'Naughty' - Newcastle United accused of deliberate ploy amid £70m transfer chase
Newcastle United pair Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall hit a major milestone on Sunday by making their full England debuts.
Having come on at half-time during the 3-0 win in Greece three days earlier, Hall started behind Anthony Gordon at left-back against the Republic of Ireland. On the opposite side, Livramento was handed his senior bow.
In a Three Lions starting XI that included three Newcastle players for the first time since 1997, Lee Carsley’s side cruised to victory at Wembley with five second-half goals securing promotion back to the Nations League’s top-tier.
While Gordon - scorer of the second goal after firing home Livramento’s deflected cross - was brought off in the 78th minute, Livramento and Hall played a full game.
The Magpies’ social media admin shared a photo of the two full-backs laughing and smiling at full-time - but it was familiar face in background that sparked the biggest interaction.
As you’ll see above, that is, of course, Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. You know the tale by now, Newcastle tried to buy him in the summer but Palace wanted in excess of £70m blah, blah, blah.
Indeed, selecting an image of which Guehi features in the background has got Newcastle fans wondering if this was a deliberate ploy by said admin.
“You know what your doing with this, naughty naughty,” replied one supporter, while another said “Guehi in the background thinking what could have been ... Still may be I guess.”
Only time will tell if Newcastle reignite their interest in Guehi in January. Eddie Howe remains a big admirer of the former Chelsea man but the club won’t be paying over the odds for a player with 18 months left on his contract.
As is the case these days, any deal is made with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) in mind.