
This season feels very much up for grabs at both ends.
But if Frank occasionally overstated the exact quality of Arsenal, and recent results make even discussing it feel mistimed, Spurs would be unwise to ignore the wider point.
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The club hierarchy is currently trying to figure out a way out of this unprecedented mess, but there is a good roadmap across north London.
The very fact that Arsenal are so disappointed right now is at once a sign of their progress. Better to be frustrated in a title race than nowhere near. They are competing.
Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham should know about that journey better than anyone at the club, since he was on it.
The official was part of a wider team led by former executive vice-chair Tim Lewis, former sporting director Edu, the ownership and – of course – Mikel Arteta, in making Arsenal a serious operation again.
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The hierarchy first stripped everything back, removing all old pretensions and hang-ups to rebuild anew. Arteta decided on an identity and went there.
Another irony in the eternal intertwining of these two clubs is that this Arsenal have almost represented an upscaled version of what Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur were, right down to the style and an initial emphasis on youth.
Above all, though, Arsenal have had a clear sense of where they are going.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (John Walton/PA)
Spurs haven’t really been able to say that since Pochettino took them to the Champions League final in 2019, but arguably even earlier.
Since the club lost the Argentine’s singular focus, they have been a mess of different ideas. It says much that all of 2025, 2023, 2021 and 2019 were cast as restarts when they really just perpetuated the same cycle.
A significant cause was the one constant at Spurs: Daniel Levy. The former chair is still widely respected in the game for how he gradually built the club, but there were increasing criticisms about how virtually everything at Tottenham was done according to his preferences. Even executives at Arsenal quipped about how it was Levy’s way rather than the Spurs way.
It arguably says more that, outside Pochettino’s time and brief bursts like Antonio Conte’s Champions League qualification or Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League triumph, the club has been most associated with a dismissive eponymous adjective: “Spursy”. They are now a club who receive most attention for things going wrong.
Except that the departure of someone as central as Levy has now naturally left a huge vacuum, and one that threatens to swallow up the whole club.
It is actually even worse than the obvious lack of decisiveness over Frank, and how the complete absence of a plan saw them allow a dysfunctional situation to become one where relegation is a genuine risk.
Put bluntly, Spurs have no idea what they are, and multiple sources insist there are still not enough football people at the club to figure this out.
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Eberechi Eze was in talks with Tottenham before joining Arsenal (PA Wire)
Those same sources point to how Tudor was previously a name raised by the former director of football, Fabio Paratici.
This is a club badly in need of ideas, and especially one central idea.
As is often the case, it’s impossible not to feel some of this should be obvious, to the point it’s almost boring to repeat in a media article.
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Spurs themselves even pronounce it before every home match. There are the inevitable references to Danny Blanchflower’s famous speech proclaiming that “the game is about glory… about doing things in style and with a flourish”.
This again feels incredible to say about one of the wealthiest clubs in football, but it should not have taken them this long to decide on a football ideology that evokes this; to appoint managers and sign players that fit into this.
Again, it should be obvious, but it hasn’t been properly tried at Spurs in years.
One fair argument right now is that the club do not currently have the football expertise to start going about such a project. Other Premier League figures are insistent that Spurs won’t be able to properly do anything like that until there is a change in ownership.
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The rumours there refuse to go away. Many potential buyers are said to be interested. The Lewis family, however, are still described as “capricious” on this subject.
And of course, it wouldn’t be modern Spurs without some other layer of complication.
Will Mauricio Pochettino be in charge at Tottenham next season? (Reuters)
Although it is usually at this point, during one of their frequent coaching changes, that they try to start thinking about the future, the biggest danger is a sense of drift; this time could see them get cut adrift.
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They have to stave off relegation. Even the mere risk of this can affect preparation for next season, as Spurs may have to start considering two different plans.
The target will still be the same. They want to return to Pochettino after the USA’s involvement in the 2026 World Cup ends.
The hierarchy feels the fanbase needs to be unified after such a divisive period, and there is no better candidate. Pochettino’s football ideal, to be fair, also fits into that kind of Blanchflower proclamation.
