Newcastle United heading to Asia?


 
 
 
 
 
 

Last year, Newcastle United travelled to the United States.

They were part of the pre-season Premier League Summer Series tournament along with other English top flight clubs.

However, that Premier League initiative isn’t running this year, though it could return in summer 2025.

Most other major Premier League clubs have already announced their destinations for this summer, with indeed many of them travelling to the United States. Clubs seeing this as arguably the most beneficial and lucrative for them, in terms of generating cash and expanding their fanbases over the pond.

It had been widely reported that Newcastle United were intending to do this, return to the USA this summer.

However, nothing made public so far and various media claiming that it is looking less likely now that United will be heading to the States.

Amongst those media is The Mail and they say their information is that now Newcastle United staff have been exploring the possibility of instead travelling to Asia in pre-season, with Japan in particular named as a potential destination.

Newcastle United have only played one summer in Japan previously, 41 years ago Newcastle United Captain Kevin Keegan lifting the ‘Japan Cup’ as he prepared for what proved to be his final season playing for NUFC before retiring.

Obviously, for purely football reasons and welfare of the players, as opposed to commercial interests and growing the club etc, Eddie Howe and his playing squad would no doubt prefer a closer to home combination of preparations in the UK combined with a short hop to somewhere on mainland Europe.

The football calendar gets ever more congested and of course when this Premier League season ends on Sunday 19 May, Newcastle United are then heading off to Australia, for friendlies against Tottenham and an all star A-League side.

The 2024/25 Premier League season kicks off on the weekend of Saturday 17 August but this is of course a summer of major international tournaments, that will involve a significant number of Newcastle United players.

The European Championships run from 14 June to 14 July, with the likes of Schar, Dubravka, Trippier, Gordon and others hoping to be involved.

Whilst there is also the Copa America tournament running from 20 June to 14 July, with Joelinton, Bruno and Almiron set to be involved.

Newcastle United fans around the world will be hoping to see their country of residence chosen by the club for pre-season. An announcement surely due soon as we are only four weeks away from this season coming to an end.