VACCINE passports will reportedly be required to enter Premier League grounds from THIS weekend.
The Government is understood to be on the verge of confirming it is adopting its Covid “Plan B” in a bid to stop the spread of the new Omicron variant.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have been hit with a covid outbreak that has reportedly brought down a ‘number of players and staff’.
Their matches this week against Rennes and Brighton could be in peril as a result of up to SEVEN positive tests.
And Eddie Howe is eyeing up Stoke striker Tyrese Campbell as his first signing at Newcastle.
The son of former Everton forward Kevin Campbell, Tyrese has scored twice in nine games for the Potters this season.
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Get all the latest football news, updates and transfer gossip below…
LEGEND TREATED
Brazil legend Pele is back in hospital for colon cancer treatment.
The 81-year-old was hospitalised for nearly a month earlier this year after having a tumour removed.
Pele has previously been in hospital for cancer treatmentCredit: AFP And the three-time World Cup-winner has been readmitted for further treatment this week.
His condition is described as stable and he is expected to be discharged from Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital within a few days.
‘WE’RE SCARED’
Tottenham are reportedly set to ask the Premier League to postpone their match with Brighton this Sunday as EIGHT players and five members of staff have tested positive for coronavirus.
On Tuesday it was reported that seven players and two members of staff had tested positive for Covid.
And now it has been confirmed by Antonio Conte that a total of 13 members of the squad have returned positive tests.
Spurs face Rennes in the Europa Conference League on Thursday – a fixture they will have to fulfil providing they have 13 players and a registered keeper available.
But there is no such rule for Premier League games as they are decided on a case-by-case basis.
And The Athletic are reporting that Spurs will request the match against Brighton at the Amex Stadium be postponed due to the Covid chaos.
IT’S EASY
Kylian Mbappe has switched allegiance in the GOAT debate from Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi.
The French star previously revealed he preferred Manchester United ace Ronaldo but having played with Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, he appears to have had a change of heart.
Mbappe scored twice in the first eight minutes as PSG beat Club Brugge 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Messi scored twice more to complete the thrashing and after the match, Mbappe, 22, heaped praise on the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
He said: “It’s easy to play with Lionel Messi.
“He’s the best player in the world.
“He won the Ballon d’Or a few days ago, he scored two goals today and he is happy.”
Mbappe’s apparent change of stance came after he labelled Ronaldo the GOAT and his idol in 2020.
NOT GUNNER HAPPEN
Ex-Blackburn Rovers Chris Sutton doesn’t think Liverpool super-sub Divorick Origi can fit into Arsenal’s first team.
Sutton also doubts Origi would make it at Chelsea, but does see the Belgian doing well at clubs like Aston Villa or Norwich.
He said: “It’s all about playing. “I am not saying Origi can go to Chelsea. I am not saying he can go to an Arsenal.
“But maybe an Aston Villa or a Norwich City where he would play regularly. I am not comparing Villa and Norwich, by the way.
“Villa are well ahead of Norwich in the table.
“But a team like that where he is playing week in and week out. That’s what you want to do is play regular football.”
TOP FIVE
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has named Liverpool and Manchester City among the five clubs he reckons can lift the Champions League this season.
However, Manchester United and Chelsea didn’t make Allegri’s cut along with his own club Juve.
Instead, Allegri thinks Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are in the running to clinch the European prize.
He said to 90min: “I think the favourites for this edition of the Champions League are: Liverpool, Bayern, Manchester City, Real [Madrid] and PSG.”
MAREN MISSED
Maren Mjelde looks set to miss Chelsea’s Champions League duel with Juventus this evening.
And Emma Hayes revealed fans are unlikely to see the right-back in action before Christmas with the club wanting the player to boost her strength.
Mjelde, 32, made her long-awaited return in November in Chelsea’s 7-0 thumping of Servette after suffering a painful knee injury during their Conti Cup trophy win in March.
Blues chief Hayes, 44, whose side host Juve at home, said: “Maren has still got a little bit of work to do on developing her strength.
“We’re taking that time to do that so I don’t think Maren will play this side of Christmas.”
BLUE CHILL
Chelsea’s stars braced the Russian snow as they prepared for their Champions League tie against Zenit today.
The Blues were captured trudging through thick snow with just puffer jackets to keep them warm in the extreme weather conditions in Russia.
But Thomas Tuchel’s men were all smiles despite the snow as they top the group going into tonight’s clash.
BAD PHILL-ING
England and Leeds star Kalvin Phillips is reportedly set for two months out with a hamstring injury.
The Three Lions midfield ace limped off 55 minutes into the Whites’ 2-2 draw with Brentford and looks likely to be out until the new year.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa was unable to confirm the nature of Phillips’ injury after Sunday’s match at Elland Road.
But it has now emerged it was a hamstring injury which could keep him out until February, according to the Mail.
FESTIVE BLOW
Football fans are set to be forced to show “vaccine passport” to enter grounds from this weekend.
The Government is understood to be on the verge of confirming it is adopting its Covid “Plan B” in a bid to stop the spread of the new Omicron variant.
