Sport
Kieran Trippier arrival hints a bright Newcastle future
Doom and dread always sells. Negativity and controversy are sexy and it has always been that way, particularly in the medium of football punditry. From the moment the takeover of Newcastle was completed, there have been doubters and deniers peddling ideals that they need to be cautious and realistic about the future, harnessing the dreams of a fanbase so devoid of any hope for so long. However, then Newcastle signed Kieran Trippier.
It isn’t every day that an England international, one of Gareth Southgate’s most trusted lieutenants, becomes available in the January window. Much less that they would be on Newcastle’s radar.
This was supposed to be a time of difficulty and frustration for a club who, despite now having the richest owners in the world behind them, are facing the cold, harsh reality of a relegation battle with just one win this season. But, for the volume of that rhetoric, and the desperation some seemed to have to keep supporters’ dreams in check, it was never going to dampen spirits.
Nobody is more realistic than the people who have witnessed the slow, painful withering of a footballing institution at the hands of Mike Ashley; they have known tough times. Six months ago, they were told a loan fee for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury was too expensive. Whilst there is an understanding that progress has to be gradual, the sense of possibility outweighs it immensely. There is no fear anymore and no disconnection. Everybody knows just how bright the future could and should be from here on in.
But the Kieran Trippier deal has altered even the most ardent Newcastle fan’s perception. It is arguably 17 years since Newcastle signed a homegrown player of his calibre, Michael Owen being the last example. But it says so much about the true reality of Newcastle’s standing that, within the first week of the transfer window, they have gone to the La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid, and plucked a player they didn’t want to sell from within their squad.
Money and a keenness to return to the Premier League were undoubtedly factors in his decision but so many people have suggested the club’s predicament makes it too risky for anyone, let alone a player as competent and well regarded as Trippier, to sign for them. This proves that there is scope to look beyond a potentially difficult end to the season, despite nobody being under any illusion of the how a sticky it could be.
The swift and professional manner in which the Kieran Trippier deal was struck is not only a completely alien concept to Newcastle fans after the Ashley regime but also of great comfort after the early mishaps with both the sacking of Steve Bruce and subsequent appointment of Eddie Howe. Staveley, her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Howe, head of recruitment Steve Nickson and recently-hired transfer strategist Nicky Hammond have been working hard on deals for weeks and their efficiency has allayed fears about January being such a difficult month to do business in.
There will be tough moments but the need for greater reinforcements — particularly now up front after the injury to Callum Wilson — will be met head on. Another four deals at a minimum are in the pipeline this winter.
The arrival of Kieran Trippier at this early stage is not just beneficial for countering the critics’ appraisal of the future of Newcastle but it serves to encourage other potential signings to make the leap. If he can leave Atletico for the challenge he inherits, seeing a brighter, ambitious and exciting club in the distance, then who else could do the same?
It is ample evidence to suggest that the narrative being pushed had become extremely convoluted. With that said, Watford are next up at St James’ Park on January 1, and that game, while guaranteed to house a speculator atmosphere, simply cannot end without victory. Wilson’s absence was plan altering for the new ownership; there are fears his season could be over, meaning if the next arrival isn’t at least a somewhat proven striker, trepidation could creep into the air.
Whatever happens, though, the first week of the window has been a roaring success for Newcastle owing to Kieran Trippier joining the club. It is indicative of Ashley’s negligence that feeling involved and even excited is a contrast for fans. For the consortium to be so calm and professional is a huge change of pace but their urgency is the key.
Newcastle have gambled their Premier League status with slow procrastination at this point for almost every season under the previous regime and not acting that way already disproves the hypothesis of a tough window being in store. But the fact that Trippier has arrived in such fashion is proof of something much greater in the offing.
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