Hello and welcome to the Newcastle United live blog for Wednesday, April 17.
Rafa Benitez is busy preparing his players for the weekend clash with Southampton - and confidence is high in the camp following last week's win at Leicester.
With such a sizable gap between the Magpies and 18th-placed Cardiff, Benitez is looking up rather than down and will have his sights on finishing the final four games strongly. There is still lucrative Premier League prize money up for grabs, after all.
With survival secure, attention inevitably turns to Benitez's contract and Newcastle chiefs hope to come to an agreement with the Spaniard within the next fortnight.
Stick with us for all the latest from St James' Park and remember to follow our Instagram account ( @ChronicleNUFC ) and our NEW transfers Facebook group where you can get notifications to your phone when anything happens.
Key Events
Signing off with your top stories
Thanks for joining us!
Newcastle United sources play down talk of Matt Ritchie exit after reports of contract row emerge
Newcastle United star Florian Lejeune vows to come back “stronger” after successful knee operation
The numbers behind Isaac Hayden’s great 2019 form - and why it might price him out of a move
Rafa Benitez contract: When his Newcastle deal officially expires, and where we currently stand
Newcastle United looking to reward Sean Longstaff with a new improved contract
Newcastle United have been looked at by credible takeover parties
Worth keeping an eye on Liverpool vs Porto tonight..
If Liverpool get past Porto, as expected, then they will play Barcelona in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, May 7. Given how Newcastle are due to play Jurgen Klopp’s side on Sunday, May 5, that Premier League fixture will surely be re-arranged.
Newcastle United sources play down talk of Matt Ritchie exit after reports of contract row emerge
Sources close to Matt Ritchie have insisted that the Newcastle United winger has not held any talks about his future at St James’ Park .
The Scotland international woke up to a report suggesting he had been told to leave the club by Rafa Benitez .
Newcastle have made it clear they are looking to bring in younger players in the next few windows as the club revert back to their policy of signing players with resale value.
However, with Benitez’s future still uncertain - with no new deal signed yet - Toon sources say they are mystified by the reports linking with Ritchie with a summer exit.
Why Newcastle have turned to the 'miracle' doctor again
Rafa Benitez is a fan of knee specialist Prof Mariani because his operations only take between half an hour and 40 minutes - which means players encounter few problems when it comes to swelling or inflammation after surgery.
As a result, last summer, Lejeune could immediately start his rehabilitation at the clinic, backed by other sportsmen recovering from similar injuries.
With that ongoing support from fellow athletes, the lonely road back to kicking the ball again is not so devastating and Lejeune spent more than a month at the clinic before returning to Newcastle.
Remarkably, the centre-back was back in full training with his team-mates in November - which is not unusual for Prof Mariani patients. Lorenzo Insigne and Rolando Aarons, for example, made similar recoveries after Benitez sent the pair to the clinic.
We are not doing a race, Prof Mariani previously told ChronicleLive. Speedy means that when you see the knee of the patient’s, you have in your mind the plan so you don’t waste your time doing unnecessary steps.
You must be fast but you must also be very essential in your movements. You must also be precise, very precise. This is the secret.
My experience? Maybe that also helps because I spent a lot of time in pathological departments to try, to perform, to improve my techniques. In one word? The secret is study.
Lejeune was back playing for Newcastle’s reserves on December 10 and then stepped up for the first team in the FA Cup clash with Blackburn on January 5.
Every ACL tear is different but if the Frenchman makes a similar recovery this time around, he could return to first-team action in the autumn.
Nobby Solanon on Rondon
He’s been very good for the team and is top scorer.
Newcastle don’t have to spend massive money here.
Would they get a top level striker for £16.million if they don’t sign Rondon?
The answer is no.
Another striker will cost much more.
You have to keep the bulk of the players that have done a job here this season.
NEW: When does Rafa Benitez's contract run out
This from Lee Ryder.
United would like to get the deal tied up within the next two weeks, Benitez’s actual expiry date on his current deal is believed to be June 30.
U23s head to Hong Kong
Newcastle United Under-23s will face Brighton, Kashima Antlers and Yau Lee League Select in the group stages of the Hong Kong Football Club Citi Soccer Sevens in May.
The young Magpies will compete in Group C of the seven-a-side tournament - which the youngsters won in the Happy Valley last year - at the Hong Kong Football Club Stadium between 17th and 19th May.
United are one of eight British clubs set to take part in the 20th edition of the competition, along with Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Leicester City.
Kashima Antlers ply their trade in the J1 League - Japan’s top division - while Hong Kong’s Yau Lee League Select reached the quarter-finals of the competition in 2008 and 2012.
Scottish side Rangers, who were beaten by Newcastle in the 2018 final - with Cal Roberts scoring the golden goal to end Newcastle’s six-year wait for their second Citi Soccer Sevens title - will participate in Group D along with Wolves.
Newcastle first won the trophy back in 2012, with a team featuring Paul Dummett, James Tavernier and Lubo Satka, and will head out to Asia once again in their bid to retain the trophy for a third time.
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Lee Ryder on Matt Ritchie
Hearing that there have been no talks with Matt Ritchie on a new contract at this stage.
Former NUFC no.9 pleads with Mike Ashley
Give Rafa the money is the message from Ron McGarry.
You have got to take into consideration that this man [MA] is a businessman, he wants to make money.
He doesn’t just want to through money down the drain by a playing and giving him sixty or seventy thousand-pound a week. He looks into everything before it happens, the players in the past that we’ve bought haven’t been as good as the players we transferred, and that is where we’re lacking.
When we do go to buy, we seem to struggle to buy the right type of player. I know we would all love Rafa Benitez to get a £100 million but it’s about buying the right players, the right players at the right time.
