Welcome to our Newcastle United live blog for Tuesday, May 19.
The proposed takeover deal of the Magpies is now understood to be in the hands of the Premier League and fans are hoping for an announcement soon.
The club have maintained their "no comment" status on all enquiries, but it's understood that the group looking to broker a buy out of the Magpies remain confident that the test will pass. Reports of a delay have been played down.
Follow live updates below or get the latest NUFC news and takeover updates straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter.
Newcastle United takeover is done
Signing off
Here's a look back at today's top stories:
Premier League confirms six positive coronavirus tests as Project Restart begins
Newcastle United moving for Luís Campos as Director of Football would make a real statement
Danny Rose opens up about the shock to the system he had after joining Newcastle United
'Oh no' - Danny Rose on Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce's phone call after Project Restart comment
Danny Rose's verdict on where Mauricio Pochettino will 'eventually' end up amid Newcastle links
Philippe Coutinho to Newcastle odds slashed following spate of bets
Former Newcastle United player boldly claims that takeover will be announced today
'I hope this can be the time Mike Ashley moves on' - Shay Given's big Newcastle takeover hope
The good sign Steve Bruce has had as Newcastle United players return to training
'It would be a huge coup' - Why Mauricio Pochettino may not want Newcastle job
That Scunthorpe defeat
It was one of the few low moments of Newcastle's Championship-winning 2009/10 season.
The Magpies suffered their second successive defeat when they were beaten 2-1 by Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park on October 20, 2009.
Martyn Woolford scored both goals for the Iron that night, and he's recalled the club's famous victory more than a decade on.
Speaking to the club's website, Woolford said: “I just remember the goals more than anything against Newcastle. I can’t even remember when the goals were scored.
“I remember the first goal was a pretty easy tap-in with my right foot. The second goal I remember a bit better, as it was put on a plate for me and I finished from just inside the box, so they’re not the greatest strikes I’ve ever scored.
“To come up against and beat a team you’ve watched on Match of the Day and that’s been in the Premier League for so long was amazing.
“To not only score the winner but to fire both goals in one of Scunthorpe’s biggest ever wins was really special and something I’m extremely proud of.
“I remember the atmosphere especially well. I think we were just about full and although realistically there were only 9,000 fans inside the stadium it felt like 20,000. The fans got behind us amazingly that night and really helped us along,” he said.
“I remember when the second goal went in, it went completely crazy and I don’t think there was one fan that wasn’t going absolutely mental.
“To play a part in a game Scunthorpe fans think so highly of is a great honour for me because they were all fantastic during my time there and I hope I paid them back some of that in my performances.
“Bar the League One play-off final winner against Millwall, they were definitely the most important goals I’ve scored for the club.”
Evening update
Former Newcastle United defender Olivier Bernard made the bold prediction that a takeover announcement would be made on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, former Magpies' shot-stopper Shay Given has given his view on his hopes for United if a takeover is concluded.
Burnley confirm positive test case
Burnley have confirmed that assistant manager Ian Woan is one of the six Premier League personnel to test positive for coronavirus.
The club announced the news in a statement, saying that Woan is currently asymptomatic and will now enter a period of self-isolation.
The statement read: “Burnley Football Club can confirm that after completing a Covid-19 test on Sunday, 17th May, assistant manager Ian Woan has tested positive.
“The Burnley first team squad and playing staff were all tested last weekend, ahead of a return to training.
“In line with strict Premier League requirements and following a positive test, Ian will now self-isolate for a period of seven days, with a view to being tested again week commencing Monday, 25th May.
“Ian is asymptomatic and is currently safe and well at home. He will remain in close communication with club personnel regarding his re-engagement in training once he is clear of the virus.”
Hutton on Project Restart
Former Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton agrees with Steve Bruce's suggestion of a late-June restart for the Premier League.
Hutton told Football Insider: “Oh yeah, at the earliest. I think it’s impossible, more or less impossible, to start around the 12th June, impossible.
“I mean, if you’re looking at it, it stopped in March, there is no way that you can have a couple of weeks training and be at a level to compete against some of the best players in the world. It’s not a switch, you can’t just turn it on and off.
