Striker must win over new head coach after tough first season at Liverpool – starting on Sunday at an inhospitable St James’ Park

When Liverpool’s team bus turns a tight corner and inches down the narrow, covered, access road behind Newcastle’s Milburn Stand on Sunday, Alexander Isak will know there are no hiding places. After that coach pulls up, its occupants must navigate a set of painted steps before reaching the glass-doored sanctuary of the players’ entrance at St James’ Park. It is a short climb but only a handful of portable metal barriers separate visiting sides from congregated Newcastle fans. When particularly disliked opponents arrive, it can all feel loudly claustrophobic.

Once inside, Isak, who spent most of last summer staging a form of unilateral industrial action in order to force a £125m move from Tyneside to Merseyside, must negotiate a human chicane of once-familiar club staff stationed along the route to the away dressing room. If eye contact may be minimal, two factors should soften the pre-match mood surrounding his first return to St James’ Park. Eddie Howe has been replaced by Matthias Jaissle and the latest meeting between Newcastle and Liverpool will play out against an outpouring of love for Kevin Keegan, following his death in July.

Sunderland fans hope Régis Le Bris and his talented squad can continue to surprise the pundits and Opta

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 14th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 7th

• German coach says he has ‘full confidence’ in his squad

• Plans for new £190m training facility also announced

Matthias Jaissle has insisted that Newcastle’s new crop of “under pressure” young players command his “full confidence” and hopes that supporters and reporters will start exhibiting similar belief.

Eddie Howe’s successor is preparing for his first Premier League game at St James’ Park on Sunday when Liverpool are the visitors.

After the departure of the manager and some of their best players, fans on Tyneside are braced for a transitional season at best

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 17th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 12th

• Right-back worked with Matthias Jaissle at RB Salzburg

• Sunderland to announce signing of Dayann Methalie

The chance to be reunited with Matthias Jaissle convinced Amar Dedic to swap Benfica for Newcastle in a £29.5m transfer. Dedic becomes Newcastle’s sixth signing of a turbulent summer on Tyneside and the 24-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international is likely to start at right-back at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

“Working with Matthias again was a big factor for me,” said Dedic, who previously played for Newcastle’s new manager at RB Salzburg. “We know each other well; he knows what I can bring to the pitch and I’m really happy to play for him again. It’s a special feeling and a real honour to join Newcastle.”

The former Al-Ahli head coach, chosen by the Saudi owners to replace Eddie Howe, admits ‘vacuum’ after sale of three key players

Matthias Jaissle has been described as “fire” and a “rockstar”, but his formal “unveiling” as Newcastle’s manager revealed a rather more considered and conservative character than advertised.

At the precise moment the clock struck 3pm on Tuesday the 38‑year‑old German walked into a packed media suite at St James’ Park. Before taking his seat on the stage Jaissle, wearing a smartly understated open-necked suit complete with a silk pocket square, took a deep breath and jumped down into audience, making a point of shaking everyone’s hand. It was a courteous and classy gesture.

• Magpies rejected opening offer of £70m on Monday

• Newcastle captain to travel from Spain training camp

Bruno Guimarães is set to leave Newcastle’s pre-season training camp in southern Spain and fly to London before a £75m move to Arsenal. The out-going Newcastle captain is scheduled to undergo a medical in north London in the next couple of days after the two clubs finally compromised on the fee.

While Arsenal had initially wanted to pay no more than £60m for the Brazil midfielder, who turns 29 in November and has two years remaining on his contract, Newcastle demanded a minimum of £80m.

• Midfielder could still fly to La Manga on Sunday

• Howe says he stood down ‘to recharge and take a break’

Bruno Guimarães was not on Newcastle’s flight to Murcia on Friday lunchtime as Eddie Howe’s former players prepared to meet their new head coach in southern Spain.

As Guimarães, who is believed to be in Brazil, appeared to inch closer towards a transfer to Arsenal, Matthias Jaissle was completing his managerial move from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli. Howe’s successor is expected to arrive at the club’s pre-season training camp at La Manga at some point this weekend.

Everything was looking rosy for Howe at St James’ Park until Alexander Isak’s departure led to rushed signings and a messy season

Last September, David Hopkinson, just installed as Newcastle’s chief executive, perched on a stool at a downstairs corner table in Shearer’s Bar at St James’ Park and between sips of zero alcohol lager, likened Eddie Howe to Bruce Springsteen. According to Hopkinson, Newcastle’s manager was “the Boss” and “the talent”. He conjured up an imaginary scene involving Springsteen asking for M&M’s before a concert and being duly supplied with a dressing room overflowing with the brightly coloured confectionery. The same principle, he said, would apply to “Eddie”, who would e furnished with “whatever he wants”.

Six months later, things had changed. In late March, Hopkinson sat around a heavy wooden table in a St James’ Park boardroom and, between sips of coffee, said he did not “have a stance on the manager’s future”. What he could tell assembled reporters was that a recent home defeat by Sunderland “hurt”. It “resonated” and was being taken “seriously”. Given that Newcastle had just lost a Champions League tie 8-3 to Barcelona on aggregate and were en route to finishing 12th in the Premier League, Howe admitted to “sleepless nights” before a summit with the club’s majority Saudi Arabian ownership at Matfen Hall hotel in Northumberland the following month.

• Howe leaves after five years in charge at St James’ Park

• Al-Ahli’s German coach in line to take over

Eddie Howe has left Newcastle and is set to be replaced by the German coach Matthias Jaissle, who is currently in charge of the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli.

