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Newcastle hire psychologist for loan players

Newcastle hire psychologist for loan players

Newcastle United are adding a full-time, dedicated psychologist to work with the loans team to improve communication lines and the overall loan experience for young players.

In a sign that the club wants to replicate the success of the Yankuba Minteh signing – who had what Feyenoord insiders rated as a “gold standard” spell in the Netherlands – they are expanding the loans department in the latest step of a blueprint to bust profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).

The new hire will also work on player recruitment, with Newcastle to set aside funds to make more development signings in the coming transfer windows. With the Magpies hemmed in by PSR constraints, more investment in developing players off the pitch is seen as critical to their long-term success.

It comes with the club at something of a crossroads in terms of its strategy, as director of football Paul Mitchell admitted in a wide-ranging interview last month. Even if they wanted to, owners of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia cannot inject more capital in to financial transfer spending.

Instead Newcastle must improve the first team while also finding a formula to outsmart PSR and rivals who have invested more time and funds and have historically had the infrastructure in place.

“We absolutely aspire to be ‘best in class’ but we also have to be smart,” an insider told i.

We can expect more investment in infrastructure along with roles that can help “build out” the club’s data and recruitment teams.

What is Newcastle’s strategy?

Buying “prospects” from untapped markets is a central part of Mitchell’s pitch to modernize Newcastle’s recruitment strategy, but that only works if the club can offer the sort of support that Minteh received while on loan. The Gambia winger was being earmarked for a first team role after his Eredivisie success but ended up helping to solve Newcastle’s PSR black hole in the summer by moving to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30m.

The Magpies’ loan team is currently run by former striker Shola Ameobi, with another ex-Newcastle player Peter Ramage in place as assistant loans manager. They get support from sports scientists, physiologists and analysts in the academy but the idea is that a psychologist dedicated to loans will be able to constantly monitor the wellbeing of players out on loan.

Ultimately Newcastle wants to get more of its young players either into their first team through productive loans or to boost their value ahead of potential exits.

Mitchell cited Liverpool’s sales of Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg to Brentford for a combined fee of £52.5m this summer as an alternative to having to sell a big first team asset to generate funds – but there’s an acknowledgment that it will take time, strategic planning and investment for Newcastle to get anywhere near that place.

Money is available with the Magpies set to complete the signing of 17-year-old Georgia winger Vakhtang Salia – who has broken into the Dinamo Tbilisi first team and is an under-21 international – in January. He is likely to stay at his current club until the summer, when he will join up with Newcastle for pre-season.

Newcastle also wants to become “embedded” in the German and French markets too, competing for the best emerging talent there.

Who could head out on loan?

It must be a balance, as the experience of one of the club’s development players Will Osula illustrates. The striker, signed from Sheffield United in the close season as part of a possible succession plan to Callum Wilson, was handed his full debut against Wimbledon earlier in the week and illustrated why he remains a work in progress.

“He did OK,” was Eddie Howe’s verdict after a hard-fought 1-0 win that the manager admitted was “instantly forgettable”. Clearly he has something – Osula lurks diligently on the shoulder of the final defender before making his runs – but there is a rawness about his play.

A loan in January, if Newcastle can secure additional forward replacements, is understood to be a possibility although for now, intensive coaching in a competitive Premier League environment is seen as the best way to develop him.

The Magpies – and Mitchell – are fortunate to have a manager like Howe who understands the wider demands of the project while pushing for immediate excellence. Whatever friction there was on that front was resolved when the pair spoke last week with what one source described as the “marginal differences” between the two ironed out. You suspect January will be the true litmus test of that.

“I would probably say that will be something that will be on our lips,” the Newcastle manager said when asked if the club would look at more “development” players in the next few transfer windows.

“We have to find untapped gems and we have to try and develop players to become top players, but I think there needs to be a mix in our recruitment. We’re going to need more readymade players. We’re going to need to bring in young players that you can develop. I think you need a mix.”