Roberto De Zerbi has left his position as head coach of Olympique de Marseille, but this is not expected to change the transfer agreement between the Ligue 1 side and Juventus for USA international Timothy Weah. 

Will Marseille still sign Weah from Juventus after De Zerbi sacking?

Inter and Juventus both have players out on loan at Marseille this season: The Nerazzurri sent Benjamin Pavard to the Stade Velodrom at the end of the window, at the same time that they brought in Manuel Akanji from Manchester City, while Weah had joined from Juventus a few weeks earlier. 

The deal for Pavard was made up of a season-long loan deal for €2.5m and an option to buy for an additional €15m, however, recent reports in France and Italy claim that the Frenchman is increasingly likely to return to Inter at the end of the season. 

This is not the case for Weah, however, whose loan deal to Marseille includes a potential obligation to buy. According to Calciomercato.com, Marseille will trigger that obligation to buy once they secure mathematical safety in Ligue 1 this season. 

Marseille are currently in fourth place in the Ligue 1 table, 25 points clear of the relegation zone with 13 games of the season left to play. 

It is a case of when, rather than if Marseille trigger their obligation to buy. Once that happens, Juventus will be entitled to a fee of €15.4m plus up to €4.1m in add-ons. The Bianconeri have already received €1m for Weah’s season-long loan deal.

Gian Piero Gasperini is expected to have Paulo Dybala back at his disposal when Roma take on Napoli in Serie A over the weekend, and there is also positive news regarding January signing Robinio Vaz according to Wednesday’s reports. 

Dybala and Robinio Vaz fighting to be fit for Napoli vs. Roma

Dybala has missed Roma’s last two Serie A matches due to a knee issue, but returned to training on Wednesday and is now expected to compete for a spot in the team to take on Napoli at the Stadio Maradona on Sunday evening, potentially as a starter. 

Robinio Vaz was also partially involved in Wednesday’s training session at Trigoria. The 18-year-old joined the Giallorossi in a €25m deal during the January transfer window, but has spent the last week nursing a soleus injury after picking up an injury three substitute appearances into his Roma career. 

According to Corriere dello Sport, Matias Soule and Mario Hermoso trained on personalised programmes on Wednesday. The former has been struggling with a bit of discomfort around his pubis, while the Spaniard has been dealing with a minor impact injury to his foot. 

Manu Kone, Stephan El Shaarawy, Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk continued to work individually on Wednesday.

Juventus are close to triggering the obligation to buy clause in the contract of forward Lois Openda, but reports on Wednesday claim that the Bianconeri are already considering plans for the Belgian’s exit in the summer. 

Terms of the Juventus-Openda obligation to buy revealed

Openda joined Juventus towards the end of the summer transfer window, joining on loan for a fee of €3.3m plus up to €800,000 in bonuses in a deal that also includes an obligation to buy if certain ‘sporting conditions’ are met. 

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, Juventus will be obliged to make Openda’s move permanent in the event that they finish the Serie A season in 10th place or above.

Though there are still 14 games of the 2025-26 campaign left to play, the feeling is that Juventus, currently in fourth on 46 points, are not at any immediate risk of finishing in 11th or lower. They already have a 17-point buffer between themselves and the bottom half of the Serie A table. 

In the event that Juventus do finish in 10th or above, they will be obliged to pay a fee of €40.6m plus bonuses of up to €1.7m to sign Openda on a permanent basis. 

However, according to reports from Calciomercato, Juventus will look to sell Openda during the next summer transfer window. The Belgian is on two goals from 31 appearances across all competitions this campaign, and there are concerns that his profile does not fit Luciano Spalletti’s current set-up. 

He is not considered an out-and-out centre-forward, and doesn’t quite fit into one of the supporting roles in attack typically occupied by Kenan Yildiz, Fabio Miretti, Weston McKennie or Francisco Conceicao. 

As per Calciomercato, Juventus might have looked into the possibility of moving Openda on during the January transfer window, but this was impossible given that he had already played for two different clubs in Juventus and RB Leipzig in 2025-26, and would have therefore been ineligible to play for another team this season. 

Selling Openda this summer while avoiding a capital loss remains a difficult task, however. 

If the Old Lady were to sell Openda this summer and avoid a capital loss, they would need to find a buyer willing to match the €40.6m obligation to buy fee. Moving forwards, a fee in the region of €30m would be required to avoid a capital loss in the summer of 2027, and €20m in the summer of 2028. 

As per Calciomercato, it is unlikely that another team steps forwards with a €40m offer this coming summer. A slightly more feasible scenario is that Openda puts in a slightly more convincing season in 2026-27, leading to a €30m move away from the club in the summer of 2027. 

Wednesday’s reports confirm that Denzel Dumfries has finally returned to training with Inter, just a few days out from the highly-anticipated Derby d’Italia against rivals Juventus. 

