GATESHEAD — Friday could well be the most important day of Newcastle United’s season.
July 31: ring it in your black and white calendars.
That is when captain Bruno Guimaraes is slated to return to pre-season training before flying out to La Manga for a week-long camp that they can’t afford to become a circus to rival last year’s tour of the Far East.
Back then, Alexander Isak was engineering the longest and bitterest of goodbyes as Newcastle struggled to contain the narrative from the other side of the globe.
In truth, neither player nor club has ever really recovered.
The 28-year-old is due to return to Newcastle on Friday (Photo: Getty)
It is why all eyes are on the returning Guimaraes, who has let it be known he would like to move to Arsenal.
Unlike with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, however, there will be no quick deal.
Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur met – and in the case of Tonali surpassed – Newcastle’s valuation of those two players but Arsenal’s offer is, in the words of one source, “at least” £10m shy of theirs.
What they don’t know, though, is how Guimaraes is going to play it.
Privately he was unhappy with Isak’s conduct last summer but football moves quickly and he wants to compete for Champions League and Premier League titles.
Newcastle seem to be heading into a transition phase and for a player who turns 29 this year, Arsenal’s appeal is understandable.
Could he go on strike? Or at least muddy the waters by returning with focus or fitness issues that prevent him from going to Spain with the rest of the squad?
Eddie Howe admits he ‘doesn’t know what will happen with Bruno’ (Photo: Getty)
If either of those things happen, alarm bells will go off at St James’ Park.
Arsenal would smell blood in the water and feel three weeks of innuendo surrounding Guimaraes’ future – without a formal bid at the time of writing – had been justified.
For Newcastle, there would be a decision to make.
Draw a line in the sand and refuse to be pushed around unless Arsenal meet their valuation, or cut their losses and talk turkey with the Gunners.
As appealing as the first option might sound, and goodness only knows supporters are looking for the Magpies to bear their teeth after a sobering 12 months, it also comes with the risk of the saga consuming the club like Isak-gate did.
The perfect scenario for Newcastle, and one insiders still believe, perhaps optimistically, will come to pass, is that Guimaraes returns, respects the club, lets the transfer play out and gets his head down.
“There is nothing to say that Bruno won’t be back training with us,” Eddie Howe said on Saturday after watching his team start pre-season with a 1-1 draw at Gateshead.
He described Guimaraes as “fantastic”, a “great player” and a “great person”.
Howe added they have spoken several times during the summer, including after a World Cup in which Guimaraes’ penalty miss contributed to Brazil’s shock exit to Norway.
He, though, was hedging his bets, saying he “doesn’t know what will happen with Bruno” but also emphasising the club want to keep him.
New signing Sean Steur impressed in a pre-season friendly against Gateshead (Photo: Getty)
It all felt a bit messy, in truth.
You could say the same about the state Newcastle are in right now.
There were more than 7,000 fans at Gateshead on Saturday but plenty of empty seats, too.
For all that the Magpies are hoovering up promising talent in the transfer market, it is difficult not to feel anxious about the club’s direction given they have missed out on two players who would have gone straight into their starting XI and signed four who need time to develop and might not start when the serious stuff gets underway against Liverpool next month.
You can see what they are trying to do in the face of suffocating financial rules and Sean Steur, the 18-year-old midfielder signed from Ajax earlier this month, looked tidy against National League opponents.
He models his game on Kevin De Bruyne and it was a balm to hear him speak in glowing terms afterwards about Newcastle, its pull and the club’s vision.
Leicester City are the runaway favourites to win League One before a ball has been kicked. No one at the club needs reminding how little that means.
Last season the Foxes started with Marti Cifuentes in the dugout and hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League. They ended it with Gary Rowett as manager and relegation to the third tier.
A six-point deduction proved crucial given they finished five points off safety, and after breaching financial rules, this summer has been one of upheaval – and more importantly, goodbyes.
