HEADLINES
Solskjaer hails Ronaldo’s ‘phenomenal technique’ after he rescues United again
Solskjaer compared Cristiano Ronaldo to Michael Jordan
Varane forced off with injury in Atalanta clash
Ruben Loftus-Cheek shines again as Chelsea edge Malmö
Kane ‘very excited’ to work with Antonio Conte
Bellingham laughs off rumours of imminent Liverpool move
Tottenham confirm Antonio Conte appointment
Guardiola welcomes Antonio Conte back to the Premier League
Unai Emery confirms Newcastle United interest
ITALIAN PAPERS
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms Atalanta are ‘very physical and hard to play against’ in an ‘electric atmosphere,’ but Manchester United had to thank ‘incredible’ Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gian Piero Gasperini insists Atalanta have ‘much to be proud of’ after their 2-2 draw with Manchester United, revealing his joke in Italian with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo admits Manchester United were ‘a little bit lucky’ once again to take points off Atalanta, but they ‘never give up.’
Juventus won’t have a day off today, but players will train at Continassa and will be free to return home, sources told Football Italia.
Juventus star Paulo Dybala has told Mediaset that he wanted to pay tribute to Michel Platini in the celebrations of his goals against Zenit.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Christian Eriksen is tempted by a return to Ajax, where he could play with a heart defibrillator implanted.
AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli said ‘we are all convinced’ when asked about the renewal but stressed he’s only focused on the match against Porto in the Champions League. ‘Today is the final crossroads’.
Tottenham are in ‘very advanced talks’ with the entourage of Franck Kessie, report La Gazzetta dello Sport. The player’s idea is to leave Milan in the summer for free.
TottenhamHotspur managing director Fabio Paratici was ‘delighted’ to reunite with former Juventus coach Antonio Conte. ‘I know first-hand the qualities Antonio can bring to us’.
Bergamo Police have confirmed that four Atalanta fans have been issued stadium bans for having attacked Manchester United fans in a pub in Bergamo, while having donned black scarves and masks.
The Disciplinary Commission has sanctioned AS Roma with a suspended sentence of one game without fans in the Curva Sud after the racist abuse directed at AC Milan duo Franck Kessie and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
As Roma coach Jose Mourinho was given a €10,000 fine for his ironic and disrespectful attitude towards referee Fabio Maresca at the end of the match against AC Milan.
Antonio Conte was appointed Tottenham Hotspur manager yesterday, but he might not be on the bench for the Europa Conference League game with Vitesse due to work permit issues.
FRENCH PAPERS
Former UEFA president and France midfielder Michel Platini has been charged with fraud in Switzerland, alongside former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter.
The pair have been accused of fraud, misappropriation, criminal mismanagement and forgery of a document following a payment of two million Swiss francs made to Platini in 2011 on the part of FIFA. The payment is said to have been for advisory work carried out by the Euro 1984 winner for Blatter between 1998 and 2002.
GERMAN PAPERS
Robert Lewandowski has scored 28 goals in his last 20 Champions League games!
Manuel Neuer is the first goalkeeper to register an assist in a Champions League match since February 2019 (Ederson vs Schalke).
Robert Lewandowski: “I barely got the ball for the first 20 minutes. It’s not so easy for a striker to be patient. It always gets a bit easier after the first goal. We are of course happy. My favorite goal was my second goal today. We were very patient today.”
Julian Nagelsmann: “I really enjoyed it today. That was an incredibly good game from us. We had a lot of control on the game. I realized again today that it’s much more fun with a lot of spectators in the stadium.”
SPANISH PAPERS
Ousmane Dembélé has informed his agents that he wants to continue at Barcelona. The two parties are entering the final stretch of the renewal negotiations.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta will not travel to Qatar after today’s game as his agenda does not allow it. Yuste and Alemany will have to take care of Xavi’s exit from Al Sadd.
Xavi Hernández will earn less money at Barcelona than he does at Al Sadd currently.
Unai Emery on Newcastle: “There has been interest but I have spent the whole day thinking about the game. There is no offer. I’m focused on Villarreal. If there was an offer I would speak to the president. In principle I’ll be in charge on Sunday.”
Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is said to have received a number of loan offers ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
BRITISH EXPRESS
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hails Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘phenomenal technique’ after his stunning late volley rescues Manchester United for the third time in four Champions League games.
Rio Ferdinand has defended Cristiano Ronaldo’s work rate, by insisting his end product justifies his value to Manchester United.
LIVERPOOL ECHO
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed both Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara are in contention to feature in Liverpool’s Champions League group game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, but Naby Keita remains out.
Diego Simeone has confirmed Antoine Griezmann and Stefan Savic are both suspended whilst Thomas Lemar and Marcos Llorente are both injured and will miss today’s game against Liverpool.
FOOTBALL LONDON
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has challenged Ruben Loftus-Cheek to ‘use his full potential’ after the midfielder was praised for his performance during Tuesday’s 1-0 win in Malmo.
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
Rio Ferdinand says Tottenham are ‘lucky’ to have secured the services of former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp expects the club to spend big in the January transfer window following the arrival of Antonio Conte.
THE SUN
Harry Kane is ready to abandon all plans to quit Tottenham – after the arrival of new boss Antonio Conte.
Tottenham could be delayed in having Conte pitchside as the club wait for his visa to be approved.
Manchester City have held talks over acquiring a minority stake in Russian giants Spartak Moscow.
Brighton have received a huge boost as Dan Burn’s injury is not as bad as first feared.
DAILY MIRROR
Conte is set to make AC Milan’s 24-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie his first signing as Tottenham manager.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba prefers a return to Juventus over joining Paris St-Germain or Real Madrid when the France midfielder becomes a free agent next summer.
Erling Braut Haaland has decided to leave Borussia Dortmund and his agent wants the Norway striker to join Barcelona.
DAILY MAIL
Limited funds will be made available for Antonio Conte to strengthen Tottenham’s squad in January, but he is likely to sell players to raise funds for his primary targets, including Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic.
Barcelona are expected to announce Xavi Hernandez as their new coach on Thursday but the club’s supporters might have to wait until after the international break to see him in the dugout.
Christian Eriksen is open to rejoining Ajax in January as the Danish midfielder is unable to play for his current club Inter Milan having been fitted with a heart defibrillator.
Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard could join Newcastle in the January transfer window, with Carlo Ancelotti prepared to let the 30-year-old Belgian leave.
Newcastle are planning a free transfer swoop for Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic as the Croatia defensive Midfielder is out of contract next summer.