Dumfries back in Inter training ahead of Juventus clash

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Dumfries was partially involved in Inter’s training session on Wednesday, just a few days shy of the Juventus match, which kicks off at 19.45 GMT on Saturday evening. 

The Dutchman has not featured for the Nerazzurri since coming off midway through a 2-0 Serie A victory over Lazio on November 9. He suffered an injury to his ankle, which required surgery to amend. 

Dumfries has missed the last 13 Serie A matches, plus four in the Champions League, two in the Coppa Italia and one in the Supercoppa Italiana while recovering from his ankle injury. 

It remains to be seen whether he will be called up to Cristian Chivu’s squad for the Juventus match. Given the extent of his lay-off, he is not currently expected to start. 

This is still a big boost for Chivu’s side, who were also able to welcome both Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu back to training earlier this week. Calhanoglu had been out injured since January 11 and Barella since January 28. 

Recent reports claim that Barella is slightly more likely than Barella to return to the starting XI straight away for the Juventus match.

Juventus are expecting to have Francisco Conceicao at their disposal for Saturday’s Derby d’Italia against rivals Inter, but Weston McKennie has had to have five stitches in his leg on Wednesday according to the latest updates. 

Juventus team news heading into Inter clash

The Bianconeri are underway with their preparations for Saturday’s Serie A crunch match against rivals Inter, who sit eight points clear at the top of the league table ahead of kick-off. 

Juventus are coming in off the back of a 2-2 draw against Lazio last time out in the league. 

Conceicao was expected to come on at half-time during the Lazio game. He was out warming up during the interval, was seen receiving detailed instructions from the coaching staff, but then reported some discomfort in his knee before coming on. In the end, it was Edon Zhegrova who came on at the start of the second half instead of the Portugal international. 

According to the latest reports, Conceicao was able to train as usual with the rest of the Juventus first team on Wednesday, which means that he is currently expected to be part of the squad for the derby against Inter on Saturday. 

Wednesday’s reports confirm that McKennie was not involved in Juventus training on Wednesday. That is because he suffered a cut just above his ankle during the Lazio game over the weekend and had five stitches put in on Wednesday. 

However, according to Sky Sport Italia and Calciomercato, McKennie should be back in training on Thursday as long as he does not feel too much discomfort, which means that he should also be available for the Inter game over the weekend. 

Strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik remain the only Juventus players expected to miss out through injury over the weekend. 

Roberto De Zerbi’s time with Olympique de Marseille has come to an end after just over 18 months, but what went wrong at the Stade Velodrome and what could the future hold for the former Brighton coach? 

Late on Tuesday evening, it was confirmed that Marseille and De Zerbi had parted company by mutual consent. De Zerbi leaves the club in fourth place in Ligue 1, 12 points off the table-topping Paris Saint-Germain. 

De Zerbi’s time at Marseille: Re-cap 

De Zerbi took over at Marseille in the summer of 2024, following a difficult 2023-24 campaign in which the team had finished in eighth place in Ligue 1. That eighth place finish meant that Marseille did not compete in any European competition during De Zerbi’s first season in charge. 

Among De Zerbi’s signings during his first summer in charge were Mason Greenwood, who finished as the division’s joint-top scorer, Adrien Rabiot, Amine Gouiri, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Manu Kone.

Those signings helped Marseille on their way to a second place finish in Serie A during De Zerbi’s first season in charge. They finished the 2024-25 campaign on 65 points, four points clear of their closest competitors, Monaco, but 19 points shy of the eventual champions, PSG.

Still, a second place finish was enough for Marseille to confirm their place in the Champions League for the 2025-26 campaign.

The Champions League campaign did not go to plan, though. Marseille beat Ajax, Newcastle and Union SG over the course of the league phase, but recorded defeats against Real Madrid, Sporting CP, Atalanta, Liverpool and Club Brugge, which meant that they finished the league phase in 25th place, being knocked out of the tournament on goal difference. 

Marseille’s Champions League exit was confirmed on January 28. De Zerbi followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Paris FC in Ligue 1, a victory over Rennes in the Coupe de France, but then a 5-0 hammering away against rivals PSG: De Zerbi’s final game in charge. 

That 5-0 defeat against PSG was Marseille’s worst ever loss against their archrivals. 

Despite an unceremonious end to his time in charge of Marseille, De Zerbi leaves the club with the best win percentage of any Marseille coach of the last 10 years (57%). He also has the third-highest points-per-game record of any Marseille coach from the last 10 years with 1.84. Only Jorge Sampaoli (1.87) and Igor Tudor (1.85) did better by that metric. 

In the end, De Zerbi lasted for 590 days at Marseille, taking charge of 69 matches over that period. The average under Marseille’s current ownership is 374 days and 49 matches. Only Rudi Garcia, who lasted for 142 games between 2016 and 2019 lasted longer than De Zerbi under the current Marseille regime.

Emil Holm has made no secret of the fact that he wants to stay on with Juventus beyond the 2025-26 season, and has shared his first impressions of Luciano Spalletti, Kenan Yildiz and the upcoming Derby d’Italia against Inter. 

