All of Sheeran's support acts - including his backing band - have quit the current Loop tour after the US rapper Macklemore was dropped following comments he made in support of Palestine during a show in New Jersey. Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft barred the rapper from performing at the Massachusetts venue later this month, saying he would not "provide a platform for hate speech". And following the decision of the support acts to pull out of the tour, Sheeran was forced to play a solo set at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia on Saturday, beginning the concert by addressing the week's events. He said: "I've had to take, and make, difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry for them. "I don't want to disappoint fans, and I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet." Sheeran insisted that he has tried to avoid becoming a "political commentator" during his career, and that he wants his music to be "about unity, not division". He added: "This is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. "What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. "What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, children's lives." Sheeran went on to thank fans for coming to the show, adding: "I am honestly so grateful that you're here tonight with me. "This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone can stand beside people that they don't agree with on everything, but they can all agree on singing these songs." Becoming emotional at the end of the gig, Sheeran reflected on feeling "abandoned" in the wake of the controversy. The singer told the crowd he felt "so much love" from the audience, adding: "Everyone is telling me to cancel, and I'm feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me, and I look at the end of the week, and I see 50,000 people who haven't abandoned. "The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope." Pro-Palestine protest near stadium A small but vocal pro-Palestine demonstration was held several hundred metres from the venue, near the train station that serves the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium. One woman told the Associated Press she was attending the protest after receiving a refund for her tickets to the concert. Hillary Steinberg said: "I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice - even though he was saying that he wasn't complicit - is a political choice." Sheeran's ongoing tour began in Auckland, New Zealand, in January. It will finish in Mexico City in December, with 16 other shows still scheduled across North and South America. More from Sky News:Earl Spencer accuses King of gaslighting him Girl, 13, missing for eight days found safe and well The other acts who dropped out include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy Award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish's brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham. The start time for Saturday's show was pushed back from 5.30pm local time to 8pm and a small pro-Palestine protest was also held outside the subway station closest to the stadium.

All of Sheeran's support acts - including his backing band - have quit the current Loop tour after the US rapper Macklemore was dropped following comments he made in support of Palestine during a show in New Jersey. Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft barred the rapper from performing at the Massachusetts venue later this month, saying he would not "provide a platform for hate speech". And following the decision of the support acts to pull out of the tour, Sheeran was forced to play a solo set at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia on Saturday, beginning the concert by addressing the week's events. He said: "I've had to take, and make, difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry for them. "I don't want to disappoint fans, and I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet." Sheeran insisted that he has tried to avoid becoming a "political commentator" during his career, and that he wants his music to be "about unity, not division". He added: "This is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. "What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. "What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, children's lives." Sheeran went on to thank fans for coming to the show, adding: "I am honestly so grateful that you're here tonight with me. "This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone can stand beside people that they don't agree with on everything, but they can all agree on singing these songs." Becoming emotional at the end of the gig, Sheeran reflected on feeling "abandoned" in the wake of the controversy. The singer told the crowd he felt "so much love" from the audience, adding: "Everyone is telling me to cancel, and I'm feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me, and I look at the end of the week, and I see 50,000 people who haven't abandoned. "The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope." Pro-Palestine protest near stadium A small but vocal pro-Palestine demonstration was held several hundred metres from the venue, near the train station that serves the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium. One woman told the Associated Press she was attending the protest after receiving a refund for her tickets to the concert. Hillary Steinberg said: "I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice - even though he was saying that he wasn't complicit - is a political choice." Sheeran's ongoing tour began in Auckland, New Zealand, in January. It will finish in Mexico City in December, with 16 other shows still scheduled across North and South America. More from Sky News:Earl Spencer accuses King of gaslighting him Girl, 13, missing for eight days found safe and well The other acts who dropped out include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy Award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish's brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham. The start time for Saturday's show was pushed back from 5.30pm local time to 8pm and a small pro-Palestine protest was also held outside the subway station closest to the stadium.

