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Matty James is set to spend between six and nine months of the sidelines after it was confirmed the Leicester City man has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
The midfielder was taken from the field on a stretcher during last Saturday's 2-0 Premier League victory over Southampton.
James subsequently went for a scan and he have surgery on Tuesday ahead of starting his lengthy rehabilitation.
"It's disappointing for Matty, who has been among our most consistent performers in the last three seasons and is an enormously popular member of the squad," Leicester manager Nigel Pearson told the club's official website.
"Recovering from long-term injury is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one and, if the positive attitude Matty has shown this week is anything to go by, we can expect him to come back as strong as ever."
Mauricio Pochettino has denied that Tottenham striker Harry Kane is suffering from fatigue.
Kane has been a sensation for Tottenham this season, scoring 30 goals in all competitions, but has netted just once in his last six games for Pochettino's men.
The England striker's dip in form has coincided with a poor run of results for the London club, who have won only two of their last eight games.
But when asked about the PFA Young Player of the Year's performances ahead of Saturday's game with Hull City, Pochettino said: "He's not tired.
"This is football. Sometimes you have the possibility to score and sometimes not. I think that Harry has had a fantastic season.
"We need to finish the season very good and after we need to prepare for next season.
"We need to prepare the team and squad to try and be able to get something important."
Aston Villa have been fined £200,000 by the Football Association (FA) following a pitch invasion at their FA Cup sixth-round clash with West Brom.
Tim Sherwood's men triumphed 2-0 over their local rivals at Villa Park in March, before going on to reach the final with a 2-1 win against Liverpool, with delighted Villa fans storming the pitch in stoppage time and after the final whistle.
Some reports also suggested seats were thrown from a section of the ground housing away fans during the disturbances.
An FA statement read: "Aston Villa have been fined £200,000 after admitting spectator misconduct in relation to their FA Cup sixth-round tie against West Bromwich Albion on 7 March 2015.
"The club was charged for failing to ensure that no spectators or unauthorised persons were permitted to encroach onto the pitch area whilst attending the game at Villa Park.
"Following the Independent Regulatory Commission hearing, Aston Villa were also severely warned as to the club’s future conduct."
Dyche determined to build for the future at Burnley
14 May 2015
Sean Dyche has moved to ease fears among Burnley fans that he could leave Turf Moor by insisting that he is already plotting another promotion push for next season.
A 1-0 win at Hull City last Saturday was not enough to stop Burnley slipping back into the Championship after one year in the Premier League.
Dyche, in charge since 2012 and widely respected for his achievements at Burnley, was asked immediately about his future after the club's relegation was confirmed and gave a cryptic answer, as he said: "There'll be a time to think about the bigger picture."
But the Burnley boss has put the record straight as he prepares for the side's final home game of the season against Stoke City on Saturday.
"We are planning in the summer and beyond that into next season," said Dyche, who is likely to see talisman Danny Ings leave in the close-season when his current contract expires.
"I am the manager and a custodian of the football club and it will move forward and I will move forward with it."
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of attacking midfielder Nathan from Atletico Paranaense.
The 19-year-old is to join the Premier League champions on July 1 after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.
Nathan has represented Brazil and Under-17 and Under-20 level during his career and netted five goals in as many games at the Under-17 World Cup, where he was named as the player of the tournament.
Chelsea were reported to have been in talks with Nathan since last month, with the youngster revealing the transfer on social media earlier in the week.
And, after the move was officially confirmed, he told Chelsea's official website: "I am very happy to be joining Chelsea, the champions of England, and I hope I will be able to learn a lot and develop my game."
Former Premier League footballer Clarke Carlisle has been banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to drink driving.
Carlisle, the former Professional Footballers' Association chairman who has battled with mental health problems, admitted to failing to provide a sample to police and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence on December 20 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in March.
The ex-QPR, Leeds United, Watford and Burnley defender attempted suicide two days after the incident by throwing himself in front of a lorry on the A64 near York and spent six weeks in hospital to recover from his injuries.
Appearing back at court on Thursday, Carlisle was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £145 in costs and charges.
District judge Susan Williams is said to have told Carlisle that she had to sentence him for the risk his "erratic" driving had created in spite of his "positive contribution" through football.
The court heard in March that Carlisle's Mercedes had been seen "swerving" and "almost mounting the pavement" on Pentonville Road in London.
