Team guides · Newcastle
Newcastle FPL team guide 2026/27
Squad, fixture runs and rotation partners
Squad leaders
The fastest routes into this club's player pool.
Points and form from 2025/26.
Schedule pulse
Difficulty across the next 5 listed fixtures.
Attack vs defence
Bawler's own split — the same run can be kind to one end and cruel to the other.
Rated 1 (easiest) to 5 from the opponent's attacking and defensive strength, not the official single number. How it's built →
Squad
31 players in the FPL game, by position.
| Player | Owned | Pts | xPts | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| PopeBackup | 4.5% | 96 | 0.33 | £5.0 |
| Ramsdale | 0.7% | 25 | — | £4.8 |
| Ruddy | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.0 |
| GillespieFringe | 0.1% | 0 | 0.00 | £3.9 |
| Defenders | ||||
| HallNailed | 3.3% | 79 | 2.85 | £5.3 |
| Schär50% | 1.1% | 51 | 0.69 | £5.2 |
| BurnRotation | 3.6% | 93 | 1.43 | £5.0 |
| ThiawNailed | 4.7% | 126 | 3.62 | £4.9 |
| Botman | 0.5% | 89 | 2.83 | £4.9 |
| Livramento50% | 1.8% | 59 | 1.21 | £4.9 |
| Trippier | 1.4% | 54 | — | £4.9 |
| Krafth | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.3 |
| Shahar | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.0 |
| A.Murphy | 0.7% | 2 | — | £3.8 |
| Pivas | 0.4% | 0 | — | £3.8 |
| Midfielders | ||||
| Gordon | 3.1% | 101 | — | £7.2 |
| Bruno G. | 6.5% | 154 | — | £6.9 |
| Elanga | 2.6% | 48 | 2.31 | £6.5 |
| Barnes | 1.3% | 106 | 2.87 | £6.1 |
| J.MurphyRotation | 0.6% | 82 | 1.12 | £5.9 |
| Joelinton | 0.3% | 73 | 2.42 | £5.9 |
| Tonali | 1.0% | 81 | — | £5.3 |
| J.RamseyBattle | 0.3% | 62 | 1.75 | £5.3 |
| WillockRotation | 0.1% | 38 | 1.12 | £5.0 |
| Alabi | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.5 |
| L.MileyOUT | 1.7% | 72 | 0.91 | £4.4 |
| Seung soo | 0.5% | 0 | — | £4.3 |
| Forwards | ||||
| WissaRotation | 0.6% | 27 | 2.13 | £7.3 |
| WoltemadeBattle | 6.5% | 108 | 1.87 | £6.7 |
| Osula | 2.1% | 76 | 2.85 | £5.5 |
| NeaveFringe | 0.3% | 1 | 0.12 | £4.3 |
Points from 2025/26. xPts is Bawler's projected points per gameweek — fixture-adjusted and weighted by how likely the player is to start. Full projections →
Rotation partners
Own one from each pair and start whichever has the kinder week.
Scored by taking the easier of the two clubs' fixtures each gameweek across the listed horizon.
Fixture run
Every listed fixture ahead, coloured by official FPL difficulty.
Latest updates
Newcastle officially confirmed the 22-year-old defender has joined 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern on loan for the whole of 2026/27. Murphy had trained with the first team under Jaissle at La Manga before leaving the camp ahead of the Valencia friendly.
FPL: Removes a fringe defensive body from the squad and slightly thins Newcastle's full-back cover, reinforcing Jaissle's stated need for a right-back signing.
Newcastle's official team news confirmed Elanga was "stretchered off in Spain, but is fit enough to start here" — four days after a heavy Jose Gaya challenge at Valencia left him needing a stretcher. Lewis Hall, who had been training individually and was left out of the Valencia squad, also returned to the starting XI at left-back.
FPL: Newcastle's two most FPL-relevant defensive/attacking returnees are both back in the first-choice XI, so no GW1 doubt attaches to either.