The North East Scotland MSP, who has been the party's finance spokesperson, defeated South Scotland MSP Joe Fagan in a contest voted on by thousands of members. Mr Marra replaces Anas Sarwar, who stood down from the top job after the party suffered its worst result in the history of devolution in May's Scottish parliament elections. It returned just 17 MSPs as it lost its fifth consecutive contest in Holyrood. Mr Sarwar in July quit his role - which he called the "hardest job in British politics" - and joined the House of Lords, becoming a trade minister in Andy Burnham's government in Westminster. In the leadership race, Mr Marra defeated his rival Mr Fagan by 4,266 votes to 2,485. Reacting to his victory, Mr Marra said: "To be entrusted with the leadership of our Scottish Labour party is a singular honour and a great responsibility." Mr Marra said he wants Scottish Labour "to become a genuinely national party again, rooted in every part of Scotland, open to everyone and capable of bringing communities together". He said he has three priorities over the next year - to "open up the party and reconnect it with Scotland", to "recover Labour's purpose and start building a programme for the future" and to "deliver change now". The prime minister congratulated him on his win and said Mr Marra would "give it everything you've got", adding: "Looking forward to working closely together to bring back hope in Scotland." Mr Marra said that in his first 100 days in the new job, he plans to take Scottish Labour "out of the bubble of parliament and back into the country". "We will work with people in their communities to understand what matters most, what is changing in their lives and what they want for the future. We will bring our values to the table but we will be led by people's priorities," he said. "I call that politics with the doors open." He added: "It is the honour of my life to be elected leader of the Scottish Labour Party." The number of MSPs elected for the party has declined in every Holyrood election since devolution, falling to just 17 after May's vote. The result meant it was the joint second-largest party, tied with Reform UK. More from Sky News:Davey says Jackdaw gas field 'makes sense'Sky News reveals No 10 plan for Starmer to stay in power He said: "We will work with Andy Burnham's UK Labour government, with Scots right at the heart of it... It's only Labour that can get the best deal for Scotland in a changing UK." Mr Marra has insisted Scottish Labour is still a "significant force" in Scottish politics despite this year's election results. On the question of Scottish independence, Mr Marra has previously said there is a "route" to a second referendum through "creating a settled will of the Scottish people". But he said comparing Scotland to Northern Ireland - which has a legal trigger for a referendum - was "dangerous". Earlier this month, the prime minister said a vote on Scottish independence could be held if there was a "clear consensus" north of the border for it, but a letter later sent to First Minister John Swinney said a referendum remained "off limits". SNP leader Mr Swinney has pushed for a referendum to be held within the next five years. This week Mr Swinney met the leaders of Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein during what they described as a "landmark" summit aimed at pressuring Downing Street into holding independence referendums. Having worked for Dundee University prior to entering politics, Mr Marra was made Scottish Labour's education spokesperson in 2021. The former Dundee councillor then went on to become his party's finance spokesperson two years later. He describes himself as being "rooted in Labour", telling party members during the campaign how he went on trade union marches as a child with his sister and his parents.

Rather remarkably, 20 players will go into Sunday within four shots of the lead, including Rory McIlroy, who produced a box-office finish, sending the patrons into delirium on the 18th by making an eagle to move within two shots of the pace-setting duo at 11 under par. McIlroy equalled four other players - Adam Scott, Joaquin Niemann, Davis Bryant and Kristoffer Reitan - to finish tied for sixth on the leaderboard through 54 holes. Leaderboard Three players tied for the lead on day two Latest DP World Tour headlines, reports and highlightsNot got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW📺 In windy conditions, Spain's Alejandro Del Rey and American duo Johannes Veerman and JJ Spaun had all been tied with Celli and Elvira at 12 under par late in the third round. Del Rey and Veerman had enjoyed epic days on the course, each shooting low scores of eight-under 64 to shoot up the leaderboard. Celli, however, rose to make four birdies on his back nine, to jump above the chasing pack, alongside Elvira, and benefitted from an incredible bit of luck on his last hole. His approach shot ricocheted off a wooden bulkhead lining the stream and somehow missed the water, instead skirting into the greenside bunker. From there he would make birdie to card a third-round 69. "I'm very happy because today was very tough," the 26-year-old Italian said. "It was windy out there. So I'm happy with how I handled the situation. Sometimes the wind changed a bit, so it wasn't easy. "I was very patient through the front nine because I knew that on the back nine, I could have like more chances to make some birdies." Elvira also made a birdie on his last hole, to post a four-under 68, and said after his round he "feels ready" to claim his