The frustration pervading Tyneside right now is indicative of the raised expectations at Newcastle United. Recent results against West Ham United and Crystal Palace, a defeat and a draw, have prevented the Toon from breaking into the European zone.
Newcastle scarcely lose on their home patch and fail to score even less, but goals are in short supply and the attacking synergy that Eddie Howe so finely crafted in the opening period of his reign is not quite there anymore.
Alexander Isak was forced off in the first half against Crystal Palace on Saturday, bitterly exacerbating Newcastle’s attacking troubles. Howe sought to allay concerns by claiming the Swede was forced off with a “contact injury.”
Frontal problems are not the only issue, with the engine room failing to purr at full throttle too. It’s frustrating, and similar to last season, when injury problems hampered Howe’s men. So, he might need to turn to the youthful Lewis Miley to help knock his midfield back into shape.
What makes Lewis Miley so special
Miley has yet to feature for Newcastle in the Premier League this season, though he has sat as an unused substitute across four of his club’s past six top-flight outings.
The 18-year-old talent suffered “a freak accident” to his metatarsal toward the end of pre-season and has been thrown to the sidelines after such an immense breakout campaign last year.
Last season was a difficult one for the Magpies, whose hard labours the year before were unable to be reaped as anticipated due to a catalogue of setbacks throughout the season.
Miley, though, stepped up in age-belying fashion. Racking up 28 appearances last year, scoring one goal and adding four assists, the teenage midfielder earned praise for his
Having signed a long-term deal with the St. James’ Park side in January, he’s gone from strength to strength and it’s frustrating that the rangy ace has been unable to build on such firm foundations over the past several months.
Bruno Guimaraes has described him as a “star,” while his manager has dubbed him an “unbelievable athlete.” Is it any surprise that he ranks among the top 8% of central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 16% for tackles per 90, as per FBref, denoting his roundedness?
Newcastle’s academy has long failed to reach the level to produce a steady stream of youth quality across the past few decades, though that has changed with the PIF takeover.
Miley is the spearhead of this new era, endowed with a level of skill that could easily see him surpass the likes of Sean Longstaff.
However, there’s another young star soon to join the Magpies nest who may eclipse Miley: his name’s Vakhtang Salia.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Vakhtang Salia could be Newcastle's biggest talent
Last month, Newcastle signed 17-year-old Salia from top-level Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi, loaning the dynamic forward back to the club for the remainder of the current campaign.
Miley is the cream of the teenage crop on Tyneside at the moment, but that could indeed change when this crackling talent arrives on English shores, having scored six goals and provided two assists across Erovnuli Liga outings this term.
Like Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, he’s a versatile forward with properties that allow him to flourish both out on the left wing and in a more conventional striker’s role.
Left winger
27
5
1
Centre-forward
12
2
1
Right winger
1
1
0
Attacking midfield
1
0
0
Given Newcastle’s struggles for goals, this could be a marvellous addition to Howe’s system, perhaps tackling two quandaries in alleviating Isak’s role as the chief goalscorer while also proving Gordon with some dynamic competition out on the flanks.
The Athletic have revealed that those close to Salia view him as Georgia’s best player within his age bracket by a country mile, and when joining a Newcastle youth set-up that continues to go from strength to strength, he may well explode and actually leapfrog the talented Miley.
The praise flows freely, and Newcastle might have secured a real coup with this one. Rival interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City magnifies his quality, with transfer insider Graeme Bailey also claiming that the youngster is “one of the best teenage prospects in the world.”
Might they have another Gordon on their hands here? So far, the winger has failed to match the same results that earned him Newcastle’s Player of the Season for 2023/24. Perhaps he’s struggling to carry the weight of being his side’s chief ball-carrying specialist, with little support from other members of the team.
Matches (starts)
35 (34)
12 (12)
Goals
12
2
Assists
11
1
Touches*
44.9
45.4
Shots (on target)*
2.3 (0.9)
1.5 (0.7)
Pass completion
82%
77%
Big chances created
16
3
Key passes*
1.6
2.1
Dribbles*
1.5
1.1
Ball recoveries*
3.6
3.3
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
1.6
Total duels (won)*
5.3 (49%)
4.8 (52%)
Moreover, Howe has shuffled him across the pack with regularity. This is nothing new, but it’s only natural that frequent repositioning would threaten to stifle a forward’s form.
Salia is of course not ready for Premier League action but he’s demonstrating rapid signs of growth in his homeland and could make a marked improvement on Newcastle’s attack next season, supplementing the likes of Gordon with impactful foils.
He’s been heralded as the new version of Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and with such monstrous dribbling budding skills, might just prove to be the perfect addition to help the likes of Gordon in operating at their apex.
New role: Howe can replicate Joelinton success with Newcastle sensation
Howe should unleash a rising Newcastle star in a new role to create Joelinton 2.0
ByAngus Sinclair Nov 29, 2024
