Newcastle United

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The Premier League season is fast approaching and clubs are continuing their pre-season preparations.

Here are the teams in action on a busy Saturday.

All times BST

Winger Miguel Almiron is in advanced talks to leave Newcastle United for an unnamed Saudi Pro League club. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle's first team development coach Ben Dawson has left the Magpies to join Leicester.

He will become part of Steve Cooper's first-team coaching staff at the Foxes as the manager, who moved to the King Power Stadium last month, builds his coaching team.

Dawson had worked at Newcastle for a decade having joined the academy as a professional development coach in 2014.

He has also been Under-21s lead coach and academy head of coaching before becoming first team development coach in 2021 to help young players into the senior squad.

Steve Harper, Newcastle's academy director, said: "Ben has been an important part of the Academy here for over a decade and has played a key role in the development of many players.

"I'm delighted that Ben has the opportunity to work in the first team at Leicester City. This development is testament to his work ethic and to the excellent coach development work at our Academy, supported by Ben, Neil Winskill and, more recently, Jack Ross.

"We all thank Ben for his excellent contribution to academy life at Newcastle United and wish him the best of luck with his coaching journey."

Image source, Getty Images

Supporter Dylan Brett has been on the latest BBC Radio Newcastle Total Sport Newcastle United Podcast speaking about the now infamous Joelinton Hawaiian shirt and the "mental" experience he has had because of it.

The shirt is plastered with pictures of the Brazilian midfielder's face, and the 27-year-old has been seen wearing it himself.

After images of the shirt gained traction online, Joelinton sent a message to Magpies fan Dylan, which eventually led to the pair meeting up at the training ground and on to an eventual partnership whereby money was raised for good causes through sales of the Hawaiian shirts.

The pair made a donation of £12,000 to Newcastle's food bank following the success of the shirt., external

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Newcastle United want to push through a move for 22-year-old AC Milan and Germany defender Malick Thiaw for about £35m. (Times - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Image source, Reuters

Kieran Trippier's leadership qualities should add to his value if Newcastle United decide to sell the England right-back this summer, says former Magpies defender Olivier Bernard.

It has been reported that the England full-back, 33, is a target for clubs in Saudi Arabia and could leave Newcastle.

Bernard believes Trippier has plenty still to offer, including helping the development of fellow right-back Tino Livramento, but told BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport programme: "Trippier is a very bankable player at the minute because he's an England player and I don't think he will be in two years, so if you want to let him go, do it now.

"At the same time you're trying to develop a team. Livramento has been watching Trippier over the past year and taking inspiration from what he does. I'm sure Livramento is ready - he showed he could fill his boots more than once last year, so I wouldn't have an issue with that. But Trippier is very important for the dressing room."

Asked how much Trippier may be worth if the Magpies choose to sell him, Bernard added: "He's got the experience, he's played every game almost at the Euros and he's a recognised, good player. Regardless of his age, he'd still do a job for any side and bring something better.

"For me, he's worth £20m at least and probably push it to £30m if he stays in England.

"He's a leader and somebody you want to keep. He's a real role model for a lot of young players at the club, I don't think his career is finished and I think he's good enough to give you another season.

"But we've got a fantastic young player who is waiting to flourish and we cannot delay his talent any longer."

Listen to Bernard's full thoughts on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Olivier Bernard has been speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle about how he evolved into an attacking left-back during his time with the Magpies after joining as a forward.

The Frenchman arrived in 2000 aged 20 and spent the next four and a half years of his career at the club, helping Sir Bobby Robson's side to a series of high Premier League finishes and representing Newcastle in European competition.

Dislodging the club's all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer was an almost impossible task, but Robson suggested a change of position that led to him becoming a first-team regular.

Now 44, Bernard told BBC Radio Newcastle: "I was a forward player when I first came to Newcastle. I wanted the number nine shirt but obviously I got denied by Alan!

"I played a little bit on the left and then they bought Laurent Robert. I was young, I just wanted to play and the gaffer asked if I wanted to try to play at left-back. I said that as long as I was playing, I would give 100%. That's how I ended up playing at full-back and I learned on the spot.

"The good thing was we had the ball more often than not, so I played as an advanced full-back. In that era, Ashley Cole started full-backs going forward and pushing the team to do better things. In the early 2000s, that's when the position of the full-backs changed."

He added: "I loved it, I was playing in a very attacking team, full of youth and we had pace to burn. It was exciting. Even though it wasn't a position that I would have chosen, I've enjoyed playing at left-back for Newcastle."

Listen to more from BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport on BBC Sounds

The latest episode of BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport Newcastle United podcast has landed.

Raul Kohli is joined by Dylan Brett to talk about the famous Joelinton Hawaiian shirt, the new NUFC TV advert and to look ahead to the new season.

