Dietmar Hamann has described Nick Woltemade’s struggles at Newcastle United as ‘remarkable’ and says it has presented Eddie Howe with a ‘really tricky situation’.

Newcastle completed a £69m move for Germany international Woltemade after begrudgingly selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool for over £120m.

Woltemade had a decent record for his former club Wolfsburg – scoring 18 goals in 36 games – but it was suggested in Germany that Newcastle had overpaid for the striker.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a bright start to his St James’ Park career, however, scoring six goals before the start of November and impressing with his all-round play.

But Woltemade’s contributions began to fall away over the winter period and the German has now scored just once in his last 22 appearances in all competitions.

The towering forward has even been used slightly deeper by an increasingly desperate Howe but Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has dismissed the notion he can play in midfield.

Hamann insists his compatriot’s drop-off is ‘very strange’ and has raised the possibility that Woltemade will now be sold after just one season.

‘I couldn’t believe the developments in the last few weeks and months regarding Nick Woltemade,’ Hamann told BoyleSports.

‘There was a story in one of the German papers that he hasn’t settled in the North-east, which I personally think is a paradise for a footballer, because if you’ve got a bit of success, they treat you as a hero. 

‘He had a great start and was adored by the faithful, adored by the fans. It’s obviously a very strange situation because if you had told me this after six or eight weeks, where he scored a few goals, I would have said he’s going places and he’ll be one who might be there for a few years, who is loved and adored by the people.

‘To have the turnaround now in a short space of time is really remarkable. What you hear and what you see probably makes me think that there might be a summer exit, which is obviously not a good situation for the club because they paid an awful lot of money.

‘Do you force him to stay here? Is that a good solution? And who’s going to pay the money for him now?

‘So, yeah, I think it’s a really tricky situation for both of them, for both parties, but especially for the club.’

If Newcastle do end up selling Woltemade, Hamann believes former Manchester United and Chelsea transfer target Victor Osimhen would be the ‘perfect’ replacement.

Osimhen has scored an impressive 56 goals in 70 games since joining Galatasaray in 2024 and helped Napoli win the Serie A title before his move to Turkey.

‘I think Victor Osimhen is one of the top five centre forwards in Europe,’ ex-Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich midfielder Hamann added.

‘I couldn’t believe that he ended up in Turkey. Obviously, Napoli paid an awful lot of money for him, but I’m very surprised that none of the English teams signed him, because they all struggled for centre forwards in the summer.

‘They tried for players like Benjamin Sesko, and other players who have come in are only just starting to adapt now because they obviously needed some time.

‘I think he’s an outstanding player and I think he’s probably the reason why Galatasaray is doing well in the league.

‘I love watching him and I think, if he were to play in the Premier League, there are teams he would make much better.

‘Obviously, Liverpool have got two players there now, so he won’t end up there, but he’s an outstanding player. He’s got pace, he’s got power, he can finish, a wonderful player.

‘If Newcastle do sell Nick Woltemade, he could be the perfect fit.’

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Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are all expected to be in the market for midfielders in the summer, with their shopping lists looking remarkably similar.

As ever, the big Premier League clubs will make significant investment in their squads in the next transfer window and one position in particular is going to be a hot topic.

Manchester United are especially in need of a central midfielder, having tried and failed to sign one last summer and with Casemiro leaving the club at the end of the season.

Arsenal and Manchester City are in a less pressing situation, but are keen to strengthen in midfield ahead of another Premier League title challenge next season.

A trio of players already in the Premier League have been linked with all three heavyweights, which could see transfer battles break out in the coming months.

Elliot Anderson

First of those three players is Nottingham Forest and England star Elliot Anderson, who is hoping to start for the Three Lions alongside Declan Rice at the World Cup this summer.

Sky Sports report that Anderson is in no rush to leave Forest and is focussed on their Premier League survival and the huge tournament at the end of the season.

Clearly if the Tricky Trees are relegated then they will find it very difficult to hang onto the 23-year-old, but if they stay up they will try to hang onto one of their most valuable assets.

Earlier this season, Nottingham Forest reportedly slapped a £75m price tag on Anderson and that could rise still further if he stars for England at the World Cup.

Adam Wharton

Anderson’s England teammate Adam Wharton is another attracting interest from plenty of clubs, with Liverpool and Real Madrid also thought to be interested in the Crystal Palace man, alongside Arsenal and Manchester United and City.