Holm wants to stay at Juventus on permanent basis

Holm joined Juventus on the final day of the January transfer window, signing an initial loan deal that also includes an option to buy for €15m plus €3m in bonuses. The Bianconeri also sent Joao Mario to Bologna on loan on the same day. 

The 25-year-old has represented four different clubs in Serie A, along with Spezia, Atalanta and Bologna, but is hoping that he finds a permanent home in Turin. 

“All my teammates, the coach and the staff have helped me to feel part of the group. My goal is to be here beyond the summer,” the Sweden international told Sky Sport in an interview. “I want to help as much as I can and I want to give 100% to stay here.” 

Holm also revealed what was said in his first conversation with Bianconeri head coach Luciano Spalletti: “He told me that his wife is from La Spezia, so she watched a lot of games when I was there. We haven’t spoken much, but it’s gone well so far.” 

Holm also spoke about his best positions on the pitch: “As a full-back and as a wing-back,” he said. “I have to push a lot on the pitch and give my best. I want to learn something new every day and push as hard as I can.” 

And when asked for his initial thoughts after seeing starman Yildiz up close and personal, Holm added: “He’s really strong in my opinion. I played against him in training and you can immediately see that he has this impressive quality.” 

And looking forward to the Derby d’Italia against rivals Inter this weekend, he added: “If we win, we’ll make up a bit of ground in the standings. It’s a long season, though.
If we win it, it’s a great opportunity of course.”

Roberto De Zerbi is the early favourite to replace Thomas Frank as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, just a few hours after his departure from Olympique de Marseille was confirmed. 

De Zerbi and Maresca among early options for Tottenham

Marseille confirmed in the early hours of Wednesday morning that they have parted company with De Zerbi after just over 18 months in charge. The Italian leaves the French outfit in fourth place in the Ligue 1 standings, 12 points off league leaders PSG after 21 matches. 

De Zerbi’s final match in charge came in a 5-0 hammering by PSG away from home after the weekend. 

Iti was also confirmed on Wednesday that Premier League side Tottenham have dismissed head coach Frank, who was appointed as the successor to Ange Postecoglu over the summer. He leaves Spurs in 16th place, just five points above the Premier League relegation zone. 

According to reports from the Evening Standard, De Zerbi is currently the odds-on favourite to replace Frank as head coach of Tottenham. Another Italian in Enzo Maresca has also been mentioned in early reports.

Former Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino has also been mooted for a return to North London, but he is currently in charge of the United States men’s national team, and is not expected to leave before the 2026 World Cup this summer. 

Meanwhile, former Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao has been linked with a potential move to the Stade Velodrome to replace De Zerbi according to reports from Footmercato.

Charles De Ketelaere was initially named in the Atalanta starting line-up to take on Cremonese in Serie A on Monday evening, but the Belgium international was forced to drop out at the last minute. 

De Ketelaere drops out of Atalanta line-up at the last minute

De Ketelaere felt something in his knee during the warm-up ahead of Monday’s Serie A clash between Atalanta and Cremonese at the New Balance Arena and was unable to take his place in the starting line-up. That made for an opportunity for Lazar Samardzic to play instead. 

You can follow the action from Monday evening’s Serie A matches on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Raffaele Palladino already had injuries in mind when naming his starting line-up. Gianluca Scamacca started and scored in the 3-0 Coppa Italia victory over Juventus on Thursday, but reported a minor issue in training ahead of the Cremonese match and was also unavailable to start. 

Nikola Krstovic started at centre-forward instead and opened the scoring for La Dea within 13 minutes against Cremonese.

Reports in Italy confirm that Torino officially triggered their obligation to buy clause for striker Giovanni Simeone during their 2-2 draw with Fiorentina in Serie A, which is set to bring in around €5.5m for selling club Napoli. 

Official: Torino have triggered Simeone obligation to buy from Napoli

Simeone has spent the 2025-26 on loan with Torino in a deal that also includes an obligation to buy. 

According to reports from Tuttosport and Calciomercato.com, the obligation to buy clause kicked in after Torino’s first match in February, which happened to be the 2-2 draw with Fiorentina over the weekend. 

This means that Torino will be obliged to pay Napoli a fee of €5.5m plus up to an extra €1m in easily achievable add-ons. Torino have already paid the Partenopei a reported fee of €1.5m to sign Simeone on loan for the 2025-26 season. 

Simeone has scored five goals from 18 outings in Serie A so far this season. 

Roma are just one point away from triggering the obligation to buy clause in Daniele Ghilardi’s contract, which will bring a small financial boost for both Hellas Verona and Fiorentina. 

Roma one point away from permanent Ghilardi signing: Verona and Fiorentina profit

Ghilardi joined Roma on loan with a potential obligation to buy during the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old has had to bide his time for opportunities at the Stadio Olimpico, but he has since started in four of the last five rounds of Serie A fixtures. 

