Long-serving defender Cammy Kerr declared “there is no place I would rather be” as he prepares to continue his association with Dundee for another two years.

The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with his boyhood club – apart from a couple of loan stints at Peterhead – but it was unclear if he would remain at Dens Park beyond this summer, with his deal expiring amid reported interest from other clubs.

However, Dundee announced on Tuesday – a day after the appointment of new manager Tony Docherty – that Kerr has signed a contract extension until 2025 as they prepare to return to the cinch Premiership following their Championship title win.

“I am absolutely delighted to sign a contract extension with Dundee Football Club,” Kerr told the Dark Blues’ website.

“The past year has been a particularly special one for me as it brought along my 250th appearance in my testimonial year and I cannot thank the fans enough for their support in those events.

“To top it all off by winning the league made it extra special, memories to last a lifetime. But it’s now time to be better and make more memories that will last a lifetime.

“To represent Dundee Football Club is something that I could have only dreamed of as a young lad and it fills me with pride every time I pull on the dark blue.

“There is no place I would rather be, Dundee till I die.”

Kerr follows highly-regarded young midfielder Lyall Cameron in signing a new deal with Dundee this month, although the squad remains threadbare with most of the squad that won the Championship under recently-departed boss Gary Bowyer currently out of contract.

Joao Felix is heading back to Atletico Madrid with Chelsea choosing not to retain the Portugal winger following his loan deal, according to the Spanish club’s president Enrique Cerezo.

Felix, 23, joined Chelsea on loan in January for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign and went on to score four goals in 20 appearances for the Blues.

On Monday, after a difficult campaign in which they finished a lowly 12th in the Premier League, Chelsea announced the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach.

And, as reported by Marca, Cerezo said of Felix: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao.

“It’s the news we had yesterday, that the new coach doesn’t have him for Chelsea. We don’t have anything planned yet, Joao is an Atletico player now.”

Atletico paid £113million to sign Felix, who is under contract with them until 2027, from Benfica in 2019.

He has made 131 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, scoring 34 goals, and helped them win the 2020-21 LaLiga title.

Rob Page expects to welcome Tom Lockyer back into the Wales squad in September after the Luton defender collapsed during Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final.

Lockyer was stretchered off after just eight minutes of the Hatters’ Wembley win against Coventry and remains in hospital.

But Luton boss Rob Edwards has reported the 28-year-old is “fine” and Wales manager Page said Lockyer was in good spirits during a 20-minute telephone conversation he had with the central defender on Monday.

“You are always going to phone your players and show them support,” said Page after confirming Lockyer would be absent from next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.

“It was just to say that we are here for him, in any capacity.

“I am not going into detail of what’s happening or what’s going to happen. That’s conversations we are going to have with Luton Town Football Club.

“It would be silly of me to even suggest what those reasons (for his collapse) were and the most important thing in this is health.

“For us it’s just about getting him fit and ready for our camp in September.”

Wales, who picked up four points from their opening two qualifiers in March, travel to Latvia in September.

David Brooks has been recalled to the Wales squad for the first time since his cancer diagnosis.

Brooks, who was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, announced he was cancer-free in May last year.

The 25-year-old midfielder returned to club action for Bournemouth in March and started the Cherries’ last two Premier League games.

Page said: “I wanted to pick him in March. He played some minutes before that camp and I wanted to get him involved as soon as possible.

“But I get that it was too soon and it was more beneficial for him to stay behind and play for Bournemouth Under-23s in a game that was organised for him.

“Brooksy is definitely part of the changes I wanted to make post-World Cup and the way we want to play. He’s back fit, starting games in the Premier League and has the quality to be in our plans moving forward.”

Neco Williams is also included after fracturing his jaw playing for Nottingham Forest last month. The 22-year-old has not played since.

“He’s not played minutes because of the significance of the injury but he will be fit for camp,” said Page.

“You can’t take away every risk and I think he’s got a protection to wear for that reason.

“He’s so many weeks down the line so I’d think the opportunity of a refracture is very unlikely. We’ll get the medical team to assess him on camp and take away the risk as much as possible.”

Midfielder Aaron Ramsey (calf) and goalkeeper Danny Ward (dislocated finger) have also been named in Page’s 25-man squad despite fitness issues over the pair.

Skipper Ramsey has missed Nice’s last three games in Ligue 1.

