Valencia (a) SOLD OUT
Bayer / Strasbourg (h) Public sale now
Liverpool (h) ST forwarding/resale now
Spurs (a) SOLD OUT
Bournemouth (h) Member sale Mon 10.08, 10am

2026/27:
Carabao Cup draw set 

The Carabao Cup First Round sees 35 ties involving teams from the Championship, League One and League Two staged across this weekend.

The draw for the Second Round including Newcastle United will take place this coming Monday night at around 7.20pm, preceding live coverage of the Plymouth v Exeter tie.

The Magpies are one of 11 Premier League clubs that enter what is a regionalised Second Round, to be played during the week commencing Monday 24.08.

That tie will take place between United's opening two Premier League fixtures, at home to Liverpool on Sunday 23.08 and away at Spurs on Saturday 29.08.

Update:
Bruno a Go(o)ner

Bruno Guimaraes will be joining Arsenal for a £75m fee, having met incoming boss Matthias Jaissle at the club's La Manga training camp and confirmed his wish to leave.

News broke on Monday of a failed first official bid from the Gunners, claimed to be around £69m, but their increased offer was accepted - with no other clubs in the running.

A payment structure has been agreed to assist NUFC meet their SCR (squad cost ratio) requirements and Bruno's former club Lyon reportedly have a sell-on clause.

The Brazilian international becomes the first player to move from Newcastle to Arsenal since defender Mathieu Debuchy back in 2014; Mikel Merino's journey from Tyneside to North London taking him via Real Sociedad.  

This continues what is already an unprecedented close season during which Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, previous club captain Kieran Trippier and of course manager Eddie Howe have all ended their time in Toon. 

Added to the sad loss of club legend Kevin Keegan, it's been a remarkable Summer, even for Newcastle United.

Listing the alterations to squad and staff since March 2025's Carabao Cup Final success at Wembley is a thankless task and that churn almost inevitably has an adverse effect on our reputation and effectiveness. With Bruno following Trippier down the road, leadership becomes even more of a concern.  

There are parallels with Alexander Isak last year with how Bruno has extricated himself from the club, but his legacy among fans seems less clear than that of the Swede, with something approaching sympathy for wanting a last big contract and an increased chance to win silverware.   

The loss of Howe in some ways makes it more palatable for the Brazilian to go now, although replacing his goals, assists and general talismanic value is another unwanted task for those in charge - and another potential disaster area.  

Like Isak though, if players want to go then there's little point in keeping them. As we've said before, if everything was so wonderful last season on the field, we'd not have endured a bottom half finish. Change was needed.

Rather than bemoaning the loss of players, the emphasis for us at times like this remains on who the next occupants of the black and white shirt are. That lesson was harshly learnt as a teenager when Peter Withe left, but became less and less emotional as it was perpetually repeated.

That's not to say that we'll not be giving our old boys grief when facing Spurs, Arsenal (and Liverpool) - sadly the opportunity of ridiculing the one who went to Barcelona won't present itself anytime soon....    

A reminder of CEO David Hopkinson's quotes shortly after joining the club*:

"By 2030, I see this club being in the debate about being the top club in the world. That's where I see us by 2030 - and that kind of progress doesn't take as long as you might think."

Strap yourself in for what should be an amazing three or four years then....

Meanwhile, Newcastle's relegation odds for the coming season have been slashed further. At this point, quite simply anything could happen.

* The appointment of Matthias Jaissle on Wednesday saw Hopkinson supply what may become equally notorious "Newcastle 2.0" quotes - see below.

Update:
At last, Matthias

Although he'd been overseeing the club's pre-season training in La Manga since the weekend, formal confirmation that Matthias Jaissle has been appointed in succession to Eddie Howe finally came from United on Wednesday night.

The 38 year-old German-born coach becomes the third youngest in the club's history, behind Richard Dinnis (34) and Ruud Gullit (35). 

He said:

"It is an incredible honour to become head coach of Newcastle United. This is one of the biggest clubs in European football, with a unique history, identity and supporter base, and I am excited to experience that passion and connection first-hand.

"When Newcastle United comes your way, you take notice. The ambition of the club, the vision for the future and the opportunity ahead made this an incredibly compelling place to be. I have followed the club's journey closely in recent years and the progress that has been made is clear for everyone to see.

"I am incredibly excited about the future. I fully and unreservedly believe in this project, the ambition and the direction the club is taking. There is a clear vision, strong leadership and an exceptional platform to build on.

