Steve Bruce ‘was nicknamed Mike Bassett by Newcastle players’, Haaland to Chelsea transfer hinted at by Tuchel

BELL RING

Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have reportedly been told they’ll have to stump up around £109million for Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham.

The Prem trio have been linked with a move for Bellingham this summer, but his contract isn’t up until 2025 and Dortmund won’t take any less than £109m for the 18-year-old, according to Fichajes.

The 18-year-old could turn out to be worth his weight in gold as he’s already closing in on 50 appearances in the Bundesliga while winning eight caps for the English national team.

He is also one of the top candidates to win the Golden Boy Award this year, alongside other talented youngsters like Pedri, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.

VAN BLIGHT

Virgil Van Dijk had his worst game in a Liverpool shirt against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last night, according to ex-Reds defender Steve Nicol.

The Reds scraped a 3-2 win over Atletico, but Nicol was horrified by what he saw from Liverpool’s defence and Van Dijk in particular.

The Dutch defender spent most of last season out injured and Nicols doesn’t think he’s recovered yet – physically or mentally.

Nicols said: “I’ve never seen Liverpool defend as badly since Virgil van Dijk arrived at Anfield and particularly him as well, that’s easily his worst game defensively in a Liverpool jersey.

“From a personal point of view, he’s just not back to where he is physically and mentally, he’s not.”

RAM RACE

Manchester United and Arsenal will reportedly have to fend off competition from Aston Villa to sign Aberdeen full-back Calvin Ramsay.

The 18-year-old has impressed the Prem sides after breaking into the Scottish side’s first team this year.

And now, the Gunners along with Villa and United are eager to bring him to England, according to football journalist Ekrem Konur.

“Calvin Ramsay is the new favorite of the Premier League teams

“Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa are all after the young talent.”

FON THE WAY 

Newcastle united are back in talks with Paulo Fonseca about becoming their manager.

Steve Bruce was put out his misery and sacked by the Magpies on Wednesday morning and Toon chiefs are already on the hunt for a new boss.

Club chiefs have wasted no time and are already talking to former Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma boss Fonseca, 48.

The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving Roma at the end of last season but he did come close to taking over at Tottenham in the summer.

SunSport understands Fonseca is in pole position to take the job and appeals to Toon chiefs because of his attacking style of play.

SHEARER SALUTES BRUCE EFFORTS

Alan Shearer has thanked Steve Bruce for his contribution to Newcastle after he was sacked as manager this morning.

The ex-Toon striker acknowledged how hard it must’ve been for Bruce to make things work on Tyneside with limited resources.

But despite the insurmountable difficulties, Bruce tried his best to make things work, Shearer claimed.

He tweeted: “I know how tough it was for any manager at Newcastle for the last 14 years.

“I also know how badly Steve & his family wanted it to work. In difficult circumstances for everybody, he kept #NUFC up for two seasons.

“It’s a new era now, but thank you, Steve, for your effort & commitment.”

SAFE AND SOUND

The family of a supporter who required emergency medical care during the Premier League fixture between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday have released a statement to update supporters on his condition.

Alan George Smith, 80, collapsed during the first half of the match at St. James’ Park and play was suspended while his condition was stabilised.

He was subsequently transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle city centre before being moved for specialist care at the Freeman Hospital.

Mr Smith’s son, Paul, said: “We are pleased to advise that Alan is making great progress, is now fully alert and is up and walking about. He will remain in hospital over the next few days while further tests are carried out.

“He and our family would like to say thank you to his friend, Don Williamson, who was with him at the time and alerted everyone to his condition.

“We would also like to thank and pay tribute to the doctors and nurses who administered CPR, the paramedics from North East Ambulance Service, St John’s Ambulance, fans and stewards at the scene, as well the medical staff at the RVI and Freeman Hospital. We will be forever grateful.

“We would also like to say thank you to all of the people who have wished Alan well on social media and the players and staff of both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, especially Jamaal Lascelles who has sent a personal message. It meant so much to Alan.