Clearout: every expensive player must go
Rowett is gone. He was only appointed on a short-term basis and the club have instead turned to Russell Martin, Leicester’s seventh permanent manager since Brendan Rodgers left in 2023.
Martin guided Southampton to the Premier League in 2024 before an ill-fated 123-day spell at Rangers last season, and Leicester have overlooked that tumultuous reign and put faith in the 40-year-old overseeing a vital rebuild.
Russell Martin is the new head coach at Leicester (Photo: Getty)
Crucial to this overhaul has been a vast number of departures, players signed when Leicester City were a Premier League side with lofty ambitions.
That made for the biggest wage bill in the Championship last season, and has resulted in Harry Winks being sold to Italian side Cagliari, while captain Ricardo Pereira, Jordan Ayew, Patson Daka and Jamaal Lascelles were all released.
Leicester then terminated Jannik Vestergaard’s contract by mutual agreement last week.
Winks, Pereira, Daka, Lascelles and Vestergaard were five of Leicester’s six biggest earners last season, per Capology, with Boubakary Soumare the sixth on that list before leaving for Qatari side Al-Duhail in January.
Combined, their salaries along with Ayew’s makes for £24.2m in yearly wages – more than 50 per cent of Leicester’s overall bill last term. The Foxes have also sold teenager Jeremy Monga to Manchester City for an initial £10m, offloading promising talent in return for greater stability.
And: reset.
Leicester’s search for a bargain continues
Leicester City unveiled new signing Conor Chaplin last week (Photo: Getty)
After being stuck with players on top-tier wages in the Championship, now Leicester are after players with second-tier experience for their go in League One.
No surprises either that their two signings so far have been free agents. Former Ipswich Town forward Conor Chaplin joined, with goalkeeper Alex McCarthy following suit last week after being released by Southampton.
Further incomings are expected soon, but Danny Ings’ move is reportedly off. Leicester’s need for forwards is evident after Ayew, Daka and Monga all left, and their Ings pursuit suggests another bargain will be sought out.
Change higher up at Leicester?
The biggest change this season could come away from the pitch for Leicester.
Leicester’s Thai owners are exploring a possible sale of the club, The Financial Times reported on Wednesday, with King Power International Group having held the keys since 2010.
Leicester were deducted six points for breaches in February, while supporters feared for the team’s future and repeatedly protested against their owners last season, calling for chief football officer Jon Rudkin to leave and owner Khun Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha to sell the club.
Khun Top’s interest has drifted, visibly in terms of his scarce appearances at King Power Stadium. “Maybe it’s my fault, I used to talk to the fans and the media, but I have responsibilities here in Thailand a lot,” he acknowledged last November.
Now in the shop window as a club, a strong start and promise of a swift Championship return would surely entice potential buyers.
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It already looked like this would be a summer of profound change at Liverpool, with chief executive Michael Edwards leaving Fenway Sports Group and director of football Richard Hughes to join Al-Hilal in September.
Some industry observers have speculated that this could mark the beginning of a “long goodbye” for FSG.
The group’s willingness to discuss selling a significant stake is seen by some as an acknowledgement that, with the club valued at nearly £4.5bn, it may be an opportune moment to gauge interest.
FSG insists the discussions are aimed at injecting more capital rather than walking away and says it is not discussing a full sale at this stage.
But the emergence of Jeff Bezos as a potential partner in a consortium led by Amit Bhatia, the former Queens Park Rangers owner and son-in-law of billionaire steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, suggests there is a heavyweight feel to potential takeover talks.
Bezos is the headline grabber, the Amazon founder with an estimated worth of £191bn.
He is yet to get involved in sports and has never professed a love for football but sources believe he – like many of the other so-called “tech bros” – is taking an active interest in the Premier League because of its global popularity.
“This would be a soft launch into that space,” one source told The i Paper. “The size of the investment would be peanuts but he can test the water for something bigger so I can see why this structure of a deal would appeal to him.”
What is in it for Bezos?