debut tournament on the DP World Tour. Plenty of other high-profile players also remain firmly in contention at the top of a bunched leaderboard, with Robert MacIntyre impressing to go five under through what was a flawless, bogey-free back nine, as he rose to tied-11th at 10 under par, alongside Ludvig Åberg, Ryan Fox, Matt Wallace and Sam Bairstow. "That was a grind out there," Scott, who had to battle to move to finish two shots off the lead, said. "I saw all these good scores up on the board, but it didn't feel like that was really doable. "It was one step forward and a couple of steps back out there. Very hard to get in a rhythm. Hard to feel like you had a number where you could attack." Elsewhere, first round co-leader Aaron Rai struggled to advance his score on Saturday, as he finished his day at nine under par. Matt Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, surged up the leaderboard to tie his compatriot, Rai, three back from the lead, alongside halfway leader Ryan Gerard, Alex Noren and Jordan Smith. McIlroy: I will play aggressively if I need to It felt like the Northern Irishman was looking for a spark throughout his third round, with McIlroy battling to go one over through his front nine. The eighth hole has been his nemesis all week, with McIlroy cancelling out an early birdie on the fourth with a bogey on the eighth before adding another on the ninth. It means McIlroy has gone three over on the eighth hole over his first three rounds. The reigning Masters champion, who can usurp Patrick Reed at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings with a second-place finish at the top of the leaderboard this week, found his groove, making birdie on the 12th, thanks to some excellent chipping. He ended his third round with a flourish, striping a three-wood 375 yards down the fairway on the 17th hole on his way to make birdie, before stuffing an approach from 230 yards out to within a few feet of the hole. McIlroy holed out for eagle to an enormous roar from the fans in the grandstand. With so many players in contention, and crucial Race to Dubai rankings points in the balance for the world No 2, McIlroy insisted he would play aggressively on the back nine. "Sunday is going to be interesting," McIlroy said. "There are a lot of people around the leaders. I think the conditions over the last couple of days are the reason why no one has got away from the pack, just because it has played so tricky and difficult. "I'll probably try not to look at the leaderboards on the front nine, and if I need to play a little bit more aggressively on the back, I'll do it." Who will win the BMW Championship? Watch final round featured groups coverage from 9am on Sunday on Sky Sports Golf. Full coverage will begin at 12pm. Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW

The earl has made a series of damning claims about the King in a new memoir - alleging he said "we'll forget her soon enough" during a supposed row over funeral arrangements for his sister Princess Diana. Buckingham Palace afterwards said in a statement that "fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise". However, the earl has stood by his comments during interviews with the BBC and most recently the Mail on Sunday. He told the latter publication: "It is not every day you wake up to find you've been gaslit by the King. "It was astonishingly provocative and below the belt because it was essentially trying to say I'd lied without the King being able to deny what I'd said. "I also thought it was a rather poor imitation of the 'recollections may vary' quote, which was a much more elegant way of putting things, but in these circumstances entirely out of place." He also said that "Diana would be cheering from the rafters at this book". The earl made the allegations in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail and is due to be published next week. In a separate interview with the BBC earlier this week, the earl insisted he is "telling the truth". He said: "I told friends and family straight away, close friends and family, about what had been said, because it was so monstrous." The King allegedly made the remarks during an argument over whether the then Prince William and Prince Harry should follow Princess Diana's funeral cortege. Earl Spencer walked behind Diana's coffin during the funeral procession in 1997 alongside Harry, William, then-Prince Charles, and the late Duke of Edinburgh. In the latest extract of the book serialised in the Daily Mail, he described the train journey from London to Althorp after the funeral. Read more from Sky News:Seaside hotel fire being treated as suspiciousTeens jailed for killing 17-year-old outside McDonald's The earl wrote: "My chief memory of that train journey is of being concerned at the lack of obvious care for Harry, as he decompressed from the ghastliness of the morning. "He needed Diana's hugs, of course, and they would forever be denied him. "But instead of calm and nurture, he was allowed to spin out of control." Despite the string of damning claims, the Royal Family have been carrying on with business as usual. On Saturday, the Queen was welcomed with applause to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire for the first day of the festival for The Queen's Reading Room, a charity she founded following the success of her Instagram book club during the pandemic. Camilla spoke of her love for books that have a "life-enhancing power" and said being at Chatsworth House, which has a library of over 17,000 books, was "like coming home".