But should this be based around one man? Is that not a superficial plan in itself? Is it even the same man as in 2019, let alone 2014, when Pochettino offered the fire that was necessary?
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There is yet another little twist in how Arteta suddenly faces up to precisely the problem that Pochettino did, and potentially peaking at the wrong time, of not taking the project to fulfilment.
Spurs could have a significant say in that – but they know the club needs to be about so much more. Arsenal are still going for everything, while their great rivals still just need something.
Kompany was also critical of Mourinho for using Eusebio’s name as supposed proof that Benfica is not a racist club.
“Do you know what black players had to go through in the 1960s?” added the former Manchester City captain and Burnley boss.
“Was he (Mourinho) there to travel with Eusebio to every away game?
“Probably at the time the only option they had was to be quiet, to say nothing, be above it and to be 10 times better in order to get a little bit of credit for people to say ‘actually, he is good’.
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“That was Eusebio’s life.”
Kompany, who also spoke about racial abuse he experienced as a player, said talk of Vinicius’ celebration should not distract from the player’s immediate response to Prestianni’s alleged remarks.
“I’m just thinking when Jose Mourinho is doing the knee slide at Old Trafford, when he does his celebration in front of the [Barcelona] fans in the Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan, when his Roma are playing Sevilla and he is fighting with the referee and the referee has to leave the country under protection,” he added.
“I know one hundred people who have worked with Jose Mourinho. I’ve never heard a person say anything bad about Jose.
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“I understand he is fighting for his team and his club. You cannot be a bad person and have all the ex players you have had talk so positively about you.
“I don’t need to judge him as a person but I know what I’ve heard. And I understand maybe what he has done, but he has made a mistake.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about the impact for Manchester City on Arsenal’s draw at Wolves this week.
Pep Guardiola said that he does not know how Manchester City will react to Arsenal’s draw at Wolves as he looks to keep all title race talk out of the Etihad. The Blues can close the gap at the top of the Premier League table to two points on Saturday but Guardiola will not let it be framed in those terms.
With a third of the season still to be completed, City’s manager insists that there are many twists and turns still to come in a title race that has become more interesting over the last fortnight as Arsenal have opened the door to City. The title race is in the hands of both teams given they play each other at the Etihad in April.
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As the country leans into that excitement, Guardiola refuses to let his team get ahead of themselves ahead of their fourth meeting of the season with Newcastle. The City boss said that he had not spent one second with his squad talking about the title race or Arsenal’s results.
“Many things are going to happen until the end of the season. 70 per cent of the players are new so they don’t have that experience of these kind of situations. Experience is win tomorrow.
“12 games is a lot. Newcastle is all I am concerned with. I’m not concerned with the League Cup final with Arsenal until it comes. Now it’s rest and after Leeds. You want to anticipate what is going to happen, who is going to be champion but that doesn’t count. It’s Newcastle.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
“I didn’t speak one second about that with my players. Yesterday and the day before it was Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle. I didn’t talk about the position or the table. I could not care less. It’s 12 games. Ask me this question with two or three games and I will answer but 12 games left is an eternity.”
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Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho made his return for Celtic in a tough night for the Scottish side, who suffered a 4-1 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart in the Europa League.
Iheanacho came on as a substitute in the 71st minute, marking his first appearance since early February. He had missed several league matches due to fitness issues, but his return was highly anticipated by fans.
Celtic started well when Benjamin Nygren equalised shortly after Stuttgart’s opening goal from Bilal El Khannouss. However, Stuttgart soon regained control, with El Khannouss heading in a second goal and Jamie Leweling adding a third after the break. Tiago Tomas completed the scoring, giving Stuttgart a comfortable first-leg lead.
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Iheanacho joined Celtic last summer on a free transfer, bringing experience from his time at Manchester City. Injuries have limited his impact so far, with just a handful of league appearances this season.
Despite the loss, Iheanacho’s return offers hope that he can regain full fitness and help Celtic in the coming weeks as they aim to recover in the Europa League and domestic competitions.
