In the lead up to the January transfer window Newcastle have been linked with two talented teenagers – 17 year-old Sunderland striker Joel Asoro and 18 year-old Leeds United playmaker Ronaldo Vieira.
Rafa Benitez is interested in buying players who are young and can develop into much better players on Tyneside and he’s also interested in buying players who can come in and immediately challenge for a first team spot.
Asoro is a player who fits into the first category and Ronaldo Vieira probably fits into both categories.
17 year-old striker Joel Asoro
There’s not much of a chance of signing either player next month although Joel Asoro is a possibility.
But in the summer, when we hope Newcastle are back in the Premier League, Rafa Benitez’ Newcastle will be a big draw for any player and it looks like we will have plenty of money to spend to further improve the Newcastle squad.
We also expect another clear-out players in the summer (or in January) when players such as Emmanuel Riviere, Massadio Haidara, Florian Thauvin, Henri Saivet, Haris Vuckic, Kevin Mbabu, Sammy Ameobi and maybe Tim Krul and Siem de Jong could all leave the club.
Asoro signed for Sunderland in 2015 and in August David Moyes gave him his debut in the league against Middlesbrough, when he came on as a substitute late in the game.
He has made only 2 more appearances for Sunderland since then and made his debut for the Sweden U21 side in September, starting the game against Spain in the 1-1 draw.
Asoro began his career at his home town club IFK Haninge and then at eleven he moved to IF Brommapojkarna where he stayed for five years before moving to Sunderland last year.
Ronaldo Vieira – 18 year-old Leeds play-maker
Leeds United’s Ronaldo Vieira is an 18 year old midfielder born in Guinea-Bissau but raised in Portugal, where he signed for the S.L. Benfica Academy.
He left Portugal in 2011 with his family for England and began playing football in England for Whitley Bay Boys Club, just eight miles east of Newcastle.
Ronaldo then moved to Yorkshire and played 2 seasons in the Huddersfield Junior Football league for Batley Phoenix before joining Leeds United after a trial in September of last year.
He’s been a regular for Leeds this season and we watched him on Friday night at Brighton where Leeds played well but lost Kalvin Phillips with a red card in the 23rd minute after he handled the ball on the line.
It was difficult for the Whites after that and they lost 2-0 with the second goal coming late in the game.
Ronaldo is a young and skilled creative player and he has made great progress at Leeds in just over a year and one thing Newcastle are short of in the current squad is creativity.
So these two lads are likely to be on Newcastle’s radar screen probably for the summer, when hopefully we will have gained promotion back to the Premier League.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
45 comments so far
lesh
Dec 11, 2016 at 8:34 AM
Comment #1As the supposed West Ham interest in getting Rafa’s appeared again, I wonder if fans expressed concerns it persuade him to issue a statement committing himself to Newcastle United?
Why don’t West Ham do what most other clubs dp and trawl among the managers that are actually available.
hibbit
Dec 11, 2016 at 8:48 AM
Comment #2well what a game
best team performance of the season
MOM anita
crowd what can i say magnificent from start to finish used to be like that every game
goal on 17 minutes fitting tribute to Alder and Sweeney
birmingham came to give us a game but just didn’t have the quality in the team
by far the best away fans to visit st james in many a year true supporters did there team proud
only one negative for me Sheverly playing to deep
hibbit
Dec 11, 2016 at 8:49 AM
Comment #3clean sheet 3 points job done
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 10:06 AM
Comment #4lesh
Everything is available at Newcastle for the right price
On topic I like the look of Viera but he’d cost a decent fee and trying to deal with the twin helmets of Monk and Cellino won’t be a fun experience
I’ve no idea on the Sunderland lad but if he’s that good why would they let us have him?
lochinvar
Dec 11, 2016 at 10:28 AM
Comment #5Hull winger Robert Snodgrass apologised for winning a spot-kick in the 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace, insisting it “was never a penalty”.
Well Angela are you man enough to stand up and be counted ?
Or will you fall over yourself not to apologise ?
toontaff2
Dec 11, 2016 at 10:38 AM
Comment #6Rafa to the ‘ammers – was that in the sun?Mirror gives Anita 6 – do they even bother watching the game? Maybe like 22 on here, they thought Mitro was MoM?
There were so many worthy candidates : Gayle, Diame, Hayden, Anita, Clark, Shelvey…………Mitro, hahahah!
It was funny seeing Percy’s face at the penalty for Hull, though!!! I think he was looking for Meyler!
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 10:42 AM
Comment #7You have to laugh at the southern press, dont you?
Whats the betting we get the annual story the return to Toon of Andy Carroll…..lol
Furthermore, ehy would Rafa want to move to a chicken shit little club like West Spam
Jib
Dec 11, 2016 at 10:50 AM
Comment #8Pardew will be going after Paul Dummett in the January window if he still has a job.
Palace do concede many goals from the left side.
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 10:51 AM
Comment #9expat
How are West Ham such a crap club?
