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Newcastle United, with aspirations of qualifying Europe again this year, failed to make any major signings, whereas rivals like West Ham United, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion did.

Eddie Howe and his squad have been dealt a bad hand for the first-half of the campaign but the Magpies’ head coach has called for unity.

“I understand the fans frustration and I share it,” said Howe. “We’re all in it together. From ownership to me and supporters, we need one united cause - and that’s a cause against everyone we’re playing. What we can’t do as a football club is tear ourselves a part, we have to be united now more than ever. That’s starts from me, to the board and supporters.

“Whatever frustration people will feel, the biggest thing for me is to get behind the players and try and help them in every way. On the matchday, like the supporters have from day one, do the same. I think we are formidable force when we are linked together.”

For all the frustration, Howe’s side have indeed made a respectable start to the season, claiming four points from a possible six against Southampton and AFC Bournemouth, as well as beating Nottingham Forest in the second round of the Carabao Cup - a fixture where Sandro Tonali made his return after his 10-month ban.

United will hope their unbeaten start continues against Spurs today - and here’s the starting XI we’re predicting Howe to name.

Newcastle United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to St James’ Park looking to replicate historic wins in recent seasons

The pundits are split on whether Newcastle United will retain their unbeaten streak in 2024-25.

While the Magpies have been far from convincing, two wins and a draw is a solid start to a campaign. Newcastle advanced via a penalty shoot-out to the Carabao Cup third round in midweek - eliminating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

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That came just days after a fortunate trip to Bournemouth where United luckily escaped with a 1-1 draw following a controversial VAR check in stoppage time. A decent yet unconvincing start to the season has the experts divided on how Howe’s side will fare later today.

Paul Merson

“Tottenham had a brilliant result when they beat Everton 4-0 last weekend,” Merson wrote in his SportsKeeda column. “But I’m backing Newcastle to win this one. This is a real test for Spurs, especially considering they’re playing away from home.

“In the past, I’ve seen Tottenham getting destroyed on the road in this particular fixture, so it’s a big test for them psychologically as well. The fans at St James’ Park will definitely be up for this game. It’ll be a different atmosphere there on Sunday.

“Tottenham have a lot to lose here and if they come out of this test unscathed, it’ll be a huge positive for them. That second-half performance against Leicester did not really impress me. That is exactly why I feel Newcastle could beat them in this clash.”

Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham

Chris Sutton

“Eddie Howe's team haven't quite clicked,” he told the BBC. “I don't think it's a really settled Eddie Howe because he hasn't got the players in so far which I think he would've wanted.

“I thought Spurs were excellent against Everton. I think there will be goals in this game, there can't not be. But this will be toe-to-toe, this will be like a basketball match. I'm going to back Ange Postecoglou's Spurs.”

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has provided a positive injury update on Joe Willock.

Willock opened the scoring after just 18 seconds in the Magpies’ Carabao Cup win at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday but had to be replaced in the 15th minute because of a thigh injury.

The 25-year-old look devastated as he left the pitch on what was his first start since April. Last season, Willock was restricted to 14 appearances due a long-term Achilles injury.

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Howe admitted after the Forest game that the midfielder’s injury didn’t look good. But 48 hours on, United’s initial fears have seemingly been allayed.

"Joe had a scan yesterday [Thursday], an early scan,” said Howe. “It is relatively good news. I don't think it is a serious injury, but it is early, so we will re-scan again in a few days again just to confirm that."

The former Arsenal midfielder is expected to miss Sunday’s Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park, as is striker Callum Wilson, who is recovering from the back injury he sustained during the second week of pre-season.

It is hoped the 31-year-old can return in time for the visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers after the international break.

“Callum will be early season, a couple of games in I think,” Howe said on Tuesday. He’s making really good progress. He feels good and wants to push a bit faster but we’re just trying to manage his comeback.”

Meanwhile, Fabian Schar is suspended while Lewis Miley, Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are long-term injuries.