The American entrepreneur has never shown an interest in football – until now (Photo: Getty)
Ego. When you have all the money in the world, it is hard to keep it under control. The richer you get, the more it gets naturally inflated. And it starts to make decisions for you.
“When spending time with these wealthy guys, you learn that a lot of the decisions that they make are not 100 per cent financially related,” Andre Da Costa, advisor to English clubs looking to attract American owners and co-host of The Soccer Business podcast, tells The i Paper.
“They are what we call post-economic. They already made billions, so they’re not looking just for a financial return. I was in the UK three weeks ago. I met with an American owner and we’re having a conversation about what he was trying to do. He says ‘my peer group were challenging me to be successful in European football. That’s the real game.
“It’s easy to do in the US. It was an ego play in the healthiest way possible of him challenging himself. There is an element that we forget about the personal fulfilment in these moves, the ego of being able to show people that you can do it. You can do better than the next guy. Liverpool have much to prove right now – they are perfect for massaging egos.”
Perhaps what is most startling about Bezos’ potential involvement in this deal is he is not a sports fan, and has never invested in any team before, in the US or overseas.
But that has not stopped the myriad of other American investors spending their millions on English clubs at all levels.
While football teams on the whole don’t make any money, the chance to have influence on such a global obsession is just too hard to resist for the rich and powerful.
“When you look across the pond, there is an asymmetric upside,” Da Costa adds. “These clubs have these rabid fan bases. They are credible, historical institutions. There is nothing close to English football in terms of global interest.
“But the hardest thing for American investors to wrap their heads around is how these clubs, with all that attention and eyeballs, can lose an outstanding amount of money on a year-to-year basis.
“The only way to influence that is to take control. The more American capital that we get into English football, the more we’re going to see new regulations and different types of financial control. And we’re seeing that with SCR [squad cost ratio] being implemented in both the Premier League and the Championship.
“And it will go beyond that. I was speaking to a very prominent EFL club owner and he was like ‘these hydration breaks are great. I want them to come to the EFL. We need to be able to generate more revenue for our broadcasting partners because we need more money for our media rights. And they’re in negotiations.”
What is the potential impact on Liverpool?
Liverpool look in need of a rebuid after a disappointing Premier League title defence (Photo: Getty)
Anyone thinking it will make a huge impact on the pitch is probably barking up the wrong tree.
Bezos and Bhatia would be able to draw from vast reserves of wealth, of course, but Uefa and Premier League regulations – which Liverpool have enthusiastically supported – limit how much you can spend.
Equity injections on off-the-field projects are allowed but throwing money at transfers isn’t.
And there has been little to suggest that American investors want that model anyway.
“It wouldn’t be about dropping a load of money into the first team and buying new players,” Professor Rob Wilson, a football finance expert and programme director at the University Campus of Football Business, says.
“It would be about business continuity. You can’t do a Roman Abramovich these days. How do you establish a major business enterprise that can generate vast swathes of revenue and grow the size of the entity we’ve purchased?”
The addition of Bezos – and the doors it potentially unlocks to the Amazon empire – could boost Liverpool’s revenues. There could be link ups on video on demand, merchandise and data sharing, known as “verticals”.
“Amazon are a huge user and receiver of data so there’d be some neat activations they could do to increase product flow, merchandising and access to new markets – the buzz words boards look to achieve,” Wilson says.
“It’d be a win-win from that perspective.”
What does it mean for FSG?
Richard Hughes is among a number of high-profile exits at Anfield this summer (Photo: Getty)
Plenty of questions. The high-profile departures behind the scenes have created a sense of flux at Anfield and Hughes’ imminent departure – as reported by The i Paper back in May – means there will be an overhaul at executive level.
Edwards left because FSG’s interest in buying clubs and establishing multi-club model dwindled. That was further food for thought. So far they have had a low-key transfer window, although insiders insist there is scope to make big additions and Bournemouth’s Rayan is on their long-term hitlist.
