Haaland ‘green light’ to join Chelsea, Man Utd draw Milan in Europa League, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool transfer news

WE CAN’T JUST RELY ON DELE AND BALE

Eric Dier insists it is not down to Dele Alli and Gareth Bale to save Tottenham’s season.

Spurs fans have been raving about the pair’s resurgence in recent weeks, with many claiming it will result in Jose Mourinho’s stuttering side finishing in the top four.

Both Dele and Bale have had campaigns to forget, as they were frozen out by their manager.

But Dele impressed in Wednesday’s 4-0 Europa League win over Austrian no-hopers Wolfsberger when he capped a fine display with a superb overhead kick and two assists, including a goal for Bale.

That followed the Welsh superstar, on a season loan from Real Madrid, almost inspiring a second-half comeback for Spurs at West Ham on Sunday with a cracking display after his introduction as a half-time sub.

But defender Dier said: “As a team we need to do better. Within that individuals will step up and do great things in moments and Gareth and Dele have done that in the past.

“They have that quality to do that – but it is not up to them to change our season, it is up to us as a collective.”

MICK AIMS TO ‘P*** OFF’ PAL WARNOCK

Mick McCarthy has counted Neil Warnock as a close friend for 44 years.

But on Saturday will go head-to-head yet again both hoping to p*** each other off.

Cardiff boss McCarthy and Middlesbrough gaffer Warnock were team-mates at Barnsley. McCarthy even used to clean Warnock’s boots as he came through the ranks at Oakwell.

McCarthy said: “I have been in football a long time, but I still have that desire to get the best out of people. I’m 62. Neil is 72, so maybe I have got him in my sights!

“I’ve gone up against him many times and he’s a good friend of mine. For 90 minutes on Saturday he won’t be. It will be the same for him. He’s always been bright and innovative.

“His teams are likewise. If we come off the pitch on Saturday and I say to him ‘That was a nice game Neil, you were really nice to play against’ I think he’d be as p***** off as I would be.

“If I can be half as successful as Neil here, I will be delighted.”

PLEASE, NO MORE SAD TWISTS IN TAYL

Steven Taylor has twice endured the anguish of relegation with Newcastle.

And the Geordie admitted that if they suffer the same fate for the third time in the Mike Ashley era, it will sicken him just as much as when he was wearing the black-and-white stripes.

Failure to beat Wolves at St James’ Park tonight could see them in the bottom three if Fulham win at Crystal Palace tomorrow.

Defender Taylor, 35, is now captaining  Odisha in the Indian Super League, having left Wellington Phoenix last year when coronavirus led to an exodus from New  Zealand’s A League.

But he told SunSport: “Relegation would still hurt me as a fan. You never lose your love for Newcastle. I still get upset when the team loses, even though I’m thousands of miles away rather than out there on the pitch.”

The Toon diehard knows from bitter experience how traumatic relegation can be, though his  memories of the 2009 and 2016 campaigns felt very different. In both cases, redemption quickly  followed.

He recalled: “When we lost at Aston Villa on the final day of the 2008-09 season, it was the worst feeling in the world.

“I don’t think I’ve ever  felt as low as I did  when the referee blew the whistle and it suddenly hits you that you’re down. It was a horrible, horrible afternoon and I was inconsolable for days.”

‘UTD CAN HURT US AT ANY SECOND’

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says victory for either side would be huge as second-placed Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

And he warned the Blues that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United can strike like a snake on the break.

Tuchel said: “They are a team that can hurt you in any second with individual quality, a team that can hurt you at any second with speed.

“They are a strong side away from home because they can defend compactly and are very good in transition with their wingers and Marcus Rashford.

“Bruno Fernandes has excellent delivery and then there’s Mason Greenwood, Edi Cavani, Anthony Martial, and whoever else plays will be a challenge to defend.

“So the implication is huge. If we get a win out of this game it’s huge for us, if they win it’s huge for them to put more points between us.”

BARTON AND EVANS CLASHED OVER COMEDY SKIT

Nigel Pearson has never been a man to suffer fools. So when he pays someone like Joey Barton warm compliments, they should be taken very seriously.

The pair arrived in Bristol on the same day, Pearson taking over his eighth club at City, Barton moving into his second job as a manager with Rovers.

Once the ink was dry on their contracts Pearson found he had been messaged by Barton,  who he worked with at Newcastle.

He said: “Me and Joey exchanged a few messages. I have a lot of time and respect for him. He’s a very intelligent man. I think he’s got a bright future.

“People have preconceived ideas but the reality can be different.”

But Barton headed out of Fleetwood under a cloud.

Cod Army chairman Andy Pilley who, on appointing him two-and-a-half years earlier described him as a potential great in management, dumped him.

The decision came after a dressing room bust–up with Ched Evans and clashes with other senior players. The pair are understood to have come to blows over a comedy skit created by the striker that Barton did not find funny and he was dispatched to Preston.

LEGIT HITS THE FAN

David Moyes…