Newcastle United They have proven in recent weeks that they are capable of developing under… Eddie Howe. A pleasant degree of success has been extracted Sandro Tonali In a deep midfield role, he impresses and looks very elegant.
The Italian six have unpacked some of Bruno Guimarães' latent qualities, sweeping away the canvas covering the raging bull that is Joelinton's eyes. Sky Sports' Keith Downey commented after Leicester City moved to stores where Tonali had “It changed the whole team dynamic“.
It's good stuff, especially when looking ahead. Newcastle must maintain their purple status and all that, but Howe has certainly allayed some growing concerns about his place in the manager's seat.
Combining this development with the steady flow of youth talent moving to St James' Park and Newcastle has a recipe for lasting success. The Academy's numbers are certainly starting to make waves.
Newcastle's most exciting talents
Sean Longstaff27, is the most accomplished local Magpie of recent times, but his pre-PIF appearance was bizarre.
Louis Miley Sitting on the sidelines is one of the most talented teenagers in English football, while Elliot Anderson has been sold to Nottingham Forest In a deal worth £35 million this summer. He is shining under Nuno Espirito Santo but selling him was necessary to please PSR.
Now, it looks like more is on the way. Ben Parkinson is a talented young striker with one Newcastle cap to his name, and Alfie Harrison and Trevan Sanusi are also hoping to break through the membrane of the youth scene after impressing during pre-season.
However, the best player might just be a young player who has yet to land on Tyneside. In fact, Newcastle pulled off a coup when they signed 17-year-old Vakhtang Saliya in October and can expect his talents in 2025.
Vakhtang Saliya “one of the best prospects in the world”
Newcastle Exclude interest From the giants of the game such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to secure Salia’s signature, Agreed on a deal with Dimano Tbilisi This will see him move to Tyneside when he turns 18 in August 2025.
Howe must be pleased with Newcastle's scouting department, having identified and worked to bring “one of the best young talents in the world” to St James' Park, as he has previously said. Journalist Graeme Bailey.
While in the early stage of his promising career, Salia has already gained plenty of experience with Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia. Scoring seven goals and two assists Across 39 major shows.
Due to his rise at club level, Salia also earned his debut for Georgia's Under-21s in June, giving it his all as he builds to the reputation of his country's best player prospect since Napoli's Kvaratskhelia burst onto the scene.
He has been described as Dinamo Tbilisi's latest 'elite talent' Hungarian journalist Bence BoksakSaliya is one of the best players in his age group – and that's all over the world. There's a reason why Newcastle acted so quickly to snap him up.
Boksak pointed out that last season the Georgian player contributed to scoring more goals than any 16-year-old player in the five major leagues in Europe, with the exception of only Lamin Yamal.
Sitting behind the Barcelona star is nothing to be ashamed of, with the electric winger rising to stardom in 2024. Earning the Young Player of the Tournament award when Spain won Euro 2024, Yamal was hailed as the 'next superstar' by Broadcaster Gary Lineker.
Without a doubt, Yamal is one of the greatest prospects of his generation, and although Saliya is nowhere near his giddy form, the Newcastle man could bring his qualities to the fore over the coming years and emulate Yamal's thriving style of football.
With 34 contributions to the goals Across 72 appearances for La Blaugrana, Yamal is a true player of fine quality, as he ranked among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and attacking wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year in terms of successful tackles and the top 10% for tackles per 90, According to FBref. Not only his flashy moves, clicks and twirls, but also his determination and intelligence that defies his teenage years.
A successful strike is scored when a player beats his opponent by carrying the ball directly behind him while maintaining possession.
Saleya is still finding his feet in terms of his better and more productive positional value, but it is clear that he has an innate attacking instinct that can be harnessed out wide or in a centre-forward role.
This latter role may prove useful in the years to come. Newcastle will be desperate to keep the great Alexander Isak on the books despite growing intrigue in his signing, and with Callum Wilson's contract expiring at the end of the season as well, wouldn't it be great for Salia to start his career on the English shores.
Vakhtang Salya – occupation statistics by position |
|||
---|---|---|---|
position |
Applications |
Objectives |
Helps |
Left wing |
27 |
5 |
1 |
Attack center |
12 |
2 |
1 |
Right wing |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Attacking midfield |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Statistics via Transfer market |
His strength in front of goal is actually something that parallels the quality of playmaking that has led to comparisons with Yamal – and that's in addition to his pace, of course.
Salya has had it all going for him, and having already made significant progress in his home country, he may have laid the foundations for a thriving career in the Premier League.
In the pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the best young players in world football.
Newcastle is a family, made up not only of talent, but of teamwork and faith. Saliya will flourish under Howe's wing and must be given time and patience to nurture his talents and become United's own version of a prodigy like Yamal.