“He is looking forward to getting back to St. James’ Park as soon as possible.”

The family has requested privacy at this time and requests that any media enquiries are directed to the club’s press office.

HEN MESS

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has played with both Lionel Messi and Dennis Bergkamp.

The French icon and Bergkamp struck up a formidable partnership for Arsenal.

Then he went onto to play with Messi at Barcelona, but when asked who was better to play with out of the pair, Henry chose Bergkamp.

When asked by CBS Sports who was the best he played alongside, Henry said: “Dennis Bergkamp.”

CLOSE THE TIEL

Youri Tielemans has reportedly rejected Leicester City’s new contract offer.

But Foxes fans shouldn’t be worried today as his departure won’t be imminent so he should feature against Spartak.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers admitted there’s nothing he could do to stop the Belgian leaving, and is only focused on helping him improve as a player.

Speaking to the media ahead of the European clash, Rodgers said: “There will obviously be talks with the club in terms of his contract but I continue to work with him and help him improve as a player. That’s my only focus.

“He is an outstanding player, one of Europe’s top midfielders. He is integral to our game and a joy to work with – a super professional. A young player with that focus is great to see.”

MAXIMIM RESPECT

Newcastle star Allan Saint-Maximin has paid a touching tribute to former boss Steve Bruce.

Bruce was sacked by the Toon’s new owners this morning after a tough spell in charge.

And Maximim had nothing but kind words to say about his ex-manager on Twitter.

He wrote: “You are, without a doubt, one of the most gentle people that I have ever met in the world of football.

“You have been a man of your word, a caring man and a fair man who never hesitated to protect us.

“I will never forget how you treated me, for that I will be forever grateful.”

DAN’S THE MAN

Chelsea appear to be ahead in the race to add Wrexham starlet Daniel Davies to their youth ranks.

The highly sought after left-back who has attracted interest from Liverpool is on a week-long trial with the Blues, according to Goal.

The 16-year-old, who recently played his first game for Wales’ Under-18, was also offered trials with Brighton and Stoke City.

But it is thought this year’s Champions League winners are a more appealing destination for the full-back.

HAARD TO GET

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Chelsea are interested in signing wonderkid Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all tracking Haaland’s progress.

And now, Chelsea have thrown themselves into the mix.

Tuchel told Bild: “We have talked about Haaland a couple of times also in the transfer window. It looked unrealistic and not possible to do.

“Of course we talk regularly about him because he is a fantastic player and a profile at Dortmund, which is a big rival for us in the Champions League.”

SANTO’S SAD

Nuno Espirito Santo says he is sad Steve Bruce has been sacked by Newcastle – and has urged him not to retire.

Nuno’s Tottenham beat the Toon 3-2 at St James’ Park on Sunday in what was to prove Bruce’s last game.

Spurs manager Nuno said: “Bad news. Bad news. It’s always sad to see someone lose his job. 

“I have great respect and admiration for Steve. We started in the Championship together when I was at Wolves and one of our first games was against Aston Villa.

“I hope he doesn’t retire. He still has so much to give to the game.”

CITY SHOCK

Manchester City have spoken out in disgust after one of their fans were attacked following their 5-1 win over Club Brugge.

The Etihad giants released a statement that read: “Everyone at Manchester City is shocked and saddened to hear reports of an attack on one of our supporters after the Champions League game in Bruges last night.

“We are currently working with our counterparts at Club Brugge as well as Belgian and Greater Manchester Police to establish more information.

“Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the family and friends of the Belgian-based supporter, who remains in hospital.”

STEVE BASSET

Steve Bruce was reportedly privately referred to as fictional football coach Mike Bassett by his ex-Newcastle stars because of his media gaffes.

Bassett, played by actor Ricky Tomlinson was the boss of the England team in the self-titled comedy series.

He then went on to manage Newcastle just like Bruce and was subsequently sacked from the role.

And according to The Athletic, Bruce’s actions in the spotlight earned him the Basset label by the Toon’s squad.

