Here are your pre-match Newcastle United evening headlines for December 20.
Lascelles trophy dream
Newcastle United skipper Jamaal Lascelles is hopeful of taking one step closer to his dream of being the first captain to lift a major trophy since Bob Moncur in 1969.
Eddie Howe has not avoided using Newcastle's poor history in the competition to motivate his players with just one final appearance in the League Cup coming way back in 1976. But now only a virus hit Bournemouth side stand in their way of playing in this year's quarter-finals.
Lascelles told Chronicle Live: "Of course, you set yourself goals being a footballer and being a captain and mine is to try and lift something. This season would be the perfect season to do so, we've got all the tools to perform it's getting us to do that."
You can read the full story here.
Wood on transfer talk
Chris Wood has knocked back suggestions he is set for a January move and insists he is "committed" to Newcastle United.
The New Zealand striker has already been linked with a move to Leeds United but made it clear he is focused firmly on life at St James' Park. Wood will reach his one-year anniversary of signing for Newcastle in January after making the £25million move from Burnley.
His current deal runs out in 2024, and he is determined to see it through. Wood has started just two Premier League matches this season but is not making a fuss about his lack of game-time.
You can read the full story here.
Training ground changes
Eddie Howe has revealed that Newcastle United's new dining room has made an 'incredible' difference as the club's revamped training ground begins to take shape.
Although Newcastle still plan to build a new state-of-the-art training ground in the long-term, the Magpies started modernising the club's current Benton base last summer after planning permission was granted by North Tyneside Council. The previous regime may have argued otherwise, but those currently at the top, tellingly, felt moved to act because the original facility fell 'significantly below the Premier League and perhaps even Championship standards'.
A host of new features will be added to the main building, including hydrotherapy and plunge pools, new doctor and physio rooms and a modern players' lounge, and the squad have already been making the most of improved dressing rooms and a larger eating area. Newcastle previously had a relatively small canteen, but the dining room has been expanded to accommodate the increasing number of staff who work on site each day.
The existing pitched roof at the back of the building has been extended by around six metres towards the grass pitches, which gives you an idea of the scale of the work, and a new clear glass façade now brings more natural light in. With a contemporary kitchen also in place, architects predicted these changes would 'massively improve' the dining facilities for players and staff, and Howe can already attest to that.
You can read the full story here.
Howe on Fernandez
Eddie Howe has dismissed talk of Newcastle United signing Enzo Fernandez after Alan Shearer joked the World Cup winner would 'look good in black-and-white'. The midfielder saw off competition from team-mate Julian Alvarez and Jude Bellingham to be named young player of the tournament following the final on Sunday.
Fernandez scored in the group-stage victory over Mexico and started all seven matches as Argentina claimed their third World Cup success with a penalty shootout win over France. The 21-year-old only joined Benfica this summer, but former Argentina international Pablo Zabaleta has already tipped the rising star for a move to a 'better league' next summer.
Zabaleta was joined in the BBC studio for coverage of the final by Shearer, and the Magpies legend raised the prospect of a move by asking if Fernandez would be available for Tuesday night's Carabao Cup clash with Bournemouth. Howe was asked about the comments made by the clubs' record goalscorer, but dismissed transfer speculation and suggested Newcastle could not match the likely asking price.
You can read the full story here.
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