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…)
A completely transformed Miguel Almiron. As I think most fans would agree, Eddie Howe and Newcastle United Technical Director, Dan Ashworth, have done as well as can be expected in augmenting the squad with their much improved transfer budget. As defenders, midfielders and finally, a new striker came in, it seemed as if logically, the next area for them to make a move would be on the right wing. Rumours about signing James Maddison from Leicester City have been rife for months but in the meantime, what on earth has happened to Miguel Almiron? (more…)
Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe. There is no doubt that Newcastle United have improved significantly in the last year. The expenditure has been considerable and so far, the new signings have been a credit to Eddie Howe and Technical Director, Dan Ashworth. However, the hyperbolic talk of how the Magpies are now the richest club in the world, a club which is about to brush aside even the likes of Liverpool and Man City aside is misguided.
The first reason of course is ‘Financial Fair Play,’ something that Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris St Germain didn’t have to worry about in the early days of their new wealth, but that has been discussed already. However, there is something else, whilst Newcastle’s spending has increased significantly, so has the spending of many other clubs in what was a record busting transfer season just gone. (more…)
Alexander Isak: a £60 million panic buy? To say that Newcastle United have made mistakes in the last few years when it comes to strikers would be an understatement. Carroll, Slimani, Joselu, Muto, Joelinton and Chris Wood are just a few of the strikers we’ve signed who couldn’t hit a cow’s backside with a banjo. There are also the strikers who disappointed at Newcastle, but went on to thrive elsewhere, like Alexander Mitrović and Ivan Toney, who can now be seen banging them in on a regular basis at Fulham and Brentford respectively. Rondon was OK ish but he only lasted a season, and even when Eddie Howe seemed to have an answer at last with Callum Wilson, he become the biggest injury magnet in the Premier League. (more…)
