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Former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has been offered a new role.

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Staveley was instrumental in brokering the 2021 takeover of Newcastle United led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. she left Newcastle alongside her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi in the summer of 2024.

Their departure resulted in the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s stake increasing to 85% and RB Sports & Media’s increasing to 15%. Staveley has since been linked with a return to football with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur having held talks to purchase a minority stake and attended matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It has been reported Staveley has been speaking to Qatari investors to make a £500million investment in the Premier League club.

Now Staveley has been offered another route back into football through her links with PIF and Saudi Arabia.

Amanda Staveley offered new PIF-linked role in Saudi Arabia

Following the announcement of the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, Staveley has been offered an ‘advisory role’ by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Saudi Arabia’s unopposed World Cup bid was approved by FIFA last month.

As per a report for City AM, Staveley’s close relationship with PIF despite her summer departure from Newcastle has resulted in her being consulted over the new role. While Staveley would not take up a formal position in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, her experience and contacts at clubs across Europe will likely see her used as a ‘sounding board’ as world football prepares for a second Winter World Cup in the Middle East.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar took place in November and December and resulted in the club football calendar being significantly altered. The change arguably worked in Newcastle’s favour at the time as the club ended up finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League in their first full season under PIF ownership.

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Eddie Howe believes Sven Botman can be like ‘a new signing’ for Newcastle United in 2025.

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Botman hasn’t featured for Newcastle since picking up a serious ACL injury in March 2024 that required surgery. The Dutch defender has been back in full training for over a month with only a recent illness hampering his return to action.

Botman played 60 minutes for Newcastle Under-21s last month as well as a further two training ground practice matches. The 24-year-old has been declared ‘available’ by Newcastle head coach Howe ahead of the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).

And with Newcastle set to be quiet in the transfer market Howe went on to admit the return of Botman would feel like a ‘new signing’ this month.

“It is a cliche but it's a good one,” Howe said. “It was the same with Sandro [Tonali] when he came back from his ban, although he'd been training with us and had been with us for a season, he was like a new signing.

“It gave the lads a big lift to have Sandy back available for selection and Sven will be exactly the same. He's been a massive player for us and a player the lads all like and like to play with, they have got total trust in him.

“So when he comes back into the group, it gives everyone a great feeling so [a new signing] is a good way of looking at it.”

Botman suffered an ACL injury early in the 2023-24 season but opted against surgery in an attempt to make a swift return to playing. He returned to playing after a few months but later suffered a second ACL injury that did require surgery.

“There was a period where of course he was disappointed because he was desperate to stay fit,” Howe added. “He had a lot to be fit for.

“He had the Euros coming up, it was a massive part of our season, so he was making every effort he could to stay fit and available for us in our pursuit of what we wanted to achieve that season, so it was a massive blow to lose him and I know how disappointed he was.

“But once the operation was agreed by all parties, I think he then quickly got his head around that. A long period of work - Sven is a very dedicated professional, he is very focused on his career.

“He wants to do well, so he's gone through a huge amount of work to get himself in the position that he is now and he looks good.

“He's been training for a period of time. Yes, he hasn't had the matchday experience with the team yet, but he's done everything else but that and I think he's physically in a very good place.”

Fabian Schar’s suspension and injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth will see Botman compete with Lloyd Kelly for the centre-back position alongside Dan Burn in the upcoming matches. Botman, Kelly and Burn are all left-footed and prefer playing in the same left centre-back position - leaving Howe with a selection dilemma.

The Newcastle head coach admitted: "With our two right-sided centre-halfs being out, Fabian's suspension and Emil injured, it's going to be difficult to find a right-sided solution."

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The Premier League have confirmed the match officials for Saturday’s match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

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Andy Madley will be the referee for the match as Newcastle eye a sixth straight win in all competitions when they visit Spurs in the early kick-off in North London. Madley last officiated a Newcastle match just a month ago as Eddie Howe’s side drew 3-3 with Liverpool at St James’ Park.