Jaissle's first-half XI at Murrayfield on 12 Aug: Horníček; Shahar, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Joelinton (c), Bamba; Elanga, Touré; Osula, Wissa. All ten outfielders were replaced at half-time — Woltemade, Barnes, J.Murphy, Willock, Ramsey and Steur came on, with Barnes scoring the 84th-minute consolation. Horníček was the only player to complete 90 minutes.
FPL: Horníček looks nailed as the No.1 and Osula, not Woltemade, led the line in the strongest XI. Woltemade's second-half-only role is a mild warning for his GW1 minutes.
After naming eight starters aged 25 or under at Murrayfield, Jaissle said: "You are also smart enough to see the needs in the squad" and referenced the "vacuum" left by the exits of Bruno Guimarães, Tonali, Gordon and Trippier — "It's a really young team at the moment so there are vacuums where players need to step up." On transfers he added: "We handle these things internally, we are aware of what we need, and as you know, there's still some time."
FPL: More incomings are likely before 1 September, especially at right-back and in central midfield, which could quickly displace the young players currently starting.
Speaking after the 1-3 friendly loss to Everton on 12 Aug, Jaissle said of Schär: "He's on the way back now. Hopefully in the next days he will be included in the team training, and then we need to see if he gets some minutes already in the weekend." He said Livramento and Lewis Miley were "a bit of the same". All three were absent from the Murrayfield squad; Newcastle host Bayer Leverkusen (15 Aug) and Strasbourg (16 Aug) before the Liverpool opener on 23 Aug.
FPL: None of the three is in full team training 11 days out, so all are live doubts for GW1. Livramento in particular is a popular cheap defender whose start is no longer safe to assume.
At the La Manga camp Fabian Schär and Lewis Hall worked away from the main group, Schär after tweaking his groin in the 4-1 defeat at Bristol City, though neither is thought to be carrying a major injury. William Osula remains a doubt with a minor groin complaint picked up in training, and Tino Livramento is still out with the calf problem that cost him the World Cup.
FPL: Keeps our existing doubts on Schär and Osula live going into the opener; Hall (a popular cheap defender pick) is worth watching — one report only so far, so no flag change yet.
Miley, who fractured his right fibula in training in May, is described as ahead of schedule and is now training with team-mates at the La Manga base. He is unlikely to feature at Valencia on Saturday, with his realistic target the Premier League opener at home to Liverpool on 23 August.
FPL: Miley is a live differential in a midfield stripped of Tonali and Bruno G., but he is not yet match-fit — worth monitoring for a role signal rather than buying now.
Jaissle brought his entire Al Ahli staff with him: assistants Alexander Hauser, Engin Yanova and Florens Koch, goalkeeper coach Alexander Bade and analysts Maximilian Fischer and Steffen Konrad. In his first media appearances he promised 'front-footed, intense, aggressive' football with three non-negotiables — trust, respect and commitment — and indicated further recruitment is planned, while CEO David Hopkinson warned the club had been 'living beyond our means'.
FPL: A brand-new coaching staff means last season's Howe-era role and set-piece assumptions should be treated as unreliable until the Valencia friendly (8 Aug) and the Liverpool opener (23 Aug) show his actual shape and selections.
Tracked daily from cited sources. News for every club is on team news.
Manager & style
Appointed this summer, replacing Eddie Howe. A new manager means last season's roles, minutes and set-piece duties do not automatically carry over.