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:01 AM
Comment #10Because they are down the bottom.
duh
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:04 AM
Comment #11welsh
In the PL
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:08 AM
Comment #12WW
Smaller fan base
Smaller stadium until they moved to Wembley
Lesser history
Bang average club in achievments
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:10 AM
Comment #13They can have Dummett for 10 million quid but I doubt Dummett would move to another tinpot little landan club
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:17 AM
Comment #14expat
Huge money available, massive stadium (bigger than ours), were in Europe this season, in London, passionate fans, good youth set up and some quality players
They aren’t a bad club at all
hibbit
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:20 AM
Comment #15expatmag
you need to go back and do your homework on west ham you never got one thing right about them starting with wembley
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:21 AM
Comment #16You keep banging on about swans, so why is West Ham so different.
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:26 AM
Comment #17welsh
I don’t bang on about the Swans I just point out they are a nothing club
West Ham certainly aren’t that
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:40 AM
Comment #18Hibbitt
Possibly open to conjecture but potentially, NUFC is bigger than WHU therefore Rafa has a bigger club to manage.
Historically wise and correct me if I am wrong but West Ham have:
Never won the league
Played in and won less FA Cup finals than us
Never played in the European cup/champions league
Won the same number of european competitions as us
Rebounded between the top two tiers of English football more often than us
Jib
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:43 AM
Comment #19West ham won their first domestic honour – the FA cup in 1964
They have won 3 FA cups in total and no other honours (2nd div champs apart)
The highest they have ever been in the first division/Pl is 3rd
Swansea have won the League cup once (and a few 2nd div camps)
Neither club is a sensation.
How West Ham were deemed a club of sufficient standing to get awarded the London stadium is – as Churchill said of Russia –
“a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:43 AM
Comment #20WW
Apart from Noble, I cannot think of another current player who regularly plays after beibg groomed from their academy.
Their squad appears to be predominantly made up ftom iver rated injury prone foreigners and Andy Carroll
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:47 AM
Comment #21Hibbitt
Yes…they gave a bigger stadium now but how often do they fill it?
manxpie
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:49 AM
Comment #22Nah I don’t like West ham fans since there sick chants at roeder
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:57 AM
Comment #23expat
They have a better pedigree of bringing through players than us and their set up is streets ahead of ours
They are a good club at least on par with us
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 11:59 AM
Comment #24Nothing club
Ha ha ha
I will have what ever you are smoking.
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:01 PM
Comment #25welsh
U don’t smoke reality bud
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:03 PM
Comment #26Not really sure why opinion on Swansea means so much to u in all honesty…or why u brought up Swansea in the first place in a discussion about West Ham when u knew exactly what I would say anyway
Seems a tad pointless to me
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:06 PM
Comment #27WW
Once again, open to opinion mate. They have brought good players through in the past and as I understand it, they have one or two coming through now but being on a par with us, I would like to think we are a bigger club than them.
If it wasnt for a succession of bad board decisionsafter Keegans departure, we really could gave been up there with the best.
Under Rafa, we seem to be more of a proper football club than at any time since SBR and pitentially if backed by the board, we could achieve those dreams of top 4 in years to come. I doubt WHU can match that.
expatmag
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:13 PM
Comment #28Watching Derby v Forest
Yet another Forest player playacting trying to get an opponent sent off You have to wonder if they are being instructed to playact and dive by their coach.
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:15 PM
Comment #29Nit being funny mate but every time there’s a conversation you don’t really say a good thing about them, we will see which one stays and which one goes down,
SPRINGY
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:15 PM
Comment #30I see villain of the peace lansbury injured in prematch warm up hahaha…..karmas a bitch! Lol
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:16 PM
Comment #31Anyway, hopefully Liverpool will win today.
SPRINGY
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:16 PM
Comment #32Expat
That was ridiculous by osborn…..f.a missed an opportunity to make sure shit like that doesn’t happen.
Oldgit1
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:17 PM
Comment #33Can’t understand some supporters obsession with Mitro. 22 voted for him being M.O.M. When he came on match was won, he wasn’t on for long, did he do anything to change the game. No. infact he didn’t look bothered.
There is a reason Rafa doesn’t start him over Gayle and also Gayle has scored 16 yes 16 goals.
I believe come the summer he will be sold as he doesn’t fit in with Rafa plans.
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:17 PM
Comment #34Chelsea to win the early kick off.
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:17 PM
Comment #35expat
West Ham’s youth academy is recognised as one of the best in England mate
West Ham nearly got top 4 last season when we were relegated but we are closer to top four now? Rafa is the reason we look good now and are building so if he goes to West Ham why wouldn’t he build there instead (if Madrid hadn’t offered him a job he’d already be at West Ham so he can’t think they are such a poor club)
JAMSHA
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:17 PM
Comment #36His not injured His been rested coz of fears of getn booed by derby fans xD
SPRINGY
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:18 PM
Comment #37Expat
That was ridiculous by osborn…..f.a missed an opportunity to stop shit like that.
SPRINGY
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:19 PM
Comment #38Bollicks…..sent it twice haha
welshgeordie9
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:19 PM
Comment #39Nit – Not.
WWSBRD
Dec 11, 2016 at 12:21 PM
Comment #40welsh
Why would I say something good about Swansea when I think they are a nothing team?