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Newcastle United’s summer transfer window has left much to be desired, with PIF and Eddie Howe yet to prove that this year’s dealings have been as on-the-money as the first several years of this ambitious project.

Anthony Elanga, for example, ended a long and arduous search for a right winger in August, moving to St. James’ Park from Nottingham Forest for a £55m fee and with a weight of expectation attached.

But the Swedish winger has been anything but effective for his new club, with his big-money arrival and failure to produce reminiscent of Florian Thauvin before him.

Florian Thauvin's time at Newcastle

Newcastle signed French winger Thauvin from Marseille for a hefty £13m back in 2015, viewed as an up-and-coming superstar who could help guide the Magpies forward during those dark Mike Ashley-led days.

Named the Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September, Thauvin received his first call-up to the Les Bleus national set-up since 2019 in October, scoring on his return in a World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.

A career journeyman, there’s no question that Thauvin was at his lowest ebb – or thereabouts – when moving to Newcastle, too young and inconsistent to thrive in the Premier League. He featured 13 times in the English top division, starting three matches, before returning to Marseille, having failed to adapt.

However, Thauvin, now 32, is enjoying quite the late-career revival in his homeland with RC Lens, having scored five goals and supplied two assists across 16 Ligue 1 fixtures this term.

Elanga might feel like the new version of Thauvin, disappointing from the right flank, but he’s been selected as the leading man on Howe’s right wing and has only Jacob Murphy for competition.

Thauvin was something of a pointless buy in hindsight, and there’s a sense that PIF have repeated that purchase with another squad member in 2025.

Howe must be worried he's repeated Thauvin mistake

Elanga will be Newcastle’s leading right winger over the next few years without transfer intervention, but the same cannot be said for Jacob Ramsey, who arrived from Aston Villa for a £42.5m figure during the summer transfer window and has struggled to establish himself in the pecking order.

Ramsey, 24, has made 144 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals and registering 14 assists, but he has been reduced to a bit-part role on Tyneside, with injuries and struggles for form inhibiting him.

He’s enjoyed some measure of success in Newcastle’s first team, winning a respectable amount of duels for Newcastle this season while trying to be progressive with his passing.

However, Ramsey’s opportunities have been few and far between, and with Lewis Miley on the up and Newcastle interest in former academy product Elliot Anderson simmering in the background, the former Villan’s chances may become slimmer and slimmer.

Jacob Ramsey – Premier League Form 25/26

Stats (* per game)

#

Matches (starts)

8 (3)

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches*

34.3

Accurate passes*

24.5 (91%)

Chances created*

1.0

Dribbles*

0.8

Ball recoveries*

3.8

Tackles + interceptions*

1.2

Duels (won)*

2.5 (53%)

Data via Sofascore

Thauvin didn’t work out, but Newcastle had signed Ayoze Perez for a small fee only the season before, and he went on to become a prolific and consistent right-sided forward, one of the brightest sparks in that pre-PIF world.

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Ramsey’s departure, likewise, wouldn’t be too keenly felt by the Toon side, even with his profile having been coveted and secured during the summer. He’s passionate and committed, but he needs to do more, and currently looks like he will be hard-pressed for a long run of minutes under Howe’s wing.

Ramsey needs to improve throughout the business months of the season, but there’s no question that he’s a naturally gifted and industrious midfielder, hailed by Steven Gerrard when coming up at Aston Villa for being “undroppable” and with a future at the top of the England national set-up.

That hasn’t happened yet, with injuries playing a defining part there. Analyst Raj Chohan has rather scathingly remarked that Newcastle have “wasted their bag” on the Englishman, and in this, there are frustrating parallels with Thauvin well before him.

Related Newcastle in talks to sell £25k-p/w star who Howe called the "complete package"