Former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has declined to comment on speculation regarding a potential investment in Tottenham Hotspur.

Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Staveley’s PCP Partners have raised £500million to invest in football with several clubs being looked at. Initial talks are said to have taken place with Rothschild & Co, an adviser to Spurs, over purchasing a minority stake.

The news came less than a week after Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi left Newcastle with their 5.7% acquired by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and RB Sports & Media. The new structure sees PIF hold an 85% stake while RB Sports & Media increased their stake to 15%.

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When asked about the Tottenham Hotspur links, Staveley told The Athletic: “Not much, I’m afraid. My preference would have been to stay with Newcastle, but life doesn’t always work out exactly how you want it to. Nothing is going to replicate that. I fell in love with Newcastle, the club and the people and that can’t change, but I didn’t want to get in Newcastle’s way. It’s got to be about what’s best for Newcastle.

“Mehrdad and I are keen to be hands-on. We’re hard-working people, I love to be very busy and to engage and I love football. Very sadly, we have to move on to other projects and that might involve us taking a stake in another club or buying another club and that’s difficult. But it’s possible.

“I don’t know what my future holds, but you can never move on from the love I have for Newcastle and I would love to come back for matches. I’m a Geordie now. I’m a Yorkshire Geordie, but I will always have that chemistry and that love.”

Staveley played a significant role in the £305m takeover of the Magpies in October 2021 before leading the club’s operations. A number of key positions have since been filled with Darren Eales as Chief Executive, Peter Silverstone as Chief Commercial Officer, Simon Capper as Chief Financial Officer, while Paul Mitchell was recently appointed as sporting director and James Bunce as performance director.

Amanda Staveley left Newcastle United a fortnight ago and has been linked with an instant return to Tottenham Hotspur

Football financial expert Stefan Borson has condemned Amanda Staveley to Tottenham Hotspur as “nonsense” despite recent reports.

Just days after the former minority owner left Tyneside, Bloomberg claimed she had expressed interest in Spurs. Chairman Daniel Levy publicly appealed to potential investors in April.

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The article claimed Staveley had raised £500million from investments and is keen to remain in football. Her involvement in brokering Manchester City’s and Newcastle’s historic takeovers makes the Ripon-based executive one of the most powerful women in English football.

A turbulent few months have included off-field legal battles - most notably with Greek shipping magnate Victor Restis - and Staveley selling her six per cent stake in Newcastle. The possibility of her returning to the fore with Spurs was met by jeers from Toon fans on social media.

However, monetary guru Borson is not convinced, questioning whether Staveley would accept a lesser role in North London. He told Football Insider: “It sounds like nonsense to me. It seems unlikely that she would go from a position of very significant influence to a very serious minority at Tottenham.

“Everybody in football knows Tottenham is available for investment or a sale at the right price. But they have very significant expectations on value, probably something like eight to nine times what Staveley and PIF paid for Newcastle.

“I think it’s pretty unlikely that she’s come out of Newcastle at whatever valuation she has, where she was clearly very influential and is just going to accept a very insignificant role at Spurs.”

Amanda Staveley’s departure from Newcastle United is now official.

Documents shared on Companies House on Monday confirmed the ‘Termination of Appointment of Amanda Louise Staveley as a director July 12, 2024’. It comes less than a fortnight after the Magpies announced changes to its ownership structure. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and RB Sports & Media have acquired Staveley’s 5.7% stake. PIF now own 85% of the club while RB Sports & Media hold 15%.

Staveley, along with husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, have stepped down from their respective operation roles at St James’ Park ahead of plotting their next business venture.

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Speaking about the pair’s departure last week, Newcastle CEO Darren Eales said: “A huge thank you to Amanda and Mehrdad for all they did. They were the ownership rather than the day to day and the management team are in place now. We’ve just had Paul Mitchell in as sporting director, Brad Miller as our chief operating officer so I feel like now we’ve actually got that c-suite team together to manage the club going forwards.

