Premier League

CHELSEA legend Eidur Gudjohnsen is training to become a PILOT after retiring from football.The former Iceland striker, 45, spent six season at Stamford Bridge between 2000 and 2006.
Eidur Gudjohnsen has turned his hand to getting a pilot’s licenceCredit: instagram @eidergudjohnson
He shared a video from the cockpit of a planeCredit: instagram @eidergudjohnson
He scored 78 goals in 263 games for the club and was a fan-favourite among the Chelsea supporters, winning two Premier League titles and the League Cup.
The forward also played for the likes of Barcelona, Monaco, Tottenham, Stoke, Fulham, AEK Athens and Bolton.
He has not kicked a ball in seven years since hanging up his boots in 2016.
And now he is turning his hand to a new career as he begins training for his pilot’s licence.
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Back in September, Gudjohnsen shared a video on social media of him taking control of a plane.
And he added the caption: “Captain for a day.”
In response, one fan replied: “This man can do anything.”
Earlier this week, Gudjohnsen’s ex-team-mate Damien Duff revealed some of the Chelsea players would “get lamped” in the lead-up to games.
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Gudjohnsen enjoyed six successful years playing for ChelseaCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
The Irishman, 44, opened up about the drinking culture at Stamford Bridge in the early 2000s.
He said: “Even when we were playing 60 or 70 games a season, we were out together on the town and p***ed.
“We’d be out all the time. A few of the foreign boys would flip in and flip out.
“They’d go out, not drink and feel good the next day whereas the British, Irish and Icelandic lads would go out and get absolutely lamped.
“This was every week. It was the norm.” More

ARSENAL striker Gabriel Jesus is set to fly to Brazil for international duty – despite being injured.The 26-year-old picked up a knock during Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Sevilla last month.
Gabriel Jesus will travel to Brazil for international duty despite being injuredCredit: Getty
Mikel Arteta is understood to be frustrated about the situationCredit: Alamy
SunSport recently revealed that the Gunners do not expect him to be back until December as they do not want to risk aggravating the hamstring issue.
However, Jesus was called up to the Brazil national team this week for two upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Mikel Arteta subsequently revealed that the striker is “far from” ready to train properly, let alone play.
The Spaniard told ESPN: “I don’t know, I’m going to talk to the doctors and him, because he didn’t do any training with us.
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“He’s far from working with the team, but it’s an internal communication between the club and the national team. The first intention is always to seek the best for the player.”
Despite his injury, Jesus is still expected to travel to South America for international duty.
According to ESPN, Brazil officials want him to be assessed by Fernando Diniz and his medical team.
And if he is deemed not fit enough to play, the striker could be cut from the squad and forced to fly 5,000 miles straight back to London.
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Discussing his squad selection earlier this week, Diniz said: “We’re going to bring Gabriel in to find out the real conditions, because we believe he can be fit enough to play.
“We have 24 players on the list, and if something happens to him we won’t need to change the squad.”
Jesus was absent from the Arsenal squad as the Gunners cruised to a 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday.
He has been limited to just seven Premier League appearances this season due to injury. More

MAURICIO POCHETTINO has dismissed claims Cole Palmer is the new Juan Mata.The Chelsea boss has instead compared the wonderkid to Manchester United flop Angel Di Maria.
Mauricio Pochettino has compared Cole Palmer to Angel Di MariaCredit: Getty
Palmer has impressed for the Blues since his summer arrival from Manchester City, who he will face on Sunday afternoon.
The treble winners travel to Stamford Bridge looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
During his pre-match press conference, Pochettino was asked if Palmer reminded him of ex-Chelsea man Mata.
“Juan Mata? No, he is more Di Maria!” he responded. “You know, the body and the way he moves.”
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Di Maria endured a disappointing season in England after signing for United from Real Madrid.
He scored just four goals for the Red Devils before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain, where he would later play under Pochettino.
Now back with Benfica in Portugal, the 35-year-old has seven goals and two assists already this term.
As for Palmer, he swapped City for Chelsea after being limited to just seven starts across all competitions during their treble-winning campaign.
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Di Maria struggled at Manchester United before playing under Pochettino in FranceCredit: PA:Empics Sport
The under-21 Euros winner has since bagged three goals and added four assists for his new club.
Those goals have all come in Chelsea’s last four league matches, including Monday’s 4-1 win over Tottenham.
Reflecting on his performances, Palmer said in October: “It has surprised me a bit but I know my own ability.
“And I knew that if I hit the ground running I’d have a chance and obviously make an impact. That’s why I went there.” More