Listen to the episode on BBC Sounds here

Newcastle United and England full back Kieran Trippier, 33, is attracting interest from two Saudi Arabian clubs and, with one year remaining on his contract, is set to leave the Tyneside club. (Northern Echo), external

Brazil midfielder Joelinton says he is happy at Newcastle United and believes 26-year-old compatriot Bruno Guimaraes is "going to stay" at the club, despite being linked with a move away. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Slobodan Maricic
BBC Serbia journalist

Image source, Jedinstvo Ub

When 19-year-old Serbian defender Miodrag Pivas from FC Jedinstvo Ub got a transfer to Newcastle United, the first reaction of many football fans in his homeland was: who?

Even the internet, which usually holds all the answers, does not help much.

That is because the youngster got his move to the Magpies without playing a minute of action in the Serbia top flight - but instead as one of the best players in the second tier.

Jedinstvo - a club from Ub, a city located about 60km south of the capital Belgrade and with a population of only 25,000 - achieved a first promotion to the Serbian Super Liga in their 104-year history.

This was huge success for a team that just a couple of years ago played in the fourth tier!

And the man who took over the club in 2016 and helped change everything is a familiar face to Premier League followers: former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic.

As a defender and defensive midfielder, Pivas hugely contributed to the side's historic campaign.

While the media highlight his composure and strength, Matic even compares him with Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Vidic, former defensive stars at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.

"I didn't know what came over me when I saw that. It took me some time to accept those words and process them properly, in order to keep calm and not get my head in the clouds," Pivas said.

Before Jedinstvo, the teenager played in Austria and got a few caps for Serbia Under-17s.

Now he is the first Serbian at Newcastle since Aleksandar Mitrovic, who he watched while growing up.

"He's a true legend. I want to try to follow in his footsteps, but also the footsteps of Vidic and Ivanovic. I really think I can be like them," Pivas added.

Image source, Jedinstvo Ub

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

It isn't quiet in one specific part of the major football clubs - the acquisitions department.

I know that because I was once the acquisitions department - well me and the manager mostly. While each player returned from holidays like a bronzed Adonis, we were cooped up in a small darkened room, beavering the daylight hours away like vampires.

There is plenty of guesswork in the media and a fair bit of leaking from the players and their people, but the clubs usually try to keep their transfer moves as quiet as possible.

If word gets out that a player is available, they know they might lose him to another club or else the price will increase as a bidding war erupts.

‌These are high stakes games and many are impressed by those who gamble and go early.

Manchester City have always been good enough, and let's be honest wealthy enough, to be able to do this well.

The problem is that some clubs are trying to do the same thing and are ending up paying top dollar for less able players, because they haven't done their due diligence in the market.

This is another area where the use of data, or maybe over-reliance on pure data, comes into play - feed all of the numbers in, let the technology do the crunching, and out comes the answer.

The problem is that everyone else has got the same or similar data.

What is needed, of course, is good human knowledge and the vision to aid the use of the information they have got. This is why these departments should be busy just now, they shouldn't just be doing deals which are admittedly very complex legal and financial documents these days.

Even more time should be spent on ensuring the new £75m player hasn't got a hidden weakness in his game or even the odd skeleton in his closet.

Pat Nevin was writing for the BBC Football Extra Newsletter

Newcastle United have held talks with manager Eddie Howe to reassure him about the scope of his role, and the club are confident he would reject taking over as England boss if there was interest from the Football Association. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Eddie Howe "sticks by his principles" and it would "take a big offer for him to leave Newcastle", according to his former player Charlie Daniels.

Defender Daniels, who played under Howe during his eight full seasons at Bournemouth, believes it would be a "hard decision" for the Magpies boss if England come calling.

However, he added that he thinks Howe will feel he has unfinished business at St James' Park.

"He's a very honest man and he definitely sticks by his principles," Daniels, who is a Magpies fan, told BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport.

"If things change at Newcastle then I guess he would be tempted, but the way everything is going he'll be fully focused on the first game of the season.

"He'll be flattered more than anything [by the England links] - it's the pinnacle to manage your country.

"But he'll still feel like he has a job to do there. It's going to take a big offer for him to leave Newcastle."

Matthew Raisbeck
BBC Radio Newcastle reporter

As Newcastle United stepped up preparations for the new season in sweltering heat in Germany, manager Eddie Howe addressed the speculation about his future.

Howe continues to be linked to the England vacancy but, in an interview with BBC Radio Newcastle after taking training on Friday morning, he did not sound like a man who is looking for another job.

He talked of his "commitment" to the club, saying he had given "no thought" to anything else.

Those words should offer some reassurance to any Magpies supporters who are worried about him leaving.