He wants to leave…

Posts 1 ByDominic Lund

Day 1
Scorecard

	Michael Yardy struck a splendid unbeaten 151 © Getty Images

England Lions’ captain Michael Yardy struck an unbeaten 151 to lead his side to a healthy 273 for 4 at the end of the first day of their Duleep Trophy match against West Zone in Vadodara.After choosing to bat, the Lions got off to a poor start as the in-form Michael Carberry was trapped leg before by Gujarat medium-pacer Ashraf Makda in the second over. Yardy, who has represented the England national side in Twenty20s and ODIs, came in at No. 3 and forged a series of sizeable partnerships to ensure the Lions gained the upper hand.A brisk 50-run stand for the second wicket with Joe Denly (32) was ended when Denly was run-out by Siddharth Trivedi. Yardy was then joined by Ed Joyce (32), another player who was part of the national set-up, and they stitched together a patient 75 runs before Joyce was dismissed by Makda.With the Lions at 126 for 3, the usually aggressive Jonathan Trott (44) played a subdued knock and put on 141 for the fourth wicket as the Lions took control. With only three overs left in the day’s play, Trott became Makda’s third lbw victim. Graham Onions was sent in as the nightwatchman and the Lions saw out the remaining overs without any further casualties.Yardy, meanwhile, had brought up his 12th first-class century with the help of 20 boundaries to leave West, who need a win to make the finals, facing an uphill task.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, who quit ODIs, feels one man should captain in both forms of the game © AFP

Inzamam-ul-Haq, who stepped down as captain after Pakistan’s humiliating exit from the World Cup, feels it’s a good move to have one captain for both the Test and one-day sides for practical reasons. Inzamam, 37, said he was not in favour of having separate leaders for both Pakistan sides as other countries had experimented with in the past.”I just feel that when you have one captain the players are also comfortable in both formats of the game as they know their captain’s style and thinking,” Inzamam said. “It is not easy adjusting for players to playing under different captains in different forms of the game.”Inzamam, who has also retired from ODIs but has made it clear he wants to continue playing Test matches, said he was not surprised by allegations leveled against him after Pakistan’s poor performance in the World Cup. On the charges that he was an autocratic captain and ran a one-man show, Inzamam said in Pakistan’s cricket history there were quite a few captains who were strong and did things their own way.”Imran Khan is a prime example,” he said. “He was a very strong captain compared to others. So if I tried to be strong what is wrong with that? But to say I didn’t consult the selectors or other players while taking decisions is wrong. I always believed in seeking other opinion before deciding on something important regarding the team.”Inzamam said he had also wanted to announce his retirement from Test cricket but some of his friends advised him against doing this. “I was terribly disappointed after what happened in the World Cup and I wanted to announce my total retirement,” he said. “But my friends said I can still contribute a lot to the team in Test cricket.”He said he was keen to play in Tests but everything depended on the selectors. “I am prepared for anything now,” Inzamam said. “But my conscience is clear that I spent all my energy and time in trying to bring success for the country. But one bad tournament and everyone has turned against and I am being accused of things I have never done.”Inzamam said some people had even started to involve him in the match-fixing scandal and were claiming the Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum report had fined him for his role in match fixing in 2000. “But this is not true, I and some other players were fined because the judge felt we were hiding some facts about the case,” he said. “I was never directly punished for any match-fixing.”Inzamam also said he was assured by the Pakistan board and selectors that fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif would be available for the World Cup after being cleared of their doping issues. “But their not being available was a big set back and we had to rethink all our plans for the World Cup,” he said.

Kasim Farid, the captain of Scotland at the recent Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka, has been named in the Scotland squad for their warm-up matches against Durham next week.In preparation for the C&G Trophy they are playing two matches at Chester-le-Street before their opening game of the tournament against Warwickshire on April 30. Craig Wright leads the team, which includes the former England, Yorkshire and Durham allrounder Gavin Hamilton.Squad Craig Wright (capt), Kasim Farid, Gavin Hamilton, Paul Hoffmann, Omer Hussain, Douglas Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Gregor Maiden, Dewald Nel, Colin Smith (wk), Ian Stanger, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Sean Weeraratna.

County cricketers could represent two teams in a season under a new loan system that has been agreed between the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) and the ECB, in an attempt to curb the influx of foreign players into the county game.The initial loan period will be four weeks but the players’ original county will be able to recall the player if he is guaranteed a first-team place. This new system is similar to the loan system in football, which is used extensively by the larger clubs who loan out their younger players so they can be involved in first-team matches.Richard Bevan, the PCA’s chief executive said told : “We believe that making it easier for counties to sign loan players is one of the steps towards getting the right balance of England qualified players in county cricket.”Nottinghamshire could be one of the first counties to take advantage of this new system. They are searching for a replacement to cover the injured Charlie Shreck, who has been ruled out of action until July with a stress fracture of the back. Off all the 18 first-class counties, Glamorgan are the only one not to have followed the popular method of signing a foreign player with a European passport or under the Kolpak ruling.The new loan system was agreed at the PCA’s AGM at Edgbaston, on Thursday, which was attended by over 200 cricketers. The current system of a three-up and three-down county championship was debated, with 90% saying they would like to see this reduced to a movement of two counties from each division. But the ECB’s central contracts system was given another vote of confidence, 88% said they had had a positive impact on the game.