“That’s like having a summer holiday off and while you might keep yourself fit throughout, you’re nowhere near the level you need to be. It takes a pre-season, five or six warm-up games. It’s impossible.
“To factor in you have to play 10 games in a short period of time, you’re going to pick up niggly injuries, serious injuries, it’s so difficult. Even the end of June, people are going to feel the strain of playing that quickly.”
Serie A return?
Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora says a decision on a restart date for the Serie A season will be made at a meeting next week.
Spadafora’s announcement comes one day after reports that a new government decree would effectively rule out a return of sporting events until at least June 14.
Spadafora told Rai 2: “I just called a meeting for May 28. On that day we will be able to decide if and when to restart the football championship. We want to start again, to finish.”
Ritchie's advice
Matt Ritchie has spoken over Zoom with Bournemouth's under-18s and spoken of his experience at graduating from the Cherries' academy.
Youth team manager Alan Connell told the club's website: "We’ve also spoken on a Zoom call with Matt Ritchie about his time at the club and his time coming through an academy, having setbacks but making it to the Premier League.
"He gave us his time and gave the boys a really interesting insight into his loans at an early age and playing in all four divisions, and playing under Eddie Howe as well."
Pundit on Longstaff and Ancelotti
Matty Longstaff will be tempted by the prospect of working with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton - according to pundit Michael Brown.
Brown told Football Insider: “Any young player like Matty Longstaff, who’s just set off on his career and is starting to get going, will want to play, they’ll want to secure a future.
“That will be what their advice is and Ancelotti’s a very, very renowned manager so a young player will want to play for him, that’s for sure.“
Rose on Poch's future
Newcastle United defender Danny Rose believes former boss Mauricio Pochettino will 'eventually' end up as manager of Manchester United.
The Argentine was repeatedly linked with the Red Devils' hotseat throughout his successful stint in North London.
However, recent weeks has seen numerous reports credit Pochettino as the would-be Magpies' owners number one managerial target following the proposed takeover.
You can read the full story here.
Lazaro latest
Newcastle United are thinking twice about signing Valentino Lazaro on a permanent basis, according to reports in Italian media.
This from SempreInter: "Inter could lose out on a significant amount of money due to the Coronavirus crisis according to a report in today’s print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Joao Mario, Ivan Perisic and Valentino Lazaro have all joined clubs on loan with options to buy this season but the pandemic has caused the loaning clubs to think twice about signing the players outright.
"Joao Mario’s loan club Lokomotiv Moscow and Perisic’s loan club Bayern Munich have made it clear they do not want to pay €18 million and €20 million respectively and Newcastle United may end up thinking twice about Lazaro too, who they can sign permanently for €23.5 million.
Ighalo's Red Devils wish
Odion Ighalo wishes to remain a Manchester United player beyond the end of the season.
The Nigerian international is one of a host of players the Magpies have been linked with if the proposed takeover is completed.
But Ighalo's personal trainer Ekemini Ekerette has reportedly told Goal that the striker's wish is to sign permanently with the Red Devils.
He said: “He’s a team player and has been talking about [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial, [Mason] Greenwood, and how fantastic they all are, so he’s looking forward to hopefully getting to play with Rashford.
“He wants to stay and loves United, Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] and the fans and he would love to be a Red for the rest of his life.”
Pundit on Ashley
Pundit and former Tottenham and Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown believes Mike Ashley will still be confident of completing the sale of Newcastle United.
Brown told Football Insider: “I think with the businesses he’s involved with he’ll understand the issues with getting deals over the line. He’ll probably have that every day with all the transactions.
“He’ll be fully aware of how hard these deals are to get over the line with the size of the deals that he’s doing.
“He’s a very successful guy and he’ll understand the market better than any of us can even contemplate to be honest.”
PL tests on players
Six individuals connected to three unnamed Premier League clubs have tested positive for coronavirus as sides return to small group training amid the pandemic.
The Covid-19 tests were conducted on Sunday and Monday as part of the league’s partnership with the Prenetics consortium, and are due to take place twice a week from now on. Forty tests will be carried out at each club in each session.
