Newcastle United, known as the Magpies, are facing difficulties in maintaining the impressive standards they achieved last season. There is now a looming threat of falling into the bottom half of the league table.
Eddie Howe’s team currently occupies the 10th position in the Premier League and is facing a challenging task to secure qualification for European football once again.
Injuries have contributed to their recent difficulties, and as they strive to make it five matches without defeat, the Hammers are poised to capitalize on Newcastle’s vulnerability.
Newcastle vs West Ham: Isak on the move?
While representing Sweden on international duty this week, Alexander Isak has been discussing his future at Newcastle United.
Reports suggest that Arsenal is still monitoring him closely, as the club is actively seeking a strong physical center-forward in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Isak stated that he hadn’t seriously considered departing from Newcastle in the near future but acknowledged that anything is possible once the transfer window opens.
The 24-year-old remarked, “It doesn’t affect me that much. It has been talked about many times, in many windows. I see it as just such a thing. Everyone knows that summer is coming and, if things show up, things can happen, but I actually haven’t even thought about it.”
Newcastle vs West Ham: Team news
The most recent Newcastle player to sustain an injury is Lewis Miley.
The 17-year-old player sustained a back injury while on international duty and is anticipated to be sidelined for more than a month. This adds to Newcastle’s growing injury list, which already includes Sven Botman, Callum Wilson, Joelinton, and Nick Pope, all facing long-term absences.
However, Kieran Trippier, Harvey Barnes, and Valentino Livramento are expected to return for the upcoming game.
On the West Ham side, Edson Alvarez will be unavailable due to suspension after accumulating 10 yellow cards. Mohammed Kudus, who was nursing a minor injury, is likely to be fit for the match, while Maxwell Cornet is also expected to recover in time.
There is a concern regarding Lucas Paqueta’s fitness, as he featured in both games for Brazil during the international break, posing a potential risk if he starts again this weekend.
Newcastle vs West Ham: What has been said?
Simon Jordan from talkSPORT has strongly advocated for Eddie Howe to be given another season at Newcastle United, emphasizing the achievements under his leadership.
Despite Newcastle’s performance not matching their impressive top-four finish from the previous season and facing challenges due to an increased fixture schedule, there have been discussions about potentially replacing Howe at the end of the current season, especially with the team struggling to secure a top-10 finish, let alone contend for the top four.
Jordan believes it would be unwise for Newcastle to part ways with Howe prematurely, considering what he has accomplished. He suggests that Howe has earned at least another year to continue building the team.
In Jordan’s words, “I think he merits another opportunity to continue the building. I think Newcastle will finish inside the top 10. It is not a success compared to what they had the previous season but it is a degree of stability. If they can launch off that and buy better players to continue their progress, then I think he is worthy of another season.”
However, Jordan also points out that for Newcastle to achieve their lofty ambitions, such as winning titles, the club’s ownership, represented by Amanda Staveley, needs to articulate a clear plan for how they intend to achieve those goals.
Newcastle vs West Ham: talkSPORT coverage
The Premier League match is set to occur on Saturday, March 30th, with the kickoff scheduled for 12:30 pm at St. James’ Park.
talkSPORT will provide live coverage of the game, presented by Reshmin Chowdhury. Commentary will be delivered by Adam Bridge alongside former England striker Dean Ashton.