Brave Eddie Howe decision to go with these young Newcastle United stars – Right way to go | OneFootball

A week is a long time in politics, with football and Newcastle United especially, it can feel like an eternity.

Seven days ago I had something published on The Mag (see below), talking about Eddie Howe and two young players.

With such a tough week ahead and so many neutrals (and Newcastle United fans) predicting three defeats in quick succession, things could have looked very bleak by today (Sunday 3 November 2024).

Fireworks in short supply and this season potentially looking for sure, a damp squib.

Certainly having the chances to get something at Stamford Bridge and just those fine margins (and poor finishing) going against NUFC, the performance still good. Then far more pieces falling into place and more complete performances (and fine margins and  finishing and luck) delivering these home wins over both Chelsea and Arsenal.

Who to credit for the performances and results this past week?

Well, I think everybody in a black and white shirt can be proud of their contribution in this huge week of Newcastle United’s season, when so many were predicting a disastrous outcome and even Eddie Howe’s job potentially under threat.

However, I wanted to focus especially on two young stars who Eddie Howe and Newcastle United have invested £60m+ in the very early days of their careers, they had only made 33 PL starts between them before arriving at St James’ Park, aged just 18 and 20 when first coming to Tyneside.

As I explained/argued seven days ago, in an age when all football fans, Newcastle United fans no exception, are demanding instant results, to then spend a very sizeable part of the recruitment budget these past 15 months on two very young and inexperienced players who weren’t intended to be instant first team regulars. That takes guts.

However, for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe to stand a chance of ongoing longer-term success, they have to find ways of cheating the system. Of finding and recruiting young talent and taking a calculated gamble on their potential.

After this past week and the win over Arsenal in particular, the question getting asked ever more, are Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall destined to be the England full-back pairing of the future?

Tino Livramento has already had call-ups to the senior England set-up, will this November squad see Lewis Hall get his first call-up AND his young defensive NUFC teammate stay in that England squad?

You can of course say that Newcastle United is the only important thing and I’m not going to disagree to a large extent. If England lost every game for the rest of my lifetime BUT Newcastle United were successful, I wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep.

However, it doesn’t have to be an either/or, the two things aren’t incompatible.

I like to see England do well, I enjoy the World Cups and European Championships.

Maybe even more importantly, Newcastle United players ending up in the England team/squad can only be a massive help in the future, when it comes to attracting future young signings.

This is massively so if outsiders can see Eddie Howe taking raw young talent and turning them into Newcastle United AND England regulars. Such as Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento potentially…

I think I am right in saying that Lewis Hall has been Newcastle’s man of the match in all three games this week. Played really well at Stamford Bridge and got the assist for Isak’s goal, excellent against Chelsea in the cup, then what a performance (with Joelinton’s assistance) against England’s best attacking player, Bukayo Saka.

On the other side of the pitch, Tino Livaremento will have learnt a valuable lesson when caught out by Palmer’s superb long pass for the opening goal last Sunday, but recovered to play well and his mazy determined run was key to setting up Lewis Hall to deliver that assist for Isak. Tino on the bench on Wednesday but came on and was excellent in helping to see out the win, before that superb display against Brazil international Martinelli and everything else Arsenal threw at United down our right on Saturday.

To see Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento delivering so much so early at the ages of 20 and 21, just how good could they be in the future.

For Newcastle United… and England?

My earlier article seven days ago on Eddie Howe and Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento – 27 October 2024:

Eddie Howe has taken the brave route with these two Newcastle United players.

Two signings made within a couple of weeks of each other.

Now regulars in this current Newcastle United team.

The easy/lazy option on transfers is to go for known players, ones who have played a lot of Premier League matches and you can pretty much know what you are getting for sure.

However, that comes at a price.

Also, everybody else is also after proven Premier League players and so the competition is fierce.

To go for younger players who you hope will be stars of the future AND who you look to also quickly get up to the level needed to start playing regular first team football, is the brave choice.

It can of course go badly wrong as well.

If paying big/biggish money overwhelmingly based on potential, then there will always be the possibility of that potential not developing to the levels needed. There are countless tales of players who looked to have it all at an early age, looking nailed on to have a stellar future, but then it just not happening for them. Due to all kinds of reasons.

Which brings me to Eddie Howe signing Tino Livramento back in August 2023 for an initial £32m, then two weeks later the NUFC boss signing Lewis Hall on loan, with £28m to be paid in summer 2024 to make the deal permanent.

Some Newcastle United fans may choose to ‘forget’ the fact that they made some absolutely ridiculous comments on Lewis Hall last season. Ridiculous that Eddie Howe not playing him, what a pointless signing, and so on.

The fact that Lewis Hall was only 18 when he first arrived at St James’ Park, just not a factor in some people’s heads.

I remember when Hall made his first start in the 1-0 League Cup win over Man City. Some fans going way over the top in their criticism of the teenager, as Eddie Howe asked him to do a bit of a strange role, kind of midfield, that didn’t work. Lewis Hall subbed off at the break.

Similarly, when the injuries and fatigue were really setting in and United down to the bare bones, November 2023 saw Lewis Hall start away at Dortmund and so many fans swift to blame him for the key opening goal, when it was in fact Schar who had been tempted out of the box and out of position, the main factor in conceding that goal. It was also a thankless task that week when a knackered NUFC team lost at Bournemouth and Lewis Hall made his first Premier League start.

When Lewis Hall came back in the April and May of 2024 to start his other seven Premier League games last season, we all saw the benefit of best part of a year working under Eddie Howe. The chance to settle in and get up to speed, working wonders, on top of his undoubted talent and potential.

Lewis Hall continuing that into this season, what a talent he is.

At the same time, fans have to also keep reminding themselves that he is still a work in progress, turning 20 last month, Lewis Hall has still only started 21 Premier League matches in his entire career. He is only going to get better and better BUT will at times show his youth and inexperience.

Very similar with Tino Livramento.

He is 21 but having missed almost a full year of football due to serious injury, when at Southampton, he is also a young player who is only going to get better and better.

Tino has only 42 Premier League starts in his entire career so far and fans need to remind themselves of that at times.

Special irony today, as these are two young talents that Chelsea produced, but as is their way, then sold on in order to help fund their ‘plan’ of recruiting first team players from elsewhere, favouring that over homegrown.

Two young stars who Eddie Howe and Newcastle United have invested £60m+ in the very early days of their careers, they had only made 33 PL starts between them before arriving at St James’ Park.

They are showing themselves to be fast developing exciting young stars for Newcastle United already, yet another two excellent Eddie Howe signings.