"My teams are built on togetherness, hard work, intensity and a passion to improve every single day. I will bring full commitment, full energy and a determination to give everything I have to help this club achieve its ambitions.

"I believe there is enormous potential within this squad and throughout the football club. I am excited to work with the players, staff and leadership team to help take the club forward.

"I cannot wait to get started and will attack this opportunity. I give my complete commitment and total energy to bringing further success to Newcastle United."

Jaissle had been in charge of Al-Ahli since 2023. He arrives at Gallowgate with his own support staff of Alexander Hauser (assistant coach), Engin Yanova (assistant coach), Florens Koch (assistant coach), Maximillian Fischer (coach analyst), Steffen Konrad (coach analyst) and Alexander Bade (goalkeeper coach).

Geordie reset:
Land of Hop & glory?

Following belated confirmation of Matthias Jaissle's installation as Newcastle coach, The Athletic ran a piece including in-depth interview with club CEO David Hopkinson, which is now free to read online here

“We have a plan here, we have an ambition and we’re right on track. There’s no Newcastle 2.0 without Newcastle 1.0. It ignited this community and allowed us to dream. It brought us spectacular nights here, it brought us a trophy and a parade and watching those scenes is one of the reasons I decided to uproot my life and come here. It was a great chapter, but we were living beyond our means. And, at some point, you’ve got to pay the credit card bill.

"We’re going forwards, in a way that is built to last. We are pivoting in line with our reality, but we will surge forward from here and get into a position where we can win consistently. This Newcastle 2.0 team will be young, hungry, ambitious, relentless. They want to be here and they will fight for everything. This is exciting. This is transformational. This is intentional. Let’s go.”

"Eddie (Howe) is the architect, the leader, the author of Newcastle 1.0. He did an extraordinary job. There is so much about him I truly admire, including his total commitment. I’ve been in this business more than 30 years and I can’t think of anybody who outworks Eddie, but there’s nothing that gives that doesn’t also take. Eddie has done that at a tremendous cost, with time away from his family and, as his friend, I think it has impacted him.

"He loves this club so much, but when he put his hand up and said ‘I’m not sure I can go on’, we were faced with a choice. Do I talk him into staying or do we need to accept that answer and accept that Eddie knows what’s best for himself? Eddie also made this decision through a lens of what’s best for Newcastle and knowing we need a level of energy, passion, commitment and work that, in his own estimation, he’s unable to deliver right now.

"I’m still checking in on him because I really care about him. I think he’s going through a difficult period because of how much love he has for this club, but he’s made a really admirable decision to recognise that it’s time for a new voice, a new tone and a new leader. The guy is such a professional and he cares about this club so much that he said: ‘Please look for my replacement. But until then I’m here giving 100%’”

"We had a succession plan for Eddie, just as there’s a succession plan for every key role at the club, including mine and Ross’s. That is our duty. We have an incredible data team, we activated the plan and I believe we sifted through something like 178 names. We had a clear set of criteria of what we want from the manager that succeeds Eddie. MJ (Matthias Jiassle) fits every one and exceeds others that we hadn’t even contemplated. This guy’s a born winner.

"I’m not going to tell you what he’s going to do at Newcastle because that story is still to be written, but let me tell you what he’s done. He’s won six pieces of silverware in his young managerial career. He is high-impact. He is high-energy. He has a clear vision of what it takes to win. I have had the privilege of working with some extraordinary managers and coaches, Eddie being one, and this young man has no ceiling on where his career could go.

"This was not an easy conversation (with Jaissle). He was not sitting on the sidelines, figuring out what he’s going to do next for work. He was employed and delivering and he had earned the right already to be very selective about where he wants to go next and he’s chosen Newcastle.

"We have a shared conviction of what this club can be. We’re welcoming his leadership and his passion. The people here are going to fall in love with what he brings to Newcastle. Eddie leaves big shoes to fill. I have every confidence MJ is the right man to lead us into the future and build on everything Eddie has done for this club. This guy is really impressive. This guy is fire. He is a rock star.

“Newcastle 1.0 under Eddie’s leadership, under PIF’s ownership, delivered something that had not been seen here in decades and that was a wonderful outcome. 

"We need more of them. But that means it is also time to look at the lifestyle and make some short-term adjustments in order for us to compete for those trophies again on a consistent basis.”

“I’m not blaming anyone for the decision to overspend. I celebrate everyone who contributed to those transformational moments in the long history of this club. Our job now is to build from here. That means we’ve got to get our lifestyle commensurate to the regulatory environment and in line with our revenues.

