Football Club

Newcastle striker Andy Carroll says he is proud to have been handed the number nine shirt at St James’ Park.

Carroll, 21, follows in the footsteps of Tyneside heroes Jackie Milburn, Malcolm MacDonald and Alan Shearer in wearing nine for the Magpies.

“I’m immensely proud. It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Carroll told the club’s website.

“Alan Shearer was my idol as a young lad and who would have thought I’d be following in his footsteps?”

Carroll became a first-team regular for Newcastle last season, scoring 19 goals as Chris Hughton’s side won the Championship title to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

“It’s every young Geordie lad’s dream to be a Newcastle United number nine and I’m so lucky to be given that chance,” he added.

“It’s an opportunity I relish and intend doing my utmost to do the shirt proud.

“When you look at the fantastic players down the years who have worn the shirt, it sends shivers down your spine. It’s amazing.

“Having grown up following and watching the team I’m obviously aware of the great tradition the number nine shirt holds. It’s probably unique in football in that sense and to be wearing it is incredible.”

Obafemi Martins, who the Magpies left for Wolfsburg in August 2009, was the last player to wear the nine shirt at Newcastle.

Fulham will meet representatives of Dutch club Ajax on Wednesday in an attempt to negotiate a deal to allow Martin Jol to become their new manager.

Jol told Ajax he wants to take over at Craven Cottage but Ajax were reluctant to discuss a compensation package.

But BBC Sport understands Fulham chief executive Alistair Mackintosh is now to meet Ajax officials in Amsterdam.

“Ajax know about the offer from Fulham. We’ll talk again in the morning about the future of Ajax,” said Jol, 54.

Fulham have been without a manager since Roy Hodgson joined Liverpool on 1 July, but are hopeful of landing their number one target.

Ray Lewington was placed in temporary charge and remained at the helm as last season’s Europa League runners-up departed for their pre-season tour to Sweden on Monday.

They had hoped to unveil Jol before Thursday’s friendly against Halmstads, but that will now depend on the outcome of Wednesday’s meeting.

It was reported earlier on Tuesday that Jol, having indicated his desire to return to the Premier League following talks with Mackintosh, had performed a U-turn.

He was said to have had second thoughts after Ajax bowed to his demands on keeping hold of star players and providing funds for new signings.

Jol had been told he was not able to make summer acquisitions until right-back Gregory van der Wiel and striker Luis Suarez had departed to free up finances.

He was angered by the release of striker Marko Pantelic and winger Dennis Rommedahl and there were also suggestions that Dutch international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg could leave the Amsterdam Arena.

“We need to strengthen the squad – everyone knows this – but there’s no money,” said Jol after Ajax’s friendly against Rijnsburgse Boys on Tuesday.

“We have lost some good players and no-one is coming in. I fear for the future of Ajax in this position.

“Ajax know about the offer from Fulham. In the past I have had other offers that no-one knows about. Now in England it is public, but that’s not my fault.”

When Jol quit Hamburg for Ajax in 2009 he made it his main mission to win the Eredivisie title for the first time since 2004 and brought in a number of his own staff, so he is thought to feel a responsibility to the four-time European champions.

Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed is reported to have offered Jol, who was sacked by Spurs in 2007 and still owns a house near London, a rolling contract, a bonus-related salary and a significant transfer budget to succeed Hodgson.

Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had also been linked with the vacancy at Craven Cottage.

United States coach Bob Bradley and Switzerland’s Ottmar Hitzfeld were other names in the running.

Eriksson is thought to have held talks with Fulham but the Swede revealed last week that he was considering a lucrative offer to stay on as Ivory Coast head coach.

Hitzfeld then ruled himself out of contention and a statement from the United States Soccer Federation outlined its intention to extend Bradley’s contract.

Although Fulham reached the Europa League final in May, Ajax will be playing Champions League football in September providing they come through qualifying.

They were pipped to the Dutch league title last season by FC Twente, who were managed by former England boss Steve McClaren.

Former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson has said the lure of playing in the Premier League was key to his move to Championship club Middlesbrough.

The 25-year-old signed a four-year deal with Boro on Thursday after Rangers accepted a £2m bid for the player.

And, despite swapping the Champions League for the English second tier, Thomson is ready for a fresh challenge.

“My ambition is to play in the Premier League and I think I can do that with Middlesbrough,” he said.

“It’s a new challenge and a fresh start for me.

“The Rangers fans were great to me and I’ll never forget my three-and-a-half years there.

“I won back-to-back titles, we reached the Uefa Cup final and we picked up a couple of cups along the way too, so it was a successful time.

“Now I’m ready to take a new step in my career.”

Thomson joins a sizeable Scottish contingent on Teesside and added that having so many compatriots at the club was another factor in his signing.

“When you move you have to look at the whole package because you’re moving to a new club and you’re moving your family too,” he told Boro’s official website.

“But there are six or seven Scots down here already and there are so many of them who I know, while the manager knows pretty much what I’m all about.

“All that, together with the challenge of helping the club win promotion, meant the whole package felt right.”

The twice-capped Scot is joining up with manager Gordon Strachan for a second time, having worked briefly under the former Celtic boss as a teenager at Coventry City.

And the former Hibernian skipper revealed that he could have moved to Celtic, then under Strachan, rather than Rangers.

“I had an opportunity to go to Celtic before I went to Rangers, but it never happened,” he said.

“I obviously played against Gordon’s sides on numerous occasions and he was hugely competitive in a situation where second best is not good enough.

“I know how he likes the game to be played, he likes his teams to pass the ball and I’m sure he’ll certainly bring the best out of me.”