The league said in a statement: “The Premier League can today confirm that on Sunday 17 May and Monday 18 May, 748 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19. Of these, six have tested positive from three clubs.
“Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days.
“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.
“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public in this way after each round of testing.”
Hull statement
Hull have reacted with disappointment after a letter to the English Football League stating their desire to call the Championship season off was leaked.
Part of vice-chairman Ehab Allam’s correspondence to EFL chairman Rick Parry appeared in the Daily Telegraph, much to the Tigers’ dismay.
A club statement read: “We are disappointed that a letter which was intended to remain private between the EFL and other Championship clubs has been leaked.
“It is our view that each club will, quite understandably, have their own view on the subject of how and when to return to play football and we fully respect that.
“The privacy of discussions between member clubs and the league is paramount to ensuring honest and open debate. As such, we will continue to engage in talks in the correct manner and will not enter into a public debate on the matters in hand.
“Our primary concern throughout this difficult time has been for the health and safety of our players and staff and that will continue to be the case.”
Man Utd to move for Koulibaly?
Manchester United are set to make a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly according to the Daily Express.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were keen on bringing the £80 million rated star to Old Trafford last summer but instead opted for Leicester’s Harry Maguire.
The report says United are ready to go back in for the player this summer, jumping in ahead of rivals Liverpool for his signature.
United believe they can even complete a deal for the knock-down price of £62 million, taking advantage of the current economic uncertainty in the football market.
Given on takeover hopes
Former Newcastle United number one Shay Given believes a takeover could have the likes of Manchester City looking nervously lover their shoulders.
Speaking to The Sun, Given said: “It will take a few years. But with the right building blocks, the right recruitment and the right people in charge, then there will definitely be clubs looking over their shoulders.
“It’s possibly harder now compared to City with the financial fair play. I think they’ve tightened up since Man City have come in.
“But Newcastle have a decent team. If they add four, five, six really good players to that they could be in the top six or seven. Then if they add another six or seven players, they can get up there eventually.
“Newcastle already have the stadium. The city would be buzzing and the fans would be queuing out the gate to get in.
“Once you get one or two big names in the door, then there’s a few more thinking, ‘If he’s joining, I want to go as well’.
“It’s exciting hearing about some of the players maybe coming to the club. Gareth Bale got a mention the other day, Kalidou Koulibaly too.”
Malaga announce redundancies
Spanish second-tier side Malaga have announced they have suspended or terminated the contracts of all employees - including players.
Bruce's advice to Rose
Steve Bruce told Danny Rose he needed to 'word things a bit better' after the Newcastle United loanee previously branded Project Restart a 'f****** joke'.
The Magpies' defender made his feelings clear on the prospect of top-flight football returning behind closed doors in an Instagram Live Q&A with Don Dada last week.
Rose said the idea of football being played should not be talked about 'until the numbers have dropped massively' and he did not 'give a f*** about the nation's morale' after foreign secretary Dominic Raab previously said it could 'lift the spirits of the nation'.
Rose's honest comments made national headlines and the England international has now revealed what happened when Bruce phoned him a day later.
You can read the full story here.
NUFC's most famous fans?
talkSPORT has pulled together a round-up of every Premier League club's most famous fans. The choice for NUFC won't be a surprise to anyone...
talkSPORT wrote: "It’s certainly not Mike Ashley.
"Newcastle is a massive city with massive fans. See Sting, Cheryl Cole, Brian Blessed, Gabby Logan, James Bay and even Tony Blair, whose prized possession is a No.9 shirt signed by Alan Shearer.
"Really though, there’s only ever going to be one winner. Well, two. Ant and Dec are the Toon’s most famous export/s, appear on the odds list to manage the club every time Ashley is looking for a new boss and have even spoken out against the owner himself. Howay, the lads. "
Joey Barton
Former Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton claims it would be “out of order” to settle Sky Bet League One on a points-per-game basis.
Barton’s Fleetwood side were fifth in the table when the coronavirus pandemic forced a sporting shutdown but just six points separate the third and eighth-placed teams in the division, with different teams playing different numbers of games.