Wharton only turned 22 last month but has already established himself as an impressive Premier League performer and is likely to go to the World Cup with Thomas Tuchel’s side this summer.

Reports suggest that he is only interested in leaving the Eagles for a Champions League club, but clearly Manchester United, City and Arsenal are on course to secure top level European football next season.

Still under contract until 2029, Palace would want at least £80m for the man they signed from Blackburn Rovers in 2024.

Sandro Tonali

The third Premier League star being tracked by the Red Devils, Gunners and Cityzens is Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali.

Juventus showed an interest in him in January, while Arsenal were also thought to be weighing up a move but it never amounted to anything.

Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, has made no secret of the fact that he sees his client moving to a team regularly challenging for titles.

‘Exactly, that was the aim from the moment he went to England: to try and turn him into a star player,’ Riso said when asked of a potential move to a team in Premier League title races.

‘I think he’s the Italian player with one of the highest values in the world.’

Riso added: ‘Everyone is waiting for the World Cup, then a thousand scenarios will unfold, but it all kicks off after the World Cup.’

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Newcastle United are ready to reject a bid from Manchester United for Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports.

The 28-year-old has been a pivotal figure for Newcastle since he moved to St James’ Park in a £40 million deal from Lyon in 2022.

Guimaraes is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and Newcastle have won just two of their 16 Premier League matches without him in their side since he joined the club four years ago.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that United have made an approach to sign Guimaraes for the summer transfer window with a €80m (£69m) deal being discussed with Newcastle.

It was also reported that Casemiro had personally recommended the signing of Guimaraes to United’s hierarchy as his midfield replacement.

Casemiro is due to leave United at the end of the season when his contract expires.

However, talkSPORT reports that while Guimaraes may be on United’s shortlist, Newcastle have no intention of selling their captain.

The report adds that Newcastle are even looking to extend Guimaraes’ contract, which currently runs until 2028, in order to keep the Brazil international at the club.

Elsewhere, ESPN Brasil reports that Newcastle would be open to selling Guimaraes but United would need a bid of at least €80m (£69m).

The report also claims that Casemiro has been pushing Guimaraes’ signing behind the scenes at United but a deal with Newcastle ‘is not that advanced’.

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Eddie Howe has confirmed that Sandro Tonali has suffered a groin injury during Newcastle United’s 7-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Newcastle equalised twice through Anthony Elanga at Camp Nou in a thrilling first half but Barcelona went into the break 3-2 in front via Lamine Yamal’s penalty.

Howe’s side then collapsed in the second half as Barcelona went on to score four more without reply to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-final where they will play Atletico Madrid or Tottenham.

Tonali, meanwhile, was forced off in the second half against Barcelona and is now a doubt to be fit for Newcastle’s Premier League derby at home to Sunderland this Sunderland.

When asked about Tonali’s injury after the game, Howe said: ‘I’d say he’s a doubt.

‘It looks like he’s got a groin, or a hip problem. I thought he performed really well in the first half and we really missed him in that second period.’

Analysing his side’s defeat to Barcelona, Howe said: ‘The defending today was not at the level that it was just a few days ago at Chelsea.

‘Starting with the first goal where two players slipped, then we concede a set play, then probably the big one was the penalty. So as well as we played in the first half and I thought we were outstanding in many aspects, it was really a great representation of how we want to play.

‘If we performed anywhere near or defended anywhere near the level we can, I think we would have been leading at half time.

‘The second half we said we didn’t have the same energy and when the game was effectively over, we didn’t react well to that moment either.

‘So it became a very, very difficult second half. And even changing to play lower and deeper in a compact space didn’t really help us in our efforts.’

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Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali is ‘quite open’ to a sensational move to Manchester United this summer.

The future of the Italy international on Tyneside has been in doubt since January when he was offered to Arsenal after the Gunners lost Mikel Merino to injury.

While Tonali is admired at the Emirates, no serious talks took place but speculation over his long-term future has lingered ever since.

Manchester City have been credited with interest in the former AC Milan star while the i Paper reports Chelsea are monitoring the situation. United have also added him to their list of midfield targets.

United will say goodbye to Casemiro at the end of the season and could be in the market for two new midfielders given their lack of first-team options in an area of the pitch that has been long neglected.

