Inside Newcastle United’s summer camp: Transfers, tactics, protests and two chefs
By Chris Waugh
Newcastle United’s training camp in Austria represented the most important phase of their first pre-season under Eddie Howe.
The head coach used the eight-day trip to put his squad through intense double sessions and impart his tactical ideas in preparation for the 2022-23 campaign.
With The Athletic present at the 3-0 friendly victory over 1860 Munich in Saalfelden and the 1-0 defeat by Mainz in Kufstein, as well as observing some training sessions and visiting the team hotel, here are six things we learnt…
Newcastle’s next transfer moves are getting complicated
There is no question that Newcastle’s early transfer business was impressive. Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett strengthen the squad and, in the case of the first two, possibly even the starting XI.
But since completing those trio of deals in time for the start of July, Newcastle’s recruitment team have been left exasperated by what they see as a ludicrously inflated market — with prices even more exorbitant for a club backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Hugo Ekitike’s decision to move to Paris Saint-Germain set Newcastle back when it came to acquiring offensive reinforcements, which was the priority heading into the summer. Despite Steve Nickson, the head of recruitment, holding a long list of attacking targets, identifying an alternative to Ekitike who fits the profile Newcastle are seeking, is available at a price they will countenance paying and can fit into their wage structure is proving complicated.
Other young forwards across Europe, including Bordeaux’s Sekou Mara, have been watched, but whether Howe feels ready to gamble by bringing in a player the club is less convinced has the same room for growth as Ekitike remains to be seen.
Interestingly, Howe confirmed Newcastle are willing to be “adaptable” and “if we can’t find the right player, I might have to look at other positions” to upgrade beyond striker and right wing, which have been the focus. Newcastle are closely monitoring 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka’s contract stand-off with Aston Villa, suggesting that they could look to bolster their midfield ranks with a youngster who does not need to be registered in the 25-man Premier League squad, though he is also interesting leading European clubs.
Ideally, though, offensive reinforcements will still arrive and, as well as continuing to move on players such as Dwight Gayle, who is closing on a permanent move to Stoke, Ashworth, the sporting director, knows he must continue to scour the market in search of attackers who fit Newcastle’s needs.
Evolution in style is visible already — even if it remains a work in progress
Definitive conclusions should never be drawn from pre-season friendlies, but they are an excellent opportunity for coaches to experiment and work on specific areas of their side’s play.
In Austria, Newcastle’s training was intense and, combined with the hot conditions, players appeared a little fatigued during matches. Even so, the ferocity of Newcastle’s pressing, during sessions in front of the media and the two friendlies, was a significant step up even from May, with the players being conditioned during pre-season to carry out Howe’s exacting off-the-ball demands.
Physically, Newcastle are an imposing outfit now, too. Botman, who is 6ft 4in (193cm) and Pope, who is 6ft 6in (198cm), have joined Joelinton, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff, whose power and athleticism embody the characteristics Howe seeks from his team.
More visible, however, has been the team’s deliberate style shift when in possession. Newcastle are looking to retain the ball more, with the goalkeeper regularly finding Bruno Guimaraes or Jonjo Shelvey in the deep-lying role, and to dictate the pace of the game in the middle third. The defensive line is also positioned around halfway, significantly higher than even during the second half of last season.
The full-backs, meanwhile, push forward when in possession, particularly Kieran Trippier, and the two No 8s have been encouraged to overlap and underlap the wide forwards to create overloads.
In attack, Newcastle remain a work in progress — Howe insists the next block of training will focus on their positioning and decision-making in the final third — but the evolution in their tactical game plan is already evident.
First XI is beginning to take shape — but the right-sided forward position is still wide open
Howe was adamant supporters should not “read too much into” his team selections in Austria, given that he gave entirely different XIs runouts, but the bulk of his preferred starting side is taking shape.
Pope, as a Howe signing, is the favourite to play the season opener against Nottingham Forest in goal, while Trippier and Targett will be the full-backs. In central defence, Botman has played on both sides, and it seems Burn and Fabian Schar are competing to partner the Dutchman.
