Newcastle United briefing: Tomer Hemed sticks to his story, summer target open to Premier League move

But the Brighton and Hove Albion striker is STILL pleading his innocence.

Tomer has reacted to his three-game ban on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet, a player that has interested Rafa Benitez, has spoken about his future and the possibility of joining a Premier League club.

Here's your daily briefing:

Devastated

Referee Andre Marriner missed Hemed's stamp on Yedlin.

But the incident was clearly caught on camera, and Hemed was yesterday punished retrospectively by the Football Association for violent conduct.

The 30-year-old had denied the FA's charge, but an Independent Regulatory Commission ruled agains him.

Hemed – who scored Brighton's winner at the Amex Stadium last weekend – is sticking to his story.

"I accept the decision against me, but do not agree with it and I am devastated to miss three matches," he said on Twitter.

“I would never go out to injure a fellow professional on purpose, and those of my friends and team-mates who know me, know that this is not in my nature.

“I will use the time to get fitter, stronger and come back hungrier to score more goals for Brighton in the Premier League.”

Italian job

Newcastle were strongly linked with a move for Praet this summer, but the club simply couldn't afford him.

And the midfielder has revealed why he ended up staying at Sampdoria.

The 23-year-old, signed from Belgian club Anderlecht last summer, also revealed his keenness to play in the Premier League.

“I’ve never played in the Premier League, but I’d be happy to go there one day," said Praet.

“I'm grateful to Sampdoria, and I want to repay their trust scoring goals and making assists.”

Force

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has spoken about Liverpool's visit to St James's Park on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp is look to address problems at both ends of the pitch.

Liverpool produced yet another under whelming performance in midweek when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Spartak Moscow in the Champions League.

But Alexander-Arnold: “It’s just before the international break, so we’ll try to go into that with three points.

“We’ll keep fighting every week to try to get as many points as we can in every competition we play in.

"We’ve got the quality in the team to keep going, and keep getting better. Everyone is improving with every game, and soon we’ll be a force.”

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