England Kick Off WC Campaign - Steve Nickson & Munoz Update

While Thomas Tuchel’s England officially get their World Cup journey underway tonight in a Group L opener against Croatia, NUFC fans will still have their eyes firmly on what is happening at SJP.

Steve Nickson’s Scouting Record

Steve Nickson, Newcastle's long-serving Head of Recruitment who arrived in 2011 has officially informed the NUFC hierarchy that he wants to leave the club after 15 years and take up the position of Director of Football at West Ham.

During his time at the club Steve Nickson's talent-spotting transformed Newcastle United across two drastically different ownership eras.

In the pre-takeover years, he specialized in uncovering hidden gems with immense sell-on potential, personally scouting the £1.5 million bargain Ayoze Pérez (later sold for £30m) and securing flair players like Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almirón.

Following the 2021 takeover, Nickson seamlessly shifted to elite recruitment, acting as a crucial architect for the new regime by securing the arrival of Kieran Trippier before famously flying out to Brazil to close the transformative £33.5 million deal for Bruno Guimarães. Steve was also highly instrumental in the Botman and Isak transfers.

He leaves with our thanks and best wishes as he takes up his new role.

Munoz Deal Reportedly Close

The 22-year-old Spanish international has reportedly snubbed late interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, and Barcelona, choosing St James' Park to secure guaranteed first-team football as Anthony Gordon's replacement under Eddie Howe.

A bid of €35m (£30m) plus €5m add-ons has been made and personal terms are said to be already broadly agreed with the player. Real Madrid aren't asking for a buy back clause to be included which clears the way for the deal to be done.

The only remaining hurdle is logistical, as finalising the formal medical and contract must be scheduled around Muñoz's current commitments with the Spain squad at the World Cup. Hopefully this can be arranged soon and the move confirmed.

England's Group L Opener in Texas

A 21:00 BST kick off means the fans don't have to burn the midnight oil to watch England take on Croatia in what is one of the most closely matched games of the opening round.

Tuchel will be without Tino Livramento who has departed the squad with injury leaving just Dan Burn as the sole Toon player in the squad after Anthony Gordon's move to Barcelona.

Burn is almost certain not to be a starter but after Gordon's lively display and MOTM performance in the last warm up game against Costa Rica will Tuchel pick Barca's new boy or Barca's on loan boy Rashford in the wide left position?

Gordon may no longer be our player but he left with our gratitude for his efforts and goals at NUFC and I'm sure most of us would like to see him get the nod and have a good World Cup. Not so if he'd gone to Liverpool or one of our rivals :).

Let's hope England get a win against a team that have become a bit of bogey side.

Great Early Performances from The 'Minnows'

After a low key start the World Cup has gathered momentum as some of the low ranked teams have produced outstanding performances and results against the 'giant' nations.

Cape Verde drew 0-0 against favourites Spain; Qatar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia & Egypt gained 1–1 draws respectively against Switzerland, Brazil, Uruguay & Belgium, with Japan also holding the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw.

The standard of football from all of these lower ranked teams has been an eye opener and goes some way to justifying the higher number of nations that FIFA allowed to enter the tournament.

How much of the WC have you watched so far and how do you rate England's chances tonight and in the tournament?

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