As the official opening of the summer transfer window looms, Newcastle United fans are becoming somewhat anxious at the lack of activity from the club.
Steve McClaren is currently finalising his backroom staff at St. James’ Park, with deals for Ian Cathro and Paul Simpson (among others) set to be announced next week. It is hoped that once the coaching staff positions have been filled, attention will be turned to bringing in the new faces Newcastle are desperate for. Charlie Austin, Bas Dost and Florian Thauvin have all been mentioned, but we’re yet to see a concrete deal come through, but quite often the first signings a new head coach/manager at a club makes are ones of players that they’ve worked with successfully in the past.
Newcastle have been linked with the likes of Patrick Bamford and Jesse Lingard who have both played under new boss McClaren in the past couple of seasons at Derby. But here we look at five other players who have played under McClaren right through his coaching career that could be a good fit for Newcastle United.
Will Hughes, Derby County
A player who has been tipped for future success with both club and country, Derby’s Will Hughes could be an exciting addition to McClaren’s squad. An attacking midfielder with a style of flair, the 20-year-old would offer some hungry competition for the ‘number 10’ role set to be filled by Siem de Jong next year (if the Dutchman can stay fit this time around).
Hughes flourished as a player under McClaren during the past couple of season at Derby, and would likely to be open to a step up to the Premier League to reunite with his former boss. Hughes signed an extension to his contract with Derby last year which will last until 2018, so if Newcastle were to go in for Hughes, he wouldn’t come cheap.
Greg Cunningham, Bristol City
A regular for Steve McClaren at Nottingham Forest after joining on loan from Manchester City, Cunningham is currently on the books at Bristol City and had a very impressive season this year as the Robins stormed to the League 1 title.
An attacking left back with a fantastic crossing delivery, the 24-year-old would offer a threat from set pieces (in terms of delivery) – something Newcastle have lacked greatly since Yohan Cabaye’s departure.
The Northern Ireland international wouldn’t be seen by many as Premier League standard, but he would be available for a reasonably low fee and could offer more competition on Newcastle’s left-hand side. After the success of Aaron Cresswell’s transfer from Ipswich to West Ham, this could be a similar coup for a talented lower-league full back.
Luc Costaignos, FC Twente
A forward who has drawn comparisons to Thierry Henry, Luc Costaignos is a forward who played under McClaren during his second stint at Dutch club FC Twente.
Costaignos was brought to Twente