Newcastle United were solemn and nervous when Alexander Isak left for Liverpool on transfer deadline day, having forced his way out and disrupted Eddie Howe’s early-season preparations.
The Sweden striker is one of the best in the business, after all. But through Nick Woltemade and a general reshuffle of the attacking cabinet, there’s much cause for optimism once again.
But the drawn-out saga of the summer cannot be allowed to repeat itself down the line. Ross Wilson knows this, and the newly-recruited technical director is renowned for his interpersonal skills and capacity to work well alongside the manager. In this regard, Howe’s position at the peak of the heirarchal pyramid is underscored. He is the main man at Newcastle.
The i Paper have revealed that contract extensions for three key players – Sven Botman, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali – are in the pipeline to prevent a future quandary such as this. The terms, it is believed, would contain release clauses, similar to the £100m buyout woven into the new contract Bruno Guimaraes penned in 2023.
Anthony Gordon, too, extended his stay at St. James’ Park last year and had a release clause printed on the paper. Gordon, 24, is arguably United’s attacking talisman now Isak has gone, with Woltemade young and raw, albeit with four goals in black and white already.
Keeping Gordon at the club was crucial, especially after Liverpool sniffed around for the £100m-valued England international last summer. A tough start to the campaign it has been, but he’s proving his worth and rising in importance for club and country.
Gordon's newfound seniority
Gordon was awarded the honour of Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24 after a rousing campaign that helped the club through amid so many injuries.
But he toiled through last season, unable to replicate that excellent form and fizzling out across the second half of the season. His absence through suspension for the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool perhaps summed up his year.
But Gordon has scored three times in the Champions League this season and has nailed down an important position on the left flank in Thomas Tuchel’s England line-up.
Lively against Wales and clinical during the recent thrashing of Latvia, the £150k-per-week ace is growing in stature; he is a testament to hard graft, pitted against much adversity across the opening years of his professional career.
With Isak gone and Woltemade hardly expected to reach the same heights this season, fast start to life in England or not, it’s crucial that Gordon embraces his ever-evolving senior role and ensures Howe’s objectives are ticked off this term.
Gordon is a big talent, one of the finest England have. However, the Toon’s own production line has produced some exciting stars in recent years, with Elliot Anderson, somewhat bitterly, being a case in point.
But there’s another rising teenager gathering pace underneath the surface; he hasn’t yet made his first-team debut, but looks every bit a potential Three Lions star down the line.
Newcastle could have a bigger English talent than Gordon
Few and far between were the academy success stories on Tyneside in the years between Alan Shearer’s hatching in the city as a youngster and the advent of the PIF era.
To put that another way: it hasn’t been good enough. But there has been a focus on changing more than just the upper levels of the St. James’ Park set-up, these past four years.
That’s changed, and the latest example of this would be Sean Neave, who has been described by Magpies Media as being “the best Geordie striker prospect in a long, long time.”
Aged 18, Neave has already been promoted from the U18s to Newcastle’s U21 squad, the floor below senior level. Just 16 matches have been played, and a return of seven goals and three assists makes a convincing comment on the natural finisher’s potential.
Already, he stands at 6 foot 2, bearing a ranginess that is not too dissimilar to Isak’s gangly presence. With speed and a willingness to engage with defenders, playing off their shoulders, there’s a sense that Neave has taken a few pages from the Swede’s book as he has developed across these past few years.
Might Gordon have another strike partner to play with down the line? The winger’s connection with Woltemade already shows promise, but this differing profile could bear dividends. Who knows, Neave might even supersede Gordon as the star man.
Newcastle U18
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21 (7)
Newcastle U21
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7 (3)
Newcastle YL
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1 (1)
Newcastle
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One week ago, Newcastle U21s defeated Boston United 3-1 in the National League Cup. Did Neave get in on the action? He did indeed, bagging all three goals within 25 minutes and taking home the match ball.
Howe has already included the youngster in several matchday squads, but he still hasn’t handed the striker his first senior showing. That unforgettable occasion might just be on the horizon for the striker, whose prodigious potential is being recognised.
If he keeps it up, he may well be playing alongside Gordon for club and country in the coming years, having unquestionably demonstrated the requisite ability for a place in the Premier League. Moreover, Newcastle’s attacking depth might prove a positive thing for the teenager, who can slowly integrate without a weight of expectation on his shoulders.
While Neave’s strength leaves something to be desired, this is only natural. He is 18 and has not yet grown into his skin. This will come. Howe will ensure it.
But the natural talent and innate goalscoring ability are right there for all to see, and though Gordon is the cream of the English crop on Tyneside at the moment, that may well change if Neave continues to take confident strides over the coming years.
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