“They were a great help and a great resource because they were committed, they were keen. So from that perspective, you know, they were super helpful in terms of being people that cared about the club. But from an operational, day-to-day side they were ownership.

“This was an ownership decision jointly, a mutual decision. I think business opportunities, for Amanda and Mehrdad moving forward in terms of pursuing some other business ventures which I’m excited to see because they are very motivated. They’re a force of nature so I’m excited to see what they do next.

"Amanda and Mehrdad were very loved by the club and what a great job they did in terms of bringing an ownership group together. They were diligent, they stuck at it and had the tenacity to bring the takeover through so they are always going to be in the hearts of Newcastle fans for what they did.”

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According to Bloomberg, Staveley has Tottenham Hotspur as of a potential business opportunity.

Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners have reportedly raised £500m to invest in football and a number of clubs are being looked at. Despite leaving Tyneside, she remained well-connected in the gulf region having played a key role in both the Magpies and Manchester City’s takeovers in 2021 and 2008 respectively.

Bloomberg also understands that Ligue 1 side AS Monaco is one of a number of club which Staveley is keeping tabs on as she considers her next business venture.

Amanda Staveley’s departure from Newcastle United is now official.

Documents shared on Companies House on Monday confirmed the ‘Termination of Appointment of Amanda Louise Staveley as a director July 12, 2024’. It comes less than a fortnight after the Magpies announced changes to its ownership structure. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and RB Sports & Media have acquired Staveley’s 5.7% stake. PIF now own 85% of the club while RB Sports & Media hold 15%.

Staveley, along with husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, have stepped down from their respective operation roles at St James’ Park ahead of plotting their next business venture.

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Speaking about the pair’s departure last week, Newcastle CEO Darren Eales said: “A huge thank you to Amanda and Mehrdad for all they did. They were the ownership rather than the day to day and the management team are in place now. We’ve just had Paul Mitchell in as sporting director, Brad Miller as our chief operating officer so I feel like now we’ve actually got that c-suite team together to manage the club going forwards.

“They were a great help and a great resource because they were committed, they were keen. So from that perspective, you know, they were super helpful in terms of being people that cared about the club. But from an operational, day-to-day side they were ownership.

“This was an ownership decision jointly, a mutual decision. I think business opportunities, for Amanda and Mehrdad moving forward in terms of pursuing some other business ventures which I’m excited to see because they are very motivated. They’re a force of nature so I’m excited to see what they do next.

"Amanda and Mehrdad were very loved by the club and what a great job they did in terms of bringing an ownership group together. They were diligent, they stuck at it and had the tenacity to bring the takeover through so they are always going to be in the hearts of Newcastle fans for what they did.”

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According to Bloomberg, Staveley has Tottenham Hotspur as of a potential business opportunity.

Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners have reportedly raised £500m to invest in football and a number of clubs are being looked at. Despite leaving Tyneside, she remained well-connected in the gulf region having played a key role in both the Magpies and Manchester City’s takeovers in 2021 and 2008 respectively.

Bloomberg also understands that Ligue 1 side AS Monaco is one of a number of club which Staveley is keeping tabs on as she considers her next business venture.

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The latest transfer talk from St James Park as Newcastle United look to add more new faces to Eddie Howe’s squad.

Newcastle United’s attempts to strengthen their attacking options are reportedly being threatened by Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Alexander Isak will head into the new Premier League season as Eddie Howe’s first-choice striker after the Sweden international plundered his way to 25 goals in 40 appearances last season. The former Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund frontman has been linked with a move away from St James Park this summer but the Magpies are increasingly confident they can retain Isak’s services and are reportedly set to offer a new deal to the 24-year-old.

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Callum Wilson’s future at Newcastle remains unknown - although the England striker did return to pre-season training earlier this week. The former Bournemouth star has now entered into the last 12 months of his current contract and there have been suggestions West Ham United and a number of Saudi Arabian Pro League clubs have shown a keen interest in Wilson in recent weeks.

