STEVE BRUCE is facing the media for the first time since the Newcastle takeover.
Frank Lampard is edging ahead of Brendan Rodgers in the odds to become the Toon’s next manager and Bruce is under intense scrutiny.
There will no doubt be uncomfortable moments for the Magpies boss, who is expected to be replaced in the next few weeks.
Thomas Tuchel is also expected to speak to the press this afternoon with the Chelsea manager sweating over the fitness of the Antonio Rudiger and Christian Pulisic, but any injury problems for Thiago Silva appear to have been overcome.
Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is also in the running to replace Steve Bruce.
Meanwhile Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed he thought sporting director Leonardo was playing a joke on him when he was informed Lionel Messi would be joining PSG.
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AUR GO ON THEN
Monaco starlet Aurelien Tchouameni is ‘on Man United’s radar’ if the Red Devils fail to agree a new contract with Paul Pogba.
The midfielder, 28, is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the season – but club chiefs haven’t given up hope on seeing him pen an extension.
Should he not do so, however, they will turn their attentions toward Tchouameni.
ESPN report that the 21-year-old will cost in the region of £45million.
Credit: Getty BARC TO THE TOP
Manchester United star Paul Pogba has been offered to Barcelona, according to reports.
The Frenchman, 28, is out of contract next summer.
And according to ESPN, agent Mino Raiola has touted his services to a number of clubs ahead of his free agency – with Barca the latest to be contacted.
Juventus, PSG, Real Madrid and even a host of Prem clubs have also been made aware of Pogba’s availability.
KROOS CONTROL
Liverpool are reportedly keen on bringing in Real Madrid ace Toni Kroos next summer.
Kop boss Jurgen Klopp is said to be a huge admirer of the 31-year-old German midfielder who he sees as the ideal man to revamp Liverpool’s midfield.
And according to El Nacional, the Reds could be able to snap up Kroos for just £20m.
Despite being a key member of Madrid’s squad since joining in 2014 from Bayern Munich for £21m, Kroos has only made two appearances for them this season.
As Kroos is no longer a first-team regular, Los Blancos may be willing to cash in on him while they still can, before his contract ends in 2023.
THE RON DECISION
Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended his rotation policy, after coming under fire for benching Cristiano Ronaldo against Everton last time out.
The Norwegian said: “If you can go and play six games in six days and play the same XI every time, it’s great.
“But it is about rotation. We need to get to April and May with everyone firing. We got to May in the final stretch of last season and we were too tired. I manage the players for the club.”
On Ronaldo specifically, he added: “It’s nice to have him on the pitch, he’ll always come up with the goods. The more we have him on the pitch, the better.
“He’s an exceptional player, exceptional finisher, goalscorer, exceptional pro, it’s hard to leave him out.”
NUNO ON KANE’S STRUGGLE FOR FORM
Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo remains fully behind Harry Kane despite his slow start to the season.
The England captain has struggled since returning from the Euros in the summer.
And speculation over his form has been surrounded by his desire to leave the club prior to the start of the campaign.
But Nuno insists Kane is still offering things to the team regardless of his struggles in front of goals.
He said: “It’s normal. Harry sure is used to it. We know Harry is much more than goals, he is about what he does for the team.
“Harry is a fantastic football player, one of the best and naturally goals will come.”
BRUCE ON ASHLEY’S 14-YEAR REIGN
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce has reflected on former owner Mike Ashley’s 14-year relationship with the club.
He said: “The two years I’ve had managing this club have been difficult, and we all understand that.
“We all want Newcastle to be at the top end of the league, and unfortunately we have been at bottom end more in the last 10 years.
“He has given me the opportunity to manage this club and I will always be grateful for that.”
TUCHEL ON NEWCASTLE TAKEOVER
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has given his take on the Newcastle takeover.
When asked whether people should be worried about where the money has come from for the new Saudi regime, he said: “I think it’s normal people have concerns.
“We trust the Premier League, they have accepted and they are the authorities. They have allowed it and Newcastle have new owners.
“The new owners seem to be promising for a famous club in England and it seems we have a new competitor for titles and places in the top ranking.
“We play in the toughest league and it always seems to get tougher.”