The match saw fans of both sides aggrieved by the officiating for being denied potential penalties in the match. Virgil van Dijk clattered into Anthony Gordon with his shoulder in an off-the-ball incident inside the penalty area that resulted in the Newcastle winger going down. Liverpool felt they should have had a penalty for a challenge from Sean Longstaff on Luis Diaz but Madley ultimately waved away the appeals.

Liverpool also had a penalty shout for Alexis Mac Allister’s strike hitting off the elbow of Dan Burn but the Newcastle defender’s arm was deemed to be in a natural position close to his body.

But Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe felt his side should have had a penalty after Alexander Isak went down under Jarrell Quansah’s challenge.

“I thought it was a penalty on Alex,” Howe said. “I haven’t seen the replay that was just my initial thought.”

But perhaps the most controversial moment at St James’ Park was Madley’s decision to blow the full-time whistle just as Newcastle were attacking in an attempt to win the game. Madley blew the full-time whistle just seconds after the minimum stoppage-time of five minutes had been played despite Newcastle scoring a 90th-minute equaliser and also having an extended stoppage to take a free-kick.

“I was surprised by the final whistle because we spent around two minutes on a free-kick in extra time so I was expecting seven minutes to be played but it’s 5:15 [into stoppage time] when he’s blown [for full-time],” Howe added. “So that was a blow because we looked like we were in a good position.”

Madley’s last Spurs game was a 4-1 win at home to West Ham United back in October which saw Hammers winger Mohammed Kudus sent off late on.

Madley will be assisted by Nick Hopton and Craig Taylor with Lewis Smith as fourth official. Chris Kavanagh will be video assistant referee for the match, assisted by Sian Massey-Ellis.

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Tottenham Hotspur will be without several first-team players for Saturday’s match against Newcastle United (12:30pm kick-off).

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Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has revealed full-back Destiny Udogie will be out of action for ‘around six weeks’ with a hamstring issue following the 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out. Rodrigo Bentancur is also suspended for the match following a yellow card against Wolves.

Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Mikey Moore and Micky van de Ven remain sidelined for Saturday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Postecoglou also revealed several unnamed members of his squad missed training in the build-up to the match due to illness.

“Destiny his hamstring, looks around six weeks for him,” Postecoglou said. “We lose Bentancur suspended. None of the injured ones are back yet. We've had a bit of an illness bug with a few not training.

“At this stage Richy and Mikey Moore are the next cabs off the rank, we're hoping next week. Ben, Micky and Romero all kind of around the same time, back end of January.”

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has declared Sven Botman ‘available’ for selection this weekend after almost 10 months out with an ACL injury. The Magpies will miss centre-back Fabian Schar through suspension while Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Nick Pope and Callum Wilson remain sidelined due to injury.

Newcastle head into the match on the back of five straight wins in all competitions. Howe’s side beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford last time out and will be looking to do the double over Spurs having won 2-1 at St James’ Park back in September.

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Eddie Howe has declared Sven Botman ‘available’ for selection for Newcastle United against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).

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Botman has been out for over nine months following an ACL injury picked up in March. But he was back in full training throughout December, barring a minor illness, and has played in a couple of practice matches as well as 60 minutes for Newcastle Under-21s.

With Fabian Schar banned for the fourth match this season following his yellow card against Manchester United, Howe will be forced to make changes to his defence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Schar was handed a three-match ban following a red card earlier in the season and will now miss the next two matches against Spurs and Arsenal due to separate Premier League and Carabao Cup bans.

Botman missed out on a place in the squad for the 2-0 win at Manchester United last time out as he was nursing an illness.

On Botman’s potential return, Howe said: “I've always said with Sven, he'd [be back] in and around the Christmas games.

“He's worked incredibly hard to get himself in a good condition. He's had three games, a lot of internal training as well so some match stimulus so he's certainly in and around my thoughts.

“I'll have to make a decision as to who I think best fits that position but great to have Sven in and around and available again.”

When asked if he would have reservations about putting Botman back into the side after such a long period without playing, Howe responded: “No, because you go through a process with the type of injury Sven's had, he's done and incredible amount of work.