Page said: “The little niggle, and that’s all it is, has probably come at a good time for him.

“He’s at an age now where he knows his body and how to manage it.

“He’s got one eye on these two games and it is not an issue. Aaron has played more football this season than he has done for the last few years.”

Bristol City youngster Joe Low has been called up into the senior squad for the first time to replace Lockyer.

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean has decided against offering three-time trophy winner David Wotherspoon a new contract as he begins a ruthless squad overhaul.

The 33-year-old midfielder has spent 10 years with his hometown club and helped them to Scottish Cup glory in both 2014 and 2021 as well as the 2021 League Cup.

However, Wotherspoon is one of 14 players who will be leaving Saints this summer as MacLean, who was appointed permanent boss last weekend following an encouraging stint as interim manager, prepares to rebuild the squad following two consecutive seasons of battling relegation.

The Canada international will be given a testimonial year by the club, with details to be announced in due course.

Michael O’Halloran, Eetu Vertainen, Jamie Murphy, Charlie Gilmour, Bobby Dailly, Spencer Moreland and William Sandford are the other players who have not been offered new deals, while veteran midfielder Murray Davidson had already decided to retire after 14 years with Saints.

Remi Matthews, Alex Mitchell, Adam Montgomery, Zak Rudden and Connor McLennan will all return to their parent clubs after being on loan at Saints, while Theo Bair has been made available for transfer.

“I’ve had conversations with all of the lads who were out of contract and one or two of the decisions were hard ones to break to the players involved,” MacLean told Saints’ website.

“Jamie is a model professional and gave his all for Saints in his year here. Michael has been part of the cup successes. I wish them both well.

“David is a St Johnstone legend and I have total respect for him as a professional footballer and as a person.

“He’s played a huge role in all of our successes in the past decade.

“I’ve had a chat with him to explain the reasons behind my decision. I feel I have made the right choice for the football club as we move forward.

“I’d like to wish David the very best in whatever comes next for him in his career.”

Recently-appointed chief executive Stan Harris paid tribute to long-serving duo Wotherspoon and Davidson.

“David has made a significant contribution to St Johnstone over a decade and fully deserves his status as a club legend,” he said. “On and off the park, he has served us wonderfully well.

“He goes with the best wishes of myself and everyone else on the board.

“Also, on behalf of the board, we wish Murray Davidson the very best as he retires from football. Murray has been at Saints for 14 years and his overall contribution has been outstanding.”

Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw has signed a two-year contract extension with the Women’s Super League outfit running to the summer of 2026.

The 26-year-old Jamaica international, nicknamed ‘Bunny’, scored 31 goals in 30 City appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season and has netted 50 times for them in total since joining in 2021 from Bordeaux.

Shaw said in a statement from the club: “I’m delighted to continue my journey with this amazing group.

“Everyone made me feel welcome from the first day I came here. I enjoy the way we play and I’m at a stage now where I understand the way we play and I can only get better and grow.

“I think here at City is the perfect place for me. I put all my effort and time on the pitch and obviously for the position I play and the quality I have around me, I know I’m going to be in positions to score goals.

“I’ve always said Manchester feels like home away from home too. I enjoy coming into the City ground every day and training with the group, vibing with the girls and I also have family here, so Manchester has felt like home ever since I arrived.

“I just want to thank our fans for everything, all the love and support they’ve given me since I arrived. I’ll just try my best to continue repaying them on the football pitch.”

City boss Gareth Taylor said: “Bunny’s growth and development as a player over the past two years, but particularly this season, has been fantastic and we’re thrilled to see her extend her contract with us.

“She has thrived having had the opportunity of extended runs in the team throughout the current campaign and has shown on a regular basis what a talent she is and why we brought her to the club.

“She scored goals regularly in France and America prior to joining us and has now shown what she’s capable of in England too – which says a lot about her ability.

“She is still a young player though who wants to improve and is hungry for success and we’re only scratching the surface with her which is a very exciting prospect as we aim to develop her even further over the next three years.”

England boss Sarina Wiegman names her squad for this summer’s World Cup on Wednesday with injuries having been the major talking point in the build-up to the announcement.

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has been ruled out of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way on July 20 after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last month.

Fellow Euro 2022 winner Fran Kirby will also be absent due to a knee problem and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament for that competition, is a serious doubt as she recovers from an ACL injury sustained in November.

Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze (both knee) have been sidelined of late as well to add to Wiegman’s worries, while one-cap goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has made herself unavailable for selection as she focuses on recovering from a groin issue.

The injury to Williamson has prompted speculation over whether her fellow defender and predecessor as skipper Steph Houghton, who is yet to play under Wiegman, might be recalled.

The 35-year-old was included in the provisional Euros squad last summer as she worked her way back from an Achilles operation but did not make the final cut and, while featuring regularly for Manchester City of late, she has not had further involvement with England.

Speaking shortly before Williamson’s injury, Wiegman said the chances of Houghton making the World Cup squad were “not that high” while stressing she would “never close the door”.

In attack, there could be a return for Bethany England, a member of the Euros-winning squad who was last called up by Wiegman for matches in September.

The forward has scored 12 Women’s Super League goals since moving from Chelsea to Tottenham in January.

England kick off their World Cup campaign by facing Haiti in Brisbane on July 22 and will also play Denmark and China in Group D.

Their 30-game unbeaten run under Wiegman that included last summer’s Euros triumph on home soil, the first major trophy in the team’s history, ended in their most recent outing, when they were beaten 2-0 by Australia in Brentford last month.

Wiegman, a runner-up at the 2019 World Cup in France with her native Netherlands, will be at a grassroots club in Birmingham for the announcement of her 23-player squad on Wednesday afternoon.

Sutton Coldfield’s Boldmere St Michaels FC, formed in 1883, is home to 70 teams covering 18 different age groups across women’s, men’s, girls’ and boys’ football. Around 60 girls and boys are set to be taking part in half-term sessions there on Wednesday.

The Football Association said in a statement that the location decision “follows the Lionesses’ equal access success and has been made to highlight the strong connection between the grassroots game and England teams”.

It added: “This will reinforce the squad’s determination to positively impact participation levels, inspire future generations and also the crucial role grassroots clubs have played in the players’ development.”

Earlier this year the Government announced a package to boost school sport and equal access to it, which followed the England squad calling for change in an open letter published just after they won the Euros last summer.

The FA said that while that had been achieved, it remained its “strategic objective for girls to have equal access to football in the community through growing the number of girls teams within grassroots clubs and ensuring Weetabix Wildcats and Squad sessions are easily accessible”.

Captain Ryan Edwards will lead the exodus from Dundee United in the wake of their relegation from the cinch Premiership after the Tannadice club confirmed the names of six players departing this summer.

Demotion to the Championship was confirmed on Sunday, ensuring a rebuild will be required as manager Jim Goodwin – who was handed a two-year contract on Saturday – bids to shape his team for a tilt at instant promotion.

Skipper Edwards, who joined three years ago, will leave under freedom of contract, along with Liam Smith, who had four seasons at Tannadice, Ian Harkes and Peter Pawlett, both of whom arrived at the club in January 2019.

On-loan pair Jamie McGrath and Loick Ayina will return to their respective parent clubs, Wigan and Huddersfield.

“Dundee United wish to thank all six players departing for their efforts in Tangerine and wishes them all the best for the future,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

Willian understands the frustration Arsenal will have after their failure to push on for the Premier League title, but believes the Gunners can challenge again next season.

Arsenal came close to ending a 19-year wait for a top-flight title before a late-season collapse saw incumbent holders Manchester City seize another crown.

The manner of Arsenal's faltering finale represented a dramatic downturn after they had led the Premier League table for 248 days of the season.

Willian, who spent a single campaign at Emirates Stadium during the 2020-21 season, has backed his former club to be challengers again soon enough.

"When I was there, I could see that Arsenal had a bright future ahead of them very close because of the way [Mikel] Arteta was working," the Fulham attacker told Stats Perform.

"The way I saw him working the team, I had no doubt that Arsenal would be back fighting for the top in the next few years.

"Unfortunately, they were fighting with a team that [is on] another level. It's an outstanding team. It's not easy to fight for the title with Manchester City.

"They must have a sense of frustration. They were fighting for the title the whole [season], and they let the title slip away practically.

"But they are back in the Champions League. Of course, there must be a bit of frustration, but they have to be happy with what they did. 

"Without a doubt, Arsenal [had] an excellent year, and they have everything to fight for the title again next season."

City's latest title is their fifth Premier League crown in six seasons under Guardiola and looks poised to form part of a generation-defining treble with the FA Cup and Champions League finals to come.