FSG regards much of this talk as “noise” and have been consistent on the need for outside investment but given the valuation of the club is now £4.5bn, finding those investors and partners is not easy.
“The valuation of Premier League clubs means we’ve whittled down the potential pool of owners down to the mega-rich individuals like Jeff Bezos, private equity companies or sovereign wealth funds,” Wilson says.
“That kind of wealth also means timelines for return of investment are much longer, too.”
If a deal did go through, the structure of the club would be fascinating. Would Bezos really be happy to take a backseat? And would Bhatia want to spend more than a billion to have no say on what goes on at Anfield?
There are more questions than answers about possible investment.
What are fans thinking?
Some Liverpool fans will wonder if Bezos is a good fit (Photo: Getty)
There is mixed emotions among Liverpool fans, according to Redmen TV’s Dan Clubbe.
While some see the pound signs, others fret about what change in ownership structure might mean in the long-term.
For all that they have made missteps, FSG has tended to listen to supporters and performed U-turns if things have gone down badly.
“It does feel like the beginning of the end for FSG at Liverpool because of the sheer wealth involved,” Clubbe says.
“I’ve had a hunch for a while they’re getting itchy feet and wondered what an exit might look like given the way prices are going up in the transfer market. That’s in no small part down to Liverpool, we’ve played our part in that, but I don’t think it’s a place they’re particular comfortable in and there may be movement towards selling a stake with maybe a view to something bigger.
“It’s a minority stake but it’s a significant stake.”
On Bezos’ involvement, Clubbe admits there will be some who look at his track record in business and wonder if it is a good fit for a club that retains strong socialist roots and has reacted strongly to possible Middle Eastern interest recently.
But he also acknowledges that the money involved in the top flight now means the perfect owner might not exist.
“Football sold its soul many years ago and the days of having local businessmen with the best interests of the club at its heart are gone,” he says.
“I’d love to have the owner of Liverpool hail from West Derby or Huyton but it’s not realistic. There’s no perfect owner – FSG has made massive missteps, and then rowed them back.
“The [Jeff] Bezos thing is intriguing. It adds an extra element of star power because the riches are so rich and there’s controversy around how he’s operated his businesses. A lot of fans will look purely at the numbers involved and will go ‘It means we can do what we want in the market’ while other fans in a city with socialist roots will not like it.
“Football ownership is the sphere of the mega-rich now so you sort of have to swallow it and move on, provided they’re not absolutely horrendous.”
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Newcastle United will look to inject some experience and know-how in the final 40 days of a recruitment drive that has already transformed Eddie Howe’s squad.
The i Paper understands that Newcastle are close to completing additional signings after agreeing a deal for Monaco’s Aladji Bamba.
The highly-rated midfielder is set to join for £30m, with the transfer potentially finalised before Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Gateshead.
A first-choice goalkeeper is a priority while full-backs and a right-sided forward are also on the agenda.
Not everyone will necessarily follow the age profile of the four summer signings so far, however.
“We believe we’re making some intelligent bets – but we know there needs to be a balance,” a source said.
Why Newcastle have signed Bamba
The 20-year-old midfielder arrives from Monaco for a £30m fee (Photo: Getty)
Although he can play as a No 8, Bamba is being signed as the defensive-minded No 6 that Newcastle have coveted all summer to give Howe’s side a new dimension next season.
There is real satisfaction inside St James’ Park at the deal and how Newcastle managed to keep it under wraps until the player was on a private jet flying over Leeds en route to the club’s training ground.
While not a like-for-like replacement, Bamba is viewed as a successor to Sandro Tonali in a squad overhaul that has seen Newcastle sign four players with an average age of 19.5.
Sources stress that both Bamba and Sean Steur, the Ajax midfielder they beat off competition to sign earlier this month, are “ready to go” and will be expected to rack up plenty of first-team minutes next season.
But at the same time, an element of patience may be required.
What happens next
The Magpies missed out on Aston Villa’s Johan Manzambi (Photo: Getty)
There is a consistent message coming from the club that they still want another “three or four” in the remaining days of the transfer window and are working on a “multitude of deals”.