It seems likely United will try to bring in a new forward before the end of the summer transfer window no matter what happens with Wilson and the Magpies have been linked with moves for the likes of Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Stuttgart frontman Serhou Guirassy and Porto’s Evanilson in recent weeks. However, the most recent links have suggested Newcastle are keen to secure a deal for Lille striker Jonathan David as he continues to shine for club and country.

The 24-year-old has scored 84 goals in 183 appearances for the French club club and featured alongside current Magpies star Sven Botman in their Ligue 1 title win 2021 before helping them to a French Super Cup win during the following season. David has also shone with Canada after can boast an impressive tally of 27 goals in 53 appearances for his country. His latest strike came on Saturday night as Jesse Marsch’s side fell to a penalty shoot-out defeat in a Copa America third place play-off with Uruguay just days after losing to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semi-final.

Speaking during the tournament about his future at club level, David said: “There’s always a lot of noise. But I’m still here. I’m still at Lille. From there, we’ll see if I end up going back to Lille for preseason, or if I’m somewhere else, I don’t know. Things are obviously moving slow. I think things are going at the right pace. Obviously, I think everyone sees there’s a lot of clubs interested. Right now I’m still waiting for an offer to be put on the table to Lille. Then after, I’ll have to make a choice and make the right choice, whether it’s to leave, or to stay or what team do I pick, really.”

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Manchester United have been linked with a move for David over the last 12 months and TEAMtalk reported Newcastle entered talks with Lille over a possible move for the striker last week. The former Gent forward was said to be ‘considered a top target’ by the Magpies but journalist Pete O’Rourke has now claimed Spurs are keen to land the Canada star in a £25m deal and suggested manager Ange Postecoglou is ‘obsessed’ with securing a new striker ahead of the new season.

Newcastle United have appointed Paul Mitchell as their new sporting director following Dan Ashworth’s move to Manchester United.

Ashworth was placed on a gardening leave in February after revealing his intention to move to Old Trafford. It then took over five months for a compensation package to be agreed. The Magpies initially demanded £20million and arbitration had been considered before a deal was formally announced on Monday.

And the Magpies have moved quickly to get Mitchell in place. Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman turned down the role in May but United have arguably made a more suitable appointment when you consider Mitchell’s experience. The 42-year-old started in scouting and recruitment, initially at MK Dons, before prominent roles at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig, Red Bull Soccer International and AS Monaco.

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His recruitment success as director of scouting and analysis at Southampton helped the club to secure promotion back to the Premier League and become regular competitors in the top half of the table, despite having a lower budget.

Mitchell further cemented his reputation during a successful spell as head of recruitment at Tottenham Hotspur, where he signed the likes of Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier and Son Heung-min. He worked closely with Mauricio Pochettino, similar to the pair’s time at Southampton.

He then joined RB Leipzig in 2018 as head of recruitment and club development, combining traditional scouting with data-driven analysis, before moving into a new role as technical director in Red Bull's global football division.

In 2020, he joined AS Monaco as the club's sporting director, devising and implementing a long-term development plan and transforming the club’s performance and profile, as well as implementing improvements at Belgian club Cercle Brugge as part of the ownership's portfolio.

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Mitchell said: "It's with immense pride that I accept the responsibility of being Newcastle United's new sporting director.I've seen the recent growth and ambition of the club. This, plus the amazing fan base, made the decision to join an easy one.

"I can’t wait to get started and help continue the organisation's growth and long-term competitiveness in all areas of elite football performance."

Darren Eales, Newcastle United's CEO, said: "We are delighted to welcome Paul to Newcastle United. He brings a successful track record and wealth of experience to the club.

"His extensive and diverse experience in football leadership, cultural change and recruitment mean he is the ideal person to lead our sporting directorate. We look forward to working with Paul and supporting him in our pursuit of long-term, sustainable success."