Premier League match ball. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Premier League match ball. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Premier League match ball. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Newcastle United rumours: Euro 2020 star emerges as target, Toon set to snap up ex-Arsenal talent

Newcastle United fans will be hoping for a much better campaign over the next 12 months or so than the one their side put in last season.

A late flourish allowed them to pull away from a relegation battle in the end, but for the most part the Magpies struggled, and the aim for the coming term will be to see Steve Bruce’s men climb up the table.

That expectation has been questioned by some pundits, but Andros Townsend – who spent six months at St James’s Park earlier in his career – believes that supporters are right to demand more from their team.

"The fans and their expectation ... I wouldn’t say they expect more than what they have, because that’s the job of the fans,” said the Crystal Palace winger on talkSPORT. “You want your team to do better.

“It’s the right of the fans to expect (that), and us players are the same. Those Newcastle players will be thinking ‘we’re better than 13th, we should be aiming 10th, nine, eight, seventh’.”

Asked by co-presenter and former Palace owner Simon Jordan if he had met Ashley during his time at United, Townsend said: “No. I never met him – (managing director) Lee Charnley does most of his stuff on a day-to-day basis, but Newcastle is a massive, massive club, and I loved my time at Newcastle.

"Hopefully, they do get back to where they belong, which I think is definitely in the top half of the Premier League.”

We’ve gathered the best of today’s Premier League transfer speculation below...