"There’s a growth plan and we’re in the middle of executing it. Anchoring that growth plan is raising our revenues, so that we can move on to credibly and consistently compete. 

"It’s great we had a trophy here, but one in 70 years isn’t enough. That’s not consistently competing. Our ambition, our mission, is to deliver them with frequency.

“Ross (Wilson) is a spectacular executive, we work incredibly closely together and in the next chapter it will be him, MJ and I. We are completely aligned. Ross has been bringing in young athletes with high ceilings, huge growth potential, and we want to see that growth unlocked here at Newcastle.

"All successful clubs have some level of trading in their model, and we will going forward.

"Not only is PIF committed to Newcastle 2.0, they demand it, The ambition I’ve articulated has been generated in concert with the owners. I refer to the owners there because it’s not exclusively PIF, but also the Reuben family.

"I talk to our owners multiple times a day. They commit time, energy, people, resources, consulting, advice. They are the most leaned-in owners I’ve ever worked with. All they want to know is how they can help. 

"They challenge our thinking and push us. They’re absolutely extraordinary partners. There’s no one that wants to see Newcastle 2.0 succeed more than they do.”

U18s:
Tigers tie

Newcastle U18s  4  Hull City U8s  4

Wednesday saw United's U18 side in pre-season action, sharing eight goals with Hull City at Little Benton.

Home scorers included Sam Alabi and Alfie Seldon.

More to follow... 

U21s:
U21s learn NLC foes

Newcastle have once again entered their U21 side in the National League Cup and will play four group stage ties, visiting Boreham Wood, Hartlepool United, Solihull Moors and Tamworth.

Two dates have been announced by home clubs so far and by a process of elimination, the other two are tbc below:

Tue 18.08.2026 Tamworth v NUFC (7.45pm)
??? ??.09.2026 Boreham Wood v NUFC 
Tue 13.10.2026 Hartlepool V NUFC (7pm)
??? ??.11.2026 Solihull v NUFC  

Update:
Valencia (a)

Newcastle's next pre-season game - and the first since the departure of Eddie Howe - sees them head 175 miles north from La Manga to Valencia on Saturday.

Their opponents in a 9pm kick-off (8pm BST) at the Mestalla Stadium are a Valencia side who finished ninth in La Liga last season under Carlos Corberan - who previously managed both Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion.

Their most recent pre-season game was a 1-1 draw at Stoke City, which followed a training camp at the FA's St.George's Park facility.

Valencia don't have a game on the opening day of their domestic league season, opening up at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday August 22nd. 

The Magpies will be playing for the Trofeu Taronja (Orange Trophy), the 54th staging of Valencia's annual curtain-raiser, kicking off what should be their final season at the 1923 vintage Mestalla.

Although preparation works for the Nou Mestalla, three miles to the north of the current ground, began in 2007, it's only now that construction of the 70,000 capacity arena has advanced to the point that a 2027 opening date is likely.

This is Newcastle's first visit to the Mestalla, having faced Valencia at Gallowgate in pre-season back in 2008 when Damien Duff and James Milner goals secured a 2-1 win.

The initial away allocation was increased from 1,381 to 2,000 although the stadium won't be full, with some home areas not on sale. The hosts were gifting tickets in recent days to supporters who donated blood at the stadium!

This and United's other public pre-season games are available as paid live streams from NUFC here 

PS: Valencia's official Youtube channel is advertising live coverage of our game, but it's unclear whether there are territorial restrictions.

2026/27:
Spurs (a) extra train

FAO anyone looking to head north by train following the Spurs (a) game on Saturday August 29th:

In addition to the 21.03 LNER departure from London Kings Cross to Newcastle, there will now also be an earlier LNER departure at 20.33 from London Kings Cross to Newcastle.

Incoming:
Horni is a Geordie

Newcastle confirmed their fifth senior signing of the current transfer window on Monday morning, goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek joining from Portuguese side Sporting Braga.

Although the transfer fee is undisclosed, a £25.7m release clause was claimed for the 24 year-old Czech international custodian who has signed a five year contract.

Pulled out of Braga's Europa Conference tie last Thursday, Hornicek travelled to Spain for his medical before linking up with his new colleagues at their La Manga training camp.

He will be the third player from that country to play for the Magpies, following Pavel Srnicek and David Rozehnal.

