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Thomas Tuchel claims that he "fell into a trap" when he indicated that Chelsea regularly discussed a move for Erling Haaland.

The German previously suggested that the Blues held weekly talks over launching a transfer bid for the Borussia Dortmund star.

Speaking now however, the manager stated that his comments were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but acknowledged that the context of his words likely gave the wrong impression in the end.

What has been said?

“I fell into a trap,” Tuchel said when reflecting on his words. “I got an award in Germany, an award from a newspaper. They gave me this award and asked me about a player.

“Normally I never, never speak about other players, because I simply never do. We were making more or less fun about it and I should have known better.

"Because in making fun about it and being a nice guy to answer a question [...] getting this award I joke about a double striker with Romelu [Lukaku} in October and it gets like we put an offer in. That was the context, but I should have known better.”

What were Tuchel's original comments?

Previously, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss indicated that Haaland was a priority target when discussing the matter with Bild following his aforementioned award.

“We talked about Erling Haaland a couple of times, including during the transfer window," he said. "But then it seemed absolutely unrealistic and not at all feasible.

“We talk about him regularly, of course, because he’s a fantastic player and clearly the defining figure at Dortmund, who is a big rival for us in the Champions League.”

The bigger picture

Given their success in the Champions League last term and their solid start to the new campaign, Chelsea could well be a destination for Haaland if he is to move elsewhere.

The Leeds-born Norway international is Dortmund's flagship figure following Jadon Sancho's exit, and the club will face a tough fight to keep him on their books long term.

Other European heavyweights will be in the fight to capture his signature however, setting a tough task for Tuchel to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Further reading

Leicester City are in a "great position" with the present form of forwards Kelechi Iheanacho, Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Zambia star Daka scored five goals in his last two games for the King Power Stadium outfit, which includes his four goals in a Uefa Europa League match while Nigeria’s Iheanacho has registered three assists in his last two outings.

The African stars’ combination helped Leicester City secure their first three points in the Europa League group stage this season with a 4-3 comeback win over Spartak Moscow on Wednesday.

After ending their four-game winless run in the Premier League against Manchester United last Saturday, Rodgers discussed the plethora of attacking options available for Leicester ahead of their trip to Brentford on Sunday.

"We’ve tried to manage the team and in particular our strikers," Rodgers told the club’s website. "Jamie, we're keeping him fresh in Premier League games and hoping he becomes more involved as we go into the latter stages of European competition if we’re lucky enough to do that.

"The freshness has kept him full of energy and full of goals in the Premier League. Kelechi is now a consistent performer. He can score goals and create goals and he works very, very hard.

"Patson was always one that we wanted to give that little bit of time to adapt to our way of working, our training, the league, and day in, day out, you see him become accustomed to that.

"Of course, he’s had an amazing week. He scored his first Premier League goal, the first Zambian player to score in the Premier League, and then to score four goals, it was an incredible individual achievement.

"We’re in a great position in that part of the field, whatever the combination is and however we want to work it. All three players are in great form and in a great place. We have so many games, you can’t tie just one or two players down to the position."

Leicester City are placed 11th in the Premier League after gathering 11 points from eight matches.

Thomas Partey opened his goal account for Arsenal in their 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in Friday’s Premier League outing.

The first-half goal made the 28-year-old the first Ghanaian to score for the Gunners in the Premier League and also makes the North London club the only side to score more goals through African players in the English top-flight (219 goals).

Meanwhile, only West Ham United (19 players) have more African scorers than Arsenal (14) in the competition.

Parety, who moved to the Emirates Stadium from Atletico Madrid in July 2020, came close to scoring earlier in the 20th minute but his effort struck the woodwork.

Two minutes later, the Ghana international put the hosts ahead by heading home Emile Smith-Rowe's cross from a corner-kick.

On the stroke of half-time, Mikel Arteta's side won a penalty after Alexandre Lacazette was brought down in the box.

Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepped forward to take it but his strike was parried by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and he followed it up to convert the rebound.

Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 lead at half-time and after the restart, Aubameyang linked up with Smith Rowe by assisting the England youth star to score their third goal in the 56th minute.

Arsenal held on to their lead but towards the end of the encounter, Jacob Ramsey reduced the deficit for Aston Villa by grabbing their consolation goal in the 82nd minute.

The result stretched the Gunners’ unbeaten streak to seven games as they are yet to lose a match since their 5-0 loss to Manchester City in August.

They are now ninth in the Premier League table with 14 points after nine games. Arteta's men will now shift their attention to Tuesday's League Cup fixture against Leeds United before they travel to Leicester City for their next league match on October 30.

Mohamed Salah has said that he would love to remain at Liverpool for the rest of his career, but added that his future remains out of his hands.

The Egypt international, arguably in the form of his career for Jurgen Klopp, will see his current contract at Anfield expire in June 2023, and is yet to pen an extension.

But while the Reds continue to mull over a prospective package for the striker, Salah has now put the ball in their court by stating that cannot see himself playing against the club in the future.

What has been said?

"If you ask me, I would love to stay until the last day of my football career, but I can't say much about that - it's not in my hands," the forward told Sky Sports News .

"It depends on what the club want, not on me. At the moment I can't see myself ever playing against Liverpool. That would make me sad.

"It's hard, I don't want to talk about it, but it would make me really sad. At the moment I don't see myself playing against Liverpool but let's see what will happen in the future."

The correspondent's view

Goal's Liverpool  correspondent Neil Jones reacted to Salah's interview, saying the pressure is now on the club's owners to keep the Egyptian.

Over to you then, Fenway Sports Group. Mohamed Salah has just ensured that the pressure on Liverpool’s owners will be ramped up in the coming days and months.

And rightly so. ‘Sign him up’ has been the message from supporters for weeks, as Salah’s Anfield contract edges towards its final 18 months. Now the man himself has put the ball firmly in the club’s court.

The Egyptian, we know, wants a deal which would make him the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history, but with each masterful performance he delivers, each magnificent goal he scores, the argument becomes stronger.

Give him what he wants, or risk losing one of the club’s best ever players. Salah’s form this season is as good as it has ever been.

He has now publicly stated that he wants to stay on Merseyside, and while Liverpool are understandably wary about breaking their wage structure, his influence on Jurgen Klopp’s team, his status in the game and the potential cost of replacing the 29-year-old, must all be factored into any decision.

In short, can Liverpool afford NOT to give their star man a new deal? Special players demand special treatment, and Mohamed Salah is certainly one of those.

The time to act is now.

The bigger picture

Salah will look to once more rise to the occasion when he leads Liverpool's attack against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Egypt star has scored 12 goals in 11 games so far this season, netting in all but one of his eight Premier League games in 2021-22.

Further reading

Goal's readers are impressed by the German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as he was voted as the "best GK in the world" beating out top opponents to cement his position in the Goal's Top eleven powered by FIFA 22 as we attempt to identify who you think are the best footballers around the world.

Manuel Neuer received 34% of the total votes, or approximately 3,865 votes, surpassing that of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who received 28% of the total votes, or 28,936 votes.

In third place came Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who received 1,591 votes, or 14% of the votes.

Fourth place went to Jan Oblak, who received 1,477 votes, or 14% of the votes, while German Mark Andre ter Stegen, who received 1,250 votes, or 11%, came in fifth place.

Wait for us next Monday in the right-back center vote. 

Orlando Pirates co-interim head coach Mandla Ncikazi says there is a communication problem between PSL coaches and Bafana Bafana technical team.

This comes after Vincent Pule picked up an injury while on national duty for South Africa ahead of their two clashes against Ethiopia in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers earlier this month and the Pirates winger has since been ruled out of action to up to 12 weeks. 

While Bafana head coach Hugo Broos substituted Tshegofatso Mabasa just 35 minutes into their first match against Ethiopia in Bahir Dar as he felt that the Pirates striker was ineffective and he has since struggled to score goals for the Soweto giants. 