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE will not be building a new stadium to replace Old Trafford.The British billionaire has made the decision ahead of his imminent arrival at Manchester United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made a decision on replacing Old Trafford with a £1.5billion stadiumCredit: PA
Ratcliffe has ruled out Manchester United moving from Old TraffordCredit: Rex
He is set to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils and take control of the club’s footballing operations.
However, he will not be building a new stadium, according to the Daily Mail.
Ratcliffe has ruled out the prospect of constructing a £1.5billion home for United.
He is instead planning to invest £245million into improving the club’s infrastructure.
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Between £150million and £200million of that is said to have been put aside to develop United’s Carrington training ground.
There are plans in place to modernise the base, which were last expanded in 2013 with the addition of medical and sports science facilities.
Carrington is also home to the club’s academy and women’s teams, with United having moved from The Cliff back in 2000.
As for Old Trafford, issues at the stadium have been visible of late, with a leaking roof amongst the notable decay.
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Plans are in place to modernise United’s Carrington training baseCredit: AFP
A recent viral video of water coming through the roof prompted a furious reaction from supporters.
Angry fans slammed the “disgraceful” Glazers and criticised the owners for allowing the stadium to decay.
The 113-year-old venue was last renovated in 2006 after United increased the capacity by 8,000 seats. More

JOHN OBI MIKEL was warned Sir Alex Ferguson would try to “brainwash” him after he accidentally signed for Manchester United.The former midfielder was infamously pictured in a United shirt at a press conference in 2005.
John Obi Mikel accidentally signed for Manchester United from Lyn in 2005Credit: AFP
However, he went on to sign for Chelsea from Norwegian side Lyn a year later, despite his pre-contract agreement with the Red Devils.
Reflecting on the transfer, Mikel told talkSPORT this week: “Sir Alex thought he got me, yeah. I did the press conference and it was everywhere.
“Then obviously Roman [Abramovich], everybody at Chelsea saw it and they were like, ‘What’s going on here? We’ve been looking at this player for two or three years now, what’s happening here?’
“Obviously they sent my agent down to Lyn and then he came down to Norway, and then for a couple of hours I went missing. He took me out from my apartment where I used to live with a couple of my friends.
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“He was like, ‘We need to go back to London, I need to get you out of Norway right now because what you’ve done right now, it’s so much of a problem with Chelsea and Roman is not happy.’
“So my agent took me to a hotel and then the next morning we flew down to London, and the rest was history.
“Then it took me about a year, I couldn’t play for either United or Chelsea because FIFA was like, ‘OK we need to resolve this.’ So I went to FIFA and I was like, ‘I didn’t mean to sign for United.”
Mikel, who was still a teenager at the time, later met with Ferguson at the FA offices in London.
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The midfielder backed out of the deal to join Chelsea a year laterCredit: Getty – Contributor
Before the meeting, he was warned by his agent that the legendary manager would try to “brainwash” him.
He added: “I did have a meeting with Fergie at the FA office in London because the FA also wanted to get involved and was like, ‘We need to get this player playing, he’s a young player, he needs to play football.’
“It was just me and him in a room, yeah that was feisty. I had my agent sitting outside and he was like, ‘When you go into this meeting, because he’s going to try to brainwash, everything he says, just make sure you say no.’
“So I went into that office, into that meeting, so everything he was saying I was like, ‘Ah, I’m sorry boss, I can’t play for United, it was a mistake, I didn’t mean to sign.’
“It was a long table, he was sitting right over there and I was sitting at the edge of the table.
“He was sitting at the other edge, I could see him go red, he was like, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to play for United, the biggest club in the world?’
Mikel’s agent warned him Sir Alex Ferguson would try to brainwash him during a meetingCredit: Getty
“He’s like, ‘What is it you want, do you want more money? What is it you want, I’ll give it to you.’
“I was like, ‘Sorry boss, I can’t play for United, I want to go to Chelsea.’ So we had about 20 or 30 minutes in the room and he walked off and then that was it.
“He walked away, and then the next couple of weeks he was like, ‘OK, well I’m not going to let him go for free,’ so [Chelsea paid] £14million to United and £4m to Lyn.”
Mikel went on to spend 11 years with Chelsea, making 372 appearances for the Blues.
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During that time, he won 11 major trophies, including the Champions League and two Premier League titles.
Following spells in China, Turkey, Kuwait and two returns to England, Mikel retired last year aged 35.
Mikel won two Premier League titles during 11 years at ChelseaCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd More