Standing 6 foot 6 inches tall, Lukas was on the bench for all three of the Czech Republic's three ties at this summer's World Cup Finals in the USA, having won his first senior cap at the end of last season.

2026/27:
Ticket to ride

2026/27 Magpie Mover tickets are now on sale, allowing public transport use in Tyne & wear on home matchdays from three hours before kick-off until the end of service*

Held at £25 for each of the last four seasons, the price has increased to £35 this time round, with no concessions.

Available to season ticket holders, Magpie+ members are also eligible to purchase them as was the case last season - although pass validity depends on having a match ticket.

* competitive senior games only, no friendlies/U18/U21s.

Update:
Amandaland

From the BBC, Sunday:

Former West Ham co-owner David Gold's daughter Vanessa has confirmed the family plans to sell its shares in the club to a consortium headed by ex-Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley.

Gold's family had been holding discussions with Staveley's consortium, which also includes her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, over a 25% stake in the Championship club.

In a statement, Vanessa Gold said: "I have now reached an agreement to sell my family's shareholding to a consortium of PCP Capital Partners, led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, in partnership with Ashland Forest Capital Partners.

"While the process has not yet concluded, I wanted to be open with our fans about where things stand and my intentions."

Vanessa Gold added: "My ambition throughout this process has been to ensure the club has the right leadership and ownership to enable West Ham to achieve its potential and return to its rightful place in the Premier League.

"Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and PCP Capital Partners will bring deep experience and understanding of what it takes to lead a successful football club. I have every confidence in what she and her partners can bring to West Ham."

2026/27:
Hot and bothered

Bristol City  4  Newcastle  1

Match report

Match action

Loan lads:
The borrowers

Antonio Cordero (Cadiz):
Wednesday brought a 2-0 win over Granada in a training ground kickabout with our man completing 63 minutes.

Odysseas Vlachodimos (Seville):
Bayer Leverkusen (a) Friendly, Saturday.

Harrison Ashby (Luton Town):
Gillingham (a) Carabao Cup, Saturday.

Update:
Sho goes on

Newcastle have added a new Head of Corporate Affairs to their management team in the form of Shola Ameobi, who vacates his previous role of club loans co-ordinator.

Announcing the news, the club confirmed that Shola was part of the Premier League’s Executive Pathway Scheme in 2023 and graduated with a master’s degree in strategic leadership at Newcastle University in December 2025.

There's no mention of who will take on the "loan arranger" role, or whether the post will be filled at all. 

Update:
Squad updates

Senior players signed (5):
Aladji Bamba, Lukas Hornicek, Ewen Jaouen, Sean Steur, Bazoumana Toure. 

Development players signed (1):
Afner Ca

Academy players signed (3 - all tbc):
Eli Hall, Kyle Healy, Kryan Thompson

Senior contracts extended (3):
Harvey Barnes, Mark Gillespie, Fabian Schar

Senior players sold (3):
Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Sandro Tonali (Spurs), Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal) tbc

Development squad players sold (2):
Travis Hernes (Groningen), Joe White (Crewe Alexandra)

Senior players loaned (3):
Harrison Ashby (Luton Town), Antonio Cordero (Cadiz), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Seville)

Professional contracts signed (6):
Sam Alabi, Guy Bloomer, Jake Durrant, Henry Johnson, Mason Miley, Kacey Wooster

Scholarship contracts signed (8):
Chukwudi Afumuzor, Theo Benjamin, Roman Dowell, Jayden Kouossu, George Mair, Leon Mukumbira, Alfie Seldon, Lesecond Yeutembip


 

What Else?