Ncikazi has joined Rhulani Mokwena in questioning Broos as Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach blamed the national team after several Masandawana players picked up injuries while in the Bafana camp.

“The issue of communication with PSL coaches and national team, I don’t want to repeat what has been said by other coaches, but the fact that problems that other clubs are mentioning are also happening at our club just shows you that things are not done correctly,” Ncikazi told the media.

“I’ll give you an example of the previous coach where I was. I met him personally because he came to training to watch our team training session. He discussed things with the technical team and he addressed the players on his expectations.

“I would have expected that the same will continue, but to be honest it has never happened for whatever reason. It becomes very difficult, I have tried to communicate with some members but it should not be done that way.

“It should not be in isolation where a coach from one club must try and connect with the national coach because the structure must inform what are the expectations of the national coach from coaches.”

Ncikazi, who is working alongside fellow Pirates co-interim head coach Fadlu Davids, stressed that there should be a mutual understanding between Bafana and PSL clubs in order for players to avoid injuries.

“It is an area that needs to be ironed out because it will lessen the problems we have currently in terms of injuries of players," he added. 

"To give you an example, if we were having a loading session today and one of our players is selected to the national team tomorrow and they have a loading, already on that one, there is a risk of injuries.

“A better understanding and communication between the two parties will help the national team and will also help the clubs so that when our players come back from the national team they are still useful to the team. I think that is highly important but that’s not happening currently.”

Pirates are set to face Congo-Brazzaville side Diables Noirs in the Caf Confederation Cup second round second-leg clash on Sunday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Bruno Fernandes could miss Manchester United's Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday.

The 27-year-old midfielder has picked up a knock this week after playing a starring role in United's 3-2 win against Atalanta in the Champions League.

Solskjaer is unsure if the Portugal international will be available to feature against the Reds at Old Trafford.

What has been said?

The coach said at his pre-match press conference: "It's still just Friday, the game's on Sunday, we'll give everyone time. We might have the whole squad back fit, we might be two or three players down. Today we didn't have everyone [in training]. Let's see Sunday.

"Games like Wednesday night are always going bring knocks and bruises and, yeah, we do have two or three carrying knocks from that game. I'll give everyone time and hope I can pick from a fully fit squad, I might be without two or three. Yes, Bruno might be a doubt, but he's doing everything he can to be ready."

Goal View

Manchester United correspondent Charlotte Duncker says: "The players who Solskjaer hinted at being doubts are Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Fred. All three of who you would ordinarily expect to start at Old Trafford on Sunday.

"The Norwegian is always keen to keep injury news and team news close to his chest and regularly responds in press conferences by telling journalists he will not reveal his team. Which is why it wouldn't be a surprise if all three were fit to play against Liverpool.

"Fernandes is a key player and fresh off the back off his man of the match performance on Wednesday will be desperate to feature. Rashford, with two goals in two games since returning from injury, will also be desperate to start - and if he managed to play for a prolonged period with a range of injuries, the hope will be that he would be able to shake off a dead leg by Sunday."

Fernandes for Man Utd

Fernandes is United's joint-top scorer in the Premier League this season with four goals and two assists from eight appearances.

United have taken one point from their last three games in the English top flight, most recently losing 4-2 to Leicester. Solskjaer's side currently sit sixth in the table, five points behind leaders Chelsea. Liverpool are second and trail the Blues by a point.

Further reading

Jurgen Klopp is reluctant to draw comparisons between Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo, but says the Liverpool man has a better left foot and the Manchester United star is stronger in the air - while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he will "always back" his man.

Two world-class performers are set to lock horns on Sunday at Old Trafford.

The eyes of the world will be on the Premier League battle, but Klopp is wary of picking sides when it comes to performers that boast such obvious qualities.

What has been said?

Asked about the similarities between Salah and Ronaldo, Liverpool boss Klopp said: “Why should we compare? Both are world-class. I would say Mo's left foot is better, Cristiano may be better in the air and with his right foot. Speed-wise, both are quick and desperate to score goals but I'm not too interested in comparing, sorry.”

