Football news live: Tonali available for Newcastle, Ten Hag shuts down Sancho question, Robertson set for long lay off

That's a wrap

That's all from us today in what has been another busy Friday.

We have seen Eddie Howe confirm that Sandro Tonali is available for Newcastle this weekend.

Meanwhile Andy Robertson is facing a lengthy lay-off after dislocating his shoulder.

And Mikel Arteta has remained coy on whether William Saliba and Bukayo Saka will feature in Saturday's London derby away at Chelsea.

Make sure to follow us tomorrow in what promises to be a mental day of Premier League action.

Mentality monsters

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says Arsenal lacked the belief to reach the very top, unlike Liverpool.

The midfielder has been fortunate enough to play for two of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, enjoying huge success in the process.

While winning two FA Cups and three Community Shields with the Gunners, the former England international took his trophy haul to a whole new level at Anfield.

In six years with the Reds, Oxlade-Chamberlain won the Premier League, the EFL Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Winning the biggest trophies in the game was a huge achievement for the midfielder at Liverpool, but according to the now-Besiktas star, their success was no fluke.

Speaking to The Athletic, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: "At Arsenal, we always went into those big games thinking, ‘This is going to be really tough’.

"That was the biggest difference at Liverpool, where, even in the first season (2017/18) when we were a bit of an unknown entity, there was this unbelievable complete and utter focus where there was nothing else happening but us winning the game.

"I don’t know why, but at Liverpool, the big games, we just knew we were going to win."

Loftus-Cheek in Chelsea dig

AC Milan star Ruben Loftus-Cheek has admitted to finally feeling 'free' following his summer switch from Chelsea.

The midfielder spent just under 20 years at the Blues in which he rose through their academy ranks and into the first-team picture.

Loftus-Cheek enjoyed an excellent 2018/19 campaign before an achilles injury prevented his Chelsea career from really taking off.

He failed to stake his claim as an important player for the side after his injury and left for Milan in June, a move that's proven beneficial.

The ten-cap England international has started in six of their eight Serie A matches this season and it's clear that Loftus-Cheek is enjoying his football out in Italy.

“At Chelsea I felt like a caged animal," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I didn't play as much as I wanted and when it happened I played in positions where I couldn't express myself. 

"Here, however, I have a free mind, I play as a midfielder as I like and it's like being a child again, when we played without worries. 

"If the whole team has this feeling, great things can be achieved: even winning the championship. We feel like the best."

Lingard doubt

Steven Gerrard is reportedly prepared to axe two foreign players to make room for Jesse Lingard at Al Ettifaq.

Saudi Arabian clubs are allowed eight foreign players in their matchday squad, with Gerrard's side boasting ten at present.

Among the ten are Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Demarai Gray and Moussa Dembele.

With two set to be axed, ESPN state it could be Sweden international Robin Quaison and Brazilian winger Vitinho who are moved on to make room for Lingard.

The 30-year-old has been training with Al Ettifaq as he looks for a new employer.

Lingard had been playing for Nottingham Forest until he was released at the end of last season.

White noise

Chelsea will be facing a new-look defence this weekend against Arsenal.

And no, that's not because of an injury crisis, but because of Ben White's barbers.

The Gunners defender has opted to bleach his hair ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge.

Stepping out for training at London Colney, the former Brighton man showed off his new look.

He was a bit sheepish, though, and Reiss Nelson made sure to draw attention to it.

Nelson told the camera 'get my guy's new trim'.

White then tapped him on the cheek telling him to 'shush'.

Game off

Ipswich's Friday night clash away at Rotherham has been postponed as a result of Storm Babet.

It comes after the River Don burst its banks outside the New York Stadium.

A Rotherham statement read: "Rotherham United’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Ipswich Town has been postponed on the grounds of supporter safety following discussions with representatives from the Safety Advisory Group and the EFL which took place shortly after 4:30pm on Friday.

"After the River Don – which courses around the perimeter of AESSEAL New York Stadium - burst its banks, urgent discussions between representatives from the Safety Advisory Group/Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, South Yorkshire Police and club safety personnel and the EFL – were held with the conclusion deeming the weather conditions and their subsequent effect on the surrounding area a danger to supporters.