NEWCASTLE star Joe Willock was raging at himself after accidentally assisting Dominic Solanke’s opener in the Toon’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.Willock, 24, dispossessed Antoine Semenyo on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area.
Joe Willock dispossessed Antoine Semenyo but played through Dominic SolankeCredit: Sky Sports

Willock could be seen furiously jumping in anger after accidentally assisting the goalCredit: Sky Sports
Solanke capitalised brilliantly on Willock’s mistakeCredit: Rex
But his interception inadvertently sent the ball into the path of Cherries striker Solanke.
And the former Liverpool man made no mistake as he smashed the ball past Nick Pope to give the home side the lead on the hour mark.
After the ball hit the back of the net, the Sky Sports cameras caught a furious Willock jumping up in a fit of rage.
And it proved to be a crucial moment in the match as Solanke went on to double Bournemouth’s advantage 13 minutes later.
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It was a second defeat in four days for Newcastle – who lost 2-0 at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.
And manager Eddie Howe admitted after the game that the hectic schedule and injury crisis led to them running out of steam ahead of the international break.
Newcastle had a host of players unavailable including Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn and Harvey Barnes.
Miguel Almiron also came off after half an hour with a hamstring problem.
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Willock cut a frustrated figure at full-timeCredit: Alamy
Howe told BBC MOTD: “It was just a game too far and we couldn’t respond. Bournemouth played well but we were well below par.
“It was a tough afternoon. We weren’t ourselves in possession or out of possession. If you can’t do that at this level, it will be a difficult day.
“When we are under fatigue and stretched, we usually respond better. We need to dust ourselves down and come back in strong.
“I don’t know. Miguel Almiron’s looks like a hamstring problem. It’s unclear how Fabian Schar and Sean Longstaff are feeling.
“Nick Pope made some great saves for us and he needed to as we were leaking chances. Jamaal Lascelles did great in the air too but I don’t think there were too many bright sparks. We were well off it.
“We have a whole host of players and we need them back as soon as we can. We have a busy December as well so it’s not a good mix but something we have to get used to.” More

KIERAN TRIPPIER was involved in a full-time row with a Newcastle fan after their defeat at Bournemouth.Eddie Howe’s squad went over to applaud their travelling fans, who made a 700-mile round trip, following the 2-0 loss at the Vitality.
Kieran Trippier confronted a Newcastle fan following their defeatCredit: Reuters
Trippier was pulled away from the situation by JoelintonCredit: Getty
Eddie Howe consoled his right-back following the incidentCredit: PA
Trippier explained to the fan that Newcastle were struggling with many injuriesCredit: X @nufcmanna
But the England defender marched up to the away end and was caught in a confrontation with one – eventually having to be dragged away by Joelinton and a steward.
Responding to the angry fan, Trippier shouted: “Are the lads not giving everything? How many injuries have we got, how many injuries have we got? Hey?”
The Magpies were without nine players through injury before kick-off, as well as two suspensions, and lost Miguel Almiron to a hamstring problem during the first half.
Asked about the incident, Trippier said: “It was just one of those where they were emotional and they have travelled far – we were having a chat.
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“A message to the fans we apologise for this result and the lads are giving everything in the circumstances the lads are in.
“We are not panicking and we must stick together.
“The international break has come at the right time for the team and to have some down time and refresh then come back. After the break it will be relentless again.
“We weren’t ourselves. We were way off it and Bournemouth deserved the win.
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“They are a good side. We knew it would be tough coming here. We tried to play our way under the circumstances – but there’s no excuses.
“That’s the reality. We wanted to play Champions League football and in every competition.
“This is what we want. We’ve lost a lot of players but this is when we need to stand up and give even more.”
Boss Howe, who consoled Trippier after the row, added: “Kieran is fine. Emotions run high, we all feel a bit emotional after that from our perspective, but no problems.
“We thank all our away support, we value them greatly and that will have been tough for them to watch.”
Howe also confirmed that striker Callum Wilson, who picked up a hamstring injury at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, will not be joining up with the England squad for qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
He said: “He won’t travel with England – he’s going to be out for a number of weeks.”
Newcastle have got a host of players unavailable including Wilson, Almiron, Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn and Harvey Barnes.
And they are heading into a tough set of fixtures after the international break.
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A home clash with Chelsea is followed up by a trip to Paris Saint-Germain in a crunch Champions League clash.
They then host Manchester United, before travelling to Everton and Tottenham. More