Salah has scored 12 goals in 11 appearances for Liverpool this season, with a couple of stunning solo efforts leading some to bill him as the best player on the planet.

Ronaldo has enjoyed that standing in the past as a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and has six efforts to his name for United in 2021-22 – including the dramatic Champions League winner against Atalanta last time out.

What about Solskjaer?

The Man Utd was also asked how he compares Salah and Ronaldo at his press conference, and said: "I’ll always back Cristiano in any competition. He’s unique and his goal scoring record is fantastic. That being said, Salah is on fire at the moment and when you see some of the goals he has scored lately, we know we have to be at our best to defend against him.

"Players like this don’t come around very often and we’ve got to enjoy them when we watch them from afar, but not on Sunday, that’s too close for me.

"We’ve got to do a good job, not just against him. I’m a big admirer of the front line they’ve had for many years now with Mane and Firmino and maybe Jota will play, who knows. They are players you have to focus on and have to be nailed on for 95 mins to keep a clean sheet."

Who are favourites?

While Ronaldo helped get United over the line in their latest European outing, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side did fall two goals behind on home soil and Red Devils legend Paul Scholes has claimed Klopp would have been “rubbing his hands” together.

“I was watching game and there was not one second where I was rubbing my hands together,” Klopp said. “Even in the first half, United had three clear-cut chances. Second half was demonstration of United going for it, which can cause problems.”

More penalty drama?

Both sides will be hoping to avoid any controversial moments in Manchester this weekend, but sparks tends to fly. Klopp incurred the wrath of Solskjaer last season when discussing United’s penalty record, leading the United boss to suggest that referees were being impacted by such comments.

The Liverpool manager is eager to move on from that debate, saying: “We cannot influence refs with things like that. They are good, they go in the box, have these situations, but so do we and didn't have even a similar number [of penalties].”

Further reading

AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy is confident they will produce “something magical” against Tout Puissant Mazembe and reach the group stage of the Caf Champions League.

Usuthu have already landed in Lubumbashi for the first round fixture having battled to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Moses Mabhida Stadium on October 15.

Ahead of their second leg at Stade TP Mazembe on Saturday, the former Bafana striker has warned the Democratic Republic of Congo giants they have what it takes to do "something magical" and qualify for the group stage for the first time in the club’s history.

'We can produce something magical'

“After our win against TS Galaxy we shift our focus to the game against TP Mazembe and we go there hoping not to lose so we can get into the group stage of the competition,” the 43-year-old told the media.

“It is Champions League and we are one match away from qualifying to the group stage for the first time in club’s history, so I am excited and also nervous at the same time because we know, they have won the Champions League five times, they have good pedigree but we can go there and get the result we want.

“We did not get the result we wanted from the first meeting but we have a chance when we play them away, we can go there and bring home a good result, we have a chance to go and do something special, something magical that has never been done by AmaZulu in the club’s history.

“So I think we are still in the game, we will give our best, we know what to expect and what we need to do and we are ready to battle and open another chapter.”

'We won't give them respect'

His sentiments come after forward Augustine Mulenga warned Mazembe they will fight from the first whistle so as to get a positive result.

“I think we can look back TP [Mazembe] is a big club with a big history in the African continent and on Saturday I am sure we will go there and fight,” Mulenga told Goal.

“We give them respect but this time we won’t give them respect because we also want to get a win and proceed to the group stage of the competition and I am sure the game is not going to be easy for us, it is going to be tough but we must work extra hard from the first whistle until the end.

“I am sure the game we played on Tuesday gave us a bit of a boost for Saturday's game because winning away from home is not easy.

“We showed the character from the first whistle until the end and I am sure everyone who is here in Congo is looking forward to giving his best so that we can beat Mazembe on Saturday.”

Romelu Lukaku completed a £98 million ($136m) transfer to Chelsea in order to “double his salary” says Inter CEO Beppe Marotta, who says the reigning Serie A champions have no complaints at parting with the Belgian and replacing him with Edin Dzeko.