Steven Gerrard has told Liverpool they must sign a proven goalscorer if they are to finish in the top four next season.
Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge combined for 52 Premier League goals last season as Liverpool finished two points behind champions Manchester City.
But the former was sold to Barcelona and the latter has battled injuries in 2014-15, seeing Brendan Rodgers' men struggle in fifth in the table.
With eight, Steven Gerrard is Liverpool's leading goalscorer in the league this season - and the outgoing captain said a proven striker needed to be bought.
"To get into the top four, you are going to need a striker who can score 25-30 goals a season. That is just the way it is. That is where we came short this season," he said.
"It was always going to be tough when we lost Luis Suarez, but I thought we could definitely finish in the top four positions if we kept Daniel Sturridge fit and he could perform like he did alongside Luis.
"I don't want to stand on the owners or Brendan's toes - I am just speaking as a fan - but that is what we need to do.
"I wouldn't buy any more potential in the short-term. I would buy players that are ready to come and fight and win and be successful."
Gerrard is preparing for his Anfield farewell on Saturday, when Liverpool host Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
The Los Angeles Galaxy-bound midfielder wants a return to the club eventually, revealing discussions have already been held.
"I had a chat with [chairman] Tom Werner and one recently with Brendan about what I am thinking about, short-term and long-term, but there is certainly nothing in detail," Gerrard said.
"I've started on the coaching ladder but we will have to wait and see."
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has warned that no-one is safe at the club as they assess their campaign.
Pochettino's men have missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification, sitting a distant sixth and 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Multiple changes are expected at Tottenham in the close-season, and Pochettino has suggested all members of his squad are at risk.
"Always you need to analyse the last season and nobody is sure that they are staying at the club," he said.
"But this is my job - to analyse, to assess and to make a decision.
"It is not because we brought some player in and we were sure, and he was poor during the season, now he stays. If not, why did you bring him in?
"Not only me, all managers act the same way in this situation. If you bring in a player and the performance was not good, it is not good. You make a decision."
Pochettino admits he may need to sell players to bring in others as he looks to strengthen his squad.
He added: "We need to look forward and we need to learn from the past.
"We need to look forward and we have a plan for the development in the next few years and we need to deliver it."
Petr Cech has been given permission by Chelsea to speak to other clubs regarding a transfer, according to the goalkeeper's agent.
Cech has become second-choice to Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge this season, making only 15 appearances in all competitions.
London rivals Arsenal are thought to be interested in Cech but Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insisted last week that he is keen for the Czech Republic international to remain at the club.
But Cech's representative Viktor Kolar told talkSPORT: "Petr has a valid contract with his current club, however, I can confirm that we have been permitted by Chelsea to negotiate with interested parties.
"Petr has confirmed his interest to play regularly at a top club."
Steve Bruce is "quietly confident" Hull City can snatch a result at Tottenham on Saturday to prompt a final twist in the race for Premier League survival.
Hull could go into the final game of the season already relegated if they lose at White Hart Lane and results go against them before hosting Manchester United on the last day.
Bruce saw his side turn in a tepid display at home to Burnley last week, a 1-0 defeat was not enough to save the visitors from relegation, but plunged Hull into the mire.
However, Bruce hopes his players will kick on from that performance and they can subsequently benefit from the ever-unpredictable nature of the Premier League.
He said: "The most important thing for me is to go and get a result at Tottenham and keep it alive. If we can do that we give ourselves a chance and let's hope there's another twist, usually there is.
"In the club's history we don't do things easily. To get in the Premier League we had an unbelievable day.
"Let's hope next weekend, we can do the same - keep it alive, produce a performance and see where it takes us.
"We have to perform to the level that will give us a chance but West Brom won at Man U, who'd have thought that? Sunderland won at Everton, who'd have thought that? Leicester winning six of seven, who'd have thought that?
"It shows you what the Premier League is, how difficult it is, how it can change.
"Can we come out fighting, can we produce a performance? If we get beat, it's not enough and we have to accept the consequences of that.
"But I'm quietly confident we will produce a performance which will get us a result."
Hands-off warning? Kane and Lloris picked to model next Spurs kit
15 May 2015
Tottenham fans can perhaps expect to see reportedly in-demand pair Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris at White Hart Lane next season, with the duo selected to show off the club's kit for 2015-16.
Lloris has long been linked with leaving Spurs due to the club's failure to reach the UEFA Champions League, while sensational speculation in the British media on Friday claimed Manchester United were targeting a £45million swoop for breakout star Kane.
