Jesse Lingard is part of Big Six scavenger model that can take Newcastle to Europe
How close would a team of Big Six cast-offs run the actual Big Six? Newcastle should go scavenging for scraps this summer and find out.
No matter your opinion on their state sugar daddy, or how dull you find the endless transfer rumours, there must be at least some part of you intrigued by what Newcastle will do in the summer market. Having spent £90m in January, Eddie Howe is reportedly set to be handed over £100m to further improve his squad.
“If people think we will spend silly money, we will not,” Amanda Staveley said in March. The Newcastle director is wary of the club being held to ransom by clubs demanding huge fees for big-name players. They will want growth to be quick, but not at the cost of being unbalanced and reckless. Kylian Mbappe isn’t about to rock up to play alongside Ryan Fraser. They need to target players who want to play for Newcastle, not just for the money, but because they believe it will genuinely further their career. They need to create an intriguing prospect for players above (but not too far above) their station who are going to help them to the next level. And the next level is probably not a title challenge.
Chris Wood is very unlikely to be playing in a Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp in three years’ time. The striker is a means to an end. But Wood’s end is likely to come far sooner than Bruno Guimaraes, who may well be with them throughout their journey to the top. After Wood will come a talent at the next level, and so on, as will be the case throughout the squad until they’re at the top table. Fun as it would be were the Newcastle honchos to treat the project like a game of Football Manager, they have already demonstrated sensible, almost irritating, patience.
So the question is, what sort of players should they be targeting? £100m is a fair whack, but it would only get them two-and-a-half Guimaraes. And while young players full of potential, like the Brazilian, is perhaps the most exciting path, they would be well served going after players with something to prove. And there is no better hunting ground for down-on-their-luck scraps than the Premier League’s Big Six, with Jesse Lingard great testament to that.
Having not started a Premier League game in over a year for Manchester United, Lingard moved to West Ham on loan and claimed nine goals and five assists in 16 appearances, taking them to within touching distance of the Champions League and only just missing out on England’s squad for the Euros. It was the perfect example of a very talented footballer being wasted at a club that doesn’t fancy him – for whatever reason – and immediately showing that talent when given the opportunity elsewhere.
There’s a huge amount of previously flowing talent that has been blocked rather than run dry. Sitting next to Lingard on the United bench there’s Marcus Rashford and Dean Henderson. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez and Divock Origi grow frustrated at Liverpool. Neither Steven Bergwijn or Harry Winks can get a look-in at Tottenham. Eddie Nketiah could be lured from Arsenal. All of those players, and more from the Big Six clubs, are waiting to be revitalised, and St James’ Park could be quite the place to do it.
That’s the beauty of Newcastle’s situation. They are a big club by certain measures; the stadium and fanbase are a draw for players, even before you consider the wages and potential of the club. They can sell themselves on what they already have to offer, as well as what they clearly will in the not-too-distant future. Top players will always talk about their desire to play in European competitions, and while they won’t be doing so immediately at Newcastle, they absolutely will if they stay for a couple of seasons, and most of them, despite being at clubs playing in Europe, have featured in those competitions pretty much the same amount as they would for the Magpies next season; i.e., not at all.
For the players, Newcastle represent a temporary step down but unrivalled potential. For Newcastle, these players are a step or two up from the crop they currently have, used to playing games at the level the club wishes to reach, desperate to prove they are still capable of performing at that level. How close would a team of Big Six cast-offs run the actual Big Six? Newcastle should go scavenging for scraps this summer and find out.