Fears would have been raised at San Siro when Lukaku, who scored 64 goals for the club in just 95 appearances, opted to head back to the Premier League for a second spell at Stamford Bridge.

Experienced Bosnia international Dzeko has however proved to be a fitting replacement – with seven goals this season – and Marotta believes Inter did good business.

What has been said?

Marotta told Corriere della Sera: “Lukaku was sold for €115m and we bought Dzeko for free. On the pitch, there isn’t much difference. Lukaku left to double his salary, in Italy these figures can’t exist.

“Today, we can’t make important investments, I wouldn’t be allowed to sign Lukaku for €75m (£63m/$87m). We need reduced and specific investments.”

Any other business at Inter?

While financial difficulties in Milan forced Inter to accept a big-money offer for Lukaku, Marotta is confident other prized assets can be retained.

Several other players are seeing moves mooted with Premier League interest said to be building once again, but discussions regarding new contracts are ongoing.

Marotta believes those talks will deliver a positive outcome, with Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, Euro 2020-winning Nicolo Barella and Croatia international midfielder Marcelo Brozovic among those in line for fresh terms.

“Barella and Lautaro will extend their contract with a pay rise, we are close,” Marotta said. “Brozovic’s contract is expiring, it will take more time, but I am confident.”

Further reading

Watford manager Claudio Ranieri has suggested the position that suits winger Ismaila Sarr best ahead of their Premier League trip to face Everton on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Senegal star has so far managed four goals in the top-flight from eight appearances as a striker but according to the Italian manager, his best position may instead be on the right flank, where he has featured for most of his Watford career so far.

Speaking ahead of the team’s trip to face the Toffees at Goodison Park, Ranieri told the club’s official website: “I think his [Sarr’s] best position is as right-winger.

“I tried to put him very close to the centre backs of Liverpool and attack on their shoulders. It wasn’t possible for us and in the second half, I put him in his position.

“He is much better there because he knows what he can do and I want to give him all the confidence.”

On the return of Joshua King from injury, Ranieri said: “It's good news, he [King] has trained with us all week, he’s available.

“Joao Pedro is a very interesting young player, of course, he will have some good chances to show his qualities.”

During his first match in charge of the Hornets, the team suffered a 5-0 defeat at Vicarage Road against Liverpool and Ranieri has called for immediate response against Everton.

“Every time I talk to my players it’s important the feeling between me and them,” Ranieri continued.

“I will give them all of my experience and all of my support. It’s not important if they make mistakes because everyone makes mistakes, but it’s important how you react. I want to see how they react against Everton.

“The mood is very good, they’ve worked very well during the week and of course they aren’t happy, they know we played very badly. I am the first to recognise that, but we have to react and show our best.

“It was much better [this week] because against Liverpool I met all my players two days before. This week I worked well with all my players and day-by-day they understand my idea about football better.”

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to action for Manchester United against Liverpool after a gap of 12 years as the Red Devils lock horns against their arch-rivals in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Red Devils have failed to win their last three Premier League clashes which include a 4-2 defeat to Leicester City last weekend and will hope to get back to winning ways and climb the Premier League points table.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are the only team to remain unbeaten in the Premier League and are coming into the game on the back of a thumping 5-0 win over Watford away from home. Other than winning the bragging rights, The Reds will also hope to get three points and maintain the pressure on league leaders Chelsea who are currently just a point above Liverpool.

As expected, Manchester United's man for this crucial tie will be Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar has already scored six goals in eight matches for the Red Devils and will be their protagonist.

This will be the 13th time that Ronaldo will be facing Liverpool in his career. He has played against the Merseyside club on 12 ocassions in the past out of which nine were while donning a Manchester United jersey. He has won five matches as a Manchester United player, drew two and lost two. For Real Madrid, he has won all three matches he played against Liverpool including the 2018 Champions League final which Los Merengues won 3-1.

Here, we take a look at how well has Crsitiano Ronaldo record performed against Liverpool.

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's record against Liverpool in the Premier League?

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's record against Liverpool in the Champions League?

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's record against Liverpool in FA Cup?

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's overall record against Liverpool?