“It's not like he's not had the training time with us, we've taken longer than maybe we normally would have done through respect for the injury that he had to try and make sure he had the best chance of staying fit and when he comes back, hitting the ground running which is absolutely vital.

“I've got a decision to make in terms of team selection but if Sven is in the squad it's because he's fit and available.”

Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles remain out injured, meaning only Botman and summer signing Lloyd Kelly are Newcastle’s only two natural centre-back options to play alongside Dan Burn in Schar’s absence.

But Kelly hasn’t featured for Newcastle since the 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham United in November. Kelly came into the side in place of the suspended Burn but had a match to forget at St James’ Park.

“They have [been limited] but that's down to the form of the lads that have played,” Howe said in response to Kelly’s opportunities in the side. “Lloyd is a versatile player who can play in a number of positions.

“The form of Dan and Fabian at the heart of defence has been really good of late so that's always a position that is diffiuclt for me to rotate too much.

“I prefer to keep a settled back four and not chop and change. The stability of your team is built on those relationships but Lloyd is training hard and training well and he's waiting for his chance.”

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Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe will be forced to make changes to his side for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur (12:30pm kick-off).

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Newcastle will be eyeing a sixth successive win in all competitions when they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League without key defender Fabian Schar. The Swiss centre-back was shown his fifth league booking of the season in the closing stages of the 2-0 win at Manchester United on Monday.

As a result he must serve a one-match suspension. He will also miss the first leg of the Carabao Cup at Arsenal due to a suspension in that competition. After his red card on the opening day against Southampton, Schar has now been suspended for five matches in total this season but remains the most-used player since Howe’s arrival at the club in 2021.

Emil Krafth previously came into the side in Schar’s absence at the start of the season but will be unavailable for the upcoming matches due to a broken collarbone. The versatile Swede has already been ruled out for 10 games in total for Newcastle having suffered his injury back in November.

It is likely he will miss at least two more matches, according to Howe. But Newcastle are set to be boosted by the return of Sven Botman this month after more than nine months out with an ACL injury.

Botman returned to action for Newcastle Under-21s last month and is in contention for selection in the upcoming matches.

“Sven will be in and around my thinking [for selection] for sure, as will a few other players. Emil Krafth won't make it back in time for the next game, but apart from that we should have everyone available."

But with Botman going so long without competitive football for Newcastle, Howe would ideally ease the defender back in if possible. The FA Cup third round tie at home to Bromley later this month has been pencilled in as an ideal match for the 24-year-old to get some good minutes under his belt.

Summer signing Lloyd Kelly is the most likely option to come into the side as he has remained part of the matchday squad over the festive period despite not getting on the pitch. His last appearance for the club came in the 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham United back in November.

Eddie Howe’s side head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having won five matches in a row in all competitions. They sit 5th in the Premier League table and know a win would draw them level on points, albeit temporarily, with Chelsea sat above them.

However, they have a patchy record away against Spurs of late, having been beaten on two of their last three visits there by an aggregate score of 9-2. However, sandwiched in between those defeats was a 2-1 win in October 2022.

The Magpies are in good form at the minute, whilst their hosts on Saturday have won just one of their last seven league games. Ange Postecoglou’s side were held by Wolves on Sunday and have a host of injury issues to deal with this weekend.

Spurs will certainly be without their first-choice goalkeeper Gugliemo Vicario and have huge doubts over both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Rodrigo Bentancur will also miss out through suspension.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, will be without Fabian Schar as he serves a one-match suspension for picking up five yellow cards in the league. Here, we take a look at the team that Howe could name for his side’s clash against Spurs on Saturday.

Do you agree with our picks? Follow us on our social media channels and let us know your thoughts there.

The Magpies head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in great form and will be confident of continuing that momentum against a Spurs side that have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches. Postecoglou’s squad has been decimated by injury issues with his options further depleted following their draw against Wolves on Sunday night.

Spurs will be without Rodrigo Bentancur through suspension whilst five others will also certainly miss the visit of Newcastle United. The Magpies, meanwhile, will be without Fabian Schar after he picked up a fifth Premier League booking of the season during their win at Old Trafford on Monday night.