NO TIME TO WASTE
Steve Bruce is hell-bent on convincing Newcastle’s new owners that he is the right man to take them forward – despite admitting he’s only spoken to them for 10 MINUTES.
Asked whether he hopes to remain long-term, he said: “I’ll have a crack. I’ll try my utmost and if they see fit, great.
“I’m not going to give up hope. The way it is, the way it looks in the future, who wouldn’t want the opportunity to manage Newcastle? Certainly I would, and I’m sure hundreds of others would.
“Any manager would love this opportunity to be sitting in my seat, and I’ll make a fist of it.
“I met the new owners on Monday for a brief ten-minute conversation and they just said ‘carry on until I hear otherwise’. That’s what I’ve done and the players have trained magnificently well.
“It’s not about me and the 1,000th game. I’ve played 950 times and won domestically everything there is to win. There comes a stage when it’s not about me.
“It’s about the club going forward and getting the results on Sunday. I’ve tried to keep my respect and my dignity, which has probably served me well over the last 20-odd years. That will remain.
“They (Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi) are very, very good people. If the takeover takes this great club forward then great.”
BARC-ING MAD
Barcelona have hatched an elaborate plan to join the race to sign Erling Haaland, according to reports.
The Catalans are in serious debt and most assumed they wouldn’t be able to afford the Norwegian’s wages and the vast fee his agent Mino Raiola will command.
But they have devised a cunning scheme to get themselves in the running, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The Catalans are in crippling debt of around £1BILLION.
They were recently offered a £1.3bn loan by a Dubai-based company but will still have to tread carefully in the transfer market.
However, club chiefs see Haaland as a perfect signing on and off the pitch.
They feel he’ll produce a regular stream of goals in the long term as well as being a commercial gold mine as far as shirt sales and brand exposure goes.
Haaland has a £65m release clause that kicks in at the end of this season.
TABLE TOPPERS
Brighton are officially the most improved team in the Premier League as things stand after seven games played.
Chelsea and Manchester United have also bettered their points tallies and league positions this campaign compared to the same stage of the 2020/21 season.
Second-placed Liverpool are a position and a point worse off, while Arsenal and Tottenham have both picked up two less points than they had at this stage last season.
The Gunners were ninth in the league after seven games last campaign, while Jose Mourinho’s Spurs were fourth.
BLEW MOON
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski could be on his way to Manchester City according to his agent Pini Zahavi.
City have been linked with a move for the 33-year-old since he expressed his desire to leave Bayern this summer.
And their pursuit has been given a major boost by his agent Zahavi who told Sport Bild that the Etihad is a ‘possible destination’ for Lewandowski.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side will have to fend off stiff competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea, who are also interested in the Polish hitman.
The European Champions were previously in contact with Zahavi about signing Lewandowski, according to reports.
It’s clear to see why Lewandowski’s in such high demand after he scored 48 goals in 40 games in all competitions last season.
BRUCE ON HIS FUTURE
Steve Bruce is expected to be sacked in the coming weeks as the new owners of Newcastle look for a new manager.
But the 60-year-old was asked whether he believes he can convince the owners to keep him at the helm.
He said: “I’ll have a crack and try my utmost, who wouldn’t want this opportunity?
“Any manager would love to sit in my chair, so I will make a fist of it and try my utmost. I will try my best for the club.”
BRUCE’S MESSAGE TO NEWCASTLE FANS
“I know it will be ridiculous atmosphere which we will all looking forward.
“Whatever they think of me the most important thing is to see team win and I don’t think it will be an atmosphere like we’ve seen before.
“The team trained well this week and I hope we can win this match.”
BRUCE ON 1,000TH GAME
Steve Bruce was also asked whether or not the events of the last week have soured his 1,000th game as a manager, which will take place against Tottenham on Sunday.
He said: “It’s not about me, the 1000th game, I played 950 times, won everything there is to win domestically so it’s not about me.
“It is about the club going forward and more importantly getting a result on Sunday. We need a win to get us moving up the table.”
BRUCE ON MEETING NEW OWNERS
“There were no discussions on my future. It was all about the team, injuries and how we are looking for the weekend.
“It was very informal and I have to say they were very good people. It was good to see them. Lets not forget it is a great thing that has happened for the club and the city. If it takes this great club forward then great.”