Man Utd’s decision-makers have considered arranging a mid-season friendly abroad.
Michael Carrick has confirmed Manchester United are still considering arranging a mid-season friendly abroad. United crashed out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at the first hurdle this season.
Failure to secure European football this season has contributed to United playing the fewest games in a campaign since 1914/15. United will play just 40 matches, which has led club chiefs to consider organising a mid-season friendly abroad to bank millions in revenue.
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United have an 11-day gap between games from playing Newcastle on March 4 and Aston Villa on March 15. The Reds then have a 22-day gap between playing Bournemouth on March 20 and facing Leeds on April 11, although the first weekend of that is an international break.
When asked if United could still organise a mid-season friendly, Carrick said: “It just depends on a lot of things really. I don’t think there is a black and white answer with that one. We will make a call.
“And there is an area in between where it would depend on where the game is, what it is like, what time it is, when the fixtures fall. It is not straightforward, but it is something if we need to look at we can do if it is best for the players.”
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Speaking at the start of the month, Carrick said about the prospect of a mid-season friendly abroad: “It might happen or it might not, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
United are next in action against Everton at the Hill Dickson Stadium on Monday night.
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Stephen A. Smith recently claimed late-night comedy hosts had rattled Trump and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), further adding that the hosts brought the FCC controversy on themselves. This came after late night television host Stephen Colbert claimed that CBS pulled his interview with Texas state Representative James Talarico for fear of FCC’s retaliation.
Talarico was scheuled to appear on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show on February 16, 2026. However, the interview did not air on the network and was instead uploaded on the show’s YouTube page. During the Monday episode, Colbert also explained why the interview, where he and Talarico spoke about the politician’s Democratic nomination for Senate and the recent FCC crackdown, didn’t air on CBS.
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Radio host Stephen A. Smith addressed the controvesy during the February 19 episode of Straight Shooter. He questioned why late night comedy hosts targeted only Trump and didn’t go after everybody, saying:
“This is my issue: These are brilliant late-night hosts who are comedic geniuses. Why not go after everybody? See, the problem is, everybody talked about Trump so much that it was so one-sided cause it’s clear, you know, the disgust and the vitriol he evokes and they felt for him. You’ve got to hit everybody when you’re a comedian. Nobody is supposed to be safe. No one is supposed to be spared.”
He added:
“Hell, when I go into a place, I expect them to be teasing me about my hairline… So what? That’s what comedians do. Late night stopped doing that when it came to practically everybody else but Trump… Had they spared no one, Trump and his influence over the FCC clearly exist, none of that would have been enough for them to invoke their wishes the way that they’ve tried.”
Trump previously hinted at FCC revoking the license of televison broadcasters
During the February 16 episode of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert explained why his interview with Texas state Representative James Talarico did not air in CBS. Durign his statement, the television host suggested that CBS lawyers told him they could not have the policitian on the broadcast and also supposedly prohibited Colbert from talking about the incident on the broadcast.
“He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast. Then, then I was told in some uncertain terms that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on. And because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this,” Colbert said.
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According to NBC News, CBS denied this claim in an emailed statement, saying that the network did not prohibit Colbert or The Late Show from airing the episode. The statement further added that the talk show was provided “legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates.”
For those uninformed, the FCC‘s equal time rule prohibits networks and radios from hosting political candidates durign the election season without giving equal airtime to the opponents. However, Colbert claimed that the rule did not apply to talk show interviews with political candidate.
Meanwhile, Brendan Carr, the chairman of Trump’s FCC, addressed the controversy during an FCC meeting meeting on February 18, saying that the media should “feel a bit ashamed for having been lied to and then run with those lies.”
This is not the first time the FCC has clashed with late night shows in recent times. In September 2025, Brendan Carr strongly condemned Jimmy Kimmel‘s comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s supposed assassin during an episode of his late-night talk show, resulting in ABC temporarily suspending the program.
At the time, Trump praised the decision and suggested that the FCC could revoke the license of broadcasters that gave him “bad publicity” saying:
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“I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr. I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy, so we’ll have to see.”