He first gained public attention when he beat established US stars 50 Cent and The Game to the MOBO prize, going on to appear in TV shows including Top Boy and The Chase. His death was announced by the MOBO Awards, who shared a video on social media of Sway accepting best hip-hop act in 2005, calling his win "a huge moment for UK hip hop" They wrote: "We're deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sway. In 2005, he made MOBO history, beating global heavyweights including 50 Cent and The Game to win Best Hip-Hop Act - a huge moment for Sway and UK Hip Hop. Proud to have him as part of our history. Our love goes out to his family, loved ones and fans." So far, no cause of death has officially been given, but he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010. Influencer KSI paid tribute, writing on social media: "Ah man, this is a lot. Sway, Derek, thank you for everything you've done for me. "You believed in me when many didn't. You gave me a chance when many didn't." Crediting Sway as helping him grow as an artist, he added: "You were one of a kind man. I wish you were still here." Top Boy star Kadeem Ramsay paid tribute, writing: "Rest Up Legend." Singer Lemar wrote: "Your talent knew no bounds. Blessed to have shared the stage with you. Wish we'd have been able to have one more sit down. One more life discussion. But hey… we will one day. Until then. Rest in peace my friend. Love, love and more love." Kidulthood and Adulthood actor Adam Deacon also wrote: "We never did get to have that linkup. But I know he's looking down, giving me guidance in his own way." Collaborations with stars including Ed Sheeran and Riz Ahmed Born Derek Safo, Sway was born in Hornsey, north London, to Ghanaian parents, later becoming known professionally as Sway Dasafo. He broke the UK Top 40 in 2006 with songs from his debut album This Is My Demo, which was met with critical acclaim. The album was also nominated for the Mercury Prize, but lost out to the Arctic Monkeys' debut. He later signed with Akon's label, Konvict Music, alongside the likes of Lady Gaga and T-Pain, collaborating with stars including Ed Sheeran, Riz Ahmed, Tinchy Stryder and Kaiser Chiefs. Read more:British woman 'rescued' in Malawi'Bail granted' to Briton held in India In 2010, Sway was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma after discovering a lump on his neck. He described his feelings on receiving the diagnosis as like being "dropped in the middle of the sea with no lifejacket, no boat - no equipment to help me." He wrote about his experience for charity Lymphoma Action, and later recorded a song about it called The Sea. In 2011, he appeared in the first two episodes of Top Boy as the character Ross Rosten, and went on to take small roles in films The Grind and The Chase. He created his own record label, Dcypha Productions, in 2013, nurturing new artists at the start of their careers. Marrying his wife Helen in the same year, they had four children - Jalil, AJ, Inaya and Imara. In a recent social media post, sharing images of him with his children, he described himself as a single father. His most recent album, Verses From The Vault 2, was released in 2018. The rapper celebrated his 44th birthday earlier this month, sharing a picture of himself on Instagram standing alone in the sunshine, and captioned: "Chapter 44".

