Eddie Howe and Fabian Hurzeler were two of the ‘squad splitters’ on the final weekend of pre-season friendlies.
Both Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion contested two warm-up games, with their players scattered across those kickabouts.
From Alexander Isak‘s (£10.5m) whereabouts to Maxim De Cuyper‘s (£4.5m) threat, here are our Scout Notes from those four matches.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 2-2 ESPANYOL
NEWCASTLE 0-2 ATLETICO MADRID
- Goals: Targett, J Murphy
- Assist: Miley
GORDON INJURY SCARE, HALL + BOTMAN ONLY GIVEN 45 MINUTES
With Isak on the naughty step, the last thing Howe needed was an injury to the man who might be starting up front in his stead in Gameweek 1: Anthony Gordon (£7.5m).
Gordon hobbled off in the closing stages of Saturday’s friendly, having played through the middle for the second week running.
The damage doesn’t seem too bad, at least.
“We hope he’s okay. I think he’s got an ankle problem. Initially maybe thought it was a muscle problem but the good news is I think it was just a twist. So the initial feeling is that he should be okay.” – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon
Elsewhere on the fitness front, Lewis Hall (£5.5m) and Sven Botman (£5.0m) were only given 45 minutes apiece. Howe confirmed their half-time withdrawals were planned.
“That was the plan with Sven. I think we have to be careful with him. He’s picked up a slight groin issue. He’s back now. He trained yesterday for the first time, got through 45 minutes, so I was delighted with him.
“Both [Hall and Botman are] in similar positions really where they’re physically fit, but they’re lacking match action. So, we need to not rush their comebacks and push them too hard and then risk further injury. We’ve got a long season ahead.” – Eddie Howe on Sven Botman
Expect to see a back four of Kieran Trippier (£5.0m), Fabian Schar (£5.5m), Dan Burn (£5.0m) and Tino Livramento (£5.0m) in Gameweek 1, then.
ISAK LATEST
Howe’s press conferences after both friendlies were, unsurprisingly, dominated by talk of a certain Swede – and it wasn’t Emil Krafth (£4.5m).
“We’ve had discussions and it’s clear at the moment that we can’t involve him with the group. I don’t know how long that will be for.
“He’s here and he’s contracted to us so as long as he’s in that position there is, of course, a chance that he could play for Newcastle again but I don’t know what the future will hold.
“I’d want Alex to be playing today. I’d want him training tomorrow. We would love the player to be with us. So, let me make that absolutely clear. There’s no part of me that doesn’t want that outcome.
“But I don’t see that changing before Aston Villa, the current situation that we’re in.” – Eddie Howe on Alexander Isak
Even if Isak remains at Newcastle by the big 2025/26 kick-off, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be taking to the field at Villa Park next weekend.
THE YEARLY HOWE MIND GAMES
A yearly tradition in pre-season is Howe divvying his players up across two final friendlies, with no discernible pattern to the line-ups.
Anthony Elanga (£7.0m) got the nod alongside Gordon and Harvey Barnes (£6.5m) against Atletico. Does that make him likelier to start than Jacob Murphy (£6.5m) in Gameweek 1? It may seem that way, but then consider that Bruno Guimaraes (£6.5m) was involved in a different game to his usual midfield partners, Joelinton (£6.0m) and Sandro Tonali (£5.5m). Trippier and Livramento played the night before Schar and Burn, too.
Elanga was lively against Atletico, with the absence of a bona fide centre-forward as much of a factor as poor delivery that none of his five crosses were latched onto.
But then Murphy was his usual 7/10 the previous night, too. His and Newcastle’s harrying led to his third goal of pre-season. No Magpie has more.
And was Howe perhaps hinting at a slower integration for Elanga here?
“I think it’s for us to get to know his game a bit better and for him to understand what we do a little bit better and I think we’ll see a real player that can make a difference and frighten the opposition”. – Eddie Howe on Anthony Elanga
As for the other takeaways, you’ve got bits and bobs that don’t really add up to much coherence when you consider the disjointed nature of this weekend.
Joelinton missed four very good chances against Atletico. Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m) debuted against Espanyol and to the surprise of no one, looked better with his feet than Nick Pope (£5.0m), also saving a penalty. Lewis Miley (£4.5m) ended pre-season with more minutes than any other Newcastle player, assisting Matt Targett (£4.0m).
Lots of little observations, but of questionable relevance when neither XI is going to start together in 2025/26.
