Newcastle United receive timely £65m boost ahead of FA Cup tie against Bournemouth
Newcastle United are in action at St James' Park on Saturday in an old-fashioned non-televised 3 pm kick-off as they take on AFC Bournemouth in the third round of the FA Cup.
The FA Cup hasn't been as kind to the Toon as the Carabao Cup, and a draw against Bournemouth was a particularly cruel one given Eddie Howe's struggles against his old side.
Given Newcastle's jam-packed schedule, Eddie Howe is hoping to rotate his squad to try and keep his players fresh, particularly with the Carabao Cup semi-finals coming up against Manchester City.
However, particularly in defence, Howe is very short of options, so we're not sure how much he will be able to rotate.
Antoine Semenyo has joined Manchester City
Fortunately, Howe has one less in-form player to worry about for Bournemouth, as today, Antoine Semenyo's £65 million move to Manchester City went through.
Semenyo signed off his Bournemouth career with a goal on Wednesday night and joins Man City in a bumper deal.
Antoine Semenyo had been linked with Newcastle heading into the summer window and was also strongly linked with Liverpool, but it's Pep Guardiola who got his man in the end.
Newcastle will avoid Semenyo in both cups
The Ghanaian forward has 10 goals and three assists for Bournemouth this season after starting the campaign in red-hot form again.
Not having him to worry about tomorrow is a huge boost for Newcastle, who often find it hard enough to deal with Bournemouth as it is.
As an added bonus, Semenyo will be cup-tied when Newcastle meet Man City in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