In midfield, Guimaraes has looked a class above once more and has been playing as a No 6, potentially demoting Shelvey to the bench, with the destructive Joelinton a perfect foil to his compatriot’s left. On the right, Longstaff looks lean and ready to impress, though Joe Willock’s dynamism on the ball could be preferred.
Up front, Callum Wilson is an unquestionable starter, with Allan Saint-Maximin to his left. The right-sided forward position still seems wide open, though.
Ryan Fraser has been used on the left but was effective on the right earlier this year, and neither Miguel Almiron nor Jacob Murphy has been convincing yet.
An intriguing option there could be Elliot Anderson. The 19-year-old has played on the left of the midfield three in the past two games, shifting into a No 10 position when Newcastle are in possession. He has bulked up physically — Matty Longstaff remarked that he “got straight back up, like a proper Geordie” after being wiped out by a Mainz player — and his versatility and age mean he could yet stick around.
But the ingenuity Anderson has displayed could be better served on the right as Newcastle search for additional creativity, with the academy graduate determined to prove he should be kept on Tyneside and not be loaned out again.
Jamaal Lascelles is retaining the armband, but leadership is now filtered through the squad
Speculation has been rife about Lascelles being sold this summer but the centre-back is staying and will remain captain, despite seemingly slipping down to fourth-choice centre-back.
Howe has been impressed by how the 28-year-old responded to being dropped in February and Lascelles still retains respect within the dressing room.
Crucially, though, he is no longer one of the few vocal figures within the squad. Howe set up a leadership group when he joined and that was strengthened by Trippier and Burn’s arrivals in January.
The head coach paused a training session on Sunday and told his players, “If you are lethargic and don’t work as a team, you will get fuck all.” He then called on his “leaders” Burn and Trippier to demand more from the others.
Martin Dubravka, Pope and Wilson are also authoritative figures within the group and, though Lascelles will continue as club captain and Trippier will wear the armband during most matches, Newcastle have leaders throughout the spine of their team.
Full-blown anti-Saudi protest doesn’t materialise — but these issues are not going away
There was a post-match pitch invasion at the Kufstein Arena on Monday, but that was sparked mainly by excited local youngsters who were desperate to get selfies with players from both sides rather than by Mainz fans leading an anti-Saudi Arabia protest.
Before the friendlies, a portion of the 1860 and Mainz support bases criticised their clubs’ decisions to play against Newcastle and fans of the latter called for their game to be cancelled. The Supporters Mainz group released a letter that described Newcastle as, “not just a football club, but a vehicle for asserting the interests of a regime that tramples on human rights and whose policies are opposed to the values and mission statement of Mainz.”
In response, Mainz insisted that they would “seek conversation” with supporters but that forgoing the match was “unthinkable” financially.
Kerstin Weber, an influential Mainz fan, was part of the group who drafted the “Leitbild” — the club’s guiding principles, which 95 per cent of members voted in favour of adopting last year. In an open letter on Twitter, Weber wrote: “Newcastle is a no-go. The idea of a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United should never arise. But, if it does, the proposal needs to be turned down on account of our values.”
Still, there were a couple of hundred Mainz supporters present in Kufstein, just as there had been a similar number of 1860 fans at the Saalfelden-Arena. Aside from the odd good-natured booing of the opposition team, there were no visible or audible demonstrations against Newcastle’s ownership, even if several fans of the Tyneside club did wear the green-and-white third strip, which bears a striking resemblance to the Saudi shirt.
“Some fans don’t care but others, especially the active ones, very much do,” Weber says. “To me, it was a big disappointment.” Of the six 1860 fans and four Mainz supporters The Athletic spoke with at the friendlies, half insisted that they only cared about the football, while the other half admitted they held “moral reservations” about playing Newcastle.
Although German clubs do converse with supporters and will consider their views, the commercial reality of modern-day football means that future friendlies are unlikely to be put at risk.
However, Mainz did provide subtle dissent, with Marcus Ingvartsen, their captain, wearing a rainbow-coloured armband to show support for LGBTQ+ people in sport. The club’s Twitter account also put out a message, in German, which translates as: “Today is the right occasion, we think! Our captain runs in the test against @NUFC with this bandage here.” Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi.
