Archive December 1, 2025

Since discussions over a new contract are thought to have stalled, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s long-term future is uncertain.

The France international’s current contract expires in June 2027, and sources with reliable information said initial discussions about new terms had begun earlier this year.

However, insiders’ hints that Mateta isn’t ready to commit his future to the Eagles are still ununcovered.

Mateta’s form has helped him join the France squad, making him one of the league’s most dangerous center forwards.

Since making his Didier Deschamps’ side debut in October, he has scored two goals in three games.

The 28-year-old’s current preference is to assess his options after the North American competition, according to BBC Sport, with Mateta now having a good chance of making Deschamps’ World Cup squad.

Mateta would be in a strong position if he had a successful tournament with only a year left on his contract after the World Cup comes to an end in July.

In recent months, several European clubs, including Serie A side Atalanta, have expressed an interest in Mateta.

At a time when Oliver Glasner’s disappointment with the club’s transfer activity has come to prominence once more, uncertainty over his future has emerged.

Glasner has been juggling their first foray into European football with their domestic campaign, which included leading Palace to their first major trophy when they won the FA Cup in May.

The Austrian stated in a Match of the Day interview that “we missed a couple of chances in the transfer window to make it easier for us, but we will stick together and make it better” following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

Glasner continued in his post-game press conference, “You should invest rather than save if you play European football for the first time in your history.”

I believe January has already added something. More than 50% of our games will be played.

“Everything was pretty clear and I didn’t say anything,” he continued, “but I think it’s also time to talk about how we missed the chance to play an even better summer.”

This NFL season is the most wide open in years thanks to a lengthy, drawn-out week 13 that included Thanksgiving and Black Friday games.

The Dallas Cowboys are back in business after defeating both teams in Super Bowl 2025 in a week, while the Chicago Bears currently lead the NFC.

The Green Bay Packers are currently on pace for nine straight wins, and a surprise resulted in the Jacksonville Jaguars becoming division leaders on Sunday.

This season, almost every team is having trouble with trust. The Rams’ most recent victory came from veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had a six-game winning streak.

To kick off the game, Stafford, the NFL’s MVP candidate, completed his 28th straight touchdown pass without making an interception.

Before throwing two interceptions in the first half, including a pick six, he had only two picks all season and made 317 passes without error. Just for good measure, Stafford added a late fumble.

The Rams defense allowed 31 points and produced zero takeaways in its final six games, going from 110 rushing yards allowed in those games to 164 in Carolina. The defense allowed 13 turnovers in those six games.

Who can you trust, then, if you can’t trust the Rams?

The surprising Chicago Bears are the only team in the NFC currently to have five wins in a row and nine wins in ten, which is truly consistent.

The Eagles’ victory on Black Friday in Philadelphia demonstrated their true selves. How did they accomplish this, then?

At age 24, the 2024 first-round draft pick has been excellent in what is frequently a difficult second season in the NFL. Caleb Williams has recorded five fourth-quarter comebacks this season.

The defense has improved recently, allowing 20 points per game over the last four, but their standout is the turnover rate, which is a league-leading 26 and only giving away nine.

Aaron Rodgers turns 42 on Tuesday, and despite his struggles on Sunday, he may be wondering what he’s doing while still playing.

The veteran quarterback had a cast on his broken left wrist, a bloody and possibly broken nose, and then his own fans booed him.

The Buffalo Bills’ dominant ground attack, which had accumulated 249 rushing yards, the most by a visiting team in Pittsburgh since 1975, came after the Steelers’ victory over them at what traditionally is their own game.

James Cook ran the Steelers ragged even before it was inevitable, and Josh Allen recorded his 76th rushing touchdown.

The natives became a little restless as Pittsburgh lost their fifth game in seven, which added to one of Rodgers’ worst career games.

After the game, Rodgers said, “I totally get the frustration.” That performance was “boo-worthy,” the reviewer said.

Rodgers had his third-lowest yardage total of 117, which is the fewest he has ever attempted on a throw in his career.

After Baltimore’s 1-5 start, head coach Mike Tomlin is under severe pressure in his 19th season in Pittsburgh, where they should have finished the division. They now face two showdowns with the Ravens to defend the AFC North crown.

There are undoubtedly many teams who surprise us, given the nature of the season.

Both the Jaguars and the Panthers, as well as the Bears, Broncos, and Patriots, are formidable contenders in the AFC South.

However, despite the injuries they have sustained, the San Francisco 49ers’ record of 9-4 is impressive, just as impressive was the way they handled one of Cleveland’s best defenses with a 26-8 victory on Sunday.

The Niners’ defense was starting to figure out how to handle without leaders Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, and Brock Purdy was cool, composed, and collected for just their third game of the season.

After claiming three victories in a row, Kyle Shanahan’s team will play at home against the one-win Titans in a perfect late bye on Wednesday. The Colts, Bears, and Seahawks will follow with a difficult victory, but they are far ahead of what many predicted due to their injury issues.

Because there are three games between the top-two teams in their division on Sunday, the schedulers couldn’t have predicted this much better.

Before the end of the season, these rivals will square off in games that could very well determine division titles, though rivals like the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions might have something to say about that.

Due to the high stakes currently being placed on these sides, matches are typically quite intense, but they will be different because of how much pressure is currently being placed on them.

The biggest games of Week 14

Seasons begin to end when four more teams join the Giants and are formally eliminated from the playoffs.

The planning for the upcoming season includes the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals.

Charlie Smyth, a Saints kicker, made at least one cheery moment with his first field goal of his NFL career and also from 56 yards.

Denver defeated the Commanders in overtime to go 10-2 and record their ninth straight victory. As they attempt to break the NFL record set by the 1984 Chicago Bears, the Broncos defense recorded two more sacks to increase their total to 49 for the season.

In their 20-17 win over Arizona, Tampa Bay plunged deep into the playbook by throwing a touchdown pass to offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs.

The Houston defense again had the star, holding the Colts’ top-ranked offence of less than 20 points for the first time this season, winning 20-16 in Indianapolis.

If the Texans advance to the playoffs, they will be a real headache for anyone because they have only conceded more than 20 points twice this year.

Rieko Ioane, a centre from New Zealand, might make his Leinster debut against Harlequins on Saturday (17:30 GMT).

Ioane will remain with the Blues until 2027, but he will take a “sabbatical” to join Leinster on a seven-month contract until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old made his Test debut in 2016 and has won 38 tries with the All Blacks in 88 appearances.

On Wednesday, Ioane and his new Leinster teammates met and were set to be selected.

Following in the footsteps of All Black Jordie Barrett, who impressed with his short-term deal with the United Rugby Championship (URC) winners last year, Ioane, who had an infamous row with Leinster and Ireland legend Johnny Sexton.

Joe McCarthy, who injured his foot during Ireland’s November internationals, will be eligible for selection.

Although Ireland lost to South Africa in the match, wing Tommy O’Brien’s head injury was not assessed, but he has met the eligibility requirements for his return to play.

Andrew Porter, James Lowe, and Robbie Henshaw, Ireland internationals, are doubtful for the Aviva Stadium game.

Henshaw has a hamstring injury, Lowe has a calf issue, and Prop Porter has an arm injury.