1955 Edinburgh Select XI (a) 1-1 (0-1) Friendly  Keeble(58) Ormond(6) 50,000 It ended honours ended even at Easter Road in this annual match played for the Allison Charity Trophy. Lawrie Reilly had a goal chalked off for the Select, while Newcastle's Bobby Mitchell sent his 48th minute penalty wide of the target. Team: Simpson, Woollard, Batty, Scoular, Stokoe, Crowe, Davies, Hannah, Milburn, Keeble, Mitchell. 1955 Meanwhile United assistant trainer Joe Richardson was entrusted with the FA Cup, exhibiting the trophy at a Charity Cup Final between Reston and Scremerston that was played at the Stanks in Berwick.  1966 AAB Aalborg (Denmark) (h)  1-1 (0-1) Friendly  Suddick(54) Neilsen(42)  7,754 Having travelled to Aalborg for a friendly match in May 1965, The Magpies hosted the Danish part-timers at SJP and scraped a draw. Team: Marshall, Craig, Clark, McGrath, Thompson, Iley, Robson, Kettleborough, Bennett, Penman (Knox), Suddick. 1974 Carlisle United (a) 2-2 (1-0) Texaco Cup  Burns(35,87) Barry(75), Laidlaw(85) 13,560 Newcastle were held by Alan Ashman's First Division newcomers at Brunton Park despite a brace from striker Mickey Burns - his first goals for the club after arriving from Blackpool. Team: McFaul, Craig, Kennedy, McDermott, Keeley, Howard, Burns, Cassidy (Smith 80), Macdonald, Tudor, Hibbitt.. 1975 mackems (h) 0-2 (0-2) Anglo Scottish Cup   Robson(36), Halom(44) 20,088 Gordon Lee's managerial start at SJP was a poor one, as Bob Stokoe's red and whites (including old boys Tommy Gibb, Bob Moncur and Pop Robson, plus future Magpie Jeff Clarke) tasted success. New signing Alan Gowling had a quiet debut for United, who were without Alan Kennedy, Stewart Barrowclough, David Craig, John Tudor and Jimmy Smith. Team: McFaul, Nattrass, Nulty, Howard, Keeley, Hibbitt, Cannell, Cassidy, Macdonald, Gowling, Bruce. Subs n/u: Burns, Mahoney. 1977 FC Volendam (Holland) (a) 1-2 (1-0) Friendly  Callachan(9) Zonneveld(69), Jonk(76) crowd tbc United's three match tour of the Netherlands concluded with a contentious loss to the part-timers, although United went ahead thanks to Ralph Callachan's first goal for the club. Boss Richard Dinnis called the referee "diabolical" and claimed that the Dutchmen "got away with murder" in the Kras Stadion, after a series of scything tackles went unpunished. Team: Hardwick, Kennedy, Blackhall, Cassidy, McCaffery, Oates, Callachan (Barrowclough), Cannell, Burns, Gowling, T.Craig.  1981 Newcastle striker Ray Clarke announced his retirement from the game, forced by a persistent hip injury. He later returned to the club in a scouting capacity. 1987 Scarborough (a) 2-2 (0-2) Friendly  McDonald(61), Gascoigne(67) Moss(25), Thompson(44pen)  1,600 Neil Warnock's Division Four newcomers were worth a draw in this pre-season kickabout at Seamer Road. Leading at that break thanks to an Ernie Moss header and Neil Thompson's spot kick, the Seadogs withstood a second half revival from a Gazza-inspired Newcastle side.  Team: Thomas (Kelly 46), McDonald, Tinnion, McCreery, P.Jackson, Roeder, Stephenson, Gascoigne, Goddard (Cornwell 46), D.Jackson, Hodges. 1994 Sampdoria (Italy)  (n) 1-3 (1-1) Friendly  Cole(9) Lombardo(38,60), Bertarelli(68pen) 31,362  United fans at Ibrox paid tribute to the recently deceased midfield maestro with a rousing chorus of 'Terry Hibbitt on the wing'.  Attilio Lombardo showed many of Terry's passing skills as he prompted the Italians to an easy victory, despite going behind. The balding midfielder netted twice, while Samp also scored from the penalty spot - their side featuring England's David Platt. In the third/fourth placed playoff game, Rangers beat Manchester United 1-0, thanks to a David May OG in a game that saw Eric Cantona dismissed. Team: Srnicek, Hottiger, Beresford, Venison, Peacock, Fox, Watson (Holland 68),  Beardsley, Cole (Mathie 68), Guppy, Elliott, 1996 Following his £15m switch from Blackburn Rovers a week earlier, Alan Shearer was officially unveiled in front of a delirious crowd in the Leazes End car park. The fans outside "made some noise" and thankfully managed to drown out the embarrassment that was MC Alan Robson. Once inside SJP, Al was paraded in front of a slightly more restrained invited audience in the Leazes Stand, making his famous "only a sheet metal worker's son..." quip. 2001 Newcastle reserves romped to a 6-0 success against Workington in a friendly at Borough Park. Strike duo Colin McMenamin and Jamie Coppinger bagged a brace apiece, Richard Offiong and Whitehaven lad Stuart Green scoring the other goals. NUFC.com match report 2002 Twelve months on and the reserves were back at Borough Park for a 5-1 victory over Workington. Shola Ameobi hit a hat-trick, with Bradley Orr and Stephen Brennan also netting. NUFC.com match report 2003 Three second half goals turned a 1-2 deficit around as a young Magpies side beat non-league Dunston Federation Brewery 4-2 at their Federation Park home.  