Casemiro’s departure will leave United woefully short – aside from Kobbie Mainoo, long-term options are in short supply with Manuel Ugarte another who could move on.  

Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba have been on United’s radar all season but Tonali has emerged as another option under consideration.

Any move would cost United in excess of £100million but according to transfer journalist Christopher Michel, the 25-year-old would be interested in making the move to Manchester.

Newcastle will be desperate to hold onto Tonali but former AC Milan and Italy star Massimo Ambrosini believes his countryman is ready for the next step in his career, believing United would be a sensible choice.

‘Moving from Italy to England is not easy, you have to change your whole mentality,’ Ambrosini told BOYLE Sports.

‘Newcastle has been the perfect place. He needed to get used to the league, the defence, the stadiums, the atmosphere, and maybe even the different way of training.

‘Right now, he’s ready to take a step further. With all respect to Newcastle.

‘I don’t think Arsenal need him. They have Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard, they’re fine in midfield.

‘I could see him at Manchester City or Manchester United, both steps up from Newcastle and I think he’d be loved at Old Trafford.

‘We talk about his heart, about his energy, he brings everything on the pitch. His heart, his soul, his way of playing. So United would be of course a good choice.’

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By TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER and HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER and OLIVER HOLT, CHIEF SPORTS WRITER

Updated: 18:10 EDT, 14 March 2026

Liam Rosenior has hit out at referee Paul Tierney after he stood in the middle of Chelsea’s pre-match huddle before their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.

Chelsea have suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time under Liam Rosenior as Anthony Gordon’s first-half goal sealed the win for Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

Rosenior’s side were also at the centre of a bizarre moment before kick-off as Tierney stood next to the match ball while Chelsea formed their pre-match huddle around the official.

After Chelsea’s defeat, Rosenior accused Tierney of giving too much focus on his players’ pre-game ritual and criticised the referee for his failure to award a penalty when Nick Woltemade caught Cole Palmer inside Newcastle’s box.

‘I’m disappointed. There’s more focus and emphasis on the things that don’t matter,’ Rosenior said when asked about the incident involving Tierney.

‘I’m going to make it really clear. I want to protect my players. I’m respectful to the game. My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership. That is not my decision. That was a decision between the leadership group and the team. There is nothing that they’re doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition.

‘We had a meeting with the referee, my assistant goes in, the first thing he talks about is our huddle. He says about when I complained about Arsenal being in our half. It wasn’t the goalkeeper coach that was in our half. People were at that game Arsenal, I said what I said. We’re not being disrespectful to the opposition.

‘If Paul had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we have a penalty today. I don’t think anybody in this room can say that Woltemade doesn’t kick Cole Palmer down in the box.

‘So, let’s focus on the things that are important. My team showing unity is not as important as getting the decisions right on the pitch.’

Asked if Chelsea will look to alter the huddle to avoid a repeat situation, Rosenior replied: ‘Yes, I’ll be honest, I didn’t speak to Paul today or his officials. I thought it wasn’t the right thing to do today.

‘But I’ll be speaking to PGMOL. I’ll be speaking to the refs and just trying to get an understanding of why that happened today.’

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Liam Rosenior has a huge call to make in goal when Chelsea host Newcastle United in the Premier League tonight.

Filip Jorgensen has forced his way up the pecking order in recent weeks, given the nod in key games against Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain.

While he acquitted himself well at Villa Park, Wednesday night in Paris was disastrous, making two major errors as the Blues capitulated late on, losing 5-2 to the French champions.

Rosenior has been coy on who would start in goal tonight, hailing Sanchez as one of the best in the league while also insisting he still has full faith in Jorgensen.

Elsewhere, Chelsea will again be without Estevao Willan due to his hamstring problem with the club taking no risks with the young Brazilian.

Jamie Gittens meanwhile is back in training after his hamstring issue and with Pedro Neto now suspended after being handed an extra one-match ban by the FA, could be an option today on the wing.

Joao Pedro up top is in sensational form, up to 18 goals for the season after his hat-trick against Aston Villa.

Chelsea XI to face Newcastle – Metro prediction

A lack of available wide options could see Enzo Fernandez deployed in a more advanced role again with Andrey Santos slotting in nicely beside Moises Caicedo in midfield.