Ghilardi joined Roma with a loan fee reported to be worth €2.5m. The Giallorossi will also have to pay a further €8m plus potentially €1m in bonuses in the event that his transfer is made permanent. 

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, the option to buy clause in Ghilardi’s contract will be triggered after the first point that Roma pick up during the month of February. There is a high possibility that that happens on Monday evening, as long as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side avoids defeat at home against Cagliari in Serie A (kicking off at 19.45 GMT). 

You can follow the action from Monday night’s Serie A matches on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Ghilardi’s former club, Verona, will not receive the full fee once the transfer is made permanent, though, as Fiorentina are entitled to a 50% sell-on clause. 

That means that both Verona and Fiorentina will receive €4m for Ghilardi’s transfer to Roma (plus up to €500,000 each in bonuses). Verona and Fiorentina also split the €2.5m loan fee equally.

Nikola Krstovic is called back in to lead the line for Atalanta, who face off against Jamie Vardy and Cremonese in Serie A on Monday evening. 

Atalanta are coming in off the back of a 3-0 Coppa Italia victory over Juventus on Thursday evening and a 0-0 draw after being reduced to 10 men early on in their away game against Como last time out in Serie A. 

Raffaele Palladino’s side sit in seventh place in the league table ahead of kick-off. 

Cremonese had started the 2025-26 season in impressive form, but have only picked up two points from their last seven matches in Serie A, which has them tumbling concerningly towards the relegation zone. 

Davide Nicola’s side are in 16th place, five points above the drop zone ahead of kick-off. 

Atalanta have stuck with the same core of the team that beat Juventus in the cup for tonight’s game against Cremonese, but have swapped Honest Ahanor for Sead Kolasinac at the back, Mario Pasalic for Marten De Roon, Nicola Zalewski in place of Luca Bernasconi and Nikola Krstovic instead of Gianluca Scammaca at centre-forward. 

Cremonese once again turn to Jamie Vardy and Federico Bonazzoli to lead their attacking line. They have made three changes after their recent 2-0 loss against Inter, with Sebastiano Luperto coming in for Francesco Folino, Tommaso Barbieri instead of Filippo Terracciano and Morten Thorsby instead of Alessio Zerbin. 

Kick-off is due at 17.30 GMT. 

Atalanta vs. Cremonese: Confirmed line-ups 

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Raspadori; Krstovic.

Cremonese (3-5-2): Audero; Ceccherini, Baschirotto, Luperto; Barbieri, Thorsby, Grassi, Maleh, Pezzella; Vardy, Bonazzoli.

09-02-2026 17:30

MatchDay 24

Gewiss Stadium (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia)

Atalanta

Cremonese

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Nikola Krstovic (Assist: Giacomo Raspadori)		13'
Davide Zappacosta (Assist: Mario Pasalic)		25'

2nd half

Sead Kolasinac		49'
Odilon Kossounou		82'
		90+4'		Morten Thorsby (Assist: Sebastiano Luperto)

Match statistic

57

Possession %

43

29

Total shots

12

9

Shots on target

2

10

Shots off target

7

10

Blocked shots

3

13

Corners

2

2

Offsides

4

11

Fouls

11

Atalanta

Cremonese

Starting lineups

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

59'

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

59'

13

Éderson

Midfielder

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

70'

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

70'

18

Giacomo Raspadori

Attacker

78'

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

23

Federico Ceccherini

Defender

40'

3

Giuseppe Pezzella

Defender

5

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

84'

33

Alberto Grassi

Midfielder

63'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

29

Youssef Maleh

Midfielder

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

46'

10

Jamie Vardy

Attacker

63'

Substitutes

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

4

Isak Hien

Defender

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

59'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

59'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

70'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

70'

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

78'

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

14

Faris Moumbagna

Attacker

55

Francesco Folino

Defender

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

25

Davide Pavesi

Defender

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

40'

9

Milan Djuric

Attacker

46'

99

Antonio Sanabria

Attacker

63'

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

63'

7

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

84'

Inter and Italy star Federico Dimarco has set a new record for the most assists provided by a defender in Serie A after 24 matches after laying on three goals for his teammates during Sunday evening’s 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo. 

Dimarco shining for Inter and Italy

Dimarco was the star of the show as Inter picked up a 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo with five different players on the scoresheet: Yann Bisseck, Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique. Dimarco provided assists for three of them on the night. 

Sunday’s game means that Dimarco is now up to 11 assists in Serie A in 2025-26. Before the weekend, no defender had ever recorded more than nine assists after the same number of matches in the Italian top flight according to Opta records. 

Dimarco is also closing in on the all-time Serie A record for the most assists within a single season. That title is currently held by Papu Gomez, who came up with 16 assists for his Atalanta teammates during the 2019-20 season. 

What’s more impressive about Dimarco’s tally is that he has only featured in 22 of the 24 Serie A matches that Inter have played this season. He also has five league goals to his name, plus 11 assists. That totals 16 goal involvements from 22 league appearances from wing-back.