SHEARER SYMPATHY

Alan Shearer has thanked Steve Bruce for his contribution to Newcastle after he was sacked as manager this morning.

The ex-Toon striker acknowledged how hard it must’ve been for Bruce to make things work on Tyneside with limited resources.

But despite the insurmountable difficulties, Bruce tried his best to make things work, Shearer claimed.

He tweeted: “I know how tough it was for any manager at Newcastle for the last 14 years.

“I also know how badly Steve & his family wanted it to work. In difficult circumstances for everybody, he kept #NUFC up for two seasons.

“It’s a new era now, but thank you, Steve, for your effort & commitment.”

LINEKER SYMPATHY

Gary Lineker has wished Steve Bruce all the best for the future following his Newcastle dismissal.

Bruce was given the boot after weeks of speculation surrounding his future since the Magpies new owners came in.

But despite being fired, Lineker reckons Bruce has handled himself in a dignified manner and did the best he could with limited resources on Tyneside.

The footy pundit tweeted: “Steve Bruce has handled a difficult situation with great dignity during this period.

“Under trying circumstances and with generally poor recruitment by the club he did as well as realistically could be expected.

“Wish a very decent man all the very best.”

BRUCE’S END

Steve Bruce has hinted at retirement after being sacked as boss of Newcastle while lashing out at Toon fans.

The Toon faithful had slammed Bruce during his ill-fated reign as being a ‘tactically inept cabbage head’.

Those jibes were hard for Bruce to swallow and he let Magpies fans know just how he felt as he departed.

He told The Telegraph: “I think this might be my last job. It’s not just about me; it’s taken its toll on my whole family because they are all Geordies and I can’t ignore that.

“They have been worried about me… especially my wife Jan.

“I’m 60 years old and I don’t know if I want to put her through it again. We’ve got a good life so, yeah, this will probably be me done as a manager – until I get a phone call from a chairman somewhere asking if I can give them a hand. Never say never, I’ve learnt that.

“By the time I got to Newcastle, I thought I could handle everything thrown at me but it has been very, very tough.

“To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage head or whatever. And it was from day one.

“When we were doing ok results wise, it was ‘yeah but the style of football is rubbish’ or I was just ‘lucky.’ It was ridiculous and persistent, even when the results were good.”

RACE FOR BRUCE’S SPOT

Some of the biggest names in football have been linked with the vacant Newcastle United job after Steve Bruce was sacked.

Ex-Roma boss Paul Fonseca is in pole position to take the job, but Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are also among the favourites, according to Betfair.

Betfair also reckon Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho are in with a shout of being the new Toon boss, here’s a full list of the odds:

• Paulo Fonseca 6/4
• Eddie Howe4/1
• Lucien Favre 4/1
• Frank Lampard 11/1
• Steven Gerrard 14/1
• Unai Emery20/1
• Brendan Rodgers 25/1
• Jose Mourinho 25/1
• Roberto Martinez 25/1
• Antonio Conte 33/1
• Rafa Benitez 40/1
• Zinedine Zidane 40/1
• Roberto Mancini 40/1
• John Terry 50/1
• Chris Wilder 50/1
• Andre Villas-Boas50/1
• Ralf Rangnick50/1
• Graham Potter50/1
• Andriy Shevchenko 50/1
• Wayne Rooney 50/1
• Roy Hodgson 50/1

TOON ODDS

Paul Fonseca is leading the race to be named Newcastle United’s manager following the sacking of Steve Bruce.

The ex-Roma coach is closely followed by Eddie Howe in the running, and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has also been mentioned alongside Leicester coach Brendan Rodgers in the top five list, according to Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom.

He said: “Following the news that Steve Bruce is leaving Newcastle United, punters make Paulo Fonseca the 6/4 favourite to take over as the boss at St James’s Park.

“The former Roma manager was as big as 50/1 at the start of the month, but his odds have been slashed following a flurry of bets for him this week and in the past 24 hours, he has been very popular choice with punters who have backed him in from 9/1 yesterday.

