‘Newcastle to move training ground to London after Alexander Isak blow’
Alexander Isak’s potential departure from St James’ Park has been tipped to help trigger a major change in Newcastle United’s development plans.
Anthony Elanga is the latest arrival at the Magpies’ training ground, Darsley Park, joining from Nottingham Forest on a £55million deal [BBC Sport], but it has been a rather frustrating transfer window otherwise.
Joao Pedro chose Chelsea, Jarell Quansah went abroad for Bayer Leverkusen, Hugo Ekitike switched to Merseyside, and Football Insider understands that Liverpool are increasingly likely to sign Marc Guehi.
Supporters are now becoming increasingly worried about their star striker’s future in the North East, having stayed behind from the club’s pre-season tour of Singapore, completely blind-siding Eddie Howe.
Understandably, fans are searching for answers over these failed transfers, and with Isak now exploring his options, Stan Collymore now believes he has an explanation and the answers to Newcastle’s struggles.
Newcastle United to switch Darsley Park for London
Writing in his Caught Offside column (25 July), Collymore said: “Unfortunately, Newcastle fans won’t like this, but it has a grain of truth: until the doors are blown off financial fair play, Newcastle isn’t a destination for the very best players in the world.
“And it’s why I’m absolutely convinced that somewhere down the line, there will be an English club, like Newcastle, that bases its training ground in London. Newcastle are going to have to solve a problem whereby players do not want to live in the North East of England.
“If you’re a top-quality professional footballer, it’s a goldfish bowl up there. Once you make it to a certain level, everybody knows you. Everybody knows where your movements are. And it’s not close enough to be able to go out and commute and be in London, like some players do.”
Eddie Howe faces further struggles at St James’ Park
Football Insider verdict
The Magpies are desperate to see further success under Howe, having seen their team lift the Carabao Cup against Liverpool at Wembley, ending a 70-year trophy drought.
However, the idea of developing on the pitch is becoming more and more difficult as Newcastle suffer more and more setbacks in the transfer market, so Collymore may potentially have a good point.
While Man United and Man City have spent a combined £200million plus this summer already, the main transfer business is going on down in London, with several high-profile clubs working their magic.
Moves to Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham all represent incredible opportunities for players, and so too do the likes of Crystal Palace, Brentford, and Fulham, with Premier League stars often wanting to remain in London.
Of course, Elanga’s move north of the City Ground would buck the trend of players wanting to avoid Newcastle, but the isolation towards St James’ Park could be a key factor.
While moving training grounds down to London would make logistics incredibly difficult for the Magpies, it may help persuade bigger players to join the club, and, therefore, help develop the team and push for more success.