Clearly, as much as some Newcastle fans may want the controversy surrounding PIF, their 80 per cent owners, to stop being discussed, this issue simply is not going away any time soon.
Newcastle are now on their way to becoming a serious, professional football club again
Football-wise, Newcastle are benefitting from the presence of Saudi money and ambition and that was evident during their trip to Austria.
Darren Eales coming in as the new CEO, following Ashworth’s arrival in May, confirmed that the two most important off-field positions at the club have been filled, but other less celebrated appointments have been significant.
Mark Leyland, the coach analyst, Liam Mason, the lead sports scientist, and Dave Galley, the physiotherapist, have joined under Howe and the sheer number of backroom staff on the trip highlighted the level of detail Newcastle now go into as they aim to create the best environment for improvement. Although the coaching numbers have swelled under Howe, everyone is there for a reason and provides a vital role.
Two chefs flew to Saalfelden to cook meals for the squad, while other staff members were on hand to provide players with real-time analysis, strength and conditioning advice and nutrition, including specially prepared protein shakes.
Away from the first team, in-house lawyers are being sought to oversee commercial contracts, and a new supporter liaison officer (SLO) is expected to be appointed.
With the Benton training ground currently being upgraded before a move to a state-of-the-art facility on an as-of-yet unidentified site, Newcastle are undertaking a trip to Portugal, where they face Burnley in a behind-closed-doors match and then Benfica in Lisbon. Another mid-season camp is already pencilled to take place during the Premier League’s pause for the winter World Cup, too, with Saudi a possibility again but other destinations being considered.
At all levels of the club, investment is being made to recruit more staff and improve infrastructure and operations.
It should not even be a worthwhile talking point but, given what came during the 14 years before, it is refreshing to see Newcastle taking huge strides towards becoming the elite professional sports outfit they aspire to be.
https://theathletic.com/3436594/2022/07/21/newcastle-summer-camp/
Inside Newcastle United’s summer camp: Transfers, tactics, protests and two chefs
By Chris Waugh
Newcastle United’s training camp in Austria represented the most important phase of their first pre-season under Eddie Howe.
The head coach used the eight-day trip to put his squad through intense double sessions and impart his tactical ideas in preparation for the 2022-23 campaign.
With The Athletic present at the 3-0 friendly victory over 1860 Munich in Saalfelden and the 1-0 defeat by Mainz in Kufstein, as well as observing some training sessions and visiting the team hotel, here are six things we learnt…
Newcastle’s next transfer moves are getting complicated
There is no question that Newcastle’s early transfer business was impressive. Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett strengthen the squad and, in the case of the first two, possibly even the starting XI.
But since completing those trio of deals in time for the start of July, Newcastle’s recruitment team have been left exasperated by what they see as a ludicrously inflated market — with prices even more exorbitant for a club backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Hugo Ekitike’s decision to move to Paris Saint-Germain set Newcastle back when it came to acquiring offensive reinforcements, which was the priority heading into the summer. Despite Steve Nickson, the head of recruitment, holding a long list of attacking targets, identifying an alternative to Ekitike who fits the profile Newcastle are seeking, is available at a price they will countenance paying and can fit into their wage structure is proving complicated.
Other young forwards across Europe, including Bordeaux’s Sekou Mara, have been watched, but whether Howe feels ready to gamble by bringing in a player the club is less convinced has the same room for growth as Ekitike remains to be seen.
Interestingly, Howe confirmed Newcastle are willing to be “adaptable” and “if we can’t find the right player, I might have to look at other positions” to upgrade beyond striker and right wing, which have been the focus. Newcastle are closely monitoring 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka’s contract stand-off with Aston Villa, suggesting that they could look to bolster their midfield ranks with a youngster who does not need to be registered in the 25-man Premier League squad, though he is also interesting leading European clubs.
