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JANUARY BLOCKADE: AZ ALKMAAR SET TO REJECT NEWCASTLE'S KEES SMIT BID

Newcastle's hopes of signing AZ Alkmaar's sought-after midfielder Kees Smit in January are slim. Alkmaar aims to keep him until summer to maximise their Champions League push.

January Blockade: AZ Alkmaar Set to Reject Newcastle's Kees Smit Bid
Newcastle Faces Blow in Pursuit of Alkmaar Star Smit

Newcastle United might be out of luck in their pursuit of Kees Smit, the AZ Alkmaar midfielder.

The Magpies are very interested in Smit, and there were talks Newcastle would try to sign him in January before other clubs made their offers, as most clubs were expected to wait until summer.

The 19-year-old has become a wanted player after his great performance with Alkmaar. Newcastle is only one of many clubs watching him.

Alkmaar knows how popular he is, and so does Smit, which makes things harder for Newcastle.

Newcastle needs patience if they want Kees Smit.

Even if Newcastle makes an offer for Smit in January, The Telegraph thinks they will be let down.

AZ Alkmaar is trying hard to get into the Champions League this season and is currently in third place in the Eredivisie. They probably won't let one of their best players leave while they feel they can do great things.

They also know how much interest there is in the young star and want to get the best price for him. The best way to do that is to keep him until the summer and wait for a bidding war.

Newcastle's chances of signing Kees Smit don't look good.

It was always a long shot for Newcastle to make the deal happen in January; even if Alkmaar wasn't doing so well this season, they would still not want to let a big player leave mid-season.

If other clubs wait until summer to make their offers, Alkmaar will likely wait to see what happens.

A bidding war would hurt Newcastle's chances, but that's what happens when you compete for top players. They had a tough time in the summer, and things probably won't change much next summer.

EDDIE HOWE SHUTS DOWN SANDRO TONALI ARSENAL LINKS AS NEWCASTLE STAY FIRM

Eddie Howe speaks out on Sandro Tonali's future at Newcastle United following intense transfer links with Arsenal this window.

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Sandro Tonali is "very happy" at Newcastle

Sandro Tonali looks happy at Newcastle, no matter what the transfer deadline rumours tried to stir up. For a little while, talk of him heading to Arsenal got loud enough that Eddie Howe felt the need to step in and set things straight. Newcastle’s manager didn’t dance around it—Tonali’s settled, involved, and locked in. Sure, coaches can’t always kill off all the outside noise, but Howe wanted everyone to know where things stood.

After those stories started swirling, Howe went straight to Tonali for a chat. He gets how fast these things can spiral. Newcastle fans have seen enough drawn-out sagas to know what uncertainty feels like, and nobody wants to go through that again.

Someone asked Howe if he thought there was more behind the rumours. He shrugged it off: “I don’t think so. That would surprise me. But there’s always stuff happening I don’t know about. As far as I see it, we’ve got a top player and a great person on our hands.”

Tonali means more to Newcastle than just his price tag or contract. They brought him in for £55 million, and he’s signed on until 2029, with an extra year option. He’s a key part of their plans, both on the pitch and on the books. Naturally, that kind of player gets attention—especially since Europe isn’t exactly overflowing with elite midfielders.

But Howe really wanted to highlight the human side of it all. “Sandro’s very happy here. He gets on well with everyone, and you can see he’s in a good place. I honestly don’t see a problem. Of course, I can’t control everything. If I knew where all these rumours came from, I’d be smarter. But Sandro’s totally fine. We talked yesterday. He’s focused on what we’re doing right now.”

He wasn’t done: “There’s no issue with Sandro. He’s happy and committed. But let’s be real—our best players are always going to turn heads elsewhere. That’s just football.”

As for the transfer window, Premier League spending rules kept Newcastle’s hands tied. Howe didn’t sugarcoat it: “Financially it wasn’t possible. We’re under restrictions and had hardly any money to use this window, so we’ll wait for the summer when the market opens up and maybe we’ll get better value.”

He admitted the squad’s still a bit lopsided, especially at the back, but he’s convinced that a healthy squad changes things.

For now, Newcastle’s just focused on the essentials. Keeping Tonali happy and at the heart of things matters way more than the latest gossip. His happiness is reassuring for the moment, but as Howe pointed out, nobody really gets to control everything in football these days.

EDDIE HOWE CONFIRMS BRUNO GUIMARAES AND LEWIS MILEY OUT VS CITY

Newcastle face a midfield crisis as Bruno and Miley are ruled out of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City. Get updates.

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Newcastle United is missing six key players for the Carabao Cup clash

Eddie Howe has given the latest on Lewis Miley, Bruno Guimaraes, and Sven Botman as Newcastle United get ready for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final at Manchester City.

It’s another tough night ahead for Newcastle. They’re already two goals down after losing the first leg at St James’ Park, and now they’re missing even more key players. That third Carabao Cup final in four seasons is starting to look like a big ask.

Honestly, the stats aren’t great. Newcastle haven’t scored—let alone won—at Man City since Howe took charge. Their only win at the Etihad came way back in 2014, when Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko got the goals in a 2-0 victory. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Injuries keep piling up. Tino Livramento, Joelinton, Fabian Schar, and Emil Krafth are all out. Bruno Guimaraes sat out the 4-1 loss at Liverpool with an ankle problem, and both Lewis Miley and Sven Botman stayed on the bench as unused subs.

After that Liverpool game, Howe explained the situation. “Sven had a tight thigh, and the advice was not to use him. That’s why he and Lewy were on the bench—we wanted to give them every chance to be fit. Sometimes, you hope something changes in the warm-up, but with such a quick turnaround, you just don’t have time to get all the info you need,” he said.

“With Lewy, he just couldn’t bend his knee enough to be fit.”

Asked about the chances of players returning against Manchester City, Howe said, “Probably our best bets are Sven and Lewy since they were on the bench at Liverpool. For Bruno, I’m not sure—there’s a chance, but the others are definitely out.”

But just before the City game, Howe gave another update. Turns out, both Bruno and Miley are out for this one. “Yeah, Bruno’s doing well, but I don’t think he’ll make this game—maybe the weekend. Sven Botman is okay, but I’m not sure about Lewy either.”

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