Kane has scored 30 goals in his first full season at Spurs, a remarkable feat that saw him named PFA Young Player of the Year.
Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino has issued a word of caution that anyone in his squad could be set to leave as he looks to spark an improved assault on the top four next term.
But Lloris and Kane look set to be a key part of Pochettino's plans, while Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen's involvement in Spurs' kit launch could also point to their long-term futures being at the club.
Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out of Old Trafford trip
15 May 2015
Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been ruled out of contention for Arsenal's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Welbeck was thought to be nearing a return from the knee injury that forced him to miss the last two games, but manager Arsene Wenger has indicated the former United striker will not be making the trip to his old club, saying: "I would love to have him available but we will have to do without him."
Chamberlain has not featured for Arsenal since their 2-1 FA Cup triumph at Old Trafford, but Wenger indicated his focus is on shaking off a groin injury in time for the FA Cup final against Aston Villa at the end of May.
Wenger said: "He won't play next week. If he can be available for West Brom [on the final day of the league season] then he may play the final."
Arsenal can still challenge Manchester City for second place in the Premier League - they are three points adrift with two games left - but Wenger is already looking to next season and wants a positive result to ensure the season ends on a high.
The Frenchman added: "Our recent away form has been very strong and that's always a sign of a team who is in progress.
"We feel we have made progress. Only one thing shows you have made progress and that's the continuity in your performances."
Reflecting on recent visits to Old Trafford, which include the FA Cup victory in March and an 8-2 defeat three years ago, Wenger said: "We have good, fantastic, and very bad memories, but what we want is to show we are a solid team.
"To win at Old Trafford again would convince us that we have the strength and help us be stronger next season."
Wenger praised his opposite number Louis van Gaal for his performance in his first season at Old Trafford, and said he expects even stiffer competition from United next season.
"He has shown that he has the personality to be at a club of that size," Wenger said. "We expect them to buy some strong players."
The trip to United comes too soon for defender Mathieu Debuchy, as Wenger revealed: "It was his first day back out [training on Thursday]. He had a hamstring problem."
Hughes wants Begovic on board for Europa League push
15 May 2015
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is confident of keeping in-demand goalkeeper Asmir Begovic at the Britannia Stadium as he looks to build a team capable of European qualification.
Ahead of his side's trip to face already-relegated Burnley at Turf Moor, Hughes said UEFA Europa League qualification is the aim for his side next season.
Bosnia-Herzegovina international Begovic has attracted interest from Liverpool and Real Madrid this season but Hughes is keen to open contract talks, with just over 12 months remaining on his current deal.
Hughes said: "We can offer him a good option.
"We feel we are progressing and we want him to be part of that.
"We are conscious that he is in the last year of his contract. Financial demands will always be part of the discussion, but I don't think that would be something that would affect anything we would be looking to do with him.
"We haven't had those talks yet, but once we do at the end of the season then hopefully we can get a quick and happy resolution. We want Asmir to keep progressing as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League here. I am very hopeful of being able to agree something with him and his representatives."
Hughes is confident of attracting new talent to Stoke over the summer, saying his side's performance in the Premier League this season has made them "a viable option" for players seeking a new challenge.
On his ambitions for next season, he said: "I have a real good feeling about this place and feel there is even more room to progress for us. I would love to take the club into Europe if possible; that is an obvious target for us.
"People suggest that being in the Europa League is a burden, but for ourselves it is a burden we would be more than happy to take on. We won't shy away from that. We know there would be demands on the group and on the club itself, but it is something we are striving to achieve. Once you are in it, you are in there to try and win it."
Dean Marney has handed relegated Burnley a timely boost by signing a new one-year contract at Turf Moor with the option of an additional 12 months.
The former Hull City midfielder was due to become a free agent in the close-season, but boss Sean Dyche has persuaded Marney to extend his stay at the Lancashire club, who he joined in 2010.
In clocking up close to 200 appearances for Burnley, Marney has established himself as a firm fans' favourite and played an integral role in the side promoted to the Premier League last May.
A cruciate knee ligament injury, however, has sidelined Marney since February, prompting fears he had played his last game for the club.
But Marney will now form part of an evolving Burnley side aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of dropping straight back down to the Championship.
Swansea City utility man Jazz Richards has hinted he could leave his hometown club in the close-season after failing to tie down a first-team place.