Michael Clark returned to Perth today after injuring his back in the Retravision Warriors rain marred ING Cup match against Tasmania in Launceston yesterday.The left-arm fast-bowler has been plagued by back problems since the middle of 2003. He has only played two ING Cup matches for WA this season.Clark was the Warriors leading wicket-taker last season with 38 wickets in the Pura Cup. Clark said that he felt pain in his back early on in his spell of 2-43 from nine overs.Clark will immediately see Warriors Doctor Damian McCann for an assessment. A decision on his immediate playing future will be made over the next few days.Wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Campbell is expected to be fit after recovering from a tear to his adductor muscle in his groin. Back-up keeper Luke Ronchi is on standby in case Campbell cannot get through training tomorrow.Ben Edmondson left Perth today to join the squad in Hobart. Edmondson has been one of the Warriors most effective bowlers in the Pura Cup this season where his pace and swing have netted him 13 wickets at an average of 34.84 in four matches.Rockingham-Mandurah off-spinner Aaron Heal will make his first-class debut if Michael Hussey stays with the Australian VB Series team for the finals and either Ryan Campbell or Luke Ronchi will be 12th Man.If Hussey is not included in the VB Series squad he will join the Warriors in Tasmania and a decision on 12th Man will be made on the morning of the match.Left-arm wrist spinner Beau Casson did not recover sufficiently from bruised fingers and split webbing to his left hand to be considered. Casson hurt his hand while fielding in WA’s ING Cup win over NSW last month.The Retravision Warriors 12-man Pura Cup Squad
Justin Langer (C), Ryan Campbell, Ben Edmondson, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Aaron Heal, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, John Taylor and Darren Wates.Radio Fremantle 107.9FM will provide ball-by-ball coverage for the entire match.

The England team might have got a first win under their belts on the tour of Australia, but that convincing victory over Sri Lanka in Brisbane has not signalled the end of all their troubles. Ian Blackwell has become the latest injury victim after being hit on the hand when facing Steve Harmison in the Perth nets while preparing for the next match against Sri Lanka in the VB Series.It was Harmison who struck Ashley Giles on the wrist, causing the fracture that put the left-arm spinner out of the tour. Blackwell, who has taken over the left-arm spinning duties from Giles in the one-day team, took a blow on his left hand and was immediately sent to the local hospital for an X-ray. Much to the relief of the England party – and Blackwell – there is no evidence of a break.Blackwell has made a thoroughly favourable impression since coming into the side and has been one of the few to enhance his reputation in Australia. However, the fact that he has been hit on his bowling hand might mean that he stands down from the match against Sri Lanka tomorrow with Adam Hollioake favourite to make his first appearance since joining the squad as a replacement for Andrew Flintoff.England physiotherapist Dean Conway was reasonably reassuring about Blackwell’s condition. "He didn’t think it was as bad as he first thought anyway, but he went off to the hospital for an X-ray just to check on the knuckle on his index finger to see if that was alright."Paul Collingwood, who is used to facing Harmison in practice as a Durham colleague, was also forced to duck and dive on net surfaces at the WACA by his team-mate."These pitches are quick and bouncy and in an enclosed net like that it can sometimes feel a bit claustrophobic and a bit quicker than it does out in the middle," he said."It’s very hard to hook and pull in the nets and you can get caught in two minds what to do, and unfortunately for Ian he took one on the hand, but we’re hopeful he’ll be alright."You expect the bowlers to come in at you in the nets, it’s just like a batsman trying to hit the bowler as hard as he can – you expect that."It’s fast out in the middle so we have to work at it because we’re going to get bouncers in the game tomorrow and we’re going to have to have a plan of how to deal with it."Harmison made his one-day international debut in Brisbane and proved to be far more effective than critics of his fast but sometimes wayward bowling predicted. He took two for 39 from ten hostile overs and is likely to be even more of a handful for the Sri Lankan batsmen on a pitch in Perth renowned as being one of the quickest in the world.