“Another name that has been linked with the club recently is Edie Howe, who is joint second favourite for the job at 4/1 along with Lucien Favre.”

TOON HOT SEAT

Newcastle are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Steve Bruce.

Bruce was relieved of his duties at the Tyneside club after the Magpies lost 3-2 to Tottenham last weekend.

And former Tottenham target Paulo Fonseca is favourite for the job, with Dortmund’s Lucien Favre, Antonio Conte, Roberto Martinez, Graham Potter and Steven Gerrard all in the mix.

With no chief executive or sporting director in place yet – though Lokomotiv Moscow’s head of sport Ralf Rangnick is in line for the latter – the current board will have to find Bruce’s long-term replacement.

BRUCE’S FINAL WORDS

Steve Bruce has spoken out after being sacked by Newcastle United.

Speculation surrounded his job ever since the Magpies were subject to a £300m Saudi takeover in recent weeks.

The club had initially backed Bruce but finally wielded the axe on the 65-year-old this morning.

Speaking after his dismissal, Bruce said: “I am grateful to everyone connected with Newcastle United for the opportunity to manage this unique football club.

“I would like to thank my coaching team, the players and the support staff in particular for all their hard work. There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts.

“This is a club with incredible support, and I hope the new owners can take it forward to where we all want it to be. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the rest of this season and beyond.”

NOT THAT INTER YOU

Phil Neville is plotting a mass clear out at Inter Miami as his nightmare at David Beckham’s club continues.

The MLS side take on fellow strugglers Toronto tonight with just five games remaining of the campaign.

But they head into the clash in the middle of an awful six game losing streak which has left their play-off hopes hanging by a thread.

Neville, 44, was placed in charge by ex-Manchester United pal Beckham back in January and soon brought in a number of big hitters to join the already stacked ranks.

However, he has endured a miserable time in South Florida and as SunSport exclusively reported yesterday, the former England Women’s boss is already planning for next season and knows some tough decisions will have to be made.

Neville is determined to help Beckham realise his dream by launching an assault for the title next term – even if it means upsetting members of his squad.

BREAKING 

STEVE BRUCE HAS BEEN SACKED BY NEWCASTLE.

The 60-year-old’s job has been hanging in the balance ever since the Magpies were bought.

And Bruce’s exit was confirmed by the club after two seasons in charge as they look to go in a different direction.

Graeme Jones will take charge of Newcastle for their trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

It is believed Bruce will receive around £8m in compensation after his axe.

BARCA LOVE

Samuel Umtiti has revealed that he has no intention of leaving Barcelona in January despite his lack of game time, while declaring his love for the club.

Barca had tried to offload Umtiti in the summer in a bid to raise cash but the defender didn’t want to leave.

But Barca fans wanted him gone and even booed the 27-year-old in pre-season.

Despite being out in the cold, Umtiti still has no plans of leaving the Catalan giants.

He said, reported by Football Espana: “I don’t plan to leave in January, I want to triumph here.

“I don’t see myself in another place. My intention is to complete my contract.

“I am waiting to have an opportunity to demonstrate that I am very well, though it’s a little hard.”

NOT BOTHERED

Liverpool star Andy Roberston has revealed that neither he nor his teammates were bothered by Diego Simeone’s theatrics in the Champions League last night.

The Reds managed to clinch a 3-2 win over Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and the Argentine was far from amused.

He made his feelings clear by storming down the tunnel after the game, refusing to shake Kop boss Jurgen Klopp’s hand in the process.

However, Robertson claims the maturity the Liverpool squad have developed over the years gave them the ability to overlook Simeone’s strop.

The defender told LFCTV: “Luckily our squad is really experienced now, we’ve been to some really touchy places in Europe and in the Premier League and been able to cope with that (Simeone’s theatrics).

“I think that comes down to us being together for so long, and to us being a wee bit older and wiser than we once were, and that showed tonight.”