Newcastle United transfers: Jamaal Lascelles’ move to Leicester City is set to be confirmed.
Lascelles captained Newcastle for the majority of his 253 appearances for the club during an influential 12-year stay on Tyneside. He is out of contract at Newcastle this summer and was made available to leave during the winter window.
The move comes after the defender’s impact has been limited in recent seasons following an ACL injury picked up in March 2024. The defender hasn’t started a competitive game for the club since and was also effectively replaced as captain by Bruno Guimaraes.
Still, Lascelles lifted the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley Stadium last season alongside Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier after Newcastle ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought.
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Eddie Howe on Jamaal Lascelles
Speaking about potential departures following the 4-1 loss at Liverpool, Howe said: “I think the only one that possibly could leave would be Jamaal Lascelles.”
And following the closure of the window and with the transfer yet to be officially announced by either club, head coach Eddie Howe thanked the player for his service to Newcastle.
“Jamaal has been an incredible servant to the football club long before I came, as you say, captain at a really young age, and some very difficult seasons for the football club,” Howe said. “Some relegation battles where he really had to stand up and lead the group. Difficult circumstances.
“I think he did that with real integrity and class. A really strong person, a really strong leader. Very vocal. And then, talking about my time with him here, he had a time where he had to wait for his opportunity, but then ended up playing some unbelievable games for us. None more so than against PSG in the home game.
“In our Champions League journey, he was pivotal to that and produced some unbelievable performances. Probably some of the best that I've seen him play. So, yeah, pay tribute to him and thank him for all his service, everything that he's given to the team and to his teammates and to the staff at the training ground. He's a real credit to himself.”
Why NUFC didn’t keep Jamaal Lascelles amid injury crisis?
Newcastle have been short of defenders over the past month but Lascelles was ruled out of playing with the view to him leaving the club during the winter window.
When asked why the defender wasn’t kept around to see out his contract and bolster the side’s defensive options, Howe responded: “Because it's not just up for our wants and needs.
“There's another side to look at it, and that's the players' perspective. So, I don’t think it's wise to force things on players that they don't want, because you have to have a harmonious dressing room, and you have to have a group that's all aligned to the same direction.”
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