With Newcastle welcoming in an exciting new era on the back of a £300 million ($408m) takeover of the club, there has been talk of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard being lured away from Rangers to take the managerial reins at St James’ Park.
Success in Scotland has seen the former England captain become a much sought-after commodity in coaching circles, with the expectation being that he will return to a Premier League stage at some point in the near future.
That could come on Tyneside, but former Magpies boss Kenny Dalglish is not convinced that a fellow icon at Anfield will be giving too much thought just yet to joining Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a big-money project.
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What has been said?
Dalglish told the Sunday Post: “I’m not surprised that Steven Gerrard has been linked with the Newcastle United job. But the first thing to say here is that, right now, Steve Bruce is manager of the club. We all need to respect that.
“Speculation has been rife since the takeover by new owners, PIF from Saudi Arabia. I would have been taken aback had the name of the Rangers manager not been put out there as someone who may well be in their thoughts.
“The Toon Army are excited about the future, and there is a real feeling of optimism after the way things were for a number of years under the previous owner, Mike Ashley.
“Will they have Steven Gerrard in the dugout? He has been fantastic for Rangers. He won their first SPFL Premiership title for 10 years in a crucial season, given Celtic were going for 10 in a row.
“He also made some huge strides in European competition. That is why he is being linked with Newcastle United. Right now, though, Steven will not be paying any attention to what is going on at St James’ Park.
“His only focus will be on Rangers and Saturday’s massive game at home to Hearts. They defeated Hibs at Ibrox last week, and there will be a real determination to do the double over the Edinburgh clubs, who have both started the season well.”
Who else is being linked with Newcastle?
With the Magpies now being bankrolled by billionaire owners, transfer speculation has intensified on Tyneside – with top talent from every corner of the world seeing moves to England mooted.
One of those said to be registering on that recruitment radar is former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who has seen Wales boss Robert Page urge him to consider making a return to the Premier League from Juventus.
The 30-year-old has struggled to make the desired impact in Italy, with further injury issues holding him back, but he is not about to walk away from a challenge in Turin.
Ramsey told reporters while on international duty: “I’m contracted to Juventus and I still have a year-and-a-half left on my contract.
“Hopefully I can show exactly what I can do there. I’m just concentrating on Monday’s game [against Estonia] and hopefully winning there, putting ourselves in a good position to qualify for the World Cup.”