The headline polling numbers give one cause for concern. The Liberal Democrats are polling lower now than a year ago with every pollster. On average, the party are down over two percentage points from 12.7% to just over 10.3%, substantially below their vote share in the last general election (12.6% GB wide). There is some evidence that a resurgent Labour are squeezing the Lib Dems. The party's poll numbers are notably weaker since Andy Burnham became prime minister. But the Lib Dems were already on the slide when Burnham arrived - they regularly posted shares above 15% in 2025 YouGov polls but have not hit this level with the pollster since early January 2026. Leader approval In September 2025, an average of 22% of those polled approved of Davey's leadership, and 28% disapproved, giving a solid but unspectacular net approval of -6. A year later, those figures have barely moved: 21% approve, 28% disapprove, -6 net approval on average. These figures can be viewed two ways. The optimist's take is that voters have not turned against Davey, even as voter approvals of three other leaders - Sir Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage, and Zack Polanski - have slumped. Yet while Davey hasn't annoyed voters, he hasn't impressed them either. Low and flat approvals and high "don't knows" suggest a leader who is failing to cut through. Davey gets positive marks from just a fifth of voters. That's not great. And after more than six years as party leader, nearly half of voters are unable even to offer a view on Davey. That's not great either. Liberal Democrat leaders typically struggle for a hearing at mid-term, squeezed out by bigger, louder parties. The task may be even harder now in a more fragmented and polarised media and political environment. And a lack of definition can be a plus, giving a leader a chance to (re)introduce himself to voters when the general election arrives. Past Lib Dem leaders Paddy Ashdown, Charles Kennedy and Nick Clegg all made big gains during the short campaign. This happened to Davey too in 2024. Davey's current lack of definition may work in his favour once voters begin comparing him with more divisive alternatives in a short campaign. Davey does not, however, do brilliantly in straight comparisons with other leaders. YouGov has occasionally asked which of various pairs of leaders they would prefer as prime minister. Davey does well against radicals. His lead over Reform leader Nigel Farage and Green leader Zack Polanski on this question has grown over the past year or so. But Davey struggles in matchups against the current leaders of the traditional governing parties. He does much worse against the new Labour leader Andy Burnham than he did against Sir Keir Starmer a year ago. Davey trailed Starmer by just seven points on the best PM question; he now polls 35 points behind Burnham. Davey beat Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch by eight points in "best PM" matchups a year ago. He now trails the Tory leader. It is the decline in Davey's ratings versus Badenoch which will most worry Liberal Democrat strategists. The Conservatives are the main competitor to the Lib Dems in most of the seats the party currently holds or is targeting. A year ago, the Lib Dem leader was a clear campaigning asset. His value added is less obvious today. Election performance This was a good year once again for the Lib Dems in local elections. The party made a net gain of over 150 council seats and made a net gain of three councils, with both of the newly created unitary authorities governing Surrey, where they have several target seats, among those gains. The Lib Dems have made gains in every set of local elections held since Davey took over as leader. This six-year advance has clawed back almost all the ground the Lib Dems lost in their post-Coalition collapse. The Lib Dems now have more councillors, and a higher share of all councillors, than in any year since 2010. Local by-elections provide further evidence that the Lib Dem campaigning machine is now in rude health, with substantial net gains between the 2025 and 2026 local elections, and again since the 2026 local elections. This long, strong run of success in council contests will be encouraging for a party which has long used local government as a springboard to Westminster success. The Scottish Parliament election was another bright spot. The Lib Dems won seven constituency seats and three list seats, and their resulting ten MSPs is their biggest Holyrood cohort since 2007. The Lib Dems regained three seats with historical sympathies to the party: Caithness, Sutherland & Ross; Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch and Edinburgh Northern. More remarkably, they came from fourth place to win Strathkelvin & Bearsden, a constituency where the party had never previously finished in the top two. The Welsh Senedd elections were more disappointing. The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds remains the only Lib Dem in the Senedd. Her party was unable to profit either from an expanded Senedd using a more proportional regional list PR electoral system, or from the decline of the hitherto dominant Welsh Labour party. The Lib Dems' overall vote barely rose, and they didn't come close to the threshold for representation in any of the other six seat Senedd constituencies. Outflanked on the nationalist left by Plaid Cymru and the unionist right by Reform UK, the Lib Dems remain confined to the margins of politics in Wales, once a bastion of Liberal support. In the last Parliament, Sir Ed Davey benefitted from a series of Westminster by-elections triggered in Conservative seats where the Liberal Democrats were well placed to challenge the incumbent. He has had no such luck this Parliament. There have so far been no by-elections in seats where a Lib Dem challenge might be credible. Lib Dem performance in the contests we have had has been uniformly dismal. The Lib Dems lost their deposit in three of the four seats they contested over the last year, including a record low 0.4% in the Makerfield by-election. The same tactical voting motivations which buoy the Liberal Democrats where they are in the running also severely squeeze the party in seats where they are not. Conclusion - glass half full or glass half empty? How we judge Liberal Democrat performance depends on what we emphasise. If we focus on national polls and views of the leader, it has been a poor year. The