Other sources with looser definitions of what an assist is claim that Dimarco is already up to 13 for the season, rather than 11.

Dimarco also has four assists from six World Cup qualifying appearances with the Italy national team this season as well.

Experts believe that Juventus were wrongly denied a penalty during the first half of their eventual 2-2 draw against Lazio in Serie A on Sunday evening. 

Should Juventus have been awarded a penalty against Lazio?

The Bianconeri had to fight back through goals from Weston McKennie and Pierre Kalulu, the latter with 15 seconds of the game remaining, to claim a 2-2 draw after falling behind to goals from Pedro and Gustav Isaksen on Sunday evening. 

During the first half, however, with the scores still at 0-0, Teun Koopmeiners found the back of the net from the edge of the area, but saw his effort ruled out as Khephren Thuram was obstructing the goalkeeper’s view in an offside position.

In the build-up to that incident, though, Juan Cabal went to ground on his way into the area under the clumsy challenge of Lazio defender Mario Gila. He stayed on the deck for the entirety of the following play.  

A penalty was not awarded in real time, and that decision was upheld after a lengthy VAR check that resulted in Koopmeiners’s goal being ruled out. 

However, experts believe that this was the wrong call and that Juventus should have been awarded a spot-kick for Gila’s foul on Cabal. 

“This is a negligent intervention,” said refereeing expert Luca Marelli on DAZN after full-time. 

“It doesn’t matter that he’s already offloaded the ball, what matters is whether the intervention was regular or irregular. Here, Gila comes in negligently on Cabal, and in my opinion, this is a penalty kick.” 

Monday’s reports claim that the sales of the players that Milan currently have out on loan in 2025-26 could be worth around €70m. Here is a look at the players that the Rossoneri could shift to help with their summer spending in a few months’ time. 

Which players could Milan sell to raise €70m?

It has recently been confirmed that Alex Jimenez will join Premier League side AFC Bournemouth on a permanent transfer after spending the 2025-26 season on loan on the English south coast. 

The Spaniard has triggered the obligation to buy clause in his Bournemouth contract, which means that the Cherries are obliged to pay Milan a fee of €19.5m plus over €5m in potential bonuses. Milan will not receive all of this fee, though, as Jimenez’s former club, Real Madrid, are entitled to a 50% sell-on clause. 

Alvaro Morata’s loan deal to Como also includes a conditional obligation to buy, which, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri expect to be triggered. The sale of the Spaniard will reportedly be worth around €15m for Milan. 

Samuel Chukwueze is currently on loan with an option to buy at Premier League side Fulham, and has impressed during his short time in West London so far. If the Cottagers were to make his move permanent, Milan would bring in another €24m. 

Lorenzo Colombo is also likely to leave San Siro permanently this summer. He is on loan with Genoa in a deal that includes a conditional obligation to buy for around €10m. In order for his move to be made permanent, Colombo needs at least five Serie A goals, at least 22 appearances and to avoid relegation. He already has six goals from 24 appearances. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Milan and Bologna have already agreed terms for Tommaso Pobega’s permanent transfer over the summer, which will reportedly be worth around €7m. 

Filippo Terracciano will also join Cremonese in a permanent deal should they avoid relegation to Serie B at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. That will bring in another €3.5m. 

If all of these transfers are confirmed, Milan would raise over €70m in fees. That does not include the likes of Ismael Bennacer, Yunus Musah and Warren Bondo, who also have option to buy clauses in their loan contracts that are less likely to be activated.

Gianluigi Donnarumma made a heroic last-gasp save for Manchester City in their Premier League victory over Liverpool, Riccardo Calafiori helped Arsenal to another clean sheet against Sunderland, but it was a weekend to forget for Italy pair Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie at Tottenham. 

Here is how the jItaly internationals in the Premier League got on this weekend. 

Donnarumma and Calafiori victories 

Italy no.1 Donnarumma played a crucial role as Manchester City claimed an important 2-1 victory away against Arne Slot’s Liverpool on Sunday evening. The highlight of his performance was his late save to deny Alexis Mac Allister’s improvised volley from hitting the top corner of the net. 

• Read more: Guardiola’s touchline reaction to Donnarumma’s save

Fellow Italy colleague Federico Chiesa appeared off the bench in the final stages of the Liverpool 1-2 Manchester City match. Giovanni Leoni remains out injured long term. 

Calafiori was back in the Arsenal starting line-up for the first time since his recent injury lay-off and helped the Premier League leaders on their way to a 3-0 victory against Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium. 

That was the 11th Premier League clean sheet that Calafiori has been involved in this season. He has featured in the league on 18 occasions so far in 2025-26. 

Lucca scores on Forest debut 

Lorenzo Lucca was the only Italy international who moved to the Premier League during the January transfer window, joining Nottingham Forest on loan with an option to buy from Napoli after falling down the pecking order under Antonio Conte in the early stages of 2025-26. 