"This coupled with continued rainfall resulting in the flood waters rising and Don Street being closed to the public left the authorities with no choice but to postpone the game.

"Throughout the day the pitch at AESSEAL New York Stadium has remained playable but with the safety of everyone attending the match at the height of our priorities, the difficult decision to postpone the fixture has been taken.

"The decision was relayed to the EFL and our counterparts at Ipswich Town with all parties in agreement that postponing the fixture was the only possible way to ensure the safety of players, staff and supporters."

Wolves vs Chelsea to make Premier League history

talkSPORT sources understand that Wolves vs Chelsea is set to become the first Premier League game to be played on Christmas Eve since 1995.

A kick-off time for the match has yet to be confirmed, but barring fan backlash, that game at Molineux will be on Christmas Eve.

De Zerbi blown away by Guardiola's praise

Pep Guardiola always speaks very highly of Roberto De Zerbi.

He believes the Italian is a top manager who has Brighton playing like no other team in the world.

And De Zerbi was blown away by the Spaniard's words.

Speaking ahead of Brighton's visit to Manchester City, he said: "Pep is the best coach in the world.

"I am when I listen to Pep speak about me - it's an honour.

"We aren't a big team yet. We are working towards it, but we know we are Brighton.

"I think we are playing well, but we have to improve and progress."

Wolves vs Chelsea set for Christmas Eve

Football on Christmas Eve, it doesn't sound right, but it looks to be happening.

The claim Wolves' home game against Chelsea will be moved to Christmas Eve.

Traditionally, we have football on Boxing Day, and that's great, but there is no need for games to be on Christmas Eve.

If the match is played in the evening, how are the Blues supporters going to get home with all public transport finishing early?

We await to see if this proves to be the case, but it's looking likely.

Rooney pleads to Real Madrid fans

Wayne Rooney has asked Real Madrid fans not to kill Jude Bellingham if his performance levels drop.

The England international has enjoyed a sublime start to life in Spain's capital.

He has scored ten goals in ten games and grabbed plenty of late winners.

The midfielder is already looking like one of their best players and is loved at the Bernabeu.

However, the new Birmingham City boss is worried that feel-good factor might not last.

Speaking to the press, he said: "We have to really support him because in my eyes he is a future captain of England.

"He has really impressed with how he handles himself, how he speaks, how he is on the pitch. He plays as a leader already at 20. He is someone we need to protect and look after for the future of England.

"It's difficult for a young player when you have a dip in form or issues off the pitch, it's difficult to blank that noise out. He's at Real Madrid. One bad game, they can be on you.

"There's a lot of pressure playing for England as well so it's important he is close to the people around him and simplifies things. He's in the form of his life. If he does dip, let's all get behind him."

Chelsea injury news

The Blues have one of the worst injury lists in the Premier League but things are starting to improve after the international break.

Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that Benoit Badiashile was finally fit.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have returned from international duty in good shape, but Armando Broja is out with a little setback from his ACL recovery.

But Nicolas Jackson and Axel Disasi are doubts, while a late call will be made on Reece James.

Chelsea's captain is back in training after a hamstring injury but might not be risked yet.

Klopp not happy with Salah question

Mohamed Salah released a video over the international break calling for peace in the Middle East after Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza.

And Jurgen Klopp was asked about the post during his pre-match press conference, which annoyed him.

He said: "How is this not a political question?

"[It's] very important we have strong characters, but I am not sure this is right place to discuss a super serious matter.

"I think we should leave it out of the room, but I am in no doubt about Mo's character."

Robertson blow

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Andrew Robertson is set for a long period out after suffering a shoulder injury.

The left-back sustained the issue while on international duty, and it didn't look good.

Klopp confirmed that the player would most likely need surgery to fix the problem.

Given just how many games Robertson plays, this is a huge blow for the Reds.

And Klopp is gutted.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference before the Merseyside derby, he said: "I think the decision will go towards surgery.

"A little chance we can try without but all experts say surgery will be the best for the long term and that means he's out for a while. We don't know exactly how long."

Guardiola on Phillips

Pep Guardiola has been speaking about the recent transfer rumours surrounding Kalvin Phillips.