“On the pitch today, you’ve seen a top save from a penalty. Distributed the ball really well. So that was a really good home debut from him.” – Eddie Howe on Aaron Ramsdale
Newcastle kept Espanyol mostly quiet outside of their long-range opener, missed penalty and late headed equaliser. They were on top against Atletico initially, too, but the Spaniards showed their class after the break and turned the screw, scoring twice.
Newcastle United XI v Espanyol: Ramsdale, Krafth, Schär, Burn, Targett, Miley, Bruno Guimarães, Hall (Harrison 46); Murphy, Osula, Seung-soo (Neave 61).
Newcastle United XI v Atletico Madrid: Pope, Ashby (Al. Harrison 61), Lascelles, Botman (A. Murphy 46), Livramento, Trippier (Shahar 87), Joelinton, Tonali, Elanga, Gordon (Neave 84), Barnes.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION 2-0 WOLFSBURG
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION 2-1 WOLFSBURG
- Goals: Gruda, Sarmiento | Rutter, De Cuyper
- Assists: Buonanotte, Milner | Ayari, Wieffer
NO SUCH MIND GAMES FROM HURZELER?
While Howe was dispersing his first teamers across two friendlies, Hurzeler, for the second week running, appeared to be sorting his players into ‘first XI’ and ‘second string’.
This week’s (apparent) first-team side showed only one change from last week’s – and even that came between the posts. Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) was back from injury and took the place of Jason Steele (£4.5m).
FPL midfielder Georginio Rutter (£6.0m) was again the line leader, with Matt O’Riley (£5.5m) behind him. That saw Danny Welbeck (£6.5m) consigned to the behind-closed-doors kickabout once more.
“No, it is not a decision between him and Danny. They played last season together. [Georginio] is always an option. He is very playable in this position.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Georginio Rutter + Danny Welbeck, via Sussex Express
Lewis Dunk‘s (£4.5m) race doesn’t seem to be run, either, as he once again started alongside Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.5m). New arrivals Diego Coppola (£4.5m) and Oliver Boscagli (£4.5m) were with Welbeck and the glorified B team.
DE CUYPER’S FIRST BRIGHTON GOAL
Part of that stronger-on-paper side is De Cuyper, who lashed in his first Brighton goal on Saturday. He’s been on the radar since his summer move, what with those eye-catching numbers in Belgium.
He seems to be settling in nicely, too. Sometimes wide, sometimes coming inside and sometimes forming part of a central-defensive three (we used the Milos Kerkez (£6.0m) comparison last week), he’d already whizzed over a couple of crosses before Mats Wieffer‘s (£5.0m) low delivery was palmed into his path. The left-back buried the chance.
“Yeah, very impressed because he integrated as a person quite quickly and that’s something that I don’t see that often in the football business. He does it in a, I would say, very natural way. So, not in an artificial way and therefore you can see that he’s immediately integrated in the team on the pitch by having good performances by playing a good game. So, therefore, I’m quite happy for him.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Maxim De Cuyper
GOOD GOING FORWARD… NOT SO MUCH AT THE BACK
De Cuyper had a reputation for being more adept at going forward than in the other direction before his transfer. That’s something that could definitely be said for Brighton in general.
Just last week, we wrote about their defensive deficiencies – and they were again on show against Wolfsburg.
Carved open on the transition with huge chasms both in front of and behind the backline, they were reliant on some heroics from Verbruggen to keep Wolfsburg at bay until a 79th-minute consolation. Not much has changed since last season, it seems, and Dunk isn’t going to get any more mobile at 33.
Carlos Baleba (£5.0m) at least could offer some protection soon: he was absent yet again but Hurzeler revealed after the game that he was already in training and “will be back”.
At least it was rosier heading in the opposite direction, with Rutter, Diego Gomez (£5.0m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) denied on either side of Rutter’s superbly taken opener. Yankuba Minteh (£6.0m), who netted a brace last weekend, should have scored with a header and a close-range shot on either side of the break.
In the day’s early game, Brajan Gruda (£5.5m) and Jeremy Sarmiento (£5.0m) netted for the Seagulls. That behind-closed-doors game featured the briefest of cameos from Stefanos Tzimas (£5.5m), one of the two big-money Greek signings. It’s pretty clear now that neither will be troubling the starting XI until we’re into autumn.
Brighton and Hove Albion starting XI in first friendly: Steele, Kadioglu (Lamptey 45), Boscagli (Simmonds 61), Coppola, Veltman, Sarmiento, Moran, Milner (Yalcouye 70), Buonanotte, Gruda, Welbeck (Tzimas 85).
Brighton and Hove Albion starting XI in second friendly: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper, Ayari, Gomez (Yalcouye 78), Minteh (Howell 74), O’Riley, Mitoma, Georginio (Sima 84).
