Key events
Howe has also been asked about the atmosphere at St James’ Park, which might be extra hostile given the circumstances:
The first home game is always going to be electric. I love experience those nights with the energy that the crowd bring us and I have no doubt that this will be a really passionate display from the home support. We need to harness that and use it but not be reckless with it, we need to concentrate on the game and not get too emotional.
Eddie Howe was asked specifically about Alexander Isak’s social media post claiming promises from Newcastle were broken:
There is always two sides to every story. My job is to support him and care for him, and we will see where we are in a week’s time. I hope I can work with him again and get him back to his best.
At the moment [reintegration into the squad] is not an option for us so rather than talk hypotheticals, I’d rather talk when we get to that point and try to get the best for Alex and get the best for the team. Until the point, we are better off focusing on the players we have available for the team.
Alex is an outstanding player and a very good person and a good character. He wants to succeed in his career and this has been a really difficult situation for him and for the players that we have to see us without him. If Alex decided to come back and play for us the players would welcome him back.
Without Isak, Newcastle will probably play Anthony Gordon as a No 9. The 24-year-old primarily plays as a winger but Howe believes he is more than capable of leading the line.
He has done it enough to be able to do the job really well for the team. I have played him there a number of times both as a starter and as a substitute. He plays it differently to other strikers but that can be a positive in the respect that he has devastating pace and a strong work ethic.
Of course he’s scored goals historically from wide areas but also from central areas and I think you can over play the change of position and I think he enjoys the role and he played really well last week. He had a lot of chances and a lot of shots so I thought it was a good display from him.
Thanks Will and hello everyone! Lots to be expected from these final 10 days of the window. Let’s see what else Howe has said on Isak and the game against Liverpool on Monday.
Having steered you through the early morning slot, it’s time for me to hand over to Yara El-Shaboury for the next few hours. Who’s going to get the official Eze announcement? It could be Yara! Scenes if so.
Dias signs new deal with Manchester City
Jamie Jackson
Rúben Dias has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City that keeps him at the club until 2029.
The defender is intent on helping Pep Guardiola’s team claim more silverware after last season’s barren campaign.
The 28-year-old said: “My job now is to be the best I can be for the duration of this contract, so that I can play my part in helping us challenge for more silverware.
“I want to thank my teammates, Pep, Hugo [Viana], the coaching staff and everyone at the club. This is such a special place, and I am grateful every single day for the support I receive. Now the hard work begins, and I want to promise the fans that I will give everything to win more trophies and bring more success to City.”
The Portuguese centre-back has won 10 trophies in five years at City, making 223 appearances in all competitions.
Asked how he is dealing with the Isak transfer saga on a personal level, Howe adds: “I think these situations are far from ideal, talking press-wise, and a lot of the attention has gone on to that rather than the team and our preparation.
“But as soon as I leave here I’m back with the team, I’m back preparing training, taking training, delivering meetings, speaking to individual players and trying to get the group in the best frame of mind possible. So the job never changes, but the outside perception is one that’s of course totally different to normal.”
Howe says ‘no change’ in Isak impasse
Eddie Howe is speaking to the media ahead of Newcastle’s game against Liverpool on Monday evening and, unsurprisingly, everyone seems to be asking about Alexander Isak. The Newcastle manager concedes “there’s been no change” in the impasse between the club and the striker, who is pushing hard for a move to Anfield, and that he won’t be part of the squad when Arne Slot’s side visit St James’ Park.
“He’s contracted to us, he’s our player,” Howe says. “My wish is that he would be playing on Monday night with us, but he won’t be, and that’s regrettable at this moment. But 100% I want to see him back in a Newcastle shirt.”
Is anyone on Eze watch outside the Emirates at the moment? Perhaps with a handmade welcome sign on A4 paper and cardboard? Feel free to email in with any updates if so. Some Eze-themed street art has already popped up in the local area, while the latest is that his medical is imminent (or possibly already under way).
Sheffield Wednesday fans in revolt against Chansiri
Will Unwin
Sheffield Wednesday supporters are planning a protest outside the Thai embassy against the club’s owner, Dejphon Chansiri, over his running of the club. London-based fans will be joined by those travelling down from South Yorkshire to show their upset with the running of the club.
Owls fans will also boycott the team’s match against Leeds at Hillsborough on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup. Supporters will instead be encouraged to watch the game on a big screen outside the local working men’s club.
Supporters want Chansiri to sell the club but movement on a takeover has been slow, to say the least. They have previously held protests at their opening match against Leicester, when fans did not take their seats for the first five minutes and had a plane fly overhead with an anti-Chansiri message. That was followed by a whistle protest in the first home game of the season against Stoke.
“The London Owls are planning a protest against Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership of our wonderful football club,” a fan statement read.
“We might be 160-plus miles from Hillsborough but our members feel just as strongly as those thousands closer to S6 that ‘Enough is Enough’ and unless Chansiri sells up soon then the club faces the prospect of financial ruin.”
Preamble
It’s Friday morning and rather than choosing life, choosing a job, choosing a career or choosing a family, we’re about to choose another weekend of Premier League football.
Round two of the 2025-26 season – still feels a bit weird to write that, the sands of time are slipping away at a terrifying rate aren’t they? – begins with Chelsea’s visit to West Ham this evening, but there will be a full slate of press conferences and team news to come.
There’s also the small matter of Eberechi Eze completing his move to Arsenal which, given the reaction it has already elicited online, is bound to make it a difficult day for Tottenham fans on social media. What better way to shut out the noise than joining us here?
As for the neutrals in that particular transfer wrangle, there will also be plenty of tidbits from the transfer market, EFL, Scottish Premiership and European football.
So grab yourself a brew, open a sneaky extra tab at work and let’s settle in for a day of minimum productivity and maximum Beautiful Game. Here are a couple of things to get you started:
