Newcastle’s decision to furlough the non-playing staff at the club will have immediate repercussions that could have long-term consequences for the club.
That is mainly due to the fact that the club’s scouting team will be unable to work, having already been confined to working from home in order to assess players, as there have been no games to watch players live.
The Athletic report that a key aspect of our recruitment is based on watching player’s performances on multiple occasions, which includes trips to Europe and South America – with Steve Nickson overseeing the department.
Summer additions Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton were all extensively researched, and that meant the latter two were poised to sign even as a change over in manager was happening.
Do you trust Steve Bruce and Lee Charnley with recruitment?
Yes
No
Steve Bruce may have had little say in the matter, therefore, but that wasn’t too much of a problem due to the scouting that had been done. However, now it is impossible to watch players in the MLS like Almiron, so we may have to adjust and look closer to home.
The Athletic’s Chris Waugh confirmed that recruitment will now solely be governed by Steve Bruce and Lee Charnley, and that may be a worrying prospect for some.
“One potential side-effect is that Bruce’s influence over recruitment may increase. Normally, Newcastle take a collective approach to transfers, with Nickson, Charnley and Bruce all involved. While Bruce has the final say on incomings, he does not necessarily identify the targets.
“[Lee] Charnley is leading contract talks with the likes of Matty Longstaff, Andy Carroll, Rob Elliot and Javier Manquillo, whose respective deals expire on June 30.”
There are multiple reasons to be concerned about the information above.
Firstly, Charnley has been unable to tie down Matty Longsatff to a new contract despite the youngster first breaking into the squad several months ago, and the fact he will now be unassisted doesn’t spark confidence in a deal being agreed.
Secondly, recruitment since summer 2019 has been very hit and miss. Allan Saint-Maximin seems to be a good buy and fans certainly love what they’ve seen from him, but Joelinton – with one league goal to his name – and January loan signing Nabil Bentaleb, have both drawn criticism for their underwhelming displays.
That shows we haven’t really been effective in the transfer market, and our chances of signing the right players will probably only drop due to the absence of chief scout Steve Nickson, and the rest of the staff he works with.
We could end up with more flops like zero-goal Andy Carroll and Joelinton, therefore, which means we may struggle next season and possibly beyond.