Despite frustration among some supporters over Newcastle’s summer business, the club appears to be sticking to a clear recruitment strategy.
Although moves for Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi ended in disappointment after they joined Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively, Newcastle have been able to pivot quickly to alternative options.
Bamba is one of those and, according to sources, has been “on the radar from day one”.
He is regarded as a player with significant potential and is expected to join up with the squad in time for the club’s training camp in La Manga next month.
The latest on Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes has expressed his desire to leave St James’ Park (Photo: Getty)
Doing business early was a priority for Newcastle, but there are still several key positions to strengthen.
They must also fend off interest in Guimaraes, who remains a target for Arsenal.
With Newcastle set to field a younger squad next season, the club see the 28-year-old captain as a key figure.
However, Guimaraes is unsettled and ideally wants the chance to move to the Emirates.
The Premier League champions have been informed Newcastle would seek a fee close to the one received for Tonali, but have yet to make a formal offer.
As The i Paper reported on Tuesday that possibility was dialled down in recent weeks, with Newcastle claiming that the only contact came when Manchester City mentioned him during talks over Tonali’s future.
Potential exits
The Magpies are also open to departures, with Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock available.
Besiktas have been linked with Willock, although their interest is understood to be at an early stage.
With just a year of his contract left, the club would ideally like to move him on.
Another addition will help shift the narrative around Newcastle as they begin their pre-season schedule this weekend.
While there is lots of work to do to bring them to the level required they have secured good prices for Anthony Gordon and Tonali, brokering a £92.5m fee with Tottenham Hotspur that “surpassed expectations” for the Italy midfielder.
That they have added four players, lowered the wage bill and added legs and energy is encouraging.
But signing those with so little experience is clearly a risk, which is why retaining Guimaraes and adding more seasoned pros in the last days of the transfer window feels critical.
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An already fractious relationship is now at breaking point, on the eve of a new season that was supposed to represent the perfect opportunity to start afresh.
Instead, hundreds of Manchester United supporters, some of whom have been attending games for decades, have been contacted by the club as they are suspected of being a ticketing tout.
The social media backlash has been vitriolic, to put it mildly. A club, who have done much to irk their own since co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos came on board, are now targeting their most loyal.
For the first time, influential fan groups have joined together to call for an end to the ongoing process and the retraction of any unproven suspensions.
“It is diabolical,” one disgruntled season ticket holder of 25 years tells The i Paper after receiving the dreaded email.
“We know why they are doing it: drive us season ticket holders out, then day-trippers, who spend all their money in the club shop and on food, replace us.
“As ever with Ratcliffe, money comes first.”
The issue is much more complex than many supporters realise, however.
A flawed system from the off
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting measures are proving controversial at Old Trafford (Photo: Getty)
When contacting supporters, with two rounds of emails already sent out, United are seeking an explanation from fans who have given their login credentials to more than six different people, where their e-tickets can be accessed and shared.
This appears as unusual and isn’t going to flag someone who is just logging into their dad’s account, despite claims on social media to the contrary.
The club, however, allow supporters to forward on away tickets to other season ticket holders, for example, at an unlimited rate.
So those who have been flagged for multiple account logins are often regular matchgoers who are doing nothing wrong.
“I manage all our groups’ applications, so we can coordinate,” Steve, a season ticket holder, tells The i Paper.
“We’re not doing anything against what the club says. We’re using the official forwarding system they state. They should be going after the people that log in on the app because that’s where the tickets are.
“We might be forwarding tickets from multiple account logins, but the club have got the data where the ticket is going and can see it is for other season ticket holders. I don’t see why they think what we are doing is touting, because surely they would then look and see if that ticket is being forwarded or it’s acquired from logging into the app by someone else.”
Despite supporters taking it upon themselves to warn the club, the system of adding season tickets to your own in the app could not be more susceptible to fraud.