Ideally, though, offensive reinforcements will still arrive and, as well as continuing to move on players such as Dwight Gayle, who is closing on a permanent move to Stoke, Ashworth, the sporting director, knows he must continue to scour the market in search of attackers who fit Newcastle’s needs.
Evolution in style is visible already — even if it remains a work in progress
Definitive conclusions should never be drawn from pre-season friendlies, but they are an excellent opportunity for coaches to experiment and work on specific areas of their side’s play.
In Austria, Newcastle’s training was intense and, combined with the hot conditions, players appeared a little fatigued during matches. Even so, the ferocity of Newcastle’s pressing, during sessions in front of the media and the two friendlies, was a significant step up even from May, with the players being conditioned during pre-season to carry out Howe’s exacting off-the-ball demands.
Physically, Newcastle are an imposing outfit now, too. Botman, who is 6ft 4in (193cm) and Pope, who is 6ft 6in (198cm), have joined Joelinton, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff, whose power and athleticism embody the characteristics Howe seeks from his team.
More visible, however, has been the team’s deliberate style shift when in possession. Newcastle are looking to retain the ball more, with the goalkeeper regularly finding Bruno Guimaraes or Jonjo Shelvey in the deep-lying role, and to dictate the pace of the game in the middle third. The defensive line is also positioned around halfway, significantly higher than even during the second half of last season.
The full-backs, meanwhile, push forward when in possession, particularly Kieran Trippier, and the two No 8s have been encouraged to overlap and underlap the wide forwards to create overloads.
In attack, Newcastle remain a work in progress — Howe insists the next block of training will focus on their positioning and decision-making in the final third — but the evolution in their tactical game plan is already evident.
First XI is beginning to take shape — but the right-sided forward position is still wide open
Howe was adamant supporters should not “read too much into” his team selections in Austria, given that he gave entirely different XIs runouts, but the bulk of his preferred starting side is taking shape.
Pope, as a Howe signing, is the favourite to play the season opener against Nottingham Forest in goal, while Trippier and Targett will be the full-backs. In central defence, Botman has played on both sides, and it seems Burn and Fabian Schar are competing to partner the Dutchman.
In midfield, Guimaraes has looked a class above once more and has been playing as a No 6, potentially demoting Shelvey to the bench, with the destructive Joelinton a perfect foil to his compatriot’s left. On the right, Longstaff looks lean and ready to impress, though Joe Willock’s dynamism on the ball could be preferred.
Up front, Callum Wilson is an unquestionable starter, with Allan Saint-Maximin to his left. The right-sided forward position still seems wide open, though.
Ryan Fraser has been used on the left but was effective on the right earlier this year, and neither Miguel Almiron nor Jacob Murphy has been convincing yet.
An intriguing option there could be Elliot Anderson. The 19-year-old has played on the left of the midfield three in the past two games, shifting into a No 10 position when Newcastle are in possession. He has bulked up physically — Matty Longstaff remarked that he “got straight back up, like a proper Geordie” after being wiped out by a Mainz player — and his versatility and age mean he could yet stick around.
But the ingenuity Anderson has displayed could be better served on the right as Newcastle search for additional creativity, with the academy graduate determined to prove he should be kept on Tyneside and not be loaned out again.
Jamaal Lascelles is retaining the armband, but leadership is now filtered through the squad
Speculation has been rife about Lascelles being sold this summer but the centre-back is staying and will remain captain, despite seemingly slipping down to fourth-choice centre-back.
Howe has been impressed by how the 28-year-old responded to being dropped in February and Lascelles still retains respect within the dressing room.
Crucially, though, he is no longer one of the few vocal figures within the squad. Howe set up a leadership group when he joined and that was strengthened by Trippier and Burn’s arrivals in January.
The head coach paused a training session on Sunday and told his players, “If you are lethargic and don’t work as a team, you will get fuck all.” He then called on his “leaders” Burn and Trippier to demand more from the others.
Martin Dubravka, Pope and Wilson are also authoritative figures within the group and, though Lascelles will continue as club captain and Trippier will wear the armband during most matches, Newcastle have leaders throughout the spine of their team.
