da bet7： Newcastle United’s troubles have not only been in front of goal, but also trying to keep clean sheets in order to steer themselves away from the relegation zone this season. Currently in a disappointing 18th place, calls for Magpies manager Alan Pardew’s head have been openly expressed by the Newcastle faithful for quite some time.
da betsson： During the summer transfer window, the St. James’ Park outfit splashed a staggering £37.9m on the likes of Siem de Jong, Emmanuel Riviere, Remy Cabella, Daryl Janmaat, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback. On the back of last season’s performance which resulted in a mediocre finish, Pardew also dropped down a division in order to find two young talents that could rise to the top for the foreseeable future. Signed from Championship promotion chasers Nottingham Forest for a combined total of £7m, goalkeeper Karl Darlow and centre back Jamaal Lascelles look huge prospects.
Once both were signed, Pardew decided to loan them back to the City Ground for the 2014/2015 season in order for the youngsters to carry on their development. With the Magpies’ poor start to the current campaign, the former Southampton, West Ham and Reading chief has reiterated his desire to tear up Lascelles’ loan deal with his boyhood club, and place him in the first team at Newcastle. So who is Lascelles and is he the man to solve the defensive crisis at Newcastle?
The England under-21 international broke through Nottingham Forest’s youth system, which has also produced the likes of Michael Dawson and Andy Reid, and made an instant impression. To further his development as an accomplished centre back, the powerful defender was sent out on loan to League Two side Stevenage. Seven games and one goal later at the Lamex Stadium, Lascelles returned to Forest and was then the subject of a £5m bid from Premier League side Arsenal, that was firmly rejected. He also signed a new four year contract, and played an integral part in Forest’s 2013/2014 season.
Lascelles looks to be developing in every game as his timing of tackles and discipline has hugely improved due to the simple fact he is playing regular competitive football. Blocking the ball battling aerially are also the 6”4 defender’s strongest attributes, and on that basis, he is exactly what Newcastle United need at the moment.
However, in some aspects, Pardew has been very clever in his decision not to include Lascelles in his first team plans for at least one season. The young and exciting prospect will not get in front of the likes of Steven Taylor and Fabricio Collocini, as Premier League experience is exactly what they need to overcome their difficult spell. However, there is no doubt that it will be sooner rather than later when we see Lascelles in a Newcastle shirt, and maybe even an England shirt if he continues his rise.
[ad_pod ]
[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]