Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest are involved in a fierce Premier League battle, and presenter Gary Lineker has issued a fresh verdict on how it will turn out at the end of the season.
Tottenham looked set to pick up a much-needed first top-flight victory since December 2025 after Xavi Simons’ 77th-minute goal put them 2-1 ahead against Roberto De Zerbi’s former club Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, but their hearts were broken by Georginio Rutter’s 95th-minute leveller.
The draw left them two points adrift of safety in the bottom three ahead of West Ham United facing Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night.
Nottingham Forest looked to have a great opportunity to move themselves away from the bottom three when they hosted 19th-placed Burnley at the City Ground on Sunday, but they found themselves 1-0 down at the interval.
However, a hat-trick from Morgan Gibbs-White and a last-gasp Igor Jesus goal saw Vitor Pereira’s men win 4-1, which leaves them five points above the drop zone with five games left to play.
Leeds United look to have almost ensured safety after their 3-0 win against Wolves took them up to 39 points, with a home game against Scott Parker’s Clarets still to come.
Tottenham ‘Serious Favourites’ for Relegation
Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest remain the three clubs most likely to take the final relegation spot, and Spurs have been left in a difficult position following their draw against the Seagulls.
A win for West Ham against Palace on Monday night would leave De Zerbi’s side four points from safety with five to go, with a genuine threat that they will be playing Championship football next term.
Speaking on the latest Rest is Football podcast episode, Alan Shearer described the weekend as a ‘disaster’ for Spurs, while Lineker believes that the north Londoners are now ‘serious favourites’ to go down after what happened at the weekend.
Shearer said: “As well as they play, there’s so many chances that they still give away. And up to now, as we sit here as we’re recording this on Sunday afternoon, it’s been a disaster of a weekend for Spurs.
Lineker added: “At the minute it really has and it was actually a very good game. There was some great goals scored in that 2-2 draw, some great goals. But I mean, they are serious favourites now to go down. I mean, Spurs in the Championship…”
Tottenham Have Big Opportunity
Tottenham will have no bigger opportunity to end their long run without a Premier League win than against rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers next weekend.
There is no doubt about it, it is a must-win game for De Zerbi and his players, with anything but a victory leaving them on the brink of relegation to the Championship.
Wolves had shown some renewed form but in recent weeks it has tailed off again, and they will be officially relegated on Monday night if West Ham avoid defeat against Oliver Glasner’s Palace.
The Midlands outfit would surely have the great incentive of taking Spurs down with them however, so it promises to be another interesting match in England’s top tier, with West Ham and Nottingham Forest looking on closely.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has broken his silence on the decision of the United States to deny entry to Somalian referee Omar Artan ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
There was outrage around the world when it emerged that Artan, the leading official from Africa, would not be allowed to enter the USA, despite having already been granted his visa.
Having arrived at Miami International Airport on a flight from Istanbul, he was informed that he would not be allowed to proceed further due to ‘vetting concerns’, essentially ending any chance of him officiating at the tournament. He had been due to become the first Somalian ever to officiate in any capacity at a World Cup.
Why Omar Artan was Denied Entry to the USA
Omar Artan via omar_artan on Instagram
Fifa initially released a brief statement confirming the news, which read:
“Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.” However, Infantino has now expanded on that brief comment.
In the days since he was denied entry, more details have emerged concerning Artan’s case. The decision to ban him from the US was seemingly made based on the fact that he shares the same name as a leader of the Al Shabab military group.
Artan was denied in Miami for 11 hours and interrogated by officials, before he was allowed to return home to Somalia. Speaking on his arrival back home, the referee stated:
“I’m simply a referee trying to live my dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup. I had all my papers in order, yet I was interrogated for hours, thrown into prison, and then expelled. I think they have a problem with my country.”
Benoit Tessier via Reuters
Despite the controversy and anger surrounding the decision, Infantino gave a bizarrely relaxed answer when he was quizzed on the situation on Wednesday as spoke to reporters at a pre-World Cup news conference, even telling them to “chill” and “relax.”
“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia. Again, we don’t control everything. We try, we will discuss, we will speak, we will see.
“Sometimes it’s good to chill, relax, we work on everything, we try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, we always try to find solutions.
“But we need to respect we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation.”
Infantino also refused to make any assurances on any repeat of the Artan debacle in future when being asked if he had “lost control” of the tournament.
“You know in 2035 I think, we hope, the women’s World Cup will be in the UK right – there still needs to be a decision but it looks like it.
Would you find it normal that Fifa would dictate to the British government who to let in the country and who not to let in the country?
I don’t know. Maybe you find it normal. I would like personally, on the other side, the reality of the matter is that in every country, there are governments that try to get into the UK, Germany, Switzerland without a visa, try to get a visa if you’re from certain countries, it’s not easy, that’s what I want to say.”
Olivia Buzaglo and Ben Jacobs are live with a special World Cup preview edition of Market Madness, bringing you the latest transfer news alongside expert insight from across the globe.
South American football expert Tim Vickery joins the show to break down the key storylines ahead of the tournament, including:
– The mood in Brazil as they look to end their World Cup drought
– Neymar’s inclusion and current form at Santos
– Argentina’s chances of defending their crown
– Young South American talents who could earn big moves to Europe
– Potential surprise packages
Ben also delivers the latest breaking transfer news and answers your questions in his weekly mailbag, keeping you up to speed with all the biggest moves as the window heats up before the World Cup.
Plus, we hear from The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, speaking directly from the USA traning camp, with insight into how the co-host nation is shaping up ahead of the tournament.
Manchester United are looking to strengthen their attacking options as we head towards the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils are certainly in the market to sign midfielders this summer, but they could also look to strengthen in other areas.
It’s an incredibly important summer transfer window for United as they look to build a squad capable of competing in the Champions League.
The Red Devils were without European football during the 2025/26 season, which made it easier for them to finish in the top four due to the lack of distractions.
Michael Carrick’s side will now be playing twice a week for large parts of the season, so they’ll need a deeper and more competitive squad.
Manchester United might face a problem in the transfer race for one midfield target this summer.
Man Utd Eyeing Forward Reinforcements
According to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Manchester United have working on Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old is set to compete at the World Cup with Belgium, and United are showing an interest as a potential forward option.
Despite his age, Fernandez-Pardo made 29 appearances for Lille in Ligue 1 last season, providing 13 goals and assists combined.
The Belgian forward, who has made two appearances for his country so far, predominantly plays as a centre forward but can also play on either wing.
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Versatile Forward Could be Smart for Man Utd
Signing a versatile forward in the summer transfer window could be an ideal move for United ahead of the 2026/2027 season.
Bringing in a player capable of playing in multiple positions in the forward line would be hugely beneficial, especially when Carrick looks to rotate his squad across different competitions.