VACANT/UNCONFIRMED as of 2026-07-30. Eddie Howe RESIGNED on 30 July 2026 after nearly five years - Sky Sports report it was Howe's own decision and that the club tried to convince him to stay, with Howe feeling he had 'taken it as far as he can' and concerned about squad composition after the sales of Sandro Tonali (Spurs, July 2026), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona, May 2026) and Alexander Isak (Liverpool, September 2025) plus Bruno Guimaraes wanting to join Arsenal. His final match was a 4-1 pre-season defeat at Bristol City on 29 July 2026. Matthias Jaissle (38, Al-Ahli, ex-RB Salzburg) is the agreed-in-principle successor and Newcastle were hopeful of appointing him within 24 hours, but he has NOT been officially announced by the club; Antonio Conte and Kieran McKenna were also shortlisted, and Wikipedia still lists the post as vacant. If Jaissle is confirmed, expect the Red Bull school: aggressive high pressing, direct vertical attacking, accelerated use of young players, and goalkeepers expected to be part of build-up ('Goalkeeper is not a position by itself any more'). He used a narrow 4-4-2 with inverted wingers at Salzburg and a 4-2-3-1 at Al-Ahli, building into 3-2-5 or 2-3-5 shapes in possession, and demands tactical all-rounders (defenders who attack, attackers who defend). He states principles matter more than formation. Won the Austrian double in 2021-22 and retained the league title at Salzburg; won the Saudi Super Cup with Al-Ahli.
Summer transfers
In
| Player | Pos | From | Fee | Expected role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bazoumana Toure | LW | TSG Hoffenheim | GBP 42m-43m (Sky Sports GBP 42m; Wikipedia GBP 42.8m; Transfermarkt EUR 50m); club fee undisclosed | Direct replacement for Anthony Gordon on the left; 20-year-old Ivory Coast international signed to 2031, announced 5 July 2026. Howe: 'a player with a really high ceiling'. Was among the players unavailable in late July, so GW1 readiness unclear. |
| Aladji Bamba | DM | AS Monaco | GBP 35.5m (Sky Sports; Wikipedia GBP 30m + GBP 5.5m add-ons; Transfermarkt EUR 35.5m) | Signed 24 July 2026 on a five-year deal, took the No.8 shirt. Direct replacement for Sandro Tonali in the deeper midfield role. 20-year-old France U20, led Ligue 1 for duels won per 90 (9.06). Only days into the squad in late July. |
| Sean Steur | CM | Ajax | GBP 23m (Sky Sports; Wikipedia GBP 19.6m + GBP 3m add-ons; Transfermarkt EUR 23.5m) | 18-year-old central midfielder on a five-year deal; took the vacant No.14 shirt. Signed after Tonali's exit. Started and impressed in the Bristol City friendly on 29 July 2026 - a genuine candidate for early minutes. |
| Ewen Jaouen | GK | Stade de Reims | GBP 18.5m (Wikipedia; Transfermarkt EUR 21.5m) | 20-year-old goalkeeper, first signing of the window. Started the Bristol City friendly on 29 July 2026 ahead of Nick Pope (who came on at half-time). Genuine competition for the No.1 shirt, especially if Jaissle demands a ball-playing keeper. |
| Afner Ca | FW | Levante | Free (contract expired) | 19-year-old Guinea-Bissau forward, 6ft 4in, five-year deal to 2031. Joins the academy/U21 setup rather than the senior squad - minimal 2026/27 FPL relevance. |
Out
| Player | Pos | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandro Tonali | DM | Tottenham Hotspur | Reported GBP 100m (Sky Sports); Wikipedia GBP 92.5m + GBP 7.5m add-ons; Transfermarkt EUR 108m. Club confirmed it as the second-largest fee ever received by Newcastle |
| Anthony Gordon | LW | Barcelona | EUR 70m initial rising to c. EUR 80m with add-ons (c. GBP 70m); announced 29 May 2026, five-year contract |
| Kieran Trippier | RB | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free (contract expired); two-year deal plus option |
| Matt Targett | LB | Hull City | Free |
| Emil Krafth | RB | Released (without club) | Free |
| John Ruddy | GK | Released (without club) | Free |