The latter in particular remains the chief honour left for the club to win, and Willian believes that it is Guardiola's intelligent grasp of his squad that makes them such a threat.

"I think Guardiola, with his ideas, [is key]," he added. "He converges that with the execution of the players, which are, as they say here, "top class" players.

"I heard Guardiola once say that he gives the ideas, he tells them what to do, but they also have to have quality on the pitch. Otherwise, it's no use.

"He is a great manager, I think the best in the world in years, and together with the quality of the players on the field, City is very strong and hard to be beat."

German Jorg Schmadtke has been appointed as Liverpool’s new sporting director.

The 59-year-old, who left a similar role at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg at the beginning of 2023 after more than four years, will take up his post on June 1 once work permit formalities have been completed.

He will replace Julian Ward, who is due to leave the club this summer after more than a decade.

Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon told the club’s website: “Firstly, I would like to welcome Jorg to Liverpool Football Club in the knowledge that he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience into a role in which such qualities can only be beneficial both to him and us.

“Jorg will work with our football operations department as it continues to provide support for Jurgen Klopp, in keeping with our ongoing endeavour to keep growing and developing the club in all areas.

“At the same time as we welcome Jorg, we must also bid a fond farewell to Julian Ward, who has served us with unstinting diligence, fortitude and energy in a number of roles, the most recent one being sporting director.

“We wish Julian and his young family the very best for the future and thank him for everything he has done for Liverpool FC during the past 11 years.”

Former goalkeeper Schmadtke made more than 300 Bundesliga appearances for Fortuna Dusseldorf, Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach during his playing career before moving into administration.

He had spells at Cologne, Hannover and Alemannia Aachen before joining Wolfsburg.

Schmadtke joins a club which, by compatriot Klopp’s admission, endured “a bad season”, finishing fifth in the Premier League and missing out on Champions League football next term as a result.

Chelsea have announced the appointment of Chris Jurasek as their new chief executive while president of business Tom Glick is set to leave after less than a year in his role.

The Blues’ 12th-place Premier League finish in owners’ the Clearlake group’s first season has led to Mauricio Pochettino being named head coach and tasked with improving their on-field fortunes.

Further upheaval off the pitch came with the announcement that Jurasek will oversee all business areas at Chelsea and report to the board alongside co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

“I’m delighted to be joining Chelsea, a club which is loved and followed all over the world,” Jurasek said. “I’m enormously proud to be leading it into the next chapter in its rich history.

“We have huge opportunities to grow on and off the pitch and to engage our exceptional fans both in London and wherever they are supporting us from.”

Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, co-controlling owners, said: “Chris’ skill and expertise will help us to drive the club forward in all areas, particularly in supporting our long-term plans for Chelsea.

“Our focus will continue to be on ensuring the club is competitive and sustainable both from a sporting and business perspective, with a talented and ambitious leadership team.”

Former Manchester City executive Glick will be exiting the club, having only been appointed last July – although no departure date was announced by the club, who said the former president of NFL franchise the Carolina Panthers wanted “to pursue other opportunities”.

Glick will work closely with Jurasek in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition before leaving.

What the papers say

Tottenham will try to resist offers from Manchester United for striker Harry Kane. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy reportedly declared he is against letting Kane go to a Premier League rival, according to the Mirror.

Bayern Munich are looking to challenge Arsenal for the signature of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, with the German club reportedly prepared to pay £95million for the England international’s services, the Mirror said.

To accommodate the gap left by Rice, the Sun reports West Ham are favourites to sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse for around £40million.

The Telegraph said Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is confident he can sway Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount to join the club.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

James Maddison: The Leicester midfielder has attracted interest from Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle after his club were relegated, the Mirror says his signing fee will be around £40million.

Martin Odegaard: The Arsenal midfielder is being scoped by Paris St Germain.

Cavalier Football Club’s Head coach Rudolph Speid says his team has no intentions of resting on their laurels, after edging reigning champions Harbour View 1-0, in the first leg of their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) semi-final tie at Sabina Park on Monday.

Orlando Russell’s second goal against Harbour View and third overall this season, proved the all-important strike that handed Speid’s youthful team the advantage ahead of Sunday’s return-leg at the same venue.

“What we tried to do was not to concede any goals and take what we got and that is what happened. But I think we need one or two more goals to be safe and so we will be pushing for that in the next game,” Speid said.

After playing out a goalless first half where both teams had their moments, Cavalier found the go-ahead goal seven minutes after the interval through a well-worked build up orchestrated by Nickache Murray.

Murray floated a delicate pass over the top, which was headed across by Jerome McCleary for Orlando Russell to apply the finishing touch at the far post.

Harbour View came close to pulling level in the 62nd minute, but Cristojaye Daley’s well-struck left-footed drive from a distance, was equally well-saved by Vino Barclett, diving full-stretch to his right, in goal for Cavalier.

Cavalier could have extended their lead in the latter stages when the league’s leading scorer Collin Anderson got away from Harbour View’s defenders but fired a right-footed effort straight at goalkeeper Romario Palma, despite having enough space and time to set and shoot.

For Harbour View’s Head coach Ludlow Bernard, its back to the training pitch to assess their mistakes and make the necessary adjustments for the second leg.

“We ran out of ideas up top and so we paid the price for it. We didn’t capitalize on what was probably a tired Cavalier team, but we have some things that we clearly need to look because we are now under one-nil, so we just have to reset and come again,” Bernard stated.

Meanwhile, the second semi-final between Arnett Gardens and Mount Pleasant remain evenly poised, as they played out an entertaining 2-2 stalemate in a game that ensured the large crowd did not leave disappointed.

The inform Leonardo Rankin (17th) and Trivante Stewart (63rd), got the goals for the St Ann-based Mount Pleasant, who went in front twice, but Shai Smith (30th) and Fabian Reid (66th), ensured Arnett Gardens, remained in contention.

It was mostly end-to-end action from the start, but it was Mount Pleasant that drew first blood when Rankin deflected Demario Phillips’s weighted corner kick past Eric Edwards in goal for Arnett Gardens.

However, the “Junglists” were back on level terms 13 minutes later when Ajuma Johnson’s weighted cross found the head of the rangy Smith, who made no mistakes in guiding past Shaquan Davis.

As the score remained unchanged at the break, both teams against came out firing on the resumption, throwing their weight in attack, but again, it was Mount Pleasant that found the go-ahead goal three minutes past the hour mark.  

Stewart outsprinted two defenders before squeezing a right-footer past the advancing Edwards to register his 16th goal this season.

But the celebrations were short-lived, as Reid also registered his 16th goal of the season when he utilized a cheeky first touch to create space for a right-footed drive that had Davis well beaten.

Both teams continued to create chances and could have secured the advantage, but for a lack of composure in the final third.

Still, both Paul “Tegat” Davis of Arnett Gardens and his counterpart Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore, agreed that it was a fair result, as it is anybody’s game come Sunday.

Despite a failed bid at an historic FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup qualification, Hugh Bradford is optimistic about staying on with the national programme, as he believes he has more to offer to Jamaica’s football development.

However, at the same time, the American-based coach is also hopeful that things will be done differently to better nurture, and, by extension, prepare the country’s young talents to perform in a competitive environment.

Bradford’s comments came, as he continues to assess the young Reggae Girlz performances in consecutive 0-4 losses to regional powerhouses Canada and United States, at the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in Dominican Republic.

The Girlz are scheduled to close out their Group A campaign against Panama at Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo on Tuesday at 2:00 pm.

“I hope to continue with the programme, but that will be up to the Jamaica Football Federation to decide. I also hope to see our country put things in place for our youngest players that will help to get them ready for this stage, both in Jamaica and abroad,” Bradford said.

“There is no doubt that we have a lot of talent. However, as a country, for us to play against the best, we have to constantly make changes to how we treat our football development to keep up with the world, but more so in Concacaf,” he added.

While disappointed that his young Reggae Girlz failed to keep the United States at bay on Sunday, Bradford lauded his team for putting in a much-improved performance, from a defensive perspective in particular, when compared to their opening defeat against Canada.

As such, the tactician is eyeing a similar of even better all-round execution against fellow strugglers Panama, as both teams, who are without a point or a goal, seek to salvage some pride from their failed campaigns.

“I am hoping the team will play another good game as they did against USA, we didn’t get on the scoresheet as we would have liked, but again, it all comes down to focus and how we prepare ourselves to take on the best,” the tactician noted.

 “As a team you have to be at your best for 90+ minutes, so their fitness level matters and that is an all-year thing. But I think the ladies should be able to put in a better showing against Panama and so we look forward to what should be another good game,” said Bradford.

Both United States, the reigning seven-time champions, and Canada, on six points each, will lock horns in the Group A top-of-the-table clash, at 5:00 pm.

The winner will take on Group B runners-up Costa Rica, while the loser will have to contend with Mexico in Friday’s semi-finals.

The two finalists and third-place team will qualify for next year’s Under-20 World Cup.

Kevin van Veen revealed Motherwell fans have given him “the chills” with their support during his record-breaking season in front of goal.

The 31-year-old Dutch striker, who signed from Scunthorpe in 2021, scored 29 times for the Steelmen to help them secure seventh place in the cinch Premiership.

Van Veen scored for the 11th successive game during Well’s 3-2 win over Dundee United on Sunday to beat the post-war record set by former Celtic striker Mark Viduka and also break a Motherwell club record set by Hugh Ferguson that had stood for 103 years.

While his future is subject to speculation as his contract is up this summer, he told Motherwell’s official Twitter account how appreciative he is of the Fir Park fans.

He said: “I will remember this (season) forever,

“Whatever is going to happen in the summer, of course we need to see what is going to happen but these fans will be written in my mind forever.

“When they sing ‘Kevin van Veen’ and all that type of stuff gives me the chills.

“People have been so good for me since I arrived here.

“I think a lot of people fell in love with me in my first game and that has continued and maybe even grown over time and I hope I have repaid them and I hope I got them off their seats here and there.

“To get 29 goals for those people who have supported me the way they did, I am so happy that I have gave them something back because they have been amazing to me.”

Newcastle will look all over the world to find the players that will give them the depth they need to compete next season, according to manager Eddie Howe.

A first season in the Champions League in 20 years means an increased workload for Howe’s squad next term, and conversations have already taken place between the manager and club officials over resources during the transfer window.

Injuries have stretched Newcastle thin at times this season despite recording their highest Premier League finish since 2003.

Howe felt his side lacked the quality in reserve to win the game in the second half of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea that brought the curtain down on a memorable first full season in charge for the manager.

With the restrictions put in place by Financial Fair Play rules, he cited qualification for Europe’s top competition as the critical factor in freeing up the ownership to invest in recruitment.

Still, Howe warned the market may not be kind as the club seek to build a side capable of competing on all fronts.

“Yeah we’ve had discussions (on Saturday),” said the manager. “I don’t think (the budget) is ever outlined because there are so many variables to it, but certainly we know where we stand.

“When you’re sat in my shoes, it’s never as big as you want it to be.

“It’s a difficult one because we go into a lot of competitions next year, so we need the depth. I think this year we’ve been light, certainly in certain areas of the pitch. We’ve carried – in the second half of the season – four midfielders.

“You’re one injury away from a very difficult situation so I think we need a little bit more depth.

“We’re not there yet, you could see that (against Chelsea), but we are suffering from injuries. Certainly that’s a concern for us in that we do need to bolster our resources. We can’t be looking at one or two injuries and we’re in a difficult position.

“In the second half we were stretched and maybe lacking the bench that could have changed the game to win it.”

Newcastle won eight of their 10 league games in March and April to take control of their destiny in the race for the top four, but enjoyed just one more victory in their final five, securing their Champions League objective with a game to spare.

Howe pointed to disruption caused by injuries – key players Joelinton, Joe Willock and Nick Pope were unavailable for the game at Stamford Bridge, whilst Alexander Isak and Matt Targett have also missed significant chunks of the season – as something that must not be allowed to derail the team next term.

The visitors struggled after the break against Chelsea despite having had the better of a first half in which Anthony Gordon gave them the lead, later wiped out by a Kieran Trippier own goal.

“We’ve done it all season, we’ve been hugely competitive,” said Howe. “I don’t think we’ve been an easy game for anybody.

“The challenge for us next year is to maintain our standards and mentality, because when you come to these tough grounds, if you’re not robust enough to deal with the challenge, these can be really difficult games.

“The players that we currently have have to be fit and ready to go (next season). They have to be ready to prove how good we are all over again. We start at zero next season. I think that’s a healthy way to look at it.

“If we can add one or two players that make the difference in the transfer market, that would be good news.

“We’ll have our eyes and ears hopefully all over everything, whether that’s teams getting promoted, relegated; all over the world. As I’ve said many times, the market’s going to be difficult.”