Zimbabwe enjoyed much the best day of the First Test against India atthe Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo, batting throughout the third dayto finish on 303 for seven. The main contributors, as so often forZimbabwe, were the Flower brothers, Andy and Grant, who both scoreddetermined fifties, as did Stuart Carlisle.Night-watchman Brian Murphy did not last long into the morningsession, out to a fine diving catch by Shiv Sunder Das at short legfor his overnight 10 off Zahir Khan, who had just received his secondwarning for running on the danger area of the pitch. Ashish Nehra,another left-armer, bowling over the wicket, was also to receive asecond warning later.Carlisle, although beaten occasionally, played some good strokes,especially drives and cuts, and it was a fine drive through extracover that brought him his fourth Test fifty. His highest is 58, andonce again he failed to reach 60. When 52, he played back loosely toNehra and was caught at second slip. Zimbabwe were still 21 behindwith half their wickets gone.Once again the Flower brothers were together with almost everythingdepending on them. Andy Flower was playing far more typically than hedid in the first innings, choosing his deliveries carefully andwaiting for the bad ball to put it away unerringly. At lunch Zimbabwewere 143 for five, still two runs in arrears.A reverse sweep for four by Andy Flower off Harbhajan Singh in thelatter’s first over after lunch took Zimbabwe into the lead. It wasnot long before a similar stroke brought up his ninth fifty in tenTest innings. It was the ninth time in 12 Test innings against Indiathat Andy has passed 50. Only once have India been able to dismiss himfor less (when he made 30) as on the other two occasions he was notout.India strove in vain to break the fraternal partnership until thesecond new ball was due in the last over before tea. Once again thebrothers proved how they have been the backbone of Zimbabwe’s battingduring the country’s nine-year Test history. At the interval Zimbabwewere 230 for five, 85 runs ahead.Andy Flower disappointed in the first over after tea. He slashed atNehra and the thick edge just cleared the slips and went to theboundary. Off the very next ball, he failed to profit from the warningand sliced a hard catch into the slips where Sadagoppan Ramesh took itvery well. He scored 83, another fine innings, but must have beendisappointed to give his wicket away through the basic error offailing to play himself in again after an interval, and immediatelyafter receiving a warning the previous ball. He also missed the chanceof recording his tenth Test century. The brothers had put on 101 runstogether, and neutralized the threat of Harbhajan very effectively.Heath Streak almost immediately had the benefit of a very close lbwappeal against Nehra, but survived to fight again. Grant Flowerreached his fifty, a fine effort after some trouble early on. Streak(14) played inside a ball from Zahir Khan to be out lbw; at thispoint, with only the inexperienced Andy Blignaut and two tail-endersto partner Flower, Zimbabwe were only 128 ahead.Shortly afterwards umpire Harper bit the bullet and removed Nehra fromthe attack, after two previous warnings from umpire Tiffin at theother end for persistently running on the danger area of the pitch.Blignaut, initially very nervous, gradually settled in and gaveoccasional evidence of the powerful hits for which he is renowned indomestic cricket. Flower seemed to go into his shell, playing for theclose, which ended due to bad light `only’ 30 minutes after thescheduled close with two overs unbowled. Flower had 67 and Blignaut11.

Over the last couple of seasons, Arsenal have become known for their incredible defensive record, which has no doubt made them Premier League title contenders.

Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded the fewest goals in each of the last two campaigns, with their impressive ability in the defensive third once again being apparent in 2025/26.

The Gunners have conceded just 10 goals in the first 16 league games of the season, a tally that is five fewer than any other side in the division at this stage.

The Spaniard has been able to rely upon the immediate quality within the backline, whilst also having phenomenal backup options – allowing for needed rotation.

However, such an area has become a huge problem in recent weeks, with Arteta simply being helpless to the issues that have arisen in North London as of late.

How Arsenal have been left short defensively

Arsenal’s most consistent backline in 2025/26 has often remained the same, which has no doubt contributed to their incredible defensive record this season.

Gabriel and William Saliba have often been the starting centre-backs, continuing their excellent partnership, with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori filling in at right and left-back respectively.

However, such a unit has been ripped apart in recent weeks, with both centre-backs missing together during the end of November and start of December.

The Brazilian still remains sidelined, whilst the Frenchman has returned to the backline in recent weeks, subsequently helping Arteta’s men secure a 2-1 win over Wolves last weekend.