All you need to do is get the season ticket number and name of another holder, and you are then free to use that to attend matches.
“Someone could get my number and then beat me to the turnstile the next match, simple as that,” another anonymous fan says. “We have told United there needs to be some form of two-factor authentication, a password or something, but no. And then they try blame us?”
‘If they have nothing to hide, why are they worried?’
The Red Devils have suffered a backlash ahead of the new season (Photo: Getty)
United are not the only club trying to crack down on touts.
This week, Liverpool have issued over 400 lifetime banning orders relating to illegal sales of tickets at their matches.
The club feel well within their rights to attempt to stamp out such activity. Sources added that no formal sanctions have been issued yet, United are simply restricting accounts and requesting information from supporters to prove they are not up to no good.
“They’ve not been banned, the club just want more information,” one supporter, who wished to remain anonymous, told The i Paper.
“If they have nothing to hide, why are they worried? Maybe other supporters with 10 years’ worth of loyalty points who follow the rules might get a better chance at away tickets now.”
The distribution of away tickets has been a controversial topic among United supporters for some time. Many of the people contacted are in the loyalty scheme and are almost guaranteed to get tickets for every away game, having been present and applied for everything for a prolonged period of time.
Some of these, so say some naysayers, are in the scheme as a result of sharing their tickets out with numerous others or even selling them on, for inflated fees, while keeping the loyalty points.
Going about it the wrong way
A crackdown on illegal resales is affecting some of the club’s most loyal fans (Photo: Getty)
What has caused the most consternation is how United are going about this process.
“They didn’t even tell us on this first wave of emails what it was, just that it was a suspicious activity on your account,” Steve adds. “Now you have to plead your innocence. Plead your innocence for what? They always come up with this ‘you’re guilty before proving yourself innocent’ approach.
“There has been pressure from MUST [Manchester United Supporters Trust] to change the sanctions process, but I know they are struggling with that. When United have done some data analysis to identify problems that have happened in the past, they’ve got it wrong. And it is happening again.”
United are aware that some rule-abiding supporters are being caught in the crossfire but remain resolute in their attempts to eradicate touting.
Sources insist restrictions are necessary because if they didn’t restrict the accounts while investigating, then touts with tickets for all games could just sell them on and profit from it.
Is this all a ruse for something entirely different?
The club are adamant this is not a revenue-driving scheme and that any revoked season ticket will be resold as another season ticket.
“I believe this is directly related to simply raising prices and attracting non-season ticket revenue,” Professor Rob Wilson, a football finance expert and programme director at the University Campus of Football Business, tells The i Paper.
“While some call them sport tourists, ad hoc attendees are becoming a crucial revenue stream for clubs. They spend more on their ticket and spend more on a match day. It’s an uncomfortable truth about modern football economics.
“It’s fair to say an average season ticket holder probably spends £20-30 at the stadium, at most. A one-off visitor will spend five times that amount. And then if we look at hospitality ticket goers that number is likely £750-1,000 per person, including the ticket for bog standard corporate. Hence they are trying to squeeze in more.”
Old Trafford regulars will take some convincing otherwise. Even if United do reallocate any season tickets taken away from those deemed to be touts, going to war with long-standing fans acts as a deterrent, putting off others from continuing to part with thousands of their hard-earned pounds.
And who will fill those free seats – big-spending tourists.
Just last year, season ticket holders behind the dugouts in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand were informed their seats would be converted into premium hospitality seats and they would be relocated, leading to mass protests at several games.
It is understood all emails calling for more information have been sent out. The question the club have to consider now is: was it all worth it?
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Everton are prepared to wait until the end of the transfer window to make their move for Jack Grealish, with the club looking to get a better deal this summer if they re-sign the Manchester City winger.
Once again, it is proving a complex transfer window at Hill Dickinson Stadium – where this summer’s priority is to strengthen the first XI rather than the entire squad overhaul that was required in 2025.
With Everton’s short-term aim to establish themselves in the category of clubs competing to be the “best of the rest” – think Aston Villa and Newcastle – improvement is clearly required.
