Newcastle evening headlines with Champions League squad confirmed and Ayoze exclusive
All of the latest Newcastle United headlines including updates on Ayoze Perez, the Magpies’ Champions League squad, Lewis Hall, Gareth Southgate, Isaac Hayden and more
Here are your top Newcastle United headlines for September 5.
CL squad confirmed
Newcastle United have named their 23-man ‘List A’ Champions League squad for the upcoming group stage fixtures. Eddie Howe has chosen a strong group for the clashes on the continent but some senior stars have missed out on a place.
Newcastle’s squad in full consists of: Miguel Almirón, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Martin Dúbravka (GK), Paul Dummett, Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimarães, Lewis Hall, Alexander Isak, Joelinton, Loris Karius (GK), Jamaal Lascelles, Tino Livramento, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy, Nick Pope (GK), Fabian Schär, Matt Targett, Sandro Tonali, Kieran Trippier, Joe Willock and Callum Wilson.
That leaves fringe players such as Mark Gillespie, Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and Matt Ritchie without a place in the squad, meaning they will miss out on the chance to feature in Europe’s premier competition.
Ayoze interview
The sun is shining on Tyneside. That was not always the case during Ayoze Perez’s time at Newcastle United, but this is a very different club now – even if Saturday’s defeat at Brighton still stings.
“I had the feeling that Newcastle were always a big team,” the former Magpies forward told ChronicleLive. “But after some years of struggle and not doing the right things, the club and the city deserve what’s going on. That’s what everyone wanted so many years ago.
“I knew the takeover was going to make a big difference. That was a very important day for everyone at the club and in the city as well because you could already smell what could come.
“You can see they play in the Champions League after a couple of years so that means a lot. I say that because I felt it. I knew the potential of this club with its massive fanbase. They were missing something like that. Seeing Newcastle back makes me happy.”
You can read the full story here.
Hayden exit
Isaac Hayden has joined Belgian side Standard Liege on a season-long loan deal from Newcastle United. The midfielder bids farewell to Tyneside for the second time since Eddie Howe took the reins, again departing on a temporary basis.
Hayden had a medical at Premier League side Luton Town last week before a deal failed to materialise. Sheffield Wednesday then swooped in but eventually ended up signing a different Newcastle midfielder in Jeff Hendrick as Liege made their move.
Crucially, the loan deal does not include an option for Standard Liege to sign Hayden permanently at the end of the season. The 28-year-old’s Newcastle deal still has another three years to run and he will be back on Tyneside in some capacity next summer.
You can read the full story here.
Southgate on owners
England boss Gareth Southgate has claimed that Newcastle United’s owners have had a ‘different level of scrutiny to everything else’.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, of course, bought an 80% stake in the club nearly two years ago. The move was not only opposed by a number of Premier League rivals, who were wary of a new competitor, but, also, by activists appalled by Saudi’s terrible human rights record.
The buy-out has repeatedly come under the microscope after Newcastle’s owners provided ‘legally binding assurances’ that Saudi Arabia, whose national team will play two friendlies at St James’ in the coming week, would not control the club. Documents that have since been submitted on behalf of the PIF in a U.S court earlier this year described the fund as a ‘sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’ while Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was referred to as a ‘sitting minister of the Saudi government’.
You can read the full story here.
Hall’s call-up
Newcastle United youngster Lewis Hall has been temporarily drafted into the England squad as Gareth Southgate’s men train at St George’s Park. The Magpies full-back, 18, was given the unexpected nod, along with former Chelsea team-mate Bashir Humphreys, to offer cover in the senior side during Tuesday morning’s training session.
Hall was already with England’s youth sides after being called up to England’s under-20 side by interim head coach Joe Edwards. The under-20s won’t play any matches during the international break as they get ready for the Euro U20 Elite League in October, instead training for five days at the national training base.
Newcastle striker Callum Wilson linked up with England on Tuesday morning but trained indoors, away from the rest of the squad, along with Bukayo Saka and Levi Colwill. None of the trio are injured but Hall and Humphreys were drafted in to offer cover in training.
