The Newcastle United star is back in form after two tough seasons and is attracting admirers from top-flight rivals
Sven Botman of Newcastle United(Image: Richard Lee/Shutterstock)
Newcastle United defensive lynchpin Sven Botman is attracting attention from Liverpool and Chelsea – but remains content with life on Tyneside.
Botman has just shaken off a couple of injury-ravaged seasons and is getting back to his best form in a black and white shirt. The Dutchman, who has remarkably been overlooked by his national team boss Ronald Koeman ahead of the World Cup, has gelled perfectly with Malick Thiaw.
Botman is on a list of stars edging closer to the end of their existing contracts at United, with 2027 believed to be the end date of his current deal. The ex-Ajax youngster is open to discussing a new deal and is currently not one of the top earners at St James’ Park.
Botman is believed to be on around £90,000 per week at Newcastle and is some way behind the likes of Anthony Gordon, Bruno and Joelinton who all pick up £150,000 in their weekly pay packets.
Sources in Holland say that there is ‘nothing happening’ when it comes to contract negotiations but that could change in the next few weeks as sporting director Ross Wilson gets his feet under the table.
The interest from top-flight rivals has been stood up by those around Botman, but Newcastle are protected until 2027 and will look to extend the contract. Liverpool boss Arne Slot sees Botman as a cool customer, and the Reds will be in the market for a new centre-half having missed out on Marc Guehi in the summer. Chelsea, meanwhile, have been long-term admirers.
With both Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar classed as more urgent cases and head coach Eddie Howe knowing he must get the balance right with enough young blood and experience in the squad, the Toon boss told Chronicle Live: “Those discussions are ongoing all the time now. Now we have Ross here, which is a great thing for me.
“It allows me not to engage in those conversations too often because Ross will be speaking to the board and the appropriate people throughout the season. I’ll be speaking to Ross on a daily basis.
“Decisions on futures are for a later date. We are now in the thick of the season, and it is game after game.
“The players’ minds have been very good and they have been very focused on trying to deliver their best performances, and if they continue to play as well as they are, their futures will take care of themselves.”
Brentford play hardball with Igor Thiago
Chronicle Live’s Saturday morning notepad three weeks ago led the way with talk that Igor Thiago was on Newcastle’s radar. And since then the goals have continued to flow for the Brazilian with strikes against West Ham and Liverpool to keep him in the headlines.
The 24-year-old has also been linked with Tottenham and Aston Villa since then, but Brentford, wary of the recent sales of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, are alread trying to get the word out that Thiago is not for sale.
Brentford paid £30m for Thiago and will want a tidy profit for the star who could end up walking away with double their money for the powerful striker. After the sales of Mbeumo, Wissa and Alexander Isak at Newcastle, the term “not for sale” seems to be going out of fashion.
Premier League chiefs explain Boxing Day changes
Newcastle’s clash with Man United has been switched to Boxing Day after originally being handed a December 27 slot. The game will now kick off at 8pm with Newcastle and the Red Devils the only sides in action on that night.
A Premier League statement explained: “The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season – impacting an important tradition in English football.
“There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions – which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup. This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition – fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995.
“With fewer weekends to work with, the League is bound by how the calendar falls. The League can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day – as the date falls on a Saturday.
“As with previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period. This will allow greater time for players to recover with the rest periods between rounds 18, 19 and 20 being increased to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match.”
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.