Net profit and loss

Congratulations to Tim Krul, who has - as anticipated - been named in the Dutch squad for Euro 2012. Our young custodian will be battling with Swansea's Michel Vorm for the role of back-up to the national number one, Roma's Maarten Stekelenburg.

From our perspective, hopefully he might put his time with the squad to good effect by talking up life on Tyneside to Toon target Luuk de Jong. (Unfortunately, he can't do likewise for Heerenveen's Bas Dost, the 32-goal striker having been omitted and now the confirmed subject of a £7m bid from newly promoted West Ham.) Whatever his relations with de Jong, though, they're likely to be decidedly friendlier and less frosty than with the squad's star striker, Robin van Persie. Rumours of training-ground bust-ups imminent, methinks...

While our current first-choice 'keeper enjoys himself in Poland and the Ukraine, the player he's replaced once again finds himself contemplating his future. Steve Harper seems resigned to the fact that he'll need to go out on loan again to get the first-team action he craves - and I suspect he's right.