Three to watch | Newcastle
A new feature for 2026/27, where we'll select three players from our opponents to keep a close eye on.
Next up, our first home match of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign as we face Newcastle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening (5.30pm UK).
It's been a summer of change at St James' Park - incluing Sandro Tonali swapping black and white for Lilywhite and a new manager with Matthias Jaissle taking over from Eddie Howe.
Newcastle impressed in their opener against Liverpool last weekend, when two lightning counter-attack goals looked to have secured a win, only for a late, late penalty to earn the Reds a 2-2 draw.
And don't forget - there has never been a 0-0 draw when we've faced the Magpies in the Premier League - 62 matches - the most played fixture in the competition never to finish 0-0.
Lewis Hall
A classic, modern-day full-back, Hall is strong defensively yet more renowned for his forays forward and delivery off his left foot. Initially at Chelsea, the left-back's progress at Newcastle is seen clearly in his appearances - 22, 34 and 46 last season, and that would have been more but for a season-ending injury in February. Capped four times by England, he would surely have been knocking on the door for England's World Cup squad.
Nico Gonzalez
Snapped up from Manchester City to help fill the sizeable void left by the departures of Tonali and Bruno Guimarães, Gonzalez came through the system at Barcelona and joined City in February, 2025 after an impressive 18 months at Porto. Toon boss Matthias Jaissle summed up the midfielder's strengths on his arrival. “Nico is a really strong ball carrier, somebody who can drive the team forward while staying composed under pressure. He also brings discipline defensively, he reads the game well and his physicality makes him well suited to the Premier League.”
Anthony Elanga
Lee Ryder, Chief Newcastle Writer at the Chronicle, picked out Elanga as one to watch in his preview for us.
On target within a minute of the season's opener against Liverpool last week, his goal illustrated what he's about - power, pace and a finish to complete a lightning counter-attack, a real weapon for the Toon. "Anthony Elanga looks in the mood to cause some damage and show that last season's up and down form can be improved on," Lee told us.
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