That will see people needing to prove they are double vaccinated to enter public buildings as well as working from home directives and more mask-wearing rules.
And football will feel the immediate effect with clubs expected to enforce the new rules or prevent supporters entering grounds.
Premier League clubs were warned of the likely imposition of the new regulations during last Friday’s virtual “shareholder” meeting.
League officials explained that extra measures were likely to be brought in before Christmas, adding to the pressures on clubs.
SUPER SUB
Rio Ferdinand has compared Divock Origi to a few of his old Manchester United team-mates after the Belgian’s late heroics for Liverpool.
Origi was on song last night to help the Reds maintain their 100% record in the Champions League against AC Milan.
And Ferdinand had to admit that Origi reminded him of United super subs Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Javier Hernandez who used to come on and help the Red Devils seal victories with crucial goals.
Ferdinand told BT Sport: “I’ve played with players that have done what he does coming off the bench, the Chicaritos, the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s.
“The appreciation for them within the squad, all the players love players like that because you need them – they’re so integral if you’re going to win multiple competitions.
“You need people to be able to come off the bench and have an impact.”
STRETCH THE RULES
Ralf Rangnick has been fighting for 15 YEARS to change one of the most fundamental rules in football – the size of the goal.
The Manchester United boss, 63, is well-known as a revolutionary within the beautiful game.
His pioneering tactics – considered the father of Gegenpress – has helped influence a generation of managers, including Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
But Rangnick isn’t content to just change the way footballers play, he wants to change the very game itself.
Incredibly, the German chief wants to make the goals BIGGER – claiming humans are, on average, 10cm bigger than when the dimensions of the goalposts were drawn up.
MARC HIM OUT
Ajax have issued a stern hands-off warning to clubs seeking to lure Marc Overmars away after the Dutchman signed a contract extension.
The club’s director of football will now stay with Ajax until 2026 amid reports linking him to the Newcastle job.
And now that the ex-Arsenal star has penned a new deal with Ajax, the club warned potential suitors to ‘stop calling Marc’ on Twitter.
Overmars also expressed his joy at committing to Ajax.
He said: “I still feel very excited by my work and get a lot of satisfaction out of it.
“The cooperation with my fellow board members is very good, as well as with the people at the Toekomst (the Ajax sports complex) with whom I work together in the fields of scouting, youth, transfers, and the like.
“I have a feeling that my work at Ajax is not done yet, so I would like to continue here.”
NAT’S BACK
Liverpool defender Nat Phillips sent social media into meltdown on Tuesday night after bamboozling Zlatan Ibrahimovic with an audacious Cruyff turn.
The 24-year-old starred in his first Champions League start of the season as the Reds beat AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro.
The ex-Stuttgart loanee dazzled supporters with an outrageous piece of skill inside his own box in the 69th minute.
Phillips reacted quickly after Konate intercepted a pass, before calmly performing a Cruyff turn which sent Ibrahimovic and Franck Kessie the wrong way.
Commenting on the incident, one user tweeted: “Just Nat Phillips sending Zlatan Ibrahimovic into the next dimension with a Cruyff turn.”
Another remarked: “Nat Phillips doing Cruyff turns in the San Siro is the content we are here for!”
MO MONEY
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah should demand to be the best-paid player in the Premier League, according to Peter Crouch.
The Reds star has 18 months left on his contract and is currently in discussions with the Merseyside outfit over a new deal.
And ex-Liverpool striker Crouch believes the Egyptian deserves to earn the most of any player in English football.
Speaking on BT Sport, the former England striker said: “There’s nobody better in the league at the moment.
“Whatever the best player in the league is on, give him that.”
WALK OF SHAME
Pep Guardiola slammed Kyle Walker for his needless red card in Leipzig — and says his ban will hurt Manchester City in the Champions League last 16.
The England full-back, 31, was sent off for stupidly kicking out at RB Leipzig goalscorer Andre Silva eight minutes from time.
Walker came steaming in from behind, deliberately and brutally swiping the striker’s legs from beneath him.
He will now face a minimum one-match suspension for the knock-out tie in February — and Guardiola has told him to learn from the mistake.
City still progressed as group winners but Pep said: “The red card hurts us, especially for the round of 16.
“Kyle is an important player and it is unnecessary to lose him like this.
“I hope he learns from this. It was a red card, definitely.”
WERNS FOR US
Chelsea are in talks with Barcelona over loan deals for Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, according to reports.
But after initial willingness to do a deal, the Blues hierarchy have cooled their stance after Thoms Tuchel said he was reluctant to lose the pair in January.
Cash-strapped Barca are looking for low-cost ways of bolstering their attack in January now Xavi is in charge.
And they have highlighted Chelsea duo Werner and Ziyech as ideal candidates, according to Sport.
Blues director Marina Granovskaia was the first point of contact and was said to be open to talks.
But the West Londoners have ‘put the brakes on’ despite both men being eager for more game time.