| Aaron Ramsdale | GK | Southampton | End of loan (returned to parent club) |
| Joe White | AM | Crewe Alexandra | Undisclosed |
| Harrison Ashby | RB | Luton Town | Loan |
| Odysseas Vlachodimos | GK | Sevilla | Loan |
| Antonio Cordero | RW | Cadiz | Loan |
Current injuries
| Player | Issue | Expected return |
|---|---|---|
| Tino Livramento | Calf injury sustained training with England before the 2026 World Cup; has since had surgery. Described by Howe as the longest-term absentee of the group | Around the start of the season (Howe, late July 2026) - genuine doubt for GW1 v Liverpool on 23 August |
| Joelinton | Thigh injury that ended his 2025/26 season; running and rebuilding fitness, missed the opening pre-season matches | Around the start of the season |
| Lewis Miley | Long-standing injury; 'really good progress' | Expected to rejoin training at the La Manga camp (early August 2026) |
| William Osula | Tight groin - missed the Gateshead friendly | 'Fine in a week or so' (Howe, c. 26 July 2026); expected to travel to Spain |
| Fabian Schar | Returned in pre-season after seven months out, then went off early in the Bristol City friendly on 29 July 2026 with a suspected groin/tightness problem. Severity NOT confirmed by the club | No date reported |
| Sven Botman | Facial injury in training (missed the Gateshead friendly) | RESOLVED - started the Bristol City friendly on 29 July 2026 |
Injury picture as of 30 July 2026 — availability moves fast in pre-season, so confirm against official team news.
Expected XI & selection battles
Formation: 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 (PROJECTION - Newcastle have no head coach in post, so the GW1 shape is genuinely unknown)
- GK Nick Pope
- RB Tino Livramento (fitness doubt; Jacob Murphy has deputised at RB)
- CB Malick Thiaw
- CB Sven Botman
- LB Lewis Hall
- CM Bruno Guimaraes (transfer doubt - Arsenal interest)
- CM Aladji Bamba
- CM Joelinton (fitness doubt) or Joe Willock
- RW Anthony Elanga
- LW Harvey Barnes
- ST Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa
Battles to watch
- GOALKEEPER: Nick Pope vs GBP 18.5m signing Ewen Jaouen - and now Braga's Lukas Hornicek, whose EUR 30m release clause Newcastle have reportedly agreed to meet (TEAMtalk/Football365, 30 July; agreed NOT completed), with Pope consequently reported open to exit. Jaouen started the final pre-season friendly (Bristol City, 29 July) with Pope introduced at half-time. If Jaissle is appointed, his stated demand that the keeper be part of build-up cuts against Pope. Genuinely unresolved three-way - avoid Newcastle keepers until it settles.
- STRIKER: three-way between Nick Woltemade (GBP 64.9m club-record signing from Stuttgart in Aug 2025, contracted to 2031), Yoane Wissa and William Osula. The Athletic reported Howe planned to use all three, with Osula viewed as the leading No.9 option after a strong finish to 2025/26 - but that was Howe's plan, and Howe has gone.
- LEFT WING: Harvey Barnes (signed a contract extension c. 27 July 2026) vs new GBP 42m signing Bazoumana Toure, who was bought to replace Anthony Gordon.
- RIGHT BACK: Tino Livramento (post-surgery, fitness doubt) - Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth both left, so there is no experienced senior cover. Jacob Murphy started at right-back in the Bristol City friendly.
- DEEP MIDFIELD: Aladji Bamba (No.8, GBP 35.5m) vs Sean Steur (No.14, GBP 23m) vs Joe Willock vs Lewis Miley for the roles vacated by Sandro Tonali.
- CENTRE BACK: Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar (injury doubt) for two places. Newcastle conceded 48 league goals in 2025/26 and beat reporters flagged the need for another centre-back after the Bristol City defeat.
Set-piece takers
FPL winners & losers
Research calls from the sources below, not model output — the model's numbers for these players are on predicted points.