The four-times capped Wales international has been limited to a bit-part role since making his debut in 2009 and has made just 27 league starts for the club in that time.
"I'm 24 now so I need to be playing games," Richards told the South Wales Evening Post. "If you ask [manager] Garry Monk yourself, I think he'd understand if I said that.
"I'm just waiting to see what opportunities I've got, what's out there and we'll see what happens.
"It's important to get the game-time and if it's not here then it's going to have to be elsewhere, but obviously I'm a Swansea lad so this is where I want to be."
Richards has spent time on loan at Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town in recent seasons, and recently returned from a short spell with Fulham in the Championship - coming off the bench for the injured Angel Rangel in Monday's 2-1 Premier League win at Arsenal.
"Nothing's been said yet," he added. "I've come back and gone straight into training.
"I wasn't expecting to be involved but the manager has put me back on the bench. It's unfortunate for Angel but I had the chance to get some minutes in on Monday.
"If I get another chance, I can only do the best I can."
West Brom coach Tony Pulis believes Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho deserves to go down as one of the all-time managerial greats.
Pulis' men host Chelsea at The Hawthorns on Monday with both sides having little to play for in the penultimate game of their respective Premier League campaigns.
Chelsea secured the title 12 days ago with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace while West Brom ensured their top-flight survival courtesy of a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United.
And, confirming that West Brom would give Chelsea a guard of honour, Pulis said: "I think it's right that they are shown the respect that champions deserve.
"They are deserved champions. People have had the cheek to criticise their style but they are thoroughly deserved winners.
"Mourinho has proved he's a great coach. He will go down in history as one of the great managers.
"There is an elitist group in any league in the world, but there still has to be a winner from among them.
"And Jose ends up being the winner. He's proved to be very special in all that he's done.
"He’s put himself up there to be shot at but he's backed it up. There is no doubt he stands up there with the best."
United will be busy in the transfer market - Wenger
15 May 2015
Manchester United are already "very active" in the transfer market, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
United boss Louis Van Gaal has already captured the signature of PSV winger Memphis Depay earlier this month, but Wenger believes the Old Trafford transfer activity won't end there.
Speaking ahead of his side's visit to United on Sunday, Wenger said: "It looks to me that they are on the market because every player I am offered I am told Man United is on the case as well.
"It looks like they are very active and you expect them to come back with some strong buys.
"But they already have a very strong squad. If you look at their squad it is top quality already."
Wenger ruled out the possibility of making any additions to his squad while there are still games to play, adding: "We will start at the end of the season."
Alan Pardew hailed Jason Puncheon as Crystal Palace's best player after confirming the midfielder has signed a new contract at Selhurst Park.
Puncheon's new deal will keep him at the club for "three or four years", according to Palace manager Pardew, who waxed lyrical about his performances this season and his influence on younger squad members.
"Since I've come in, Jason Puncheon has been the best player," said Pardew. "He has orchestrated our play. We've given him more responsibility than he's ever had in a central role and he's answered all those questions.
"He's made himself the intelligence of the team."
Speaking ahead of Palace's Premier League trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Saturday, Pardew added: "You need to keep your best technical players. At the level we're at, it's difficult to get players of Puncheon's quality. I'm really pleased to secure him.
"The way he conducts himself – particularly around the young black players – is very influential and important. I think he's found a home here, and a leadership. You musn't underestimate the influence he has.
"Our academy is 80 per cent black. We need some black players here setting the right example. They can look up to him and see that you can reach the heights of the Premier League through this football club."
Pardew also confirmed that Palace defender Damien Delaney has signed a new one-year contract extension.
QPR midfielder Joey Barton has played down rumours of a possible return to Marseille and confirmed his commitment to the relegated Premier League club.
Marseille president Vincent Labrune told The Independent that Barton's agent had contacted the French club to offer them the player's services next season, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
Barton spent 2012-13 on loan at Marseille from QPR, but on Friday he spoke out via Twitter, saying: "I have 100 per cent focus on QPR and always will until told otherwise.
"First I've heard of a conversation between President Labrune and my agent today. Never had a clue that it happened till I read it today."
He added: "When the time is right we will sit down and discuss the future.
"I am still of the belief that if you're part of a team that goes down. You should try to help them back up. But that decision is not mine.
"We have two games left to play this season and it's important we respond to abject performance in the right manner."