Although the timing of Howe’s abrupt departure following almost five years in charge at St James’ Park is unexpected, his position had been under intense scrutiny from Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners for some time.

• Toulouse defender expected to cost about £26m

• Newcastle still looking for defensive reinforcements

Sunderland are poised to sign the long-time Newcastle target Dayann Methalie from Toulouse. The France Under-21s defender, who can play left-back or wingback and also operate in the centre, has attracted widespread interest this summer but Régis Le Bris now appears close to acquiring him for about £26m.

Newcastle had extensively scouted Methalie, who made 27 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse last season, and reportedly tried to sign him in January. The club have now indicated they opted against the idea of recruiting the 20-year-old and have not submitted a bid this summer. Nonetheless, Methalie appeared an ideal fit for Newcastle’s new transfer policy of recruiting young players in the £20m-£40m price bracket.

The English transfer record has been smashed, with Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers on the move during a busy summer of signings

For once, Mikel Arteta is not spending his summer looking for a No 9. Instead the champions have moved to strengthen out wide after the departure of Leandro Trossard with Christos Tzolis arriving for £34m having scored 33 league goals in his last two seasons from Club Brugge’s left wing. After missing out on Morgan Rogers to Chelsea, they will not want to be beaten to Alex Scott’s signature. Defensive cover will probably be necessary after the injury to William Saliba at the World Cup. Billy Munday

• 33-year-old German could be hit with one-year ban

• South-coast club denied chance to win promotion

Southampton’s manager, Tonda Eckert, is facing a lengthy suspension from all football activity after being charged with three counts of misconduct by the Football Association.

They relate to the Spygate scandal and involve breaching FA rules during covert missions to illicitly observe Championship training sessions involving Middlesbrough, Ipswich and Oxford last season.

• Blatter attacks successor as Fifa president

• Javier Tebas says system is ‘rotten at its core’

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has come in for heavy criticism from his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, and the La Liga president, Javier Tebas, with the pair united in the belief that he should stand down.

As Spain celebrated their World Cup win on Sunday, Tebas accused Infantino of “destroying the football industry” by prioritising the World Cup over national competitions. He claimed “his time is up”. Blatter has called for “fans, players and national associations to reclaim football and bring it back to its roots under new leadership”.

• Keegan revealed in June 2026 he had stage four cancer

• Starred for Liverpool, Hamburg, Newcastle and England

Kevin Keegan, the former England and Newcastle manager who was twice named European Footballer of the Year, has died aged 75. As a player, Keegan illuminated countless matches and in the 1970s proved a stalwart member of Liverpool’s serial domestic and European trophy winning team.

Keegan’s family announced in January that he had cancer and, seven weeks ago, he himself revealed that it was stage four, the most advanced form of the disease. “A double Ballon d’Or winner, Kevin was a much loved husband, father and grandfather,” read a statement. “The family would like to thank Kevin’s incredible medical team for all their support. This is a hugely difficult time and they are requesting space and privacy.”

• Midfielder was team’s best performer last season

• Leeds close to signing centre-back Muharemovic

Dominik Szoboszlai is poised to give Liverpool and their head coach, Andoni Iraola, a significant boost by signing a new long-term contract. The midfielder, who was the team’s best performer during a difficult final season under Arne Slot, has two years on his deal and mentioned several times last season that there had been no real progress over an extension.

After months of negotiations between Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, and Szoboszlai’s representatives, the terms of a new contract have been agreed in principle and the 25-year-old is close to signing the deal.

• Experienced Belgium right-back signs two-year deal

• Competing in Europa League was ‘big factor’ in move

Sunderland have completed the signing of the experienced Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier on a two-year deal as Régis Le Bris’s team step up preparations for a second successive season in the Premier League alongside a Europa League campaign.

Meunier, who has just returned from the World Cup, has been capped 83 times by Belgium and was a free agent after the expiration of his contract at Lille. The 34-year-old is Sunderland’s first summer signing.

• FA could follow Fifa precedent with 12-month suspension

• Manager to face media on Saturday in pre-season friendly

The future of Southampton’s manager, Tonda Eckert, remains shrouded in uncertainty as he waits to learn the outcome of a lengthy and detailed Football Association investigation into last season’s spygate scandal.

In May the English Football League expelled Southampton from the Championship playoff final against Hull after finding that a club intern engaged as a first-team analyst had spied on a key Middlesbrough training session before the semi-final first leg at the Riverside.

With Saudi spending restricted and a glut of departures and arrivals the stakes are high for Eddie Howe, and his captain, amid uncertain times on Tyneside

Is it the end of the road for Bruno Guimarães and Newcastle or are they destined to share at least one more adventure?

With Arsenal anxious to add Eddie Howe’s Brazil midfielder to their armoury and Guimarães receptive to such advances, it remains hard to predict whether Newcastle’s intransigent resistance will be broken.

• Switzerland international poised to sign from Freiburg

• Guimarães wants to leave and is target for Arsenal

Newcastle have agreed a £51.5m deal with Freiburg that should see the versatile Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi swap the Bundesliga for the Premier League.

The 20-year-old, who has shone during this summer’s World Cup, is expected to sign a long-term contract at St James’ Park but the transfer will not be finalised while Switzerland remain in the World Cup. Manzambi, who has been widely coveted this summer, is struggling with a minor knee injury and Murat Yakin, Switzerland’s head coach, is unsure as to whether he will recover in time for the quarter-final against Argentina on Sunday.