However, there was another message he wanted to get across.

Howe said he needs to feel "happy and supported", and that the "environment" at the club must be one where "I feel I can give my best".

He does not normally get political - certainly not like Rafael Benitez would in the Mike Ashley era - but a summer change at St James' Park has created some uncertainty and it did feel like a bit of a power play.

Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi have been key allies of Howe but are selling their shareholding and leaving the club, so a different ownership structure is in place.

New relationships will also need to be formed with the recently appointed sporting director Paul Mitchell and performance director James Bunce. It is important they can work together.

And a frantic and perhaps unedifying end to last month saw two talented young players sold just before the accounting deadline to help the club comply with profit and sustainability regulations.

Howe signed a multi-year extension to his contract last summer and Newcastle want him to stay - hopefully for the long term.

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly says it is "amazing" to look back on his footballing journey, but he wants to "keep pushing" to achieve more.

The 25-year-old joined the Magpies on a free transfer in June after his contract with Bournemouth came to an end.

He played 23 times in the Premier League for the Cherries last season and is reuniting with his former coach Eddie Howe, who took him to the south coast from Bristol City for £13m in 2019.

Kelly has previously spoken of his childhood growing up in foster care and this latest move has given him a chance to reflect on his football journey so far.

Speaking at Newcastle's pre-season training camp, Kelly said: "You don't always have time to sit back and think about where you have come from, what you have done in the past and your journey you have been on.

"The football industry is so fast paced, so when I look back to where I started and where I am now, it is amazing.

"A lot of hard work has been put into making that happen. I want to keep pushing and this is a huge moment for me - but at the same time I want more, to achieve more."

It was while in the foster system that the England Under-21 international began his football journey in the Bristol City academy and he feels his time in care has helped him be adaptable.

"It's something I've been through my whole life - being put in different situations and being able to adapt to them and make the best out of each one," he added.

"So moving from Bristol to Bournemouth and now up north is never really something that has affected my decision making. It is just something I am used to."

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United have signed Serbia youth defender Miodrag Pivas from Jedinstvo.

The 19-year-old also operated in defensive midfield last season, helping his side win promotion to the Serbian Super Liga.

"It's absolutely unbelievable to join such a big club," Pivas told Newcastle's official website, external.

"I see the young players have developed very well here and I would like to do the same - to develop and get into Newcastle's first team. I'm very excited and I can't wait to begin."

Magpies chief executive Darren Eales described Pivas as "a promising talent with high potential".

"We look forward to supporting his development at this important stage of his career," he added.

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall has spoken of his "relief" over his move from Chelsea and admitted adjusting to life in the North East was originally "really difficult".

Hall moved on an initial loan from Chelsea in August 2023 with a view to a full-time move this summer, but there was speculation throughout the season if he would make the appearances necessary to trigger the deal.

However the 19-year-old's £28m move - with £7m in possible add-ons - was confirmed in July.

"It was an amazing feeling," Hall told BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck at the Magpies' pre-season training camp in Germany.

"I knew what was coming so it wasn't necessarily a surprise, but there was a sense of relief because you never know in football. Things change so quickly.

"I was buzzing when it got announced."

Hall made 22 appearances for Newcastle last season but played just twice in their opening 15 Premier League games and only found regular form and playing time towards the end of the campaign.

"Last season was more of a learning curve for me because when I first joined I wasn't quite at the levels required physically," he added.

"It was all about getting up to those physical levels. There's being football fit but then 'Newcastle fit' is slightly above the average.

"It was getting up to speed with that and then learning how the team plays. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would but I needed to keep my head down, work hard and then take my opportunity when it came.

"It was really difficult for me. I was moving away from home so sometimes I'd come home and not have the support I would have had. I think that helped me as a person because it taught me lessons on how to deal with setbacks.

"I managed to overcome those things. Without that, I wouldn't have had that spell at the end of the season."

Newcastle United have contacted Chelsea about the availability of 22-year-old England Under-21 winger Noni Madueke. (Football Insider)

The Magpies are hoping to beat West Ham United and Juventus to the signing of France defender Jean-Clair Todibo, 24, after holding talks with Nice. (HITC), external

Newcastle and Liverpool are among the clubs interested in Spain Under-21 defender Dean Huijsen, 19, but Juventus' £25.3m valuation could be a stumbling block. (Tuttosport - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Full-back Tino Livramento said he has plenty more to give in a Newcastle shirt and is excited for the new season to get under way.

The 21-year-old missed the Magpies' last two Premier League games of the 2023-24 campaign with an ankle problem, but said he is fully fit now.

"I had a great off season," he told BBC Radio Newcastle in Germany. "I feel really good now coming back in with the group. I feel like I am ready to go again."