He was given his first Premier League appearance of the season off the bench in Nottingham Forest’s eventual 3-1 loss against Leeds United. It took him just 32 minutes to find the back of the net on his first outing in the English top flight. 

How did the other Italy internationals get on this weekend? 

It is turning out to be a memorable season for Michael Kayode and his Brentford colleagues. Many tipped the Bees for relegation after the departure of head coach Thomas Frank in the summer, but they are currently on course to record their strongest ever finish in the Premier League, currently sitting in seventh place after a 3-2 win away against Newcastle United. 

Sandro Tonali, who is beginning to attract more and more transfer interest, was a starter in the Newcastle side that lost 3-2 to Brentford. 

2026 has not been kind to Vicario and Udogie at Tottenham. Spurs are without a Premier League win in 2026, a run that is now up to seven matches after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester United. 

Wilfried Gnonto was an unused substitute for Leeds, who beat Lucca’s Nottingham Forest 3–1. 

Weston McKennie continues to impress under Luciano Spalletti and was among the star performers as Juventus had to fight back to claim a 2-2 draw at home against Lazio in Serie A on Sunday evening. 

Maurizio Sarri’s side went 2-0 up shortly after the start of the second half thanks to goals from PEdro and Gustav Isaksen, which were eventually cancelled out by McKennie and then Kalulu in the final minute of injury time. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Juventus 2-2 Lazio: Player ratings!

Juventus: Di Gregorio 5; Kalulu 7, Bremer 6, Koopmeiners 6 (Kelly 6); Cambiaso 5.5 (Boga 6.5), Locatelli 5 (Miretti n/a), Thuram 5.5, Cabal 5.5 (Zhegrova 6.5); McKennie 7 (Openda n/a), Yildiz 6; David 5. 

Best Juventus player: Weston McKennie 7 – Dusted himself off after an underwhelming first-half performance and was one of the more impressive players on the pitch in the second period. No Serie A midfielder has scored more goals than him since the appointment of Luciano Spalletti. 

Coach: Luciano Spalletti – He will have been disappointed with the way in which his team fell two goals behind on home soil, but there is no questioning the mentality of this Juventus side, who fought back and eventually registered 34 shots by full-time as they looked to get themselves back into it (eight on target, 13 off target and 13 blocked). His substitutes played a big role in that second half as well, especially Jeremie Boga and Edon Zhegrova, who wasn’t originally meant to come on at half-time. 

Lazio: Provedel 6.5; Marusic 6, Gila 6.5 (Romagnoli 5.5), Provstgaard 6 (Patric n/a), Tavares 6; Basic (Dele-Bashiru 6), Cataldi 6.5, Taylor 6; Isaksen 7(Cancellieri 6), Maldini 6, Pedro 7 (Noslin 5). 

Best Lazio player: Gustav Isaksen 7 – What a way to double the advantage for Lazio almost immediately after half-time. It was a wonderful first-time ball from Cataldi that sent him through, but the Dane still had so much work to do before finding the back of the net. An encouraging performance all-round. 

Coach: Maurizio Sarri 6.5 – There are some draws that feel like a win and some that feel like a defeat. This one is probably in the latter category for Sarri, who will be furious that his side were not able to hold on for the three points. Until the Juventus siege in the final stages, Lazio had performed well across the board and for a while, it looked like the Biancocelesti were on for a memorable victory on the road.

Luciano Spalletti opted to make a half-time substitution during the interval of Juventus’s Serie A clash against Lazio on Sunday evening, but he was forced into changing his mind at the final minute after it appeared that Francisco Conceicao would be unable to enter. 

Juventus hosted Lazio at the Allianz Arena on Sunday evening, and surprisingly fell two goals behind after strikes from Pedro and Gustav Isaksen. Weston McKennie brought one back just shy of the hour mark before a last-gasp equualiser from Pierre Kalulu with 15 seconds of injury time remaining. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Why Conceicao couldn’t come on during Juventus vs. Lazio 

With his team trailing 1-0 at the half-time break, Spalletti decided to make an attacking substitution. 

He took off full-back Juan Cabal and had originally intended to replace him with Portugal international Conceicao, who was seen receiving detailed instructions from the Juventus coaching staff while warming up at half-time. 

However, it soon became apparent that Conceicao had felt something in his knee while warming up, and the Juventus team decided against risking him for the second half against Lazio, which is why they decided to bring on Zhegrova for Cabal instead. 

Cristian Chivu insists that Inter are still ‘zero’ percent along the way to the Serie A title despite his side’s 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo on Sunday, as he believes that the Nerazzurri are just about to head into one of their most crucial runs of the 2025-26 season. 

Inter showed why they are the breakaway leaders of the Serie A table during their 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo on Sunday evening. Five different goalscorers got in on the act at the Mapei: Yann Bisseck and Marcus Thuram in the first half, Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique in the second. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog. 