CEO Angus Kinnear’s claim that he was “happily dissatisfied” with 13th place did not quite chime with the view among the fanbase that last season was an opportunity missed.
One way to remedy that is in the transfer market. But that is not easily achieved and in the background there remain two different agendas to satisfy.
Manager David Moyes is happiest working with proven quality while Everton’s influential transfer committee has one eye on the future and a recruitment profile that leans towards players with a high potential ceiling aged between 18-25.
We have completed the signing of Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee.
Marquee signing Hayden Hackney – of whom much is expected next season after the club sold him a pivotal role in their tilt to return to Europe – ticked both boxes.
But juggling competing priorities with a budget that may have to be supplemented by sales to protect their position under financial fair play rules in this transfer window is a challenge.
Grealish is a player Everton would make an exception for and there is certainly a desire to bring him back to Merseyside, where he enjoyed a fruitful loan spell last season. That transfer cost in the region of £12m and Everton do not want to commit that kind of money to another loan, which is the most likely path for him to return.
Grealish is also recovering from a serious injury and Everton would want to see how far along his recovery is before resuming talks with Manchester City, who are open to letting him leave again.
With Grealish in the final year of his contract, though, they want to maximise their return on the 30-year-old before he can leave on a free transfer.
It all points to some tough negotiations ahead, and potentially a decision in the later stages of next month about whether Grealish returns.
Everton’s transfer priority
Spurs defender Djed Spence had admirers at Everton (Photo: Getty)
In the meantime, the priority for Everton is to sign a new right-back. The club have considered a move for long-term target Brooke Norton-Cuffy, the 22-year-old Genoa full-back, but that deal does not have universal support among the club’s transfer power brokers, so they are looking at alternative targets.
Spurs defender Djed Spence had admirers at Everton but his excellent World Cup performances may now put him out of the club’s reach and Toffees’ sources indicate that they are prepared to play the waiting game for the “ideal” candidate to fill the right-back slot.
Jake O’Brien, who filled in towards the end of the season, and Merlin Rohl may end up deputising during pre-season.
Elsewhere, Everton are spinning plates on recruiting another midfielder, winger and a No 2 goalkeeper who can push Jordan Pickford.
A new striker does not appear to be on the cards. The club are “open to market opportunities” later in the transfer window but at the moment the plan is to continue into the new season with Thierno Barry and Beto.
Time will tell whether that gives them the sort of firepower required to improve on last season’s underwhelming 13th-placed finish.
Who could leave Everton?
There are varying degrees of uncertainty around the futures of Charly Alcaraz, Tim Iroegbunam and Mark Travers – who all have interest – while Idrissa Gueye is unlikely to accept fresh terms on offer from Everton.
Iroegbunam is well thought of and Everton would not let him go on the cheap – especially considering the midfield market this summer – but they have to have one eye on keeping their squad cost ratio as low as possible.
While they will not have a problem complying with the Premier League’s 85 per cent squad cost rule for clubs not in Europe, Everton’s aspiration to return to those competitions means they are trying to extract value from deals this summer.
So far they have done that in the backdrop of extortionate fees being paid elsewhere. Tyrique George, Hackney and Rohl all seem like the right age and price but there is clearly more work to do.
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A decade on from leaving the iconic Boleyn Ground for the unloved London Stadium, and a mere three years after winning the Europa Conference League, a major reality check now swirls around relegated West Ham United.
The Hammers’ history is, of course, feted with reassuringly grand tales of glamour. One suspects that sense of history is front and centre of the brochure to attract new talent amid a bleak transition to the Championship.
Inevitably, departures of key players and a significant round of recycling is under way. Now, transfer ingenuity is vital for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and new director of player recruitment Nils Koppen.