While League Two clubs have voted to draw an early end to their season, there is no sense of unanimity one step up. Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony has already spoken up on behalf of six clubs involved in the promotion and relegation battle and outlined their strong desire to play on.
“We’ve got Sunderland, Peterborough and Wycombe all scrapping for one play-off place. It looks like Wycombe are going to get it if they go points-per-game,” Barton told Matchroom Boxing’s Talk the Talk YouTube show.
“Darragh MacAnthony is alluding he’s going to go bizarre. I’d go nuts as well. It’s out of order. We’ve got to finish the league.”
BAME request
The Professional Footballers’ Association has asked the Premier League to conduct extra research into the possible effects of coronavirus on black and ethnic minority players.
The request was made as clubs are due to go back to training this week after the Premier League’s protocols was unanimously approved by the 20 top-flight clubs in Monday’s shareholder meeting.
The Guardian reports that a substantial number of BAME players have expressed strong concerns to the players’ union over a return - including Watford captain Troy Deeney, who has said he will not be joining club training because of health concerns.
Data from the UK Office for National Statistics suggest that black people are four times more likely to die of coronavirus than white people and that a greater risk of death existed even after removing factors such as deprivation or existing health conditions.
Mark Gillett, the Premier League’s medical adviser, has said that the league would be monitoring the risk to BAME players, stating: “We will do everything we can to mitigate against [the risk] … as more information becomes available but the risk in young fit athletes is still very small and I think that is an important factor.”
As of Monday 18th May, almost 250,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK and there has been just under 35,000 deaths, the highest number across Europe.
The Premier League is pushing ahead with Project Restart plans to resume the 2019/20 season from mid-June behind closed doors and has been encouraged by the Bundesliga’s own return to action at the weekend.
Danny Rose
The Newcastle defender has been speaking about those comments over returning to football.
"I didn't think too much to it and then I was having my breakfast the next day and I saw Steve Bruce come up on my phone," he told the Lockdown Tactics podcast.
"I was like, 'Oh no!' I let it ring for 30 seconds and then thought, 'Nah, I need to answer this'. So I've gone into the room and yeah I spoke to him and he just said, 'I need to word things a bit better if I'm going to do things like that'."
Hull oppose restart
Hull City have been revealed as the first club to oppose to restarting the Championship season.
Ehab Allam, the club’s vice-chairman, has written to EFL chairman Rick Parry and the 23 rival Championship clubs to outline his "serious concerns" over football's return amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been previously reported that five second-tier clubs are rebelling against a season restart, with three said to be from Yorkshire, with Hull City being the first club.
The Hull City chief has claimed the club will face costs of around £1.2million in failing to complete the season and addresses his fears over sporting integrity, revealing that he will vote against potential changes to contract extensions beyond June 30.
The Tigers sit one place and two points above the relegation places having failed to win a Championship match since New Year's Day.
Mertens could stay
Reports in Italy says Napoli forward Dries Mertens could stay with the club after a new contract offer.
The Belgian was expected to leave Naples on free this summer once his contract expired, with Newcastle, Inter and Liverpool reported to be keen on landing the 33-year-old.
However, Sky Italia's Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Napoli have now matched Inter's contract offer, and Mertens will stay at Napoli.
Football lockdown survey
No part of regular life has been untouched since COVID-19 entered the world – including our beloved football.
Every weekend used to be filled with the buzz, adrenaline, elation and despair of following Newcastle United, but for the past two months, that has been lacking as all competitive action in England was put on hiatus.
In the weeks since, debate has raged about its return: Should it happen? When will it come back? Is it truly worth resuming the 2019/20 season?
At ChronicleLive, we have decided to put this all to you, the supporter, as we ask you to take part in our Great Big Football Lockdown Survey.
We want your thoughts on everything surrounding the return of football; if it should happen, when it should come back, and how you think the season should be concluded when safe to do so.
After Monday’s news from the Premier League that clubs are allowed to resume training – under restriction – on Tuesday, there is no time like now to hear what you think about the return of football under lockdown.
We ask you to click on this link to take part in the survey and tell us your opinions. We want to paint a true picture of what football fans up and down the country think of the current situation.
We are living through history, and this is your chance to help us record it.
Stay safe.
