Newcastle United

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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has said striker Alexander Isak must "earn the right" to train with his squad.

The 25-year-old striker, who was reported as wanting to explore a move away from Tyneside by BBC Sport in July, was left out of the club's pre-season tour of Asia with what the club called a "minor thigh injury".

He reportedly returned to the Magpies' training ground on Monday but Howe, speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle, said he had not spoken to the forward since Liverpool lodged a bid.

"He's like any other player, we would expect him to come in and train as normal," said Howe.

The Newcastle boss, speaking before he travelled back home with his squad from South Korea, added that Liverpool, as far as he was aware, had not been back in touch since making their offer.

You have to earn the right to train with us," Howe told the Daily Mail.

"We are Newcastle United. The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad - you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here.

"We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal."

That's all we have on Tottenham for now. What a player Son has been and going by the texts that have been coming in, he will definitely be missed in the Premier League.

Now, let's turn our focus back to Newcastle to bring you some Alexander Isak update.

Eddie Howe has spoken about the situation involving his wantaway striker and here's what he had to say...

Edu Rubio
Former West Ham and Wolves first-team coach

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Joao Palhinha is a fantastic addition to Tottenham.

The move could help provide balance to a very creative and attack-minded midfield and offer a security line to the team's backline and defensive approach.

He is a very good defensive-minded midfielder and his physical ability and presence will be perfect for the Premier League.

Palhinha's ability to win tackles and aerial duels can also be very valuable.

His leadership qualities have been appreciated by his team-mates at Bayern, and no doubt these will be welcomed by Thomas Frank, too.

Tottenham Hotspur

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Tottenham also made an addition to their squad this week after signing Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha on a season-long loan deal.

The 30-year-old, who joined the German side from Fulham in 2024, was limited to just 17 Bundesliga appearances last season.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank was keen to sign a defensive-minded midfielder following his appointment, with question marks over the futures of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Tottenham also have the option of signing Palhinha on a permanent basis at the end of his loan.

The Portugal international has significant Premier League experience, making 68 top-flight appearances in two years at Fulham before his move to Bayern for £42.3m.

Palhinha becomes Spurs' third summer signing, following the £55m acquisition of Mohammed Kudus and French forward Mathys Tel's arrival from Bayern on a permanent basis after a loan spell.

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Son Heung-min's farewell game for Tottenham, however, was marred by an injury to James Maddison.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has said the injury suffered by Maddison against Newcastle "looks bad".

The former Leicester City playmaker, 28, pulled up off the ball seven minutes from time in the 1-1 draw.

The England international looked in clear discomfort and had to be taken from the field of play on a stretcher, as team-mate Son Heung-min looked visibly emotional watching on.

Frank said Maddison, who missed the Europa League final victory against Manchester United last season with a knee injury, has likely injured the same knee.

"Sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal," said Frank.

"That's what we got today. It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players.

"We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before."

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport

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Real Madrid forward Rodrygo has been linked with a Premier League move in recent weeks, but why are the Spanish giants reportedly open to offers?

The Brazilian’s form steadily declined at the back end of last season under former head coach Carlo Ancelotti and he scored only once in 22 appearances from February onwards. He was also substituted at half-time of the Copa del Rey final defeat to rivals Barcelona.

He’s again struggled for playing time under new boss Xabi Alonso and started one of six matches at the recent Club World Cup. He did register an assist in a draw with Al-Hilal but his relationship on the right with new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold looked defensively vulnerable.

The 24-year-old prefers to play from the left which is the side that Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe also like to frequent, although the Frenchman was mainly used centrally during the season just gone.

While his 2024-25 numbers are comparable to Real’s two other star forwards – his shot conversion rate of 14.3% was a touch higher than Vinicius’s 13.3% and he created more chances and won possession more than Mbappe – his goals and assists tally fell a long way short.

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Rodrygo has won three La Liga titles and two Champions League among other honours during a hugely successful spell at Real Madrid.

He joined the Spanish giants from Santos in 2019 and has also represented Brazil in 33 matches in the international arena, scoring seven goals.

The 24-year-old winger had six goals and assists each during the 2024-25 La Liga season and also represented the club at this summer's Fifa Club World Cup.

His best season at the club came in 2023-24 when he scored 10 goals in 34 league games and created a further five assists.

He also scored five goals in the Champions League that season as Real became European champions for the 15th time.

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So, who will Spurs sign to replace a club legend like Son Heung-min?

According to Spanish outlet AS, Tottenham are interested in signing Real Madrid and Brazil winger Rodrygo, 24, as a replacement for the South Korean.

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport

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On matchdays at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, up to 700 Son Heung-min shirts are sold - the most of any player - because of the increasing number of fans travelling from South Korea to watch their hero in action.

"They tend to be wealthy fans with disposable income," football finance expert Kieran Maguire tells BBC Sport. "They don't just buy one Son shirt, they're coming away with two carrier bags full of stuff with Son's name on the back."

Maguire believes there could be a "small" impact on Tottenham's finances now Son has announced he is leaving.

"While it will be a blow for Spurs fans in terms of memories because Son has been a magnificent player for them, the difference between finishing 16th and 17th in the table (Spurs finished 17th last season) is £3.5m.

"Over the course of the season, that's more important than shirt sales from one player."

Harry Poole
BBC Sport

Son's statistics speak for themselves: 173 goals - the fifth highest for Spurs - and 101 assists in 454 games, with his 127 Premier League goals the joint 16th highest in the competition's history.

He holds the Spurs record for Premier League assists with 71, and in 2021-22 became the first Asian player to win the competition's Golden Boot, which he shared with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah on 23 goals.

After Spurs' record goalscorer Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich in 2023, Son scored 17 goals and recorded 10 assists in 35 league games the following season.

Last season was the first in which Son, the club's three-time player of the year, failed to reach double figures for league goals since his debut campaign as Spurs finished one place above the relegation zone.

But goals should not be the only metric by which Son's influence is measured.

His 0.38 assists per 90 minutes in the league last term was his best return yet, as was his 0.68 big chances created per 90 - the fifth-highest in the league last season of players to play over 1,000 minute.

Perhaps the most telling stats are those which point to his impact on the rest of the team.

Spurs won 42% of the 24 league games Son started in 2024-25, compared to 7% without him, failing to win 13 of the 14 matches without their captain.

Given Spurs averaged 2.1 goals and 1.4 points per game with Son starting and only 1.0 goals and 0.4 points per game in his absence, Frank will need players to step up, including £55m summer signing Mohamed Kudus, who replaced him on Sunday.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is expected to join Los Angeles FC for around £20m after announcing his departure from the north Londoners over the weekend.

The 33-year-old has green lit what could be a record fee for Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, potentially surpassing the £22.5m sum paid by Atlanta United to sign Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough in February.

The final details remain in discussion and Son is expected to enjoy some time in his native South Korea following his exit announcement, but his move to LAFC is now considered subject to paperwork and a medical.

So what next for Son Heung-min after Tottenham?

BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella has the latest on the South Korea international.