Phillips has reportedly been attracting interest from Newcastle, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

And the midfielder recently admitted he wants to be 'playing as much as possible' amid his limited minutes at Man City.

City boss Guardiola has commented on the situation in his pre-Brighton press conference this afternoon.

He said: "No, no. The transfer window is over. We are here together.

"When we need a game with transitions or need chaos, Kalvin is perfect.

"At the winter time he will be here. The transfer window, nobody knows."

Ten Hag in no mood to talk about Sancho

Erik ten Hag offered a brutal six-word response when asked about Jadon Sancho's situation at Manchester United.

The winger continues to be excluded from the first team after a public falling out with his manager, and he was even left out of the squad picture.

There are numerous reports suggesting he will leave Old Trafford in January, while he's training on his own at Carrington.

It was hoped Ten Hag would share some details on his situation, but he wasn't in the mood.

When asked about Sancho, he said: "Everything has been said about him."

You have to say, it looks pretty bleak for Sancho under Ten Hag.

Ten Hag knows nothing about takeover

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has revealed he is in the dark over the club's takeover situation.

Earlier this week, the Qatari bid by Sheikh Jassim dropped out, leaving the door open for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to acquire a stake in the Red Devils.

It's an extremely messy situation that doesn't appear to have any imminent resolution.

And Ten Hag has suggested he doesn't know what is going on.

Speaking to the press, he said: "No [have you been told anything].

"So I'm not involved in this, others in the club are dealing with this, I'm focusing on my team, focusing on the current block and the most important priority is the next game, it's all about that."

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's partial takeover of Man United still expected to take several weeks

Tottenham injury boosts

Ange Postecoglou has provided some brilliant news on the injury front for all Tottenham fans.

Brennan Johnson and Giovani Lo Celso are fully fit and ready to play.

Rodrigo Bentancur is back in full training after his ACL last season and Bryan Gil is also nearly ready to feature.

Heung-min Son was pictured limping during the international break, but Postecoglou didn't mention him, so it looks good on that front.

Postecoglou said: "It's been a positive international break in terms of availability, everybody is back and there are no issues.

"Lo Celso played for Argentina which was great.

"Brennan had a solid couple of weeks of training which has been good for him, along with Gil and Bentancur.

"The game being on Monday night helps us. We'll give Bennan a few days.

"We're being careful with Bentancur. He's fully training and he's coped well with it. We're mindful that he's missed a fair bit of football. We'll pick our moment and looking forward to getting him back."

Argentina World Cup star banned for two years

Argentina's Papu Gomez has been banned from playing football for two years after he was found to have a prohibited substance in his blood stream.

The test was carried out in November 2022 while he was at Sevilla and the new Monza player has just received the news.

The player claims he took some of his children's medicine to help him sleep.

The substance is prohibited by anti-doping agencies and now report he will serve a ban.

De Zerbi to replace Guardiola?

Pep Guardiola reportedly told his players and staff that Roberto De Zerbi would be the next Manchester City manager in May.

The claim the exchange happened after City's 1-1 draw with the Seagulls near the end of last season.

Guardiola is a huge admirer of the Italian, who has turned Brighton from an excellent passing side into one of the most dangerous in the Premier League.

If you watch a game involving the Seagulls, there are bound to be goals.

That 1-1 draw was arguably one of the best games of last season, with both sides tactically spot on.

And we can all look forward to another treat this weekend as Brighton travel to Manchester for what should be a classic.

Jordan has no sympathy for Tonali

Simon Jordan has offered his opinion on Eddie Howe's response to the Sandro Tonali situation.

The Italian international faces a lengthy ban from all football if he's found guilty of illegally betting on matches while at AC Milan.

He has spoken to authorities in his homeland and is awaiting their decision.

Howe revealed that Newcastle are fully supporting the midfielder, but Jordan isn't happy.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "I know that he's their player. Throw his arms around him? I'd like to throw my arms around his neck because he's put Newcastle in a position that he didn't envisage they were going to be put in.

“He's a 23-year-old man. He's not a boy. This degrading of people because they happen to be of a certain age because they've done something that's wrong.

“I understand they've got to protect their asset. I understand they can't give anything to the media because the media will turn it into something even bigger than it is.

