When Rafa Benitez came to Newcastle, amidst all the fanfare, glitz, glamour and smoke, came an idea that seemed logical in that it ticked everyone’s boxes.
The idea long term was to help the academy grow with the plan to get a conveyor belt going with the kids ultimate aim to help swell the first team squad. A foolproof plan it seemed.
We know all the big teams like to buy players that have been fertilised in another well prepared farm (academy)before loaning them out and selling them on at profit, so that’s one problem straight away.
Another issue is that our long term plan seems to be still a long way off with the planned expansion and improvement to the training ground keep being postponed or put to the back of the queue as well as players being shipped out.
Not since Paul Dummett came through a few seasons back have we prospered from the kids on the field over the hedges from the main training area with no real sign of change ahead.
In the Summer just ended, Everton took one of our bright stars in Lewis Gibson, yes the price tag of £6m was a nice sweetener but not for the footballing side of things and certainly not for ideas of developing here.
News comes also that another of our bright kids doing well on loan could also be sold when his stint is over. Sean Longstaff who is away at Blackpool being the player.
Longstaff has scored four goals this season as he’s helped the League One side up to 5th in the division but he’s being eyed by clubs a level above in the Championship.
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