Give him money, back the manager, but back the right type of player.
NEW: NUFC want new deal for midfielder
Sean Longstaff could be in line for another new deal writes Lee Ryder
It is believed that once the managerial situation at St James’ Park is resolved, Longstaff’s contract is set to be looked at again.
This is a smart move by Newcastle as a host of Premier League clubs started to scout Longstaff during his run in the senior side, not to mention England talent spotters who see him as one for the future.
Stadium plans...
ICYMI - this is had been a very popular read.
There is a long history of failed or mothballed projects to develop St James’ Park, Newcastle United’s cathedral on the hill.
From moving to Gosforth in the sixties to the Tyneside ‘San Siro’ in Leazes Park via a plan to position the club’s ground next to the River Tyne, there have been plenty of schemes to take St James’ Park to the next level.
But a radical plan drawn up for potential investors in the last five years – and recently seen by ChronicleLive in the wake of Tottenham’s new ground opening – has a different suggestion for SJP. The idea, controversially, would be to turn the pitch 90 degrees to add 17,000 to the capacity.
Ron McGarry on Salomon Rondon
Ron McGarry fired NUFC to the second division title in 1964-65 with 16 goals, as he did the no.9 shirt proud but what does he make of today’s current number nine?
‘He needs a bit more speed - he’s a little slow but he can hold the ball up, strike it, head it but it’s his pace... at times I’ve watched him and he’s been caught out a couple of times.
‘He’s gone too early, and he hasn’t come back when he should have done - for the one-two.
‘I suppose if had better players around him, like Beardsley was around Cole. Cole scored a lot of goals off Beardsley’s through balls, and that’s what Rondon wants.
‘He wants someone who can lay it through for him.
‘But it’s that little bit lack of pace that is beating him.’
RON McGARRY on SALOMON RONDON
This was taken from our special podcast.
JD boss on Mike Ashley
JD vs Sports Direct has been an ongoing battle for a long time - back in 2011 Mike Ashley predicted that he could ‘finish off’ his rival.
Today the share price of JD is nearly double of that of Sports Direct. Speaking to the Mail Online, Peter Cowgill, the chief executive of JD Sports, was asked about Mike Ashley’s prediction.
He said: ‘I don’t think his prediction was quite right.
‘Let’s hope he’s better with his gambling.’
Benitez - 'conditions must be met'
Speaking to Radio Marca, Rafa Benitez has once again reiterated his NUFC stance.
I am in contact with the club and I am waiting for answers to questions I have proposed to continue.
My family is in England and I am content here…but a series of conditions have to be met.
To stay, (we) need to sit down, talk well about the economic possibilities of the club and what direction we’re going in.
We have to mix experience and youth, that is the balance we have to achieve.
English teams have a lot of economic potentials and attract the best players.
That is good for big Premier League teams but it is a drawback for teams like ours.
Brighton's Shane Duffy calls for fight
Brighton are in serious trouble - two points off the drop zone.
Report - Benitez waiting for an answer
George Caulkin of The Times writes this morning
Rafa Benítez has had no response from Newcastle United three weeks after telling the club’s hierarchy what it will take to keep him at St James’ Park beyond the end of this season.
At Newcastle’s request, the manager submitted a wishlist in the week before their Premier League fixture at Arsenal on April 1, in the expectation that they would form the basis of contract negotiations. As of last night, he was still awaiting a reply, causing Benítez to seek clarification from the club; with only four games still to play, the clock is ticking.
Three weeks after submitting his contract wish list to Newcastle United (at their request), Rafa Benitez has heard nothing back.
Have avoided incremental updates like this as far as possible but the clock is ticking.
Hopefully there will be a positive response from the club; Lee Charnley is doing media briefings this week (not with me) on the club’s accounts and I’m sure he’ll be pushed on Rafa’s future.
NEW: PCP sources on NUFC deal
This from Ciaran Kelly.
Ashley is looking for up to three times the £134m he paid for the Magpies in 2007 and further investment is required beyond that when it comes to a revamp of the club’s training ground, academy and scouting network.
Amanda Staveley and Peter Kenyon were well aware of that when they did due diligence on the club’s books. Just as Kenyon dreams of returning to the front line in the Premier League, Staveley remains keen on owning a club in the top-flight - however fanciful that now appears.
All I can say is that we have great admiration for Newcastle and the fans,” a source close to PCP Partners told ChronicleLive. “Let’s see how things develop over the course of the next few months.”
Reports - Matt Ritch can leave NUFC
Reports from The Sun claim Matt Ritchie can leave NUFC.
MATT RITCHIE has been told he can leave Newcastle this summer - after having his request for a new deal rejected.
SunSport understands the Toon winger met manager Rafa Benitez for talks over his future last week.
During their discussions, Ritchie, who turns 30 in September, asked about an extension to his current contract which expires in 2021.
But Benitez informed the Scotland international he would not be given new terms because of his age.
And the Spaniard then gave Ritchie the green light to look for another club - if he wanted to try and secure one last bumper deal.
The news came as a shock to Ritchie, who has been one of the Toon’s stand-out stars of the season and is a fans’ favourite.
Lewis Gibson reveals why he left NUFC
Rising star Lewis Gibson has revealed why he left Newcastle United for Everton.
The Newcastle-born defender departed his boyhood club at the age of 17 in a major blow for United. An under-17 World Cup winner, Gibson has bounced back from a serious ankle injury to be named the Premier League 2 player of the month for March.
A ball playing defender with a rocket of a left-foot, he is earning rave reviews at Goodison Park and may even get a taste of first team football for the Toffees soon.
His departure was a strange one for a club that should be looking after its young players.