From a supporter perspective the hope is that, for prospective targets, West Ham will trade heavily on their name and, arguably, aura, as opposed to the humdrum potential of life in the Championship. They will also contend that the disappointment of relegation is offset slightly by the departures of unpopular directors Karren Brady and David Sullivan, although the latter remains the club’s largest single shareholder. Nevertheless, despite uncertainty over prospects a short-lived residence in the second tier is still expected.
With Koppen arriving at the Hammers earlier this month, it suggests a least a note of forward thinking for a club busy putting out fires. And the job facing the Belgian, who previously worked at Rangers, FC Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven, includes bringing value in terms of both experienced players and uncut diamonds with healthy sell-on value.
Who could leave?
Fullkrug’s career has failed to take off in east London (Photo: Getty)
Enforced change is part of the current landscape for West Ham. No player is off limits as a consequence of the drop. The sale of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur for £85m is excellent business, although the imminent exit of talisman Crysencio Summerville appears a harsher blow.
The winger and fan favourite is on the brink of moving to Roma for around £45m, despite interest from Aston Villa. Summerville’s impressive World Cup performances with the Netherlands have boosted both his marketability and a fee which Nuno can reinvest on more prosaic operators capable of settling into the earthy demands of the Championship.
While West Ham sources suggest there is no rush to sell Konstantinos Mavropanos, the reality is that the Greek stopper has his price. Valued at around £18m he is on the radar of clubs at home and abroad. The new “sell high, buy low” policy needs to kick in immediately, with the Hammers posting a loss of £104.2m last year.
James Ward-Prowse was loaned out to Burnley last term. Nuno would not be against allowing the 31-year-old to leave, although his vast experience might still tilt the head coach’s thinking as the ex-England international enters the final year of his contract. Similar consideration surrounds Tomas Soucek, in the same situation. Should West Ham lean on their know-how to get out of the Championship at the first attempt, or cash in for fairly modest fees?
Niclas Fullkrug struggled upon arrival in east London and the German forward’s career stagnated further with a disappointing loan spell at AC Milan in the second half of 2025-26. With two years left on his West Ham deal, even relatively modest offers will be welcomed. Meanwhile, winger Maxwel Cornet, on loan at Genoa last term, will be allowed to depart too.
Who could stay?
Castellanos is seen as a key player for West Ham’s season in the second tier (Photo: Getty)
With the understandable temptation to retain Ward-Prowse and Soucek for the time being, Jarrod Bowen’s decision to remain at West Ham represents the best news of the summer to date for fans. Such rare sense of loyalty by the Hammers’ captain and role model, who has signed a revised contract, is to be absolutely admired.
Bowen narrowly missed out on an England World Cup squad place and has been reassured by West Ham’s short term plans following discussions with key shareholder Daniel Kretinsky and board member Jiri Svarc.
Similarly, Taty Castellanos appears more likely at this point to remain than leave the London Stadium, despite interest from Everton. The Argentine forward netted seven goals in 22 appearances, only arriving at West Ham in January from Lazio, and appears to be on board for the Championship assault.
Who could come in?
Rangers defender John Souttar has been linked with a move to the capital (Photo: Getty)
With various positions requiring reinforcement, the east Londoners could look north of the border for squad-boosting value.
The Hammers have struggled to find an attacking creator since Lucas Paqueta left in January. Celtic’s Reo Hatate has made his wish to leave the Scottish champions clear – and the 28-year-old’s precise passing sensibilities and versatility across midfield is an attractive package. Koppen will have close up knowledge of the Japanese player’s qualities across Glasgow from his spell as Rangers sporting director.
Koppen’s time at Ibrox may also yield a strong centre -half in the shape of John Souttar. The Scotland international is a siege defender with deep European experience too. It would come as no surprise if Koppen recommends the Gers centre-half to Nuno. Souttar currently interests Leicester City, but a fresh start at a higher level would have greater appeal.
Ironically, Souttar’s brother, Harry, has been linked with a move to the Hammers from Leicester, his stock rising since featuring at the World Cup for Australia. However, West Ham face competition from Championship rivals Sheffield United and Stoke City.
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