Full-blown anti-Saudi protest doesn’t materialise — but these issues are not going away
There was a post-match pitch invasion at the Kufstein Arena on Monday, but that was sparked mainly by excited local youngsters who were desperate to get selfies with players from both sides rather than by Mainz fans leading an anti-Saudi Arabia protest.
Before the friendlies, a portion of the 1860 and Mainz support bases criticised their clubs’ decisions to play against Newcastle and fans of the latter called for their game to be cancelled. The Supporters Mainz group released a letter that described Newcastle as, “not just a football club, but a vehicle for asserting the interests of a regime that tramples on human rights and whose policies are opposed to the values and mission statement of Mainz.”
In response, Mainz insisted that they would “seek conversation” with supporters but that forgoing the match was “unthinkable” financially.
Kerstin Weber, an influential Mainz fan, was part of the group who drafted the “Leitbild” — the club’s guiding principles, which 95 per cent of members voted in favour of adopting last year. In an open letter on Twitter, Weber wrote: “Newcastle is a no-go. The idea of a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United should never arise. But, if it does, the proposal needs to be turned down on account of our values.”
Still, there were a couple of hundred Mainz supporters present in Kufstein, just as there had been a similar number of 1860 fans at the Saalfelden-Arena. Aside from the odd good-natured booing of the opposition team, there were no visible or audible demonstrations against Newcastle’s ownership, even if several fans of the Tyneside club did wear the green-and-white third strip, which bears a striking resemblance to the Saudi shirt.
“Some fans don’t care but others, especially the active ones, very much do,” Weber says. “To me, it was a big disappointment.” Of the six 1860 fans and four Mainz supporters The Athletic spoke with at the friendlies, half insisted that they only cared about the football, while the other half admitted they held “moral reservations” about playing Newcastle.
Although German clubs do converse with supporters and will consider their views, the commercial reality of modern-day football means that future friendlies are unlikely to be put at risk.
However, Mainz did provide subtle dissent, with Marcus Ingvartsen, their captain, wearing a rainbow-coloured armband to show support for LGBTQ+ people in sport. The club’s Twitter account also put out a message, in German, which translates as: “Today is the right occasion, we think! Our captain runs in the test against @NUFC with this bandage here.” Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi.
Clearly, as much as some Newcastle fans may want the controversy surrounding PIF, their 80 per cent owners, to stop being discussed, this issue simply is not going away any time soon.
Newcastle are now on their way to becoming a serious, professional football club again
Football-wise, Newcastle are benefitting from the presence of Saudi money and ambition and that was evident during their trip to Austria.
Darren Eales coming in as the new CEO, following Ashworth’s arrival in May, confirmed that the two most important off-field positions at the club have been filled, but other less celebrated appointments have been significant.
Mark Leyland, the coach analyst, Liam Mason, the lead sports scientist, and Dave Galley, the physiotherapist, have joined under Howe and the sheer number of backroom staff on the trip highlighted the level of detail Newcastle now go into as they aim to create the best environment for improvement. Although the coaching numbers have swelled under Howe, everyone is there for a reason and provides a vital role.
Two chefs flew to Saalfelden to cook meals for the squad, while other staff members were on hand to provide players with real-time analysis, strength and conditioning advice and nutrition, including specially prepared protein shakes.
Away from the first team, in-house lawyers are being sought to oversee commercial contracts, and a new supporter liaison officer (SLO) is expected to be appointed.
With the Benton training ground currently being upgraded before a move to a state-of-the-art facility on an as-of-yet unidentified site, Newcastle are undertaking a trip to Portugal, where they face Burnley in a behind-closed-doors match and then Benfica in Lisbon. Another mid-season camp is already pencilled to take place during the Premier League’s pause for the winter World Cup, too, with Saudi a possibility again but other destinations being considered.
At all levels of the club, investment is being made to recruit more staff and improve infrastructure and operations.
It should not even be a worthwhile talking point but, given what came during the 14 years before, it is refreshing to see Newcastle taking huge strides towards becoming the elite professional sports outfit they aspire to be.
https://theathletic.com/3436594/2022/07/21/newcastle-summer-camp/