Livramento made 35 appearances in his first full season with Newcastle and he wants to push on under Eddie Howe.

"Of course," he said when asked if there is more to come. "I’ve only been here for one season, I’m only 21 so I am at the point in my career where I am developing physically and understanding what the manager wants from me tactically and technically brushing up on the little things.

"There is definitely still a lot to come from me."

On his aspirations for next season, he added: "I want to play as much as I can. I speak to the coaching staff a lot on areas they think I can improve on. I take that and I listen to it and try to put it into my game.

"When you get the opportunity you have to take it. As a group we are looking forward to seeing how well we can do this season."

Newcastle face Livramento's former club Southampton in their season opener on 17 August.

Image source, Getty Images

Eddie Howe has backed "outstanding" sporting director Paul Mitchell to guide Newcastle to progress and says he can see a hunger in the eyes of midfielder Sandro Tonali as he nears a return to action.

Tonali received a 10-month ban for betting breaches but is due to return to the competitive game in August.

"I think he’s in a good place," Howe told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I think he’s come back fit. He’s joining in with everything as he has all the time through. His attitude has been exemplary. I see a slight difference in Sandy now because he knows he’s close and for a player knowing they’re not going to be picked for 10 months, that is very tough mentally to have that edge to your game. His edge is there now because he knows it is around the corner. He will miss the start but he’s a massive player for us."

Mitchell was recruited to steer the club when Dan Ashworth's move to Manchester United materialised.

The club have been hard at work to improve Profit and Sustainability matters this summer, selling young players including Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh as part of the work.

Howe admitted he was sad to see both leave but believes the club have found a good route forward given the circumstances and he now expects improvements to come in to bolster his outfield options.

"It has been a real summer of work," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I think we’ve had really good outcomes and I think Paul Mitchell is an outstanding sporting director. I think that is a very, very good decision from the football club. PSR was tight. Of course, it was very late, a lot of the things that happened, but it’s a great outcome. A great outcome but very sad to lose Yankuba and Elliot, two outstanding young players. It’s been unusual compared to previous summer breaks for the football club, but I think we’re in a strong position."

Eddie Howe has spoken of his "love" for Newcastle United amid speculation linking him with the vacant England manager role.

Howe's name has been swiftly mentioned following Gareth Southgate's departure from the national job earlier in the week.

Howe, who told BBC Radio Newcastle he was pleased with the work done at the club so far this summer - which has seen players sold to meet PSR rules and Paul Mitchell brought in as sporting director.

"For me, as long as I am happy and feel supported and feel free to do the work that I love to do at Newcastle, I’ll be very happy and I am very happy," said Howe.

"It is an unbelievable football club. I’m very, very proud to be the manager. I love the supporters, I love the players, I love the staff. So really, there has been no thought in my mind on anything else and I have been very committed to the job here.

"I think my big message is how much I love the club and how much I love and respect the supporters. I think since the day I walked through the door, they backed us and they’ve backed me and they back the players and they’ve created an unbelievable environment for the players to play in, whether that is home or away.

"I’ll say it again, I’m absolutely honoured and privileged to be manager of Newcastle United. I hope that is for many, many years. My commitment is unwavering. I am determined to win a trophy for the football club, that is in my psyche every day. I want to see joy in the supporters. I want to bring that to them, hopefully. I think that is my big message to them and a big thank you for how they have treated me since I’ve come."

Image source, Getty Images

It seems inevitable a host of Premier League managers will point to fixture congestion in the months to come.

When injuries mount, or when time on the training ground is squeezed, coaches often reference the intense nature of the calendar.

But research conducted by the respected CIES Football Observatory has delivered data which shows clubs are - on average - not playing more competitive games than they have in the last couple of decades.

The CIES looked at 677 clubs across 40 leagues. In looking at a period from 2012 to 2024, its findings show in 2023-24, the average club played 42.4 competitive matches. In 2014-15 that figure was 42.6 and in 2020-21 it hit 43.9.

And if focus is placed on sides competing in the Champions League, data gathered between 2000 and 2024 also shows sides are not setting fixture records in the current game, as some managers may like to loosely imply.

In looking at the five major European Leagues, the CIES claim Champions League competitors played an average of 50.8 matches last season.

In 2020-21 they averaged 57.9 and in 2002-03 they contested 55.2.

Manchester United played in 52 competitive games last season, down from highs of 71 in 2020-21 and 66 in 2008-09.

Across all of the clubs analysed, only 4% played more than 60 games last season. In 2012-13, the figure stood at 5.1%.

While clubs may play added friendlies and - it would be fair to say - individual matches tend to be longer given increased injury time in the current game, the data shows that competitive fixture numbers are flat or have in most cases fallen, even if disgruntled managers say otherwise.

The full study is here, external