Newcastle suffered a heavy defeat on their last visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just over 12 months ago, but have won back-to-back matches against Postecoglou’s side since that match. Here, we take a look at injury and suspension news from both camps ahead of Newcastle United’s trip to face Tottenham Hotspur:

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Newcastle United face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend aiming for six victories on the spin.

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Eddie Howe’s side comfortably defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night courtesy of two early strikes from Alexander Isak and Joelinton. It was an almost perfect night at the Theatre of Dreams, barring a suspension for Fabian Schar who will not be able to feature this weekend and an injury to Kieran Trippier which forced him off the field.

Here, we take a look at all the latest Newcastle United injury and suspension news ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur:

Jamaal Lascelles - ACL injury

Lascelles has been sidelined since March after picking up an ACL injury. He remains the club’s captain and a very important figure within the squad, despite his injury. Lascelles is slowly returning to fitness but remains a few weeks away from being available for selection. Estimated return date = Nottingham Forest (h) - 23/02/25

Sven Botman - ACL injury

Botman has had a couple of training matches and a run-out with the Under-21’s in recent times as he enters the final stages of his recovery from an ACL injury. Seeing the Dutchman back in the first-team will be a huge boost for Howe and one that has been eagerly-anticipated for nine months.

Whilst Botman will likely not be thrown straight into the starting XI, injuries and suspension in defence may mean he is part of the matchday squad that travels to north London at the weekend. Estimated return date = Tottenham Hotspur (a) - 04/01/25

Emil Krafth - broken collarbone

Krafth broke his collarbone in November and has been out of action ever since. He has returned to light training and could be available for selection in the not too distant future. Estimated return date = Bromley (h) - 12/01/25

Callum Wilson - hamstring injury

Wilson has suffered a fresh setback and will be out of action for the next couple of months. Wilson is likely to miss all of January with a return in February/March most likely for the striker. Estimated return date = Manchester City (a) - 15/02/25

Nick Pope - knee injury

Pope suffered a knee injury during their defeat to Brentford last month and has not been seen in action since. Howe has admitted that Pope’s injury is a ‘difficult’ one to put a timescale on. Howe said: “He’s doing okay.

“He was given a time frame initially where he got to rest and a couple of injections and his knee was feeling better. Quite when he’ll be fit is still a difficult one.” Estimated return date = Wolves (h) - 15/01/25

Fabian Schar - suspended

Schar was shown his fifth Premier League yellow card of the season against Manchester United and will be suspended for the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Schar will also miss the first-leg of their semi-final against Arsenal due to a separate Carabao Cup suspension. Estimated return date = Bromley (h) - 12/01/25

Kieran Trippier - leg injury

Trippier was withdrawn during the second-half of their win over the Red Devils on Monday night after suffering a leg injury. Hopefully he is available to face his former club. Estimated return date = Tottenham Hotspur (a) - 04/01/25

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Tottenham Hotspur will be without Rodrigo Bentancur for Saturday’s match against Newcastle United (12:30pm kick-off).

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Bentancur was shown his fifth yellow card of the season during the 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. The 27-year-old scored in the match having only recently returned from a seven-match suspension.

The Football Association handed Bentancur an extended suspension for breaching FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview in which he suggested his Spurs teammate Son Heung Min and all South Korean people ‘look the same’.

On Canal 10, Bentancur was asked to display the shirt of a Spurs player, to which he replied (translated from Spanish): “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

The 27-year-old quickly apologised and admitted it was ‘a very bad joke’. Bentancur’s apology was seemingly accepted by Son, who expressed his ‘love’ for the midfielder.

“I love him, I love him, there is no problem,” Son said when asked about Bentancur during a press conference.

Bentancur appealed the decision but it was dismissed following a hearing.

He returned from his suspension against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day but has now been hit with a fresh one-match suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the final match before the booking limit moved to 10. Bentancur, who came on as a late substitute and was booked during Spurs’ 2-1 defeat at Newcastle back in September, will now miss the reverse fixture.

Spurs head into the match having won just one of their last seven Premier League matches.