Newcastle eye underwhelming ex-Premier League star to replace Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali

Newcastle are reportedly interested in a 31-year-old former Premier League midfielder who would effectively replace Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.

It has been a summer of transition so far at St James’ Park, with key players Guimaraes, Tonali and Anthony Gordon moving on, joining Arsenal, Tottenham and Barcelona respectively, while long-time head coach Eddie Howe stepped down from his role last week.

Howe has since been replaced by German coach Matthias Jaissle, with the 38-year-old previously taking charge of FC Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg and, most recently, Al Ahli.

The Magpies have already welcomed several recruits during the transfer window, with the club signing inexperienced and relatively unknown 20-year-olds Bouzoumana Touré, Aladji Bamba and Ewen Jaouen from Hoffenheim, AS Monaco and Stade Reims respectively.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Sean Steur has also arrived from Ajax, while 24-year-old Czech goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek has signed from Braga.

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Newcastle interested in former Spurs star

With Newcastle opting to sign players with a high ceiling and potential sell-on value, very few supporters would’ve expected to see the Magpies linked with a 31-year-old midfielder.

However, on Friday (August 7) evening, the Daily Mail reported Newcastle are interested in signing former Tottenham and Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Denmark international is currently plying his trade in France with Marseille and was previously the subject of interest from Newcastle in 2022 while he was still at Spurs.

The player is seen as a ready-made starter who will provide experience in an otherwise inexperienced squad, with the Dane also having regularly featured in the Champions League while at Spurs and for Marseille.

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie reports Newcastle could acquire the player for just £15million.

This comes just hours after Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson explained how the club did not want to lose their captain Guimaraes, but the Brazilian insisted he wanted to join Arsenal.

"What we had to weigh up was, very respectfully from Bruno with his behaviour towards us, very emotionally as well, he effectively told us he wanted to leave and move on," he said.

"That doesn't mean he can go, but it certainly plays a part in what our thinking is when we hit a certain range of number.

"There's no part in saying it was part of our strategy and was in our thinking this summer - it wasn't.

"But we have got to be flexible and react to things that happen."

Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson also addressed the sale, admitting that he would’ve liked to have received “an even higher number” than the £75million fee.

"You're dealing with very sophisticated actors on each side," he said. "That's what negotiation looks like.

"It's a fee that satisfies us. If you want to put a merchandising spin on it, it's the highest fee for a player in that position at that age, and all those things come into play.

"Is it a good deal for Newcastle United? I believe it is, but Arsenal are getting a very special player and person. It's worked from a financial perspective for both sides."

Newcastle get their 2026/27 Premier League campaign underway at home against Liverpool on August 23.