A round-up of your Newcastle united evening headlines on Sunday, 23 January.
PIF's Newcastle message ahead of Saudi Arabia break with friendly and return date confirmed
Newcastle United will play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad on Friday, 28th January.
The Magpies are currently en route to Jeddah and will return on Saturday, January 29th ahead of their next Premier League clash with Everton.
The training camp will be the club’s first visit to Saudi Arabia since it was acquired by a consortium consisting of PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media in October 2021.
Eddie Howe's side have been criticised for making the trip to Saudi Arabia so close to the transfer deadline after reportedly asking clubs to lower their asking price for players.
The Magpies became the richest club in the world following PIF's acquisition, but sides have been playing hardball over potential transfer targets.
Football finance expert claims Newcastle summer transfer plans will head in new direction
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire claims Newcastle could be set for an entirely different summer transfer window if they stay in the Premier League.
The current transfer blueprint has seen Eddie Howe's side target proven Premier League players with Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood the first through the door at St. James' Park.
The Magpies have been linked with loan moves for Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard in recent days, while speculation linking them with James Tarkoswki still being reported.
Newcastle are expected to step up negotiations with Sevilla for Diego Carlos before the transfer window closes and there could be one or two surprises before their next Premier League fixture with Everton.
The Toon have also been linked with moves for upcoming young talent across Europe, the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Dusan Vlahovic, although the latter of those two is being touted for a mega move to Juventus and Arsenal.
Kieran Trippier's telling response to Leeds taunt and Howe's pitchside chat with Newcastle owner
Whether Kieran Trippier was influenced by the bare-chested supporters swirling their tops in front of him remains to be seen, but the Newcastle United defender followed suit and threw his shirt into the away end after the Magpies' spirited 1-0 win at Leeds.
It was Trippier's first win as a Newcastle player and, you suspect, the remarkable scenes at full-time even exceeded the new arrival's expectations.
It may seem strange to say this, when Trippier was previously playing in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid, but these are exactly the sorts of occasions the England international will have missed during his time in Spain.
There was almost a derby feel to the game at Elland Road as the two most northerly sides in the Premier League went head to head on Saturday.
Indeed, at one point in the first half, Trippier even smiled and winked after Leeds fans called him a 'greedy b------' as he put the ball down to take a corner kick.
Players given positive news on transfers, owners board team bus and clean sheet stat
Newcastle United players face a 2am wake up call ahead of their flight to Jeddah on Sunday morning but they will travel to the Middle East in great spirits after their 1-0 win at Leeds United.
The red-eye flight ahead of the six-day stay in Saudi Arabia signals the start of what Eddie Howe has already described as a work trip.
United's trip will be rounded off with a friendly game against Al-Ittihad at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
Whether the Magpies return with the squad size increased remains to be seen but the season finally has the lift off it needed after a big victory at Elland Road.
Newcastle photograph hints at secret, what new signings will have to do and 'emotional' owner
Bare-chested supporters twirled shirts and scarves. 'Who's that team you call United?' was repeatedly chanted. A crutch was even raised aloft in the away end like it was a trophy. This was more than just three points for Newcastle United at Elland Road and the players knew it as they saluted the travelling support following the 1-0 win against Leeds United.
A handful of these players stormed down the tunnel after a humiliating FA Cup defeat against Cambridge United just two weeks previously; now, these same individuals were rightly basking in the glow of a rare victory.
Even part-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi, who watched the game with Amanda Staveley in the directors' box, admitted he felt 'emotional' at full-time.
It had been a long time, after all, since these fans had seen Newcastle win on the road in person. In fact, you had to go back to the victory at Southampton nearly two years previously.
Was it any wonder, then, that the 2,650 Geordies in the away end were still singing long after players and staff had left the field as 'Eddie Howe's black and white army', 'We love Newcastle, we do' and 'Na Na Na Geordies' were all given a final airing.
By that stage, Howe's side had gathered in the dressing room for a celebratory team photograph - just as they did following their previous win against Burnley last month.
What was most striking about the picture was how genuinely delighted everyone looked, whether it was kit man Ray Thompson, the injured Joelinton or unused substitute Jacob Murphy.
Alan Shearer thinks Newcastle may have found a new future captain
Alan Shearer has 'no doubt' that Kieran Trippier will follow in his footsteps and captain Newcastle United after the new signing made an instant impact on and off the field.
Trippier's presence was felt in the dressing room from the moment the England international addressed his team-mates after completing his £12m move from Atletico Madrid.
It was the calm Trippier, for example, who spoke up after the humiliating defeat against Cambridge United and told those around him to simply put the loss out of their minds and take one game at a time.
On the pitch, too, Trippier has quickly settled back into the cut and thrust of the Premier League and the vocal right-back again impressed in Newcastle's 1-0 win at Leeds on Saturday as Shearer noted.
Although Shearer was also keen to highlight a 'superb' performance from Fabian Schar and pay tribute to goalscorer Jonjo Shelvey, following his 'best game of the season', the Newcastle legend reserved special praise for 'a very clever' signing as he analysed Trippier's clips on Match of the Day.