Liam Atkin, David Edgar, Carl Finnigan and Guy Bates all netted. NUFC.com match report 2004 United's Reserve friendly against York City at Bootham Crescent was cancelled due to the injury and illness problems besetting the club - an outbreak of viral conjunctivitis. 2005 Yeading (h) 5-0 (1-0) Friendly Moore(39), Milner(79), Emre(83), Ameobi(90,90) 6,151 With 11 minutes of this hastily-arranged kickabout remaining, Newcastle led by the only goal and had seen a Yeading "equaliser" ruled out for an offside flag - hardly the sort of scoreline to engender a feelgood factor on Tyneside. However, a late flurry of home goals ensured a veneer of respectability to the final result. Debutant Craig Moore opened the scoring as he headed home Emre's corner on 39 minutes, but that was a rare highlight in a muddled first half when the non-league side certainly weren't outclassed. With the small crowd present threatening to doze off in the sunshine, Newcastle belatedly got their shooting boots on in front of the empty Gallowgate stands - as Milner, Emre and a Ameobi brace gave the full time scoreline a more palatable look. Italian trialist Franceso Coco appeared, but a lack of fitness was evident to all present. NUFC.com match report 2006 United boss Glenn Roeder was in De Kuip to see Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt score in a 2-0 win against the Smoggies. Roeder would watch him again in Holland's friendly game in Dublin against Ireland two weeks later. It was all in vain though, as Kuyt later revealed he had no intention of going anywhere other than Liverpool. 2007 United confirmed the £6m signing of Villarreal left back Jose Enrique, following the arrival of Mark Viduka, Joey Barton, Geremi, Alan Smith, David Rozehnal and Claudio Cacapa. The subsequent arrival of Abdoulaye Faye and Habib Beye brought the recruitment total for Sam Allardyce's squad up to nine. 2008 PSV Eindhoven (Holland) (h) 2-2 (2-1) Friendly Taylor(3), Guthrie(8) Manco(32), Ambarat(71) 13,477 Despite fielding a starting XI with no recognised forwards, United ended a three-game pre-season scoring drought with two early goals in this friendly encounter. NUFC.com match report 2011 Fiorentina (Italy)  (h) 0-0a (0-0) Friendly 12,656 Both sides struggled for 63 minutes on a SJP pitch more suited to water polo until referee Mark (Admiral) Halsey called a halt before any injuries were incurred.  NUFC.com match report 2013 Rangers (Scotland) (a) 1-1 (0-1) Friendly Sh.Ameobi(90) McCulloch(5pen) 27,000(est) Substitute Shola Ameobi's saved his side's blushes with a late equaliser at Ibrox Park. The striker's fourth goal of pre-season was instigated by younger brother Sammy, who made an impact after his late arrival from the bench. NUFC.com match report 2017 Hellas Verona (h) (Italy) 2-0 (2-0) Friendly Perez(4), Atsu(12) 23,906 United concluded preparations for their Premier League return with a routine win over docile Italian visitors, who were coached by ex-Magpie Fabio Pecchia. NUFC.com match report 2018 Striker Salomon Rondon arrived on a season-long loan from West Bromwich Albion - as opposite number Dwight Gayle made a similar switch to the Hawthorns. Meanwhile, 21 year-old forward Adam Armstrong completed a £1.8m move to Blackburn Rovers, having spent the second half of last season on loan at Ewood Park. 2022 Nottingham Forest (h) 2-0 (0-0) Premier League P1, 3pts, 5th/20 Schar(58), Wilson(78) 52,245 United hit the ground running on opening day against newly-promoted Forest, but it took almost an hour until Fabian Schar's stylish opener.  Callum Wilson's clever finish then sealed the points as debutant duo Sven Botman and Nick Pope kicked off with a clean sheet. NUFC.com match report 2023 Villarreal (Spain) 4-0 (1-0) Friendly J.Murphy(6), Barnes(62,79), Joelinton(76) 34,621 Harvey Barnes made a memorable home bow, scoring a brace as his new side won the Sela Cup at St. James' Park. Two wins and six goals saw a blue-clad Magpies side top the table with 12 points under tournament rules - five points ahead of runners-up Fiorentina, who beat Nice 2-1 in the other second day game. NUFC.com match report 2024 Matt Ritchie completed a free transfer return to former club Portsmouth, following his exit from SJP.