Key uncertainties
The honest list — what this guide could not pin down as of 30 July 2026. Any of these can change the FPL picture before Gameweek 1:
- MANAGER NOT CONFIRMED. As of 30 July 2026 Newcastle have no head coach in post. Eddie Howe's exit is confirmed (Sky Sports, 30 July 2026), but Matthias Jaissle is only 'agreed in principle' / 'in advanced talks' - Sky, TeamTalk and Get German Football News all use conditional language and no official club announcement had been made. Wikipedia's 2026-27 season page lists the manager as vacant. Sky Sports also reported Antonio Conte and Kieran McKenna on the shortlist, so an alternative appointment is not impossible. Every tactical, formation and rotation assumption in this file is contingent on Jaissle's appointment actually completing.
- The formation and starting XI are therefore a PROJECTION, not a verified lineup. No 2026/27 competitive team has been named, and the last pre-season XI (Jaouen; Jacob Murphy, Schar, Botman, Hall; Steur, Willock, Ramsey; Barnes, Elanga, Neave) was heavily rotated because most first-teamers were only just back from the 2026 World Cup.
- BRUNO GUIMARAES IS UNRESOLVED AND MOVING. The Athletic reported Bruno told the club on 8 July he wants to join Arsenal; BBC reported Arsenal set to bid GBP 70m; TEAMtalk (Romano-sourced) put Newcastle's demand at GBP 90m; talkSPORT-sourced reporting on 28 July described 'encouraging progress towards a verbal agreement worth more than GBP 75m'; the Mirror (30 July) called the next 24 hours crucial. Newcastle value him at up to GBP 100m (contract to 2029) and are 'not inviting offers'; he is reportedly refusing to force the move. Howe said on c. 25 July he could not guarantee the captain would stay. NOTHING AGREED as of 30 July - but this is the single biggest live risk in the file: he is projected starter, corner taker and probable penalty taker.
- COMMON ERROR TO AVOID: Alexander Isak's GBP 125m move to Liverpool happened in SUMMER 2025 (deadline day), NOT summer 2026. Several 2026 articles reference it retrospectively and it is easily miscoded as a current-window departure. He was not a Newcastle player in 2025/26.
- FEE CONFLICTS ACROSS SOURCES. Tonali: 'GBP 100m' (Sky) vs GBP 92.5m + GBP 7.5m add-ons (Wikipedia) vs EUR 108m (Transfermarkt); club called it undisclosed. Toure: GBP 42m (Sky) vs GBP 42.8m (Wikipedia) vs EUR 50m (Transfermarkt) vs 'GBP 43m' (other outlets). Steur: GBP 23m (Sky) vs GBP 19.6m + GBP 3m (Wikipedia) vs EUR 23.5m (Transfermarkt). Bamba: GBP 35.5m (Sky) vs GBP 34m (Washington Post/AP) vs GBP 30m + GBP 5.5m (Wikipedia). Jaouen: GBP 18.5m (Wikipedia) vs EUR 21.5m (Transfermarkt).
- SET PIECES ARE LOW CONFIDENCE. The two highest-volume corner takers of 2025/26 (Tonali 49, Trippier 48 - StatMuse) have both left, and the designated penalty taker (Anthony Gordon, 3 pens scored in 2025/26) is at Barcelona. Woltemade's famous Forest penalty (5 Oct 2025) was his ONLY one all season, so do not code him as the incumbent taker; on penalties the official FPL API (penalties_order: Woltemade > Osula > Bruno > Wissa) disagrees with Fantasy Football Scout and FPL Pilot (Bruno primary, Woltemade backup) - a genuine source conflict, unresolved because no club-confirmed taker exists and Bruno is himself an Arsenal target. NOTE ALSO: the common assumption that Trippier was the main direct-FK taker is UNVERIFIED - Benchboost's 2025/26 list had Schar and Bruno on direct FKs, and Newcastle scored zero direct free-kick goals all season. Everything here predates the incoming head coach and can be reset on appointment.
- GOALKEEPER SITUATION MOVING FAST (30 July 2026). TEAMtalk and Football365 (both 30 July) report Newcastle have AGREED to meet Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek's EUR 30m (c. GBP 24.5m-25.7m) release clause - agreed but NOT completed, no medical or announcement, framed as the first Jaissle-era signing - and that Nick Pope is consequently 'prepared to listen to offers' territory for an exit. If both happen, the GW1 keeper could plausibly be Hornicek or Jaouen rather than Pope. Not included in transfersIn because it is not a completed deal.
