It’s not always a bad thing when a big club scouts a Newcastle United player.
In recent weeks, there have been rumors floating around that Spurs are interested in Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff. *Dramatic music plays* They even scouted him! I know, right? Sound the alarm. Toon Army, I’m here to tell you that it is not the end of the world when a big club comes around scouting one of your players. As a matter of fact, it can be a good thing!
Let’s look at this a couple of different ways. First, while I know we all want it to be, Newcastle is not the final move for a player these days, especially one of the rise. It’s the truth. You don’t have to tell me how great the club is, I know. But, if you’re a 23-year-old player that’s trying to make the most money and get the most exposure in your prime, the Magpies are not at the top of the pecking order of Premier League sides. This makes Newcastle United a selling club, in essence. They will improve a young player and then ship him off to a bigger club for a profit. That’s how the Premier League does business. Do I want NUFC to become a final stop and one of the buying clubs? Of course. Will that happen soon? Of course not.
The other angle to look at this is about the quality of your players. Not every player that’s scouted by a bigger club will depart Newcastle. But, it’s certainly a positive thing that one of the top clubs in England think your player could help them. The way I look at it, Spurs validated the class of Sean Longstaff by scouting him. Before this season, what player was on the radar for a big club? Jamaal Lascelles? Outside of the captain, Jonjo Shelvey to West Ham was the closest thing. That indicates a lack of overall talent, which we already knew existed. This year, Longstaff, Fabian Schar, Martin Dubravka and others have been linked with a bigger club. That means the Magpies have done a great job bringing in talented players that can always bring them some funds back.
Especially with Mike Ashley running the show, player sales are massive to the monetary circle of life for Newcastle United. If the club sells one player for a decent sum, Rafa, or whoever is managing, can find a couple of promising players for that money and the cycle continues.
I know, we don’t want to lose quality players and we get scared when it says a big club is scouting one of our own. But, remember, it’s not always a big thing to be wanted by one of the Premier League’s elite.