Premier League news live updates: Today’s press conferences plus build-up to this weekend’s fixtures

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has chirped up today, to criticise FIFA for a lack of consultation over their revamped Club World Cup format.

FIFA’s expanded 32-team tournament kicks off in the U.S. next summer. Here's Masters, speaking at the European Leagues general assembly in London:

💬 “There is a chasm between the consultation with leagues between UEFA and FIFA, where there is none.

“The feedback we have from players is that there is too much football being played…if you pour more liquid into the cup that’s already full, it will overflow. That’s what’s happening at the moment, not just in terms of the calendar but the players’ abilities to perform at their best.

“So it stands to reason if you overload the calendar and overload the players, at some point something’s got to give.”

There were other issues brought up, including Premier League matches being played abroad (not on the agenda apparently) and the those 115 outstanding charges against Manchester City (possibly heard from the autumn).

But to get a fuller picture, read the dispatches from our reporter Tom Burrows below.

There's been plenty of speculation this week about West Ham talking to managers over their potential vacancy this summer - but while David Moyes is due out of contract, a decision on his departure is yet to be reached.

So what did he say about the subject at his press conference today? Good question - and here is the answer:

💬 “Look, the important thing is things would need to be right between me and the club. If we get that right then we’ll see what happens, but it would be at the end of the season.

“It’s not as if I’ve changed track in any way, we’ve always said a decision will be made at the end of the season.

“As far as I’m concerned that will still be the decision after the final game against Manchester City. It’s what me and the board are happy to do.”

West Ham host Liverpool tomorrow lunchtime to kick off the Premier League weekend.

You can read more from Moyes via our Hammers correspondent Roshane Thomas with the link below.

If you were wondering how Nottingham Forest are currently feeling, you can continue to file them under 'disgruntled'.

At his press conference earlier, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has called on Premier League referees to "take their own decisions" rather than leaning so much on VAR:

💬 “I can speak and tell my opinion and try to be honest. The general feeling in football is referees are not taking their own decisions so this is affecting a lot.

“They are not taking their decisions and waiting for the VAR to intervene is not helping the situation. Referees are the authority on the pitch and then VAR should help. What we want is to move forward.

“If nobody asked who is refereeing this match before it’s a sign things went well. It’s what we wish for, that nobody speaks about referees, they speak about the game.”

It's Manchester City at the City Ground next for Forest come Sunday, before travelling to Sheffield United on May 4, as Forest bid to avoid relegation.

You can read more from Nuno with our correspondent Paul Taylor below.

Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling will miss his side’s trip to Aston Villa tomorrow due to lower back pain.

The 30-year-old’s back injury is impacting his movement and mobility, and requires rest to take the pressure off it. His condition is being assessed by the medical team but the injury has been described as a “minor strain”.

The forward has not been ruled out of the London derby against Tottenham on May 6 but will be assessed over the days leading up to the fixture.

Sterling, who has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, has not started a Premier League game since Chelsea’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle on March 11.

He came off the bench during his side’s 5-0 defeat to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

A big blow for Tottenham and Italy here, with Destiny Udogie's club season over and the left-back also expected to miss Euro 2024 this summer.

The 21-year-old injured to his left quadriceps when taking a shot in training, head coach Ange Postecoglou said today. He has since undergone surgery. Here's Postecoglou:

💬 “A disappointing one for Destiny and for ourselves as well, because he’s been a big part of our year.

“It was just an unfortunate incident in training. He’s had the operation, it’s gone well — so hopefully it gives him time to have pre-season and get back into it. So we’ll miss him.”

Udogie has contributed two goals and three assists in his 28 Premier League appearances this season and he was rewarded with a new contract until 2030 in December.

You can read more Charlie Eccleshare below.

This could be one of those stories that sounds worse than it is - or is indicative of the environment at Chelsea...

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said earlier he has not spoken to the club’s owners for two months - all coming amid negative scrutiny following the 5-0 defeat at London rivals Arsenal on Tuesday night.

The Argentinian has one year left on his current contract — plus the option of another 12 months — and our correspondent Simon Johnson reports that Pochettino's position will be assessed at the end of the campaign.

Co-owners Toddy Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were at the Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool in February, which appears to be the last occasion they exchanged words with Pochettino. He said:

💬 “No. To be honest, in the last few months, we didn’t cross (paths), or message. We communicated through the sporting directors (Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart) but nothing has changed.

“We are not changing my view or my feeling (about what is happening). Even in the last few weeks we are not crossing (exchanging) texts.”

Chelsea travel to fourth-placed Aston Villa tomorrow night with the absence of Raheem Sterling (back) and Carney Chukwuemeka (knee) making it 12 players sidelined. However, top scorer Cole Palmer (illness) is expected to return.

You can read more from Simon Johnson on Pochettino's press conference with the link below.

Millie Bright is in contention to return to the Chelsea squad for tomorrow's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, following a five-month injury layoff.