The Blues now have a bit of depth in midfield with Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo both back from their injuries.

 Levi Colwill is also back in training after recocering from his ACL injury although there is no specific timeline in place for his return to action.

Chelsea vs Newcastle TV channel, live stream and kick-off time

Chelsea vs Newcastle kicks off tonight (Saturday 14 March) at 5:30pm.

You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers.

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A Barcelona football fan who travelled to the UK to support his team in a match against Newcastle United ended up 366 miles away from the venue.

The FC Barcelona fan was ‘gutted’ after showing up to St James Park in Exeter, rather than the St James Park in Newcastle.

When he showed his ticket to the staff, he realised his mistake. Employees felt bad for the man and gave him a free ticket to the match in Devon, where the Grecians lost.

In Newcastle, however, FC Barcelona drew 1-1 against Newcastle United, but the devoted Spanish fan wasn’t able to see it.

Adam Spencer, who works at Exeter City, told the BBC: ’My guess is he’d put St James Park in his phone and then just followed the directions from there.’

Mr Spencer said the fan’s English wasn’t ‘great’, but added: ‘We sorted him out a ticket, and he got to watch a game at the real St James Park.

‘He was pretty gutted and a bit embarrassed. But he’s welcome back anytime.’

Still, the story has left many in stitches. One fan wrote on X: ‘Fella probably had a great night, made some new friends, hopefully left with a shirt and will have a great story for his mates back home. Plus, it’s not like he missed a great game.’

Another added: ‘Hopefully, he now has a second team to support in England. Lucky coincidence, a game was on.

‘You couldn’t turn him away after that journey, great gesture. Well done.’

Others felt bad for the footy fan, writing: ‘There are two St James parks in England? We need to sort out these naming conventions. It’s damn confusing.’

Eddie Howe’s side delivered an impressive performance against Barcelona at St James’ Park and appeared to be heading into next Wednesday’s second leg with a 1-0 advantage following Harvey Barnes’ goal in the 86th minute.

But Barcelona were awarded a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time, which was scored by Lamine Yamal.

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After Barnes’ opener, Newcastle continued to push for a second goal, which divided commentators.

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Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento and will consider bidding for the defender in the summer transfer window.

Talks over an extension to a contract that will have just two years left to run are yet to materialise and, according to the Telegraph, the 23-year-old is yet to give an indication he is willing to stay.

Newcastle want to keep the England international but are likely to be in a vulnerable position unless Livramento indicated he would prefer to remain at St James’ Park.

The former Chelsea youngster has been a key part of the teams that have made significant progress under Eddie Howe since his £32 million move from Southampton.

Newcastle value the versatile right-back at around £60m which may deter Arsenal given they are understood to be assessing a number of potential targets.

Jurrien Timber is currently firmly established as the club’s first choice right-back, while the club also signed Jaden Dixon from Stoke in January and the teenager made his debut in last weekend’s FA Cup win against Mansfield Town.

Arsenal do need to sell one first team player this summer having spent significantly on arming Mikel Arteta with a squad capable of challenging for major honours.

Ben White, who like Livramento has two years left on his deal, could be one of those players potentially up for sale and were he to move on Arsenal would view the Newcastle star as a potential replacement.

The Gunners have also expressed an interest in Livramento’s Newcastle teammates Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.

All three players featured in last night’s 1-1 draw against Barcelona after which Eddie Howe said his troops will head into battle next week having told them they have shown they can mix it with Europe’s best.

A 1-1 draw was scant reward for a fine performance against one of the very biggest names in European football and head coach Howe, who described the equaliser as “soft”, is confident they can make life intensely difficult for Hansi Flick’s men on their own pitch.

He said: ‘In the cold light of day when we wake up tomorrow, we’ll see the positives. The tie is very much alive, we played really well.

‘We showed our qualities. We’ve been really competitive. The challenge is we need more on a consistent basis. We’ve showed we can play against the very best when we’re at our best.”

Asked if he felt his team deserved more, Howe said: ‘Yes, we do.

‘A really good performance from the team, very, very good in all phases, really. I thought we limited them with a really good defensive performance from the team and I thought we attacked really well too.

‘Although we didn’t create an abundance of clear-cut chances, I thought there were chances all through the game for us.

‘It was great to see us finally score and then the last attack of the game, the last kick of the game, it’s a tough one to take.’

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