“But the young man has seemingly done something that puts everybody in a difficult position, including himself. And he has to reap the consequences of it.

“The player has not only let himself down, he's let everybody down.

“I say these things with no apologies. I don't diminish addiction. I do sometimes become concerned that it's played as a card in this day and age to get you out from underneath something when the problem lands at your doorstep, which diminishes people with real addictions.”

When pressed by host Jim White about whether Tonali’s agent was playing an ‘addiction card’, Jordan added: “It may well play back on him because if he starts suggesting that the player has a gambling addiction, the question that we have pushed is when did you first know about this?

“And are we starting to see that people have sold something to somebody knowing that this particular situation was a situation that was damaged by the potential jeopardy that was unfolding in front of it?

“So he may come back and bite his rather smart a***, this agent.”

Arteta loves Pochettino

Given Mikel Arteta worked so closely with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, you would think he is the one who has inspired the Arsenal boss more.

But Arteta's biggest influence has been Mauricio Pochettino.

The Chelsea manager started off in England with Southampton and Tottenham, where he became one of the best young coaches in the world.

The pair have known each other since their playing days at Paris Saint-Germain.

And speaking ahead of their head-to-head clash this weekend, Arteta only had good words to say about Poch.

He said: "We lived together in a hotel for three months.

"He has been one of the most influential people in my football career.

"First of all as a player [at PSG], he took me under his arm and looked after me like a little brother.

"A big part of the success I had in Paris was because of him because he looked after me, and he has been a role model for me since that day.

"When I made the decision to leave playing and start my coaching career, he had a big say in that, and I will always be grateful."

Botman and Joelinton close but Isak and Willock struggling

Away from the Sandro Tonali saga, Newcastle were in the middle of a mini injury crisis before the international break, and it's mixed news on that front.

Eddie Howe indicated that Joelinton was fit and that Sven Botman is also likely to feature.

However, Joe Willock is still not ready to return to the matchday squad, having been out since May.

Plus, the club's top goalscorer this season, Alexander Isak, has yet to train with the first team since pulling out of the Sweden squad with a knee problem.

Newcastle fully supporting Tonali

Newcastle United are fully backing Sandro Tonali as he looks to battle gambling addiction.

Earlier this week, his agent Giuseppe Riso stated his client has a problem with betting.

The 23-year-old is now being investigated by Italian authorities over claims he's involved in illegal gambling.

If found guilty, Tonali faces a long ban from football, but Eddie Howe isn't worried about that yet and has done everything he can to support the former AC Milan star and his family.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: "For me, it's absolutely crucial. It's the most important part of this whole incident is Sandro and his welfare.

"It's very easy for people to forget how young he is and the changes he's had in his life coming from Italy to England. That's hard enough to deal with and now he has this situation.

"We've had a lot of conversations, a lot of communication with him and his family.

"It's not just Sandro it's the people who are important to him as well. It's been a big effort from us and he's handled himself superbly well.

"He's been emotional but has handled himself with respect and dignity."

Tonali available for Newcastle

Sandro Tonali is available to play for Newcastle United this weekend against Crystal Palace.

Eddie Howe confirmed that the Italian international has trained with his teammates this week and looked good, so could be involved despite the ongoing betting scandal.

Tonali flew to Italy in midweek to talk with Italian authorities about his involvement in illegal betting.

Reports from his homeland claim the new Toon midfielder told them he had bet on AC Milan games, meaning he faces a lengthy ban from football.

Therefore, this match on Saturday could be his last for up to a year.

Howe said: "Yeah, he's very much with us.

"He trained twice this week with us, and he's very much available for selection. Like I do with all the players, analyse their training performances, how they look, how they feel. Sandro has trained well with us.

"He's had a very, very difficult couple of weeks. He's been dealing with a lot and from what I can see, I see him for a few hours a day, he's handling himself really well and he's dealing with his emotions incredibly strongly, but underneath that I'm sure there's a lot going on.

"I'll have to make a call but I always have to bring it back to football. I have to bring it back to his training performances and what he's delivering on the training pitch and then try and make the best decision for the team."

Newcastle fear Tonali will get lengthy ban amid claims he 'placed bets' on AC Milan