MISINTERPRETED
Robert Lewandowski has been forced to deny a brewing rift with Lionel Messi following last week’s Ballon d’Or controversy.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, 34, picked up the most-prestigious individual prize in football for an incredible seventh time last week.
After winning the 2021 award, Messi claimed the Bayern Munich striker should be given the award for the missed year.
Lewandowksi, 33, was initially claimed to have called Messi’s kind gesture ’empty words’.
But the Bundesliga hotshot has now refuted those claims – calling it a ‘misinterpretation’.
PEPI MAX
Manchester United and Liverpool are set to lock horns over American teenage striker Ricardo Pepi.
The 18-year-old has burst onto the scene with FC Dallas earlier this year.
The star has scored 13 goals in the MLS this term and his form has been rewarded at international level.
Pepi has three goals in six caps for USA and is already catching the eye of Europe’s big guns.
United and Liverpool have been watching the youngster for months with their scouts attending several FC Dallas matches.
Now both Premier League clubs could be about to launch a move for the hotshot.
GOOD MORNING FOOTY FANS
SunSport can exclusively reveal West Ham are considering a loan bid for Nathan Ake after being rocked by the news Kurt Zouma faces months on the sidelines through injury.
The 26-year-old Dutchman has started just three games in the league this season and is fourth choice centre-back at City.
And the Hammers will hope they can tempt him with the offer of regular first team football.
They would be unable to come up with a large fee for the former Bournemouth star but a loan deal may suit all parties.
Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen is set to ease Chelsea’s contract headaches by signing an extension ‘within days’.
Reports suggest the 25-year-old is ready to pen a new long-term deal at the club he joined back in 2012.
That will come as a blow to the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan who have been tracking the centre-back for months.
But Antonio Rudiger is reportedly on the verge of joining Real Madrid.
The Independent says the LaLiga giants have reached an ‘informal agreement’ with the defender following a meeting last month.
And Chelsea’s injury problems continue with Mateo Kovacic testing positive from coronavirus just one day after recovering from a hamstring setback.
Finally, Liverpool hope to fly in under-the-radar and nab Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham while Premier League rivals are distracted by Erling Haaland.
But any move would likely cost the Reds a whopping club-record £90million.
Meanwhile, several of Liverpool’s rivals are thought to be intent on landing his team-mate Haaland instead.
Man United, Chelsea and Man City are understood to be tracking the prolific striker, who has a £64million release clause.
EXCLUSIVE BY CHARLIE WYETT
Jude Bellingham star Jude Bellingham has made himself a hero in Germany.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been fined £34,000 by the German Football Federation for his dig at referee Felix Zwayer after their 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Bellingham claims Zwayer’s decisions were unsurprising as he was implicated in the worst match-fixing scandal in German history in 2005.
But SunSport understands that Dortmund are going to pay the fine for Bellingham as many within the club agree with his comments.
Privately among players and staff elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Bellingham is being hailed for having the bottle to speak out even though he was aged just two at the time of the scandal.
RANG THE CHANGES
Ralf Rangnick has told Manchester United’s fringe players ‘prove to me you have a future here’.
He said: “Everyone has the chance to perform and present himself.
“That is why I am happy to give game time to quite a few of those players to see them under pressure in a Champions League game in front of 75,000 in a sold-out stadium.
“This is a perfect opportunity to get to know the players, like I did last Sunday against Palace. We have only had a week of training so far.
“With every training session, every opportunity to see them in competitive games, I will get to know them better.”
FT – AC MILAN 1 LIVERPOOL 2
Divock Origi popped up with another winner as Liverpool ensured they finished the Champions League group stage with an amazing 100 per cent record.
The result also meant Atletico Madrid qualified for the knockout round in second place as they beat Porto 3-1.
The Portuguese side finished third, bagging the group’s Europa League spot.
And after returning to the Champions League after a lengthy absence, Milan find themselves immediately out of the competition.
RUD AWAKENING
Antonio Rudiger is on the verge of joining Real Madrid, according to reports.
The Independent says the LaLiga giants have reached an ‘informal agreement’ with the defender.
Rudiger is represented by his brother, Sahr Senesie, who met with Madrid in November.
He is understood to have reached an agreement with Florentino Perez.
But nothing has yet been signed.
HEY JUDE
Liverpool hope to fly in under-the-radar and nab Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham while Premier League rivals are distracted by Erling Haaland.
But any move would likely cost the Reds a whopping club-record £90million.
Meanwhile, several of Liverpool’s rivals are thought to be intent on landing his team-mate Haaland instead.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Man City are understood to be tracking the prolific striker, who has a £64million release clause.
BLUE SOON
Andreas Christensen is set to ease Chelsea’s contract headaches by signing an extension ‘within days’.
Reports suggest the 25-year-old is ready to pen a new long-term deal at the club he joined back in 2012.
That will come as a blow to the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan who have been tracking the centre-back for months.
Barca had been hoping to make a move for the defender if he became a free agent in the summer.
And Milan were even preparing to go earlier with a potential bid in January as a replacement for the injured Simon Kjaer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