Backup centre-back Cristhian Mosquera subsequently filled one of the roles in the absence of Gabriel, but he too is still sidelined, after picking up an ankle injury against Brentford.

The Spaniard has now been out of action for nearly three weeks, but could yet miss another month of action before returning back to anywhere near full fitness.

As a result, the Gunners only have two fit centre-backs available at Arteta’s disposal, with Timber even filling in at the heart of the defence last week after Ben White’s injury.

The big-money star who could solve Arsenal’s defensive woes

With January appearing rapidly on the horizon, Arteta and the Arsenal board are faced with the opportunity to improve their squad, or rely on the options available to make it until the end of the season.

The Spaniard could call upon youth options if needed, but the 43-year-old will no doubt want Premier League-proven options to help the side in their hunt for title glory.

There’s little doubt that Saliba and Gabriel would be the starting partnership when fully fit, but the pair have only been able to start alongside one another in just 56% of league outings.

Both have been plagued with various niggles which have disrupted their progress, which could force the board to renegotiate with clubs over deals for some of their former targets.

Countless defenders have been on their radar in previous months, but a deal for Murillo could make perfect sense in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Gunners have once again been linked with a move for the Nottingham Forest star in recent weeks, which could lead to a possible switch in January.

However, any deal for the 23-year-old would likely be an expensive one, with the Brazilian penning a new long-term contract at the City Ground over the last couple of months.

Despite the prospect of a mammoth price tag, he would be worth every penny, with his numbers from the ongoing campaign showcasing his quality in and out of possession.

Murillo has completed 83% of the passes he’s attempted to date, with many of which being made forward rather than across the backline or back to his goalkeeper.

Subscribe to the newsletter for expert transfer insight Get deeper analysis: subscribe to the newsletter for data-driven coverage of Arsenal’s defensive options and transfer targets like Murillo. Receive clear breakdowns of stats, scouting context and what potential signings mean for the squad. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for expert transfer insight Get deeper analysis: subscribe to the newsletter for data-driven coverage of Arsenal’s defensive options and transfer targets like Murillo. Receive clear breakdowns of stats, scouting context and what potential signings mean for the squad.

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He’s completed 4.6 progressive passes per 90, whilst also registering 4.7 passes into the final third – potentially offering a creative option to Arteta’s squad.

Murillo – PL stats (2025/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

10

Goals & assists

1

Pass accuracy

83%

Progressive passes

4.6

Passes into final third

4.7

Tackles made

1.6

Interceptions made

2.1

Blocks made

1.6

Recoveries made

4.9

Stats via FBref

However, his defensive numbers are just as impressive, subsequently winning 1.6 tackles and making 2.1 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League this season.

Such numbers have led to the Brazilian receiving huge credit in recent times, with journalist Dean Jones labelling the youngster as “one of the best in the Premier League”.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for the Forest star would cost, it’s apparent that he would be a phenomenal addition for Arteta and his first-team squad.

He could offer an immediate and long-term solution to the issues to the problems at centre-back, which could help the club become serial winners in England’s top-flight.

Related Bad news for Nwaneri: Arsenal have already agreed to sign their next Dowman

Nwaneri could have some serious competition for game time at Arsenal in the future.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

Scorecard

George Bailey made his fifth first-class century © Getty Images

Centuries to Daniel Marsh and George Bailey set up an imposing total for Tasmania at Bellerive Oval after the hosts initially slumped to 2 for 0 against Queensland. Marsh was unbeaten on 132 at the close, with Tim Paine on 1 as the Tigers reached 5 for 333.Marsh and Bailey, the side’s captain and vice-captain, put on 155 following the early strikes that might have made Marsh rethink his decision to bat first. But Bailey struck his fifth first-class century and finished with 104, including three sixes, as the bottom-of-the-table Bulls failed to capitalise.Marsh has had a career renaissance this summer and scored his second hundred for the season in a side that has struggled in its position as defending champions. After Bailey’s departure he found strong support from Luke Butterworth, who made 70 before he became the third of Ashley Noffke’s victims.Noffke, who finished with 3 for 53, had given Queensland a good start when he had Michael Di Venuto lbw for 0 in the third over. Four balls earlier David Dawson’s return to first-class cricket after a two-year absence had been short-lived, as he was caught by Shane Watson off Michael Kasprowicz for 0.