• Read more: Sassuolo 0-5 Inter – Player ratings!

Chivu assesses Sassuolo 0-5 Inter and upcoming Juventus test 

Despite dominating for the majority of the match against Sassuolo, Inter were still threatened early on. 

“We’ve understood the moment that we’re in, we suffered from their intensity and once they got hold of the ball, they went straight at the game. We struck at the right time with that corner, then our solidity became an important factor for how we went about the game,” Chivu told DAZN after full-time. 

“This team seems more mature now, of how to accept and adapt in certain moments of the game,” he added. 

Given that his side currently sits eight points clear at the top of the table after 24 matches, Chivu was asked if there is still room for his team to improve. 

He replied: “We can’t forget where we’ve come from. We can’t be afraid of anything, but we have to be aware that we can still improve. There’s no such thing as perfection. 

“It isn’t easy because there’s still a long way to go in the league and these are important phases of the season. We’re halfway through the marathon, we have to keep our maturity and be competitive.” 

Chivu was asked if this is the point in the season where we start to see more of Davide Frattesi, who was still left out of the starting line-up against Sassuolo despite the absences of Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu. 

“Frattesi, Diouf, Dimarco, the whole group works hard. We need the whole squad to maintain a certain level so that we stay competitive,” Chivu responded. 

Chivu is still unwilling to consider himself the favourite for the Serie A title this year, though. When asked what the probability of Inter winning the league title this year is, the coach replied: “Zero for me. There are fourteen games left to play. Theory’s still work to be done.” 

And looking ahead to next week’s Derby d’Italia against Juventus, Chivu said: “It’s a game like any other. Expectations are always high, but I want the group to keep their maturity and their awareness. 

“This is the first week where we have four training sessions in a row. We have a look at how we present ourselves for that match.” 

Federico Dimarco is having an MVP-calibre season and has just recorded three assists from left wing-back in an eventual 5-0 victory for Inter away against Sassuolo, but he insists that he does not currently feel he is the best wide man in world football. 

Dimarco was the star of the show as Inter picked up a 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium in Serie A on Sunday evening. He registered three assists in a game that brought five different goalscorers in Yann Bisseck, Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Dimarco reacts after his hat-trick of assists in Sassuolo 0-5 Inter

Before Sunday, no defender in Serie A history had registered more than eight assists after 24 games of a single season. Dimarco is now up to 11. 

Though he continues to post incredible numbers off Inter’s left wing, Dimarco insists that he does not consider himself the best in the world in that position. 

“I don’t feel like anything,” Dimarco told DAZN after full-time. “When you’re good, you’re a phenomenon, otherwise, you’re poor. That’s football,” he continued. 

He later told Sky: “I’ve had decent moments before now, this might be the one in which I’m the most decisive in terms of numbers, but the team and getting to May at the top of the table is what counts.” 

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez heaped praise on his teammate Federico Dimarco after their 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday evening, but insisted that the Nerazzurri still have work to do despite currently sitting eight points clear at the top of the league table. 

Cristian Chivu’s side recorded a thumping 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo on Sunday thanks to goals from five different goalscorers in Yann Bisseck, Marcus Thuram, Lautaro, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique. 

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

• Read more: Sassuolo 0-5 Inter – Player ratings!

Lautaro Martinez reacts to Sassuolo 0-5 Inter

Lautaro’s goal means that he is now the third-highest goalscorer in Inter’s history with 171, level with Roberto Boninsegna. Only the legendary Giuseppe Meazza and Alessandro Altobelli have scored more goals in Nerazzurri colours than the Argentine. 

“The important thing, always, is to achieve our collective goals. It was a great goal for us and for everything I went through as a child, for everyone who helped me. This means a lot to me and for my career,” Lautaro told DAZN about his goal after full-time. 

The skipper also gave Dimarco his flowers after registering three goals from left wing-back on Sunday. DImarco currently has 11 assists to his name in the league this season. No defender has previously recorded more than eight at this stage of the season. 

“He was one of the best. He is deciding games right now. The team is the most important thing, but individual level is also important,” Lautaro said of Dimarco’s display. 

And lastly, looking ahead to a tricky run of fixtures in February, which includes derbies against Juventus, Milan and a Champions League play-off against Bodo/Glimt, Lautaro said: “We’ve dropped points in big games, we have to sort out some of the details and get the right results on our side. 

“We have to work hard with our heads down, we’re having a great moment and we’re happy with our season so far.”

The table-topping Inter took another step towards the Serie A title with a dominant 5-0 victory away against Sassuolo on Sunday evening in a game that included a hat-trick of assists from left wing-back Federico Dimarco. 

Five different players ended up on the scoresheet at the Mapei Stadium: Yann Bisseck and Marcus Thuram gave the travelling Nerazzurri the lead at the interval, which was followed by second-half strikes from Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique. 

With rivals Milan not involved in league action this week, Inter currently find themselves eight points clear at the top of the Serie A table after 24 matches. 