BRUCE ON A TURBULENT WEEK
“I’ve had to use all my experience this week. I had a brief ten minute conversation with the new owners and now I’m carrying on until I hear otherwise.”
BRUCE FACING QUESTIONS NOW
Here comes Newcastle boss Steve Bruce as his press conference gets underway.
Quotes to come…
BRUCE SET TO SPEAK
Steve Bruce’s press conference is coming up very shortly.
We expect to hear from the Newcastle manager at 2:15pm BST.
GUARDIOLA ON NEWCASTLE TAKEOVER
The latest manager to give his take on the Newcastle takeover is Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
He said: “Looks like Newcastle fans are happy.
“It’s a business that has taken over a club and the people are happy. I’m far away from the reasons why the decision was made.”
LIV-ID
Jurgen Klopp raged against those in charge of fixture scheduling as he revealed several first-team players will miss Saturday’s clash with Watford.
Liverpool visit Vicarage Road in the lunchtime kick-off and face a trip to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, who do not have a game this weekend.
That fact has irritated Klopp, but not as much as the decision to play the game between Brazil and Uruguay on Thursday night.
As a result, Brazilians Fabinho and Alisson will not be able to play against Watford – they will fly straight to Madrid instead.
In his pre-match press conference Klopp said: “Somebody decided to give Brazil the opportunity to play last night.
“And then somebody made the decision for us to play on Saturday at 12:30. It’s not in our hands.
“Atletico [Madrid] are not playing at the weekend and they are our next opponents in the Champions League. That would not happen here.
“We have known it for a while so we have decided that the boys would not be here and they would go straight to Madrid.
“Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Diogo [Jota] are available but Thiago I do not know. It takes time and it’s disappointing so we have to wait.
“Curtis Jones has come back with a slight injury from England U21s and is unavailable.”
SOLSKJAER ON NEWCASTLE TAKEOVER
Manchester United boss Solskjaer has also given his thoughts on the recent Saudi takeover of Newcastle.
He said: “It has not been my focus but I noticed it has happened.
“It is going to change the picture. I didn’t think it would go through but it has. It’s a fantastic club with traditions.
“Long-term it will be interesting to watch. It has been the talk of football. It is results they want but it is not my focus. I don’t want to join the political discussion.”
SOLSKJAER ENJOYING ATTACKING STYLE
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says it is ‘nice to be an attacking player’ in his side at the moment.
“We have added some exciting players going forward and scored goals,” the Norwegian said.
“It’s a nice time to be an attacking player.
“We need to keep that going. We need to make sure we are hard to play against. I can’t think Atalanta or Liverpool – it’s only Leicester that I can think about.
“We are looking forward to this run. All the best players want to play against the best teams and we have some of the best teams coming up.”
BENITEZ UNHAPPY WITH INTERNATIONAL BREAKS
It’s safe to say Everton boss Rafa Benitez is not a huge fan of the frequent international breaks.
He said: “It is the same for everyone. You feel a little bit frustrated that you cannot carry on as you want, then you are waiting to see if you have any injuries.
“It is what it is, and we have to make sure we manage every player and every game and training session.
“After (the breaks) finish, we have lots of games at Christmas; modern football is like that, too many games and you have to travel everywhere and it is quite demanding.”
SOLSKJAER GIVES SELECTION UPDATE
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has updated the media on his squad’s fitness following the international break and ahead of their clash with Leicester tomorrow.
He said: “[During the] internationals sometimes, it’s a time to cross your fingers.
“Raphael [Varane] is out for a few weeks. Victor [Lindelof] and Eric [Bailly] played and got good game time.
“Fred and Edinson [Cavani] played a full game but we’re not counting on them and giving them time to recover. Harry [Maguire] also had his first time on the grass, so we look quite strong.
“[Marcus] Rashford is in the squad. I can’t tell you if he will start but has worked really hard. Has been bright this week. Fit and raring to go.”
TORRES OUT FOR THREE MONTHS
Away from Newcastle for a moment, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed Ferran Torres could be out for between two and a half to three months.
The Spanish forward suffered a metatarsal injury in his foot while away on international duty.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ilkay Gundogan are back in contention for the game against Burnley this weekend.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
