One of the most disappointing aspects of North-Eastern football in the last decade or so is the lack of top level footballers coming from the area. As a football-mad part of the country it is astonishing that Sunderland and Newcastle have both consistently failed to develop Premier League players with only Sean Longstaff really breaking through.
In all honesty, this batch of youth talents don’t look much like flipping the script at St James’ Park either. Having finished bottom of U23 Division 2 last season, Newcastle pulled the plug and released sixteen players while bringing in some prospects let go from other clubs - most notably Charlie Wiggett of Chelsea and Remi Savage of Liverpool.
Can Newcastle finally get it right and break someone through? It’s doubtful, to be honest, but if it is going to happen it’ll probably be one of these three…
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Dan Langley |
| CB | Remi Savage |
| CB | Oisin McEntee |
| RB | Ryan Barrett |
| LB | Rosaire Longelo |
| CM | Niall Brookwell |
| CM | Mo Sangare |
| CM | Stanley Flaherty |
| RW | Tom Allan |
| LW | Elliot Anderson |
| CF | Cameron Ferguson |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Max Thompson |
| CB | Harry Barclay |
| CB | Ciaran Thompson |
| RB | Tai Ebanks |
| LB | Josh Nicholson |
| CM | Reagan Thomson |
| CM | Jamie Miley |
| CM | James Huntley |
| RW | Jay Turner-Cooke |
| LW | Michael Ndiweni |
| CF | Kyle Crossley |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Kelland Watts (on loan at Wigan Athletic)
- Position: CB
- Age: 21
- Nationality: English
Former England U19 international Kelland Watts is best placed to break through at Newcastle. The central defender has plenty of experience having played sixty-seven games at League One and League Two level. Last season was his most productive, he started forty-eight games for Plymouth in all competitions and has played well in pre-season reportedly catching the eye of Steve Bruce for his strong showings in the heart of defence. Watts is a composed defender with good on-the-ball skills making him capable of playing out from the back and his time in the Football League has clearly developed how he handles the physical side of the game. He will step up to Championship football this year with Wigan.
Elliot Anderson
- Position: AM
- Age: 18
- Nationality: Scottish
A hip injury has kept Elliot out of pre-season so far this summer and some poor management by Steve Bruce is threatening to disrupt the development of the talented Scotland U19 international. Elliot had the opportunity to go on loan to Luton last season but Bruce kept him and promised significant exposure to the first team - however, he managed just two cameos and a total of forty-two minutes as Bruce shied away from using a teenager while Newcastle battled relegation. Anderson is a tall and physical attacking midfielder, likes to receive the ball on his chest where challenging him is difficult, and then drive towards the penalty area. He has good vision but is perhaps not the most technically fluent player. For Newcastle, if he can stay fit, Anderson certainly has the potential to develop into a Premier League starter but it will require more faith from the management to achieve it.
Stanley Flaherty
- Position: RW
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Flaherty has already had something of a journey to end up in Newcastle. Having been released by his boyhood club Arsenal, he wound up training at West Ham before moving up to Newcastle when they refused to offer him a deal. The versatile attacker can play right across the line and turned some heads by scoring seven times for a poor side. He has the advantage of being an excellent set piece taker and the pacey wideman does have a good left foot - with most of his goals at youth level coming from cutting inside and shooting. It would be quite a turnaround in fortunes should Flaherty manage to break through at Newcastle having already been rejected by two Premier League sides but his first season in black and white was a promising one.