- FABIAN SCHAR'S STATUS IS UNCLEAR. He returned in pre-season after seven months out, then was withdrawn early in the Bristol City friendly on 29 July 2026 with an apparent groin problem. NUFC The Mag flagged the squad's unavailable list as '11, possibly 12 now' on that basis. No official club diagnosis found.
- BEWARE RUMOUR-CONTAMINATED PREDICTED XIs. Planet Football's 10 July 2026 predicted 2026/27 XI included Johan Manzambi (Freiburg) and Lamine Camara (Monaco) as signings; neither joined - Newcastle signed Steur and Bamba instead. Any predicted XI dated before late July is unreliable on personnel.
- The Athletic's reported striker plan (Osula as leading No.9, ahead of Woltemade and Wissa) was Eddie Howe's plan. With Howe gone it carries much less weight for 2026/27 and should not be relied on.
- Squad availability in late July was distorted by the 2026 World Cup: Wissa, Thiaw, Woltemade, Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Toure and Bamba were all listed as unavailable for non-injury reasons alongside the injured group, so pre-season minutes are a poor signal of the GW1 pecking order.
- GW1 is Newcastle v Liverpool at St James' Park on Sunday 23 August 2026, 16:30 BST (confirmed by Newcastle United, Liverpool FC and Sky Sports fixture releases) - a difficult opener for a side that finished 12th and conceded 48 league goals last season, under a coach who at the time of writing has not taken a single training session.
- THE WINDOW IS NOT FINISHED. Sky Sports (6 July 2026) reported Newcastle targeting 6-8 signings and still needing a right-back (after Trippier), a backup left-back, a goalkeeper (James Trafford named as a target) and a striker, with a deliberate shift from the GBP 60m-80m bracket to roughly GBP 20m-40m per player on young European talent. Five have arrived so far, so further business before the 23 August opener is likely and could change the XI materially - right-back in particular has no fit senior specialist while Livramento is recovering.
- EUROPEAN FOOTBALL NOT CONFIRMED EITHER WAY. Newcastle finished 12th in 2025/26 and no European qualification for 2026/27 was found on the Wikipedia season page or elsewhere, which would imply a domestic-only schedule and therefore LOWER midweek rotation risk than the last two seasons. Not positively confirmed - treat as likely but unverified.
- No suspensions carried into 2026/27 could be verified either way.
- Set-piece duties are taken from official FPL 2026/27 data, which pre-dates the head-coach vacancy. With Gordon and Tonali (the higher-ranked corner/free-kick takers) both sold and no coach in post, penalty/corner/free-kick duty is one of the least reliable fields for this club.
Sources
- Eddie Howe: Newcastle head coach leaves role with Magpies after nearly five years in charge — 2026-07-30
- Matthias Jaissle to Newcastle? Who is the coach set to replace Eddie Howe at St James' Park and what can we expect? — 2026-07-30
- Newcastle set to bring in Matthias Jaissle to work alongside Nick Woltemade — 2026-07-30
- Next Newcastle manager: PIF agree terms for 'new Julian Nagelsmann' to replace Eddie Howe — 2026-07-30
- Newcastle United - Transfers 26/27 (Transfermarkt) — 2026-07-30
- Official FPL bootstrap-static API (penalties_order, direct_freekicks_order, corners_and_indirect_freekicks_order, injury news) — 2026-07-30
A point-in-time research snapshot compiled 30 July 2026, showing the six most recent of the sources the research drew on. It does not update in real time — line-ups, fitness and transfers can all move before the deadline, so always confirm against official team news. All 20 club guides are on team guides.
FPL is a free fantasy game — this is squad research, not betting advice.
Updated 13 August 2026, 07:21 UK · Source: Official FPL API