The centre-back has not featured for Chelsea since November following a knee injury, but Emma Hayes says she is "likely" to be in the squad for the second leg of their Champions League tie alongside fellow defenders Nathalie Bjorn and Maren Mjelde.

Chelsea take a 1-0 lead from last week's away leg to Stamford Bridge as they attempt to reach the Champions League final for a second time, at the expense of the defending European champions.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was asked today about Marcus Rashford - and said he has “a lot of sympathy” for the Manchester United forward.

In the early hours of Friday morning, Rashford posted on X that “enough is enough” after it was suggested he has received abuse “for months”.

The 26-year-old has struggled for consistency this season and Ten Hag remains hopeful Rashford will get back to his previous best:

💬 “I have a lot of sympathy for Rashy. Last year, he had a brilliant season, the best season in his career, 30 goals.

“This season he didn’t give the performances and then people are very critical. I think we have to back him. Everyone should back him and push him to get back to the levels he was at last year.”

It's Burnley next for United, at Old Trafford tomorrow.

You can read more from Ten Hag via our reporter Mark Critchley with the link below.

Earlier, we had the good news for Manchester City - with Lauren Hemp signing a new three-year deal at the club having been out of contract in the summer.

However, the bad news has just arrived too.

The WSL leaders have confirmed striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. Shaw sustained the injury during Sunday’s victory over West Ham, having already scored twice.

The Jamaica international is the WSL’s top scorer with 21 goals in 18 appearances this season.

You can read more from the excellent Charlotte Harpur with the link below.

It's been a while so let's bring you one of our teasers to see us through the afternoon. See how you get on with this...

• Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has scored in each of his last six Premier League home games - leaving only two players to have gone on longer Premier League runs for the club - but who are they ❓

Bonus points for the length of run and when. Get it right and we'll reward you with our eternal respect.

I'll ping the answers in here come about 5pm BST.

One team that has fallen out of the Premier League title picture is Liverpool. Wednesday’s defeat at Everton effectively ended their hopes but boss Jurgen Klopp is keen to ensure his final season doesn’t just fizzle out.

To help with that, tomorrow's trip to West Ham will see Cody Gakpo return to the squad after he missed the Merseyside derby to attend the birth of his son. Here's Klopp via our correspondent James Pearce:

💬 “Little Samuel is born. According to Cody, everything is fine. Mum well, boy well, father well and back in training yesterday.

“I can’t remember ever being as disappointed and frustrated as I was after the Everton game. I blame myself 100 per cent because we were not in the mood. We lost pretty much all the decisive battles.

“I am pretty sure Arsenal and Man City now see it as a two-horse race now. But I am not in the mood to raise the white flag.

“The boys are incredible footballers and I have the job to create a situation where they can be the best version of themselves and that is where I have failed. I didn’t see any version of that in the Everton game.”

Mikel Arteta says Jurrien Timber is “very close” to making his first-team return, but he is unsure whether he will make Arsenal’s trip to Tottenham this weekend.

The Dutch defender has not played for Arsenal’s first team since the opening day of the season — August 12 — when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

He played his first minutes in eight months earlier this week in Arsenal Under-21s' 2-2 draw at Blackburn as a left-back, scoring from outside the box after eight minutes before being substituted at half-time. Arteta said:

💬 “We’re going to have to make that decision tomorrow after the training session. He’s very close. I don’t know if it (the north London derby) is going to come a bit too early but he’s very close.”

Arsenal’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium comes in the week of the 20th anniversary of the game that won them their last league title in 2004.

Asked whether that is an inspiration for this weekend, Arteta added:

💬 “I understand but that (winning the league at Tottenham) is not going to happen mathematically, even if we do win.

“There are moments that are very important in our history and I’m sure a lot of players know about it. Certainly the staff and the ones who have been here long enough.

“It’s about making our own history now.”

League leaders Arsenal are one point ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is now speaking ahead of a mouthwatering north London derby at Tottenham on Sunday.

We'll have his quotes on the way but he's cutting a happy, relaxed figure.

And I quite like how open he was just now on finding he has more motivation to succeed in a derby as a head coach compared to being a player, given he holds the responsibility for the result and can make a lot of people very happy with a win.

Honestly, what a fabulous game in store for us - and as I'm on our live coverage of it here at The Athletic come Sunday, I'm already excited!

Mason Mount will return to Manchester United's squad for tomorrow's Premier League match against Burnley.

Mount, 25, has had his debut season at Old Trafford hampered by injury, making just 17 appearances in all competitions since his summer move from Chelsea.

He returned from a 16-game injury lay-off against Brentford in late March but was left out of United's most recent squads for the FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry and Wednesday's 4-2 Premier League victory against Sheffield United.

Asked if he planned to make any changes to Wednesday's team — as well as if there was an update on the progress of injured trio Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Anthony Martial — Ten Hag said:

💬 "Same squad apart from Mason Mount, he will return. I think we're all going to see them this season. They all three returned to the pitch. Next week they have to make a step to team training. They're progressing well."

United — sixth in the table — are 13 points off the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot, which is currently held by Aston Villa.