Newcastle wanted this summer is now set to play against them tonight.

Eddie Howe was reportedly interested in signing Ciy midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has had a nightmare spell since his move from Leeds United a year ago, and Newcastle’s interest remains in the event he becomes available in January.

Phillips is yet to start for City this season, but Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he will start in the Carabao Cup clash tonight, with main defensive midfielder suspended.

Guardiola also admitted that he has failed to get the best out of Phillips so far, but his performance tonight could have a major impact on what happens to him in January.

“The club spoke with him because he did not have many minutes. He said ‘no, I want to stay’,” Guardiola claimed.

“We brought Kalvin here for his quality. He is open minded, always wants to learn and wants to help. This is what we want to try to do.”

Newcastle will be watching Phillips with interest tonight for a number of reasons. If he does well against Howe’s side, then City may wish to keep him beyond January as a squad option.

If the England international cannot deliver against Newcastle, then City may not see him as reliable cover, and could then be open to loaning him out. Given Newcastle’s interest before, they could then come back in for him.

However, if Phillips performs particularly poorly, it may be a warning sign to Newcastle that he is a player they should steer clear of even if he does become available.

Phillips will therefore be under the microscope for both clubs tonight, and his display could have ramifications for a potential future at either club.

Newcastle reached the Carabao Cup final last season, but with extra European fixtures this season, it remains to be seen whether Howe has the depth at his disposal to go on a cup run.

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Aston Villa have now launched a complaint about Newcastle supplier, they’re not happy

Newcastle United’s Premier League rivals Aston Villa are not happy at the moment with kit supplier Castore.

As well as making Newcastle‘s shirts, they started a partnership with Aston Villa last summer.

The British manufacturer have got their timings perfect. First they linked up with the Magpies in the year the takeover went through, and then they joined forces with Villa ahead of an incredible season that saw them qualify for Europe.

However, there have been plenty of complaints from Newcastle fans about Castore. There have been a lot of issues during their two year association with the Magpies, and now they are having problems with Aston Villa.

According to the Telegraph, the Aston Villa players have complained to club officials about the quality of Castore’s kits this year.

The Villa players have been noticably soaking in sweat during their games this season, with the wet-look shirts reportedly weighing them down.

They have now complained to Villa chiefs as it is impacting their performances, and they are now in contact with Castore to rectify the problem.

While Castore have made some nice kits during their partnership with Newcastle, it is issues like this that will make Toon fans even happier to see the back of them next year.

That is because Newcastle’s kits are going to be made by Adidas next season. The club announced the new partnership during the summer, although that happened earlier than planned.

It was going to be unveiled during the final episode of the club’s Amazon series, but an error saw the final episode temporarily released early which allowed fans to discover the news that the owners had signed a deal with Adidas.

Regardless, it is very exciting to be working with the German brand once again. They are the geniuses behind some of Newcastle United’s most iconic kits, and will no doubt create some beautiful shirts for Eddie Howe’s players and Toon fans all over the world.