A round-up of the latest Newcastle United evening headlines on Monday, February 20.
Newcastle United given hope in Marcus Thuram chase as Borussia Monchengladbach chief confirms exit
Borussia Monchengladbach managing director Roland Virkus has confirmed Marcus Thuram will leave the club for nothing this summer. Newcastle United are among several Premier League clubs linked with the Frenchman.
The 25-year-old, who plays up front or as a left-side attacker, bagged his first goal since the World Cup break against Bayern Munich at the weekend. An unlikely 3-2 victory showcased why several English clubs are chasing Thuram.
Five appearances in Qatar also heightened speculation about his future as he helped France reach the final. On the domestic front, Thuram has still scored 11 goals in 20 appearances despite Monchengladbach enduring an underwhelming campaign.
Graeme Souness issues 'hit the wall' admission amid Newcastle United top four race
Graeme Souness believes Newcastle United have 'hit the wall' in the top four race, and expects Liverpool to still have the quality to qualify for the Champions League.
Newcastle dropped out of the top four for the first time since October, after Tottenham Hotspur defeated West Ham 2-0 on Sunday.
The Magpies have collected just one win from their last seven games (D5, L1), and suffered their first defeat in 17 league games against Liverpool on Saturday.
Although ex-Liverpool midfielder Souness admits that his former side are not at the same level as they had been during past five years, he does still anticipate that they will push for the top four during the season's climax.
Newcastle United supporters’ group organise fundraiser for Christian Atsu school-building project
A Newcastle United supporters' group have set up a fundraiser to finish a school-building project started by the late Christian Atsu. Talk of Tyneside, formerly Toon for Change, aims to raise cash for a school in Ghana.
The former Magpies player began the proposals in 2018, aiming to construct an educational block in Senya Beraku. Atsu tweeted at the time: "I’m very happy. Today I received the deeds for the land in Senya Beraku which means we can send the first part of the funding out to Ghana to start the building of the new school.”
Tragedy struck on Friday when Atsu’s agent, Nana Sechere, confirmed his death 11 days after the Turkish-Syrian earthquake decimated the region. The 31-year-old had been on the ninth floor of an apartment block when the building collapsed.
Former Premier League referee and PGMOL chief urges Nick Pope's suspension to be delayed
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has called on the governing bodies to delay Nick Pope’s cup-final suspension. A foolish handball outside of the area left Anthony Taylor with no option but to dismiss the goalkeeper in Newcastle United’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Pope has been one of the Magpies’ star performers since his £10million arrival from Burnley last summer. The England international’s performances have resulted in Newcastle conceding just 15 top-flight goals this season - the fewest in the division.
However, Toon supporters gasped as soon as the incident happened as a red card appeared inevitable. At that point, the immediate fixture was the last thing on fans’ minds with the Carabao Cup final up next.
Baffling VAR decision explained as Manchester United get lucky ahead of Newcastle United clash
The Premier League have confirmed why Manchester United star Marcel Sabitzer avoided a red card against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils loanee looked fortunate to escape without as much as a booking after a late challenge on Wout Faes at Old Trafford.
Sabitzer caught the Leicester defender on the knee with a mistimed challenge during the 3-0 win. Referee Stuart Attwell only deemed the foul worthy of a free-kick, with VAR agreeing that no further action was deemed necessary.
Newcastle United fans were left angered by the decision, with Sabitzer avoiding a red card that would have ruled him out of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Sir John Hall hints Newcastle may now have stadium solution and special guests to watch final
Sir John Hall's phone has not stopped ringing. Even Newcastle United's former owner has been bombarded with calls asking him if he has any spare tickets for the Carabao Cup final. In truth, Sir John feels fortunate to have one himself.
Sir John and Bruce Shepherd, whose late brother, Freddy, was the club's chairman, will be at Wembley on Sunday after the pair were personally invited to the game by EFL chair Rick Parry. The duo's presence in the royal box will serve as a link to Newcastle's past on a day the Magpies hope to make history and end their 54-year trophy drought against Manchester United. Now that would be a welcome early 90th birthday present for Sir John.
"It would be wonderful," he told ChronicleLive. "I'm much older now and it would be great to win, but we're playing a tough team and it's going to be very close so I'll light some candles. But who ever thought we would be in and around fourth in the Premier League at the start of the season? I just keep shaking my head and saying, 'Is this real?'"
Newcastle told transfer target 'destined for biggest stage' could now cost more than £100m
Former Newcastle United boss Graeme Souness believes James Maddison is 'destined for the biggest stage' and could command a price tag in excess of £100 million. The Leicester City playmaker has been plagued by injuries this season but has still impressed and earned a place in England's World Cup squad.
Newcastle failed with two summer approaches for Maddison, and could revisit the move in the summer with the attacking midfielder set to enter the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium. Brendan Rodgers admits he will 'not beg' the 26-year-old to extend his deal with the Foxes, with defending champions Manchester City also credited with an interest.
Maddison's contract status is expected to make Leicester vulnerable to a sale, with the former Premier League champions also likely to lose Youri Tielemans as a free agent this summer. However, Souness feels the one-cap England international could still command a record transfer fee for a domestic player.
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'Terrible rule' - Newcastle United star Nick Pope told he is unlucky to miss Carabao Cup final
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