Sean Steur: How Good Could Newcastle United's £23m Wonderkid Become?
Updated: 3 days ago
Newcastle United took what looked like a considerable gamble when they paid around £23m to bring 18-year-old Sean Steur from Ajax this summer, the youngest of seven new signings made by the club.
Just a few weeks into the season, however, the Dutch midfielder is already getting opportunities and rave reviews under Matthias Jaissle.
Steur has featured in every one of Newcastle's opening five Premier League games and started twice. For a teenager adapting to English football, that's a big vote of confidence from his new manager.
So just how good could Newcastle's new midfielder become?
What Is Sean Steur's Background?
Steur was born on 11 January 2008 and came through Ajax's famous academy before breaking into their senior side.
Despite his age, he had already accumulated first-team experience in the Eredivisie and European competition before Newcastle moved for him.
Ajax have produced some outstanding midfielders over the years, so Newcastle weren't simply buying potential.
They were buying a player already educated in one of Europe's most respected development systems.
How Much Did Newcastle Pay for Sean Steur?
Newcastle paid around £23m to sign Steur from Ajax.
That's a substantial investment in an 18-year-old, particularly one who had made relatively few senior appearances.
But Newcastle clearly weren't buying him solely for what he can offer now.
They were investing in what he could become over the next five or six years.
If Steur develops into a top Premier League midfielder - and he is already beginning to look like one - £23m could sonn, very soon, look like extremely good business.
What Position Does Sean Steur Play?
Steur is primarily a central midfielder but has the technical ability to operate in different midfield roles.
He's comfortable receiving possession, moving the ball quickly and playing under pressure.
That's particularly important in Jaissle's Newcastle system.
Jaissle wants his side to press aggressively when they don't have the ball but move it forward quickly when possession is regained.
Steur's technical qualities make him ideally suited to that approach and his determination to advance play with his passes is already a feature of his game.
Why Does Matthias Jaissle Rate Steur So Highly?
Perhaps the biggest indication of Jaissle's opinion is simply how much he is already using him.
Steur has appeared in all five of Newcastle's Premier League matches this season.
Jaissle has also spoken enthusiastically about the youngster's ability and development.
There will inevitably be mistakes as in his stray pass at Leeds that led to a goal, but Steur didn't let that affect his play and he was Newcastle's stand out player after coming on for the concussed Nico Gonzalez.
How Has Steur Started at Newcastle?
Steur has made five Premier League appearances, starting twice and playing 225 minutes.
He is yet to register a goal or assist, but judging an 18-year-old central midfielder purely on those numbers would miss the point.
The important statistic at this stage is the amount of football he's already playing.
Most fans, and possibly the player himself, didn't expect he would already have that many minutes under his belt but his pre-season performances were clearly good enough to convince Jaissle that he was ready for the PL.
Can Steur Become a Regular Newcastle Starter?
The only question here is; how soon?
Jaissle's 4231 formation is still a work in progress and that includes finding the players in each position that best suit the system.
It is already clear that when he plays his role has been deeper, playing in the two, and what is evident is the confidence defenders have in giving such a young lad the ball even in tight situations,
And, with a shimmy past a player he is always looking to get forward, play a decisive pass, and move up to support an attack.
It isn't exaggerating to say we don't have another midfield player similar to Steur and he could yet become a regular starter this season, and possibly even one of the first names on the sheet,
Have Newcastle Found a £23m Bargain?
The early signs are that we most definitely have.
Young players often get over-hyped based on one or two brief moments of skill, not consistent high level performances over a period of games.
Steur, his stray pass at Leeds apart, has shown exceptional consistency in his performances that have exuded ball control, a calm head, and a maturity of play that is astonishing for an 18 year old in his early days in the toughest league in the world.
With midfielders like Anderson, Tonali, Fernandez and Baleba being bought for fees of £70M-£125M this summer the £23M Newcastle paid for Steur looks like a steal.
My bet is that Steur will be at the top of that fee bracket by the time he is just 20 years old.
He is the best young player - by a mile - I have seen in my 65 years of supporting the club since watching the hugely talented Paul Gascoigne star for the Toon at the same age.
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Onmeheedsun's Confession!
If hall was to be injured its a choice of dedic or burn at LB ( if both fit ) after the international break. If not the case , I honestly dont know who'd be next in line. Pivas ?
Hope we get some news on Hall today and that he's ok.
Yes me and the kids were at the match, magnificent it was too, going home I said to them, remember this result, it may not happen very often in my lifetime. A couple of days later, the Sun newspaper had an offer on selling tea shirts with the 5-0 and photograph on the front ! We bought one, still have it in the loft I think. Cheers GWH
25years ago ?
C'est impossible !
I remember it well.