THE dust is still settling after what was a very mixed deadline day for Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle.

Boro capped off a hugely impressive summer with the loan signings of George Edmundson and Ben Doak, who features in this week's North East Notes, as does a Sunderland loanee Chris Mepham.

But it was a frustrating end to a window in which Alan Shearer said Eddie Howe had been "failed" by the Newcastle board. The Magpies are in action today against Tottenham at St James' Park, when they'll come up against a former transfer target.

ENGLAND MESSAGE FOR EX-NEWCASTLE TARGET

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has backed James Maddison to force his way back into England contention as the 27-year-old prepares to face the team he could have previously joined.

Maddison was wanted by Newcastle last summer but instead opted for Tottenham.

He started the 2023-24 campaign impressively before a serious ankle injury in November sidelined him for almost three months.

The former Leicester playmaker struggled for form afterwards and admitted missing out on Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad left him “devastated”, but has picked up assists in each of Tottenham’s two games this term.

He was, however, left out of the first squad picked by England interim boss Lee Carsley on Thursday.

Postecoglou, speaking ahead of today's game at St James' Park, is confident Maddison will earn an international recall if he continues his form.

“I think he’s started the season really well and had an impact in both games,” Postecoglou said.

“He was very close to getting on the scoresheet in both. His general play in both games has been really, really good.

“As long as he’s training well and playing well, then I’m sure he will be back in England reckoning and I guess it is a question for Lee for future camps.

“I know he desperately wants to get back into the England set-up, but if he continues to play like he does and makes more and more of an impact, like we know he can, then I see no reason why he can’t get back into the England side.”

SUNDERLAND SIGNING 'COMING TO PEAK'

Sunderland deadline day signing Chris Mepham faces the difficult challenge of forcing his way into a defence that hadn't conceded this season before Luke O'Nien's 90th minute own-goal at Portsmouth.

Sunderland's success so far this term has been built on their solid foundations, with Regis Le Bris' side coming within minutes of keeping a fourth clean sheet on Saturday.

The Black Cats were dealt a blow this week when Aji Alese suffered an ankle injury that will keep him on the sidelines for 10 weeks, but Dan Ballard impressively stepped back into the side at Fratton Park.

And Mepham will be pushing for a place in the side after joining up with his new teammates in training next week.

The 26-year-old has joined on a season-long loan and thinks Sunderland could see the very best of him, which is an exciting prospect when you consider Bournemouth previously signed spent £12m on the centre-half.

He was a key figure for the Cherries but fell out of favour under boss Andoni Iraola last season and admitted in January that he'd have to start looking elsewhere.

He'll be desperate to impress and feature prominently on Wearside, especially considering he's now into the final year of his contract at Bournemouth - so he's potentially playing for a permanent deal at the Stadium of Light.

And he also has his international ambitions in mind, desperate to keep stacking up the caps - he has 46 already - after the appointment of Craig Bellamy as new Wales boss.

Mepham said at the start of this year: "I have been at the club a long time. I am probably - in football terms - coming to the peak of a career now at 26. The next couple of years are important for me. It's important to play week-in-week-out. If you are not getting the game time you want and need to you have to be open to all options.

On falling out of favour at Bournemouth, he said: "It's always tough. You join the club under Eddie Howe in a stable environment. There's probably a big plan for me going forward. When a big change happens like that, a couple of managers come in, for whatever reason you don't get the nod. In contrast to last season I felt I played a lot of games and gave a good account of myself.

"It could be 101 things. I am not angry towards anyone, I don't carry that negativity. I would like to think I am positive around the place and give encouragement to the lads. I will never not be that guy.

"I just think sometimes things don't always work out as you want and sometimes there's a better fit for you elsewhere."

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NEW MIDDLESBROUGH SIGNING HAS 'NO FEAR'

Expect deadline day signing Ben Doak to make an instant impression at Middlesbrough.

That was certainly the case in the Scotland camp earlier this summer when the previously uncapped Doak was a shock selection in Steve Clarke's squad for the European Championship.

He eventually had to withdraw from the squad because of injury - and was replaced by his now Boro teammate Tommy Conway - but only after he'd quickly made an impact.

"He's just walked in and you'd think he had been here for years, which is good," said Scotland assistant manager John Carver.

"And the lads like him. He's that type of guy, you just take to him straight away.

"I'd never had a conversation with him, but I've had many with him now already and he's a good lad. He's got no fear and that's where I think young players coming through now develop like that.

“When you play for a big football club like Liverpool and he's played in some important games and has shown he's got that ability, then he's not going to be overawed by us guys."