It’s weekend notebook time again as we look into Tino Livramento’s contract status, Eddie Howe’s penalty investigation and how Baku received a warm message this week

David Hopkinson departs Newcastle International Airport for Azerbaijan

Newcastle United chiefs are not fazed by fresh talk of a summer exit for Tino Livramento. The defender has a contract running through to 2028 and Chronicle Live understands that plans for a contract extension have already been drawn up.

The Magpies are hoping to fend off talk of uncertainty around the England international once and for all – although Manchester City’s interest is far from over.

The injured full-back has again been linked with City again this week after scouts continue to monitor his return to action. That should come at the start of March, but the likes of sporting director Ross Wilson and CEO David Hopkinson remain in dialogue with his representatives. The boardroom duo are acutely aware that extending Livramento’s contract beyond 2028 would be classed as a big win.

Hopkinson was intrigued by the exit of Alexander Isak to Liverpool for £125m before his appointment. And since then, he has been doing his own research on player exits and what Newcastle as a club can do to prevent it from happening again. Having successfully tied down Sven Botman, there is confidence of a positive outcome for Livramento.

Newcastle, as ordered by Eddie Howe last summer as de facto transfer chief, warned Man City off Livramento after a genuine enquiry from the Etihad Stadium club.

Pep Guardiola remains a fan of Livramento, but with two years left of his contract to run, Newcastle hold all the cards. Livramento is unlikely to turn to any type of radical measures to force any type of situation and is grateful to Howe for giving him the platform after arriving from Southampton 2023.

Eddie Howe has no qualms over penalty row

Howe was not sure what had happened in the direct aftermath of the small spat that took place in Baku between Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon. But after an investigation on the way home, he was satisfied that both players essentially had valid reasons for their heated reactions as the players left the field at half-time.

Howe was pleased Gordon stuck to his guns as the main striker at the moment but equally happy that Trippier wanted to see goals shared around the team.

Howe said: “There were really big positives to take from that incident. Moments like that get blown out of all proportion, it was a very minor issue.

“It was great from Anthony that he’s got that strong enough resolve that he wants to score in every moment, and you’d want that from any player, so I’ve got no issue with him. I’ve got no issue with Kieran also, trying to think of the team and trying to lead in his own way and be the aspiring leader that he is in every moment. I actually thought it was a real positive on all sides.

“The good thing is we scored the penalty, so that in itself is another positive. I think it showed that all the players care, and we want to do well.”

Thank you Baku

Newcastle fans left Azerbaijan with a warm feeling after their 6-1 win over Qarabag and even though the journey home always feels better after a victory, there was more to it for most of the 1,998 fans who made the trek to Baku.

The locals could not have been friendlier, and while bars and restaurants were doing a roaring trade in central Baku, the vibes were warm just like the sunshine. Many Newcastle fans I spoke to on the way home from Baku were tired but happy.

And the general consensus was that the trip – as the song goes – was the “best” many had ever been on.

A statement from Newcastle Supporters Club read: “Thank you to the people of Baku, Azerbaijan for their welcome and hospitality over the last few days Beautiful city and we’d highly recommend a visit if you ever get the chance This is the best trip, we’ve ever been on.”

Newcastle should sail into the last 16 with their healthy lead only there to be added to, but with the possibility of English clubs next up, with Chelsea an option, many will hope that Baku wasn’t the last stop on the Champions League journey in terms of travel abroad.

As the Magpies took a small step closer to the May final, flights from Newcastle to Budapest one-way are around £112. However, as we all know, there is a long way to go, and many will not be in ‘free cancellation’ territory on hotels just yet!

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