In July 2025, Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show was canceled by CBS due to financial pressure and the talk show’s final episode will be aired in May 2026.
For the first time, there won’t be a Canadian woman on the ski-cross podium.
Marielle Thompson, Brittany Phelan and Hannah Schmidt were all eliminated in the quarterfinals of the event on Friday in Livigno at the Milano-Cortina Olympics.
Thompson, 33, entered these Games as a strong favourite to add a third medal to her gold from 2014 and silver from 2022. She was Canada’s opening ceremony flag-bearer, alongside Mikael Kingsbury.
But lining up in the first quarterfinal, she was knocked out by top seed Daniela Maier of Germany and France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel.
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Phelan and Schmidt then lined up next to each other in the third quarterfinal, but were taken out by Switzerland’s Franny Smith and France’s Jade Grillet Aubert.
Maier went on to capture gold while Smith took silver and Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund earned bronze.
Ski cross was introduced to the Olympic program at Vancouver 2010. The men’s ski-cross event in Italy is set for Saturday.
Meanwhile, Canada will also head home empty-handed in men’s aerials.
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Both Lewis Irving and Emile Nadeau barely missed out on the second final, finishing seventh and ninth, respectively.
Irving, 30, helped Canada win bronze in the mixed-team event four years ago in Beijing, breaking a 20-year drought in the sport. Nadeau, 22, was also competing at his second Games.
Canada’s final shot for an aerials medal will come as it attempts to return to the podium Saturday in the mixed-team event.
Palace beat rivals Brighton earlier this in February but they have failed to win a home game since November.
Speaking before Sunday’s game against Wolves, Glasner said: “I’m always realistic, and we’re not in the best moment right now. I understand, and I take responsibility for everything because I’m responsible for the whole team.
“Right now, I’m just not good enough to replace the players we sold. I’m just not good enough to integrate the new players in a way to play the same way like we did, and I’m not good enough that we can cope with the schedule we had.
“On the other side, I was good enough to play the best season ever [and] win two trophies.
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“We are playing a better Premier League season than [in] eight of the last 10 seasons. We play European football, and that is the reality.”
Glasner is the most successful manager in the club’s history having won the FA Cup last season and the Community Shield.
Palace host bottom of the table Wolves on Sunday before the second leg of their Conference League tie with Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday.
One of the MAC’s top teams will be on display Friday when the Akron Zips travel to take on the Ball State Cardinals. Akron is 21-5 (12-1 MAC), trailing only undefeated Miami (OH) in the conference standings. Ball State, meanwhile, has struggled this season and enters this matchup 8-18 overall with a 3-10 mark in the MAC. Akron is 13-11 against the spread this season, while Ball State is 9-15 ATS.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times and it enters Week 15 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on an 11-5 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
After 10,000 simulations of Ball State vs. Akron, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (145.5 points). Akron has hit the Over in two straight games and is 13-11 to the Over this season.
These teams met on Jan. 13, a game Akron won 87-77. That game cleared the total (152.5) as the teams combined for 164 points. This time around, the model is projecting the Over to hit again as the teams combine for 153 points.
Brian Foss displays his custom Minnesota Vikings logo prosthetic eye at the Super Fan Summit Tailgate Party, with the moment captured on Apr 25, 2025 during a gathering in Ashwaubenon that drew devoted supporters from around the league. The longtime fan stands among event attendees while sharing the distinctive accessory, offering a clear snapshot of fan creativity and team pride on a lively spring afternoon. Mandatory Credit: Sarah Kloepping-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings are expected to explore the quarterback market after inconsistent play at the position derailed their 2025 season. While most rumors have centered around veterans and reclamation projects, a much more surprising name has quietly entered speculative league chatter.
There is no indication the Texans are actively looking to move C.J. Stroud, but his name being mentioned in broader QB speculation has naturally caught the attention of quarterback-needy teams.
NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay said on his podcast, “I’m told, don’t be surprised if in the next couple of weeks there are some big-name QBs that are going to be targeted. CJ Stroud is one of them… does he need a change of scenery? Be prepared for that.”
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It’s important to note that this is not a report that Houston is actively shopping Stroud, but rather that his name has surfaced in league speculation as teams monitor quarterback movement across the offseason.
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) greets Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers following their AFC Wild Card Round game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Stroud is coming off a disappointing season, with disastrous playoff play in which he piled up interceptions and fumbles.
But McShay isn’t the only credible name that has moved Stroud into trade talks. A couple of weeks ago, SI.com’s Albert Breer wrote, “If Stroud’s contract negotiations get sticky, or the Texans prefer to punt them to next year—while rewarding Anderson—will there be friction? Could that impact the Texans’ offseason? Might someone swoop in to see if they could pry the wildly talented 24-year-old away?”
Stroud is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, but with the fifth-year option and another year on his rookie deal, the Texans could just wait. Until he signs on the dotted line, he will remain in trade speculations.
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Breer added, “These are questions other teams have certainly asked, as Stroud’s gone through his ups and downs. Along those lines, Houston’s September signing of Davis Mills to a one-year, $7 million extension got the attention of some of those same teams. Mills, who was in Caserio’s first draft class, has started 28 games in Houston, and went 3–0 this year, while Stroud was dealing with a midseason concussion. Stay tuned on this one.”
Stroud is a fascinating player, as he looked like the real deal in his rookie season but hasn’t been nearly as sharp since.
A trade could go two ways. Either his rookie season was accurate and he’ll quickly establish himself as a franchise quarterback, or his early success was overrated and he’s not as good as everyone thought a couple of years ago. It’s a high-risk, high-reward bet,
Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates running back Aaron Jones’ (33) touchdown run with head coach Kevin O’Connell during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
In the playoffs, he appeared to struggle to see the field and seemed to lack confidence. If Kevin O’Connell has shown one thing, it’s that he can infuse confidence into his passers. Sam Darnold is the prototype, but Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens also displayed that under his tutelage. As Stroud could be the franchise quarterback the Vikings have been looking for, it would almost be malpractice not to call the Texans and check in with GM Nick Caserio to gauge Houston’s position.
Texans writer Jared Koch of SI commented on the situation, “In reality, the Texans would have to get a notably good package in return for trading Stroud to make the most sense. Stroud is still just 24 years old, on his rookie contract, and even despite his playoff woes, has more than enough time to rebound back into the franchise quarterback he was drafted to be.”
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In three seasons and 46 games in the regular season, Stroud has recorded 10,876 yards, 62 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Also on his scorecard are more than 600 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) exits the tunnel during player introductions before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“Of course, everything has a price, and if another team hungry for a quarterback were to offer a haul for Stroud, there might be a discussion to be had. But the more likely outcome remains that the Texans roll with their guy for at least one more season, let him play out the fourth year of his rookie deal, and re-evaluate after he has a chance to bounce back from a rough end to his third year,” Koch concluded.
Because of his rookie season and the youth he brings to the table, a realistic trade package despite the recent struggles, would like start with a couple of 1st-round picks. At this point, it’s unclear whether the Texans would even entertain trade talks, given that they need a starting quarterback, too. If they move Stroud, they have the same options the Vikings have now, including players like Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Mac Jones, Aaron Rodgers, and Malik Willis.
Sure, he’s a long shot, but Stroud, 24, is one of the more intriguing QB options for the Minnesota Vikings.
Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has returned to first-team training at Besiktas after travelling to Nigeria to bury his father.
Ndidi’s father, Sunday Ndidi, died in a car accident in Agbor, Delta State, about three weeks ago. It was a painful period for the Nigerian international and his family.
Besiktas showed strong support for the midfielder during his time of mourning. The club paid tribute to his late father and allowed Ndidi to travel home for the funeral.
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Ndidi was seen in Delta State with his family as they laid his father to rest. After the burial, he returned to Turkey and rejoined his teammates in training.
The midfielder is now expected to focus on helping Besiktas in their upcoming matches.