Lib Dems are down substantially with all pollsters, falling below their showing at the last general election. Davey sets few hearts racing, and has fallen behind the resurgent Conservative leader Badenoch, his most important competitor given the geography of Lib Dem support. The picture is rosier if we focus on election results. Despite flagging polling and a forgotten leader, the Liberal Democrats advanced yet again in council elections and in the Scottish Parliament. The party are now a formidable force in town halls across the South of England shires where they are most competitive in Westminster contests. The Lib Dems have a choice to make. They can cement their position as a (mostly) South of England party, concentrating on the broad arc around London where they usually are the strongest progressive opposition to the Conservatives and Reform. Or they can try to seize the opportunities provided by a more volatile electoral context to compete on a broader front, for example by mobilising progressive opposition to Labour in the big cities. It may not be possible to ride both horses. Today's moderate, unthreatening Liberal Democrats do not excite young urban radicals. But a more strident approach could alarm the comfortable middle class voters the party relies on in the seats it now holds. Which way the Liberal Democrats go may depend on how they read the current situation. Glass half full or glass half empty? Sir Ed Davey's fate as leader, and the direction of his party, may depend on the answer. This is the second in a series of posts reviewing the polling and electoral performance of the parties as they gather for their annual conferences

It's been a few days since the Manchester Derby victory but sat at Man City's training ground, Gianluigi Donnarumma is still basking in the glory. He's not interested in Erling Haaland's controversial winner - though he's still annoyed Phil Foden was "harshly" sent off earlier in the game - as something else pleased him. A man down, everything going against them - City showed mettle and won. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Man City news & transfers🔵Man City fixtures & scores | FREE Man City highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 "I loved my team-mates' performance, it was sublime," he tells Sky Sports. "The capacity to stay in the game and to react to difficult moments - no one can take that away from us. "We will give everything for this shirt, for this club that gives us so much and offers us so much great support. It has a great history, and we need to give a lot back to it." Not many had City down to hold a 100 per cent record this season ahead of the upcoming, lengthy international break - especially after losing the core of a successful era in Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rodri. City have not been entirely convincing in certain areas - even Donnarumma says there is still lots to learn despite the faultless start to the Enzo Maresca era. But this was meant to be a transition season at City. "I don't really like the word 'transition.'" he adds. "The club's objective is to win. This team's objective is to win. We'll certainly give everything we can to achieve that. "We could reach the end of the season having won something, or having won nothing. But what's important is having a winning mentality, going out there and trying to win everything we possibly can." Part of that winning mentality is being driven by Donnarumma - who is part of a newly-formed leadership group that replaced the likes of Bernardo, Stones and Rodri. Donnarumma sits alongside Ruben Dias in the leadership pecking order, along with Haaland and Marc Guehi. All four players have one thing in common: they all have won trophies both at City and at other clubs in their careers. So as the likes of Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye settle into their new team - tasked with making an immediate impact in a non-transition year - the leadership quartet are there to drive the standards. "We've changed a few players. A few new ones have arrived," says Donnarumma. "They're all top players who are used to playing on the biggest stages, dealing with certain situations, and playing in the Premier League. "It's not easy at the beginning when you move to a new club, a new organisation, a new city. But they're adapting well, and we're making them feel comfortable. "The players who were already here are helping them a lot. I think we're going to have a great season. "The objective is to get to the end and compete for everything there is to compete for - in addition to the Premier League, there's the Champions League and the two domestic cups." It's a clear warning from City that anything is possible when it comes to this team. But when it comes to Donnarumma's aim of challenging for the Premier League and the Champions League, one team stands in the way: Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side also started the season with four straight league wins (before their defeat to Brighton) - and have the added recent psychological boost of pipping City to the Premier League post last May. The recent Guardiola documentary showed down and disappointed scenes from City players as they slipped up at Bournemouth to hand the Gunners the title. Donnarumma - who had won the league title in each of the previous five seasons before last term - was one of them. "It's difficult, but that's football, that's life. You're not on your own," he says about that disappointment. "There are other strong teams, especially in the Premier League. "It's not that if you don't win there isn't disappointment - of course there is - but it can happen because there are other teams as well, just like in the Champions League. "It's important to go into every game trying to win it. Certainly, our objective will be to win, but there are other teams too. "You have to compete, you have to work, and you have to do everything possible because the history of this club demands it." Will it be City and Arsenal again competing at the top come May? "I don't know. We're only four games into the season," says the Italian goalkeeper. But the stall has been set out. "Our focus right now has to be on working and trying to win every game. That has to be our objective. "Whether we achieve it in the end or not, only time will tell." Watch Man City vs Sunderland in the Premier League live on Sky Sports' Super Sunday from 1pm, kick-off 2pm.