Newcastle United have confirmed that they are seeking to appoint a new under-23 player development coach as well as a loan player coordinator in two significant appointments.
As revealed in a statement delivered by the Chronicle, the Magpies revealed that they had launched a double hunt to fill roles behind the scenes in a bid to help improve the development of young players and get them into the first team.
The under-23 position would be the manager of the reserve side, through which Sean Longstaff made his break though into the senior setup, while the loan coordinator would manage the development of those on the fringes of the squad, getting the right temporary moves lined up and sealed to improve their progress.
Opinion
Newcastle’s youth academy has not produced enough young talent over the past couple of years and a shakeup was definitely needed to improve their youth system. Longstaff is the only player who has picked up any meaningful game time in the first team since Sammy Ameobi, while Paul Dummett is the only other Newcastle youth graduate who has featured on a regular basis this season. The Magpies are not big spenders in the transfer window and if they were like Tottenham, who have a breadth of young talent just waiting to break through from the reserve side, then you could understand their reluctance to spend. Instead it simply appears to be a lack of talent and progress and while that can be put down to the players lacking the necessary quality, it is no doubt the club’s fault for not investing in their academy to ensure they can help these future stars hit the very top of their potential.