You can see how the action from today’s game unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Sassuolo 0-5 Inter: Player ratings! 

Sassuolo: Muric 4; Walukiewicz 4, Idzes 4, Muharemovic 4.5, Doig 5 (Garcia 5.5); Thorstvedt 5.5, Matic 4, Kone 5.5; Berardi 5 (Coulibaly 5.5), Pinamonti 5 (Nzola 5.5), Lauriente 5.5 (Lipani 5). 

Best Sassuolo player: Kristjan Thorstvedt 5.5 – Slim pickings on a night to forget for the Neroverdi. The Dane was unlucky to have his goal ruled out for a very tight offside when Inter were just two goals up. Otherwise, not a great display, like the majority of his teammates. 

Coach: Fabio Grosso 4 – Sassuolo started fairly brightly at the Mapei Stadium, but Grosso will be disappointed with what unfolded from there on. Sassuolo were particularly poor at defending set-pieces: They looked like conceding at almost every corner, free-kick and even throw-ins in the final third. 

Inter: Sommer 6; Bisseck 7, Akanji 7. Bastoni 6.5 (Darmian 6); L.Henrique 7, Sucic 6.5, Zielinski 6 (Frattesi 6), Mkhitaryan 6.5 (Diouf 6.5), Dimarco 9; Thuram (Bonny 6), L.Martinez (Esposito 6). 

Best Inter player: Federico Dimarco 9 – What a fantastic season the Inter left wing-back is having. There are few players in the world better at delivering the ball into the area off the left flank. Three assists for him today: No defender has ever recorded as many assists as him at this stage of the season (11). The man is having an MVP-calibre season from wing-back. 

Coach: Cristian Chivu 9 – A clean sheet and a five-goal display on the road: It doesn’t get much better than that. Sassuolo had been in decent form heading into this game as well, and the Nerazzurri swept them aside with ease.

Reports in the UK claim that Manchester United could target Italy international Sandro Tonali to replace the outgoing Casemiro in their midfield department during the summer transfer window. 

Could Manchester United move for Tonali in the summer?

Tonali’s agent, Beppe Riso, has recently sparked transfer speculation after giving an interview to Tuttosport, hinting that his client could potentially be on the way out of Newcastle at some stage in the near future.

“These transfer talks will be held later on. We’ll see how the season ends and then decide what to do,” Riso said. 

There had been brief reports linking Tonali with a move to Arsenal on the final day of the January transfer window, but given the likely fee and negotiation process, this was never going to be feasible in the final hours of the window. Juventus have also been long-term admirers of the former Milan man. 

Now, according to reports from the Telegraph, Tonali is ‘high up’ on Manchester United’s list of midfield recruits for the summer transfer window. United will need a new midfielder to replace Casemiro, who will leave the club at the end of the 2025-26 season. 

The Telegraph claims that Tonali, Eliott Anderson and Adam Wharton are among Manchester United’s top targets heading into the summer. 

The Telegraph has not mentioned a specific transfer fee, but has pointed to the transfers of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea and the transfer of Declan Rice to Arsenal, all of which surpassed the €100m mark. 

Recent reports elsewhere have suggested that Newcastle will seek a fee in the region or potentially above the €100m mark if they are to sell Tonali, who joined for a reported fee of around €70m including add-ons from Milan in 2023. 

Gian Piero Gasperini has confirmed a travelling squad of 21 players to take on Cagliari in Serie A on Monday evening, but will have to do without Paulo Dybala, Evan Ferguson, Stephan El Shaarawy and Robinio Vaz. 

The Giallorossi are hoping to bounce back after a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Udinese last time out in Serie A. That result saw them drop out of the top four and into fifth place, two points behind Juventus, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot. 

Roma’s attention now turns to an away trip against Cagliari, which kicks off at 19.45 GMT on Monday evening. 

Gasperini will have to navigate the Cagliari match without a few of his key first-team attackers, though. Dybala has been ruled out, but is hoping to return against Napoli next weekend. 

Ferguson is also out with an ankle issue, while El Shaarawy and Robinio Vaz remain unavailable. The January signing is also likely to return next weekend. Mario Hermoso is also unavailable in defence. 

As was also the case for Roma’s last two matches, Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini are expected to start in attack alongside Donyell Malen. January recruits Bryan Zaragoza and Lorenzo Venturino are also pushing for game time, but are unlikely to start. 

16-year-old Antonio Arena will also be among the substitutes against Cagliari. 

Confirmed Roma squad vs. Cagliari 

Goalkeepers: Svilar, Gollini, Zelezny. 

Defenders: Wesley, Rensch, Celik, Ndicka, Mancini, Ziolkowski, Ghilardi, Angelino, Tsimikas. 

Midfielders: Cristante, El-Aynaoui, Pellegrini, Pisilli. 

Forwards: Malen, Soule, Zaragoza, Venturino, Arena.