Everton on alert after Eddie Howe confirms Newcastle player will be sold, with lack of commitment causing tension

Everton have a great shot at landing a Newcastle United player after Eddie Howe predicted he would leave St James’ Park in the summer transfer window.

Several Newcastle players look set to find new clubs at the end of the season as Howe continues his squad overhaul. Matt Ritchie, Mark Gillespie and Paul Dummett are all due to become free agents this summer, so it would not be a surprise if they joined new teams.

Club captain Jamaal Lascelles could also move on after losing his starting spot in central defence. Howe prefers to play Sven Botman and Fabian Schar, while Dan Burn can also operate there if required.

According to The Northern Echo, Nottingham Forest and Wolves are interested in snapping Lascelles up. And they could sign him for a reduced price as his contract runs out in June 2024.

Winger Ryan Fraser is another player who might be sold by the Magpies to make space for some exciting new signings.

On February 22, the Daily Mail revealed how Fraser has been banished to the club’s U21 side. The Scot has not played for Newcastle since the 1-0 victory over Everton back in October. He has made the bench six times in the league since then, although Howe has never selected him to come on.

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The report detailed how both Newcastle and Fraser are looking for a parting of ways this summer. And Everton are the early frontrunners to sign him. He will not move for free as his contract still has over two years left to run. However, Newcastle will not be able to charge big money for Fraser due to his lack of game time this season.

Ahead of Newcastle’s clash against Manchester City on Saturday, Howe was asked about Fraser’s situation. He questioned the 29-year-old’s commitment to Newcastle and made a big hint that an exit will take place later this year.

Eddie Howe confirms Newcastle man has dropped down to U21s

“Ryan is training with the U21s,” Howe said (via CaughtOffside). “I made the decision to concentrate on the players that are committed to Newcastle. For the benefit of the group, I’ve made that call.”

When asked to provide more information, such as what Fraser’s future looks like, Howe added: “I think that’s a difficult one for me to answer because I’d never put a firm decision on that because life and football can change quickly.

“But I’d say at the moment, no he doesn’t [have a future at Newcastle].”

It is a surprise that Howe has banished Fraser to the U21s. They have previously had a good relationship from their time together at Bournemouth. This is the main reason why Howe signed him for Newcastle.

But clearly something has happened behind the scenes which has ruined that relationship. Perhaps Fraser confronted Howe about his lack of appearances and the resultant conversation went badly.

Everton are ready to take advantage of the situation by landing Fraser in a cut-price deal. Although, the player may face a similar problem if he moves to Goodison Park.

The Everton squad may not be as strong as Newcastle’s, but Fraser would struggle to get into the starting eleven ahead of current wingers Alex Iwobi, Dwight McNeil and Demarai Gray.

The only way this may change is if one of those wingers decides to leave Everton. And sensational reports in Turkey claim a Toffees star is ‘unhappy’ and wants to leave as early as this week.