Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron. Whilst Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy have been great servants for the club, Almiron with his energy, and Murphy with his big contribution last season in terms of assists (he was joint top with Trippier on 7), there is little doubt that in the front three, the Magpies are stronger on the left with Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes than they are on the right, a situation which was not rectified in the last transfer window, nor the one before that.
Whilst Gordon can also play on the right, he is now undoubtedly a very important player for the side and not playing him in his optimum position would be a bad compromise. On the other hand, Barnes is also a fine left winger who is too good to waste away on the side lines. That’s a slightly different discussion though. The question for this article is why, not for the first time, have the club failed to strengthen the right wing, whilst bringing in some players in positions that seem to be more well served? (more…)
Odysseas Vlachodimos. Whilst some of the signings by Newcastle United this season are predictable and understandable, like Lewis Hall’s move from Chelsea after a season on loan, and the signing of Lloyd Kelly, a decent enough utility defender who played for Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, there are some which seem slightly more perplexing though, at least initially. In this piece, I will look at some of these, starting with Newcastle’s current roster of five first team goalkeepers.
There are the two new goalkeepers, Odysseas Vlachodimos and John Ruddy from Nottingham Forest and Birmingham respectively. (more…)
David: Young, versatile, consistent and not injury prone. When Callum Wilson signed for the Magpies in 2020, I think it’s fair to say that many fans who were initially underwhelmed were very pleasantly surprised by his goals. However, his achilles heel is, his achilles heel, and numerous other parts of his body which seem to get injured whenever it looks like he is finally going to get a good run in the side.
In 2022, the club then signed Alexander Isak for a record fee of over £60 million. Though Isak has definitely shown his potential on the pitch since coming to the club with some great skills and goals, he too has been somewhat prone to injuries, which has left the club bereft of a proper Centre Forward at times. Wilson has been great when he’s been fit but he has been so fragile, the club needs someone else. (more…)
Joe Willock: Toon’s only Summer signing. One thing most Toon fans can agree about is that Joe Willock certainly made a very positive impression during his loan spell last season. If anything, it seemed as if he was almost too good (bear with me). With every performance (and every goal), it seemed as if he was drifting away from us, either Arsenal would see the error of their ways and want him back, or his price would escalate to the point where notoriously tightfisted Toon owner, Mike Ashley, would get the vapours at the sums being mentioned, but it didn’t. Willock was sold for around the price we thought he would be in the first place if the figures being bandied around (£20-25 million) are to be believed. (more…)
Darlow: Staking his claim for a more regular place Then again, maybe not in a season which has so often been about hanging on in defence and hoping for a goal on the break.
Whilst Callum Wilson and Allan St Maximin might be grabbing most of the praise up at the front, it is stand in goalkeeper Karl Darlow who has really given Steve Bruce a ‘selection headache’ (as they say) whenever Martin Dubravka recovers from his heel injury.
Whilst it has been a fairly average season for the Magpies so far, by recent standards anyway with the team currently lying in 13th, same as they finished last season, poor Darlow has received a battering in goal, fending off more shots than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League. His record so far this season being 39 saves and 1 penalty save. He is also currently Newcastle United’s most highly rated player on Whoscored, beating Allan St Maximin and Callum Wilson to the top spot. (more…)
