Newcastle
GOOD NEWS! Newcastle Reported In Talk With A Top Rated Player To Add To Squad
Newcastle United’s hardest task in the transfer window is resolving their striker situation.
Alexander Isak will lead the line for Newcastle United next season, as he prepares to kick on even further after the best campaign of his career.
The 24-year-old scored 25 goals in all competitions last season, which resulted in Dan Burn calling him ‘world class’.
Now Isak is back with Newcastle for pre-season, where he is working alongside Callum Wilson. The 32-year-old is Newcastle’s other forward, but it is unclear how much longer that will be the case.
Callum Wilson’s Newcastle future is up in the air
Wilson is now in the final year of his Newcastle United contract. At the age of 32, it is up for debate whether he should be offered an extension.
Combine that with his injury woes, and it is understandable why Newcastle are considering selling Wilson.
The 24-year-old scored 25 goals in all competitions last season, which resulted in Dan Burn calling him ‘world class’.
Now Isak is back with Newcastle for pre-season, where he is working alongside Callum Wilson. The 32-year-old is Newcastle’s other forward, but it is unclear how much longer that will be the case.
Callum Wilson’s Newcastle future is up in the air
Wilson is now in the final year of his Newcastle United contract. At the age of 32, it is up for debate whether he should be offered an extension.
Combine that with his injury woes, and it is understandable why Newcastle are considering selling Wilson.
Newcastle have a striker in their sights
But it would appear that Newcastle are working hard in the background to give Isak the support he needs.
According to iNews, Newcastle are looking at ‘exciting’ targets, one of which is what they describe as an ‘international forward’ who would ‘supplement’ Isak.
That is encouraging, as the striker situation does need to be dealt with.
They could deal with it by just keeping Wilson for another year, but that would only delay finding a solution. It would also limit the likelihood of being able to sell the number nine for a decent fee, which has to be taken into consideration.
Paul Mitchell can show his ruthless side
For sentimental reasons, Newcastle should just stick with Wilson. He is an incredible goalscorer when he is fit, and looks to be in great shape at the start of pre-season. On top of that, the Magpies will play less games next season, which should result in less strain on Wilson’s body.
For business reasons, it is time to evolve. Wilson has been an excellent player in black and white, but it is the optimal time to move him on and replace him.
Eddie Howe has already warned that replacing Wilson will be expensive, but it could cost Newcastle more in the long run if they delay.
The striker situation is one of the key dilemmas that Paul Mitchell must deal with this summer. The sporting director has some difficult decisions to make, and this is an early chance to show he has the ruthlessness that Newcastle need to kick on as a club.
Newcastle United have the honour of training at Adidas HQ this week, as Eddie Howe prepares his players for the new Premier League season.
The Magpies are working out in Germany right now, with their partnership with Adidas allowing them to train at the state of the art facility they have at their headquarters in Herzogenaurach.
Eddie Howe is being linked with the England job, but his primary focus is getting his Newcastle United players ready for the new campaign. He almost has a full squad out in Germany, with only those who competed at Euro 2024 and the Copa America absent.
Alexander Isak has reported for Newcastle training after not being seen at Darsley Park, while Garang Kuol is also working with the first-team at Adidas HQ.
It is a great opportunity for the Toon youngster, and he is not the only teenager who has been called up.
Away from the top brass, Howe also has some youngsters with him for this training camp. As well as 19-year-old Garang Kuol, 17-year-old Trevan Sanusi is also working with the first-team.
It is quite the show of faith in Sanusi’s ability, as he trains alongside the likes of Sandro Tonali, Isak and Joelinton ahead of the new season.
Sanusi joined Newcastle last year, and has made quite the impression. The teenager is a winger and has been likened to Allan Saint-Maximin due to his dribbling ability, while it was reported that Newcastle staff are happy with Sanusi’s progress.
That progress has resulted in him training with the first-team, with youngsters Jamie Miley and Cathal Heffernan also travelling to Germany.
Away from the top brass, Howe also has some youngsters with him for this training camp. As well as 19-year-old Garang Kuol, 17-year-old Trevan Sanusi is also working with the first-team.
It is quite the show of faith in Sanusi’s ability, as he trains alongside the likes of Sandro Tonali, Isak and Joelinton ahead of the new season.
Sanusi joined Newcastle last year, and has made quite the impression. The teenager is a winger and has been likened to Allan Saint-Maximin due to his dribbling ability, while it was reported that Newcastle staff are happy with Sanusi’s progress.
That progress has resulted in him training with the first-team, with youngsters Jamie Miley and Cathal Heffernan also travelling to Germany.
A player who Newcastle United desperately tried to sign two years ago is now closing in on a move to another PIF club.
The transfer window is now open in Saudi Arabia, which means the other clubs that PIF own are starting to be active in the transfer market alongside Newcastle United.
As well as Newcastle, PIF also own 75% of four clubs in the Saudi Pro League. It has created a strange dynamic in which the Toon owners are inadvertently helping Newcastle’s Premier League rivals in terms of their PSR situation. Yet any Newcastle deal involving a PIF club has come under scrutiny, with Allan Saint-Maximin’s transfer to Al-Ahli last year being questioned.
Aston Villa forward set to sign for PIF club
Now it is Aston Villa who could be set to sell one of their top stars to Saudi Arabia, with Fabrizio Romano providing an update on what PIF-owned Al-Ittihad are planning to do.
He wrote on X: “Al-Ittihad are getting confident to agree on deal for Moussa Diaby! Negotiations advancing with Aston Villa and player’s camp. After Aouar deal done, Al Ittihad are close to reaching an agreement also for Diaby as new winger.”
After just one year at Villa Park, Moussa Diaby could be on his way out of the club. He joined them from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, costing a club-record £52million.
The Frenchman was impressive in his first year in the Premier League, helping Villa finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. Diaby made 38 Premier League appearances, scoring six goals and providing eight assists.
Newcastle really wanted to sign Moussa Diaby
Given how much they spent on him, how well he did and what Aston Villa achieved, it is a major surprise to see that Diaby could already be on his way out.
And he is a player that Newcastle United fans are very familiar with, given how heavily linked he was with the Magpies two years ago.
Diaby was described as Newcastle’s ‘dream signing‘ in 2022, only for the winger to prove to be too expensive. At one point in time, Newcastle were confident about signing Diaby, but a deal did not materialise.
He was linked again last summer, only for the Magpies to target Harvey Barnes instead. Meanwhile, Diaby moved to Villa and proved how well he could do in the Premier League. He did not set the world alight by any stretch of the imagination, but he was certainly impressive.
Fast forward 12 months and now Diaby is signing for a PIF-owned club, at a time when Newcastle are looking for a marquee winger to join Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon in attack.
Alas, it is Al-Ittihad who are closing in on a deal for the 25-year-old, rather than the Magpies.
The FA are considering who to appoint as Gareth Southgate’s successor as England manager, and Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is in the conversation.
That is a testament to his work at Newcastle United, with Eddie Howe massively enhancing his reputation since his arrival at St James’ Park. From Premier League survival to the Champions League, it has been quite the tenure on Tyneside for Howe.
And there are fears that it is a tenure that could end this summer. The FA are interested in Eddie Howe being the next England manager, following news of Gareth Southgate’s departure.
Howe is the manager who has been the most heavily linked this week, with pundits such as Jamie Carragher backing him to replace Southgate.
But Newcastle are eager to fend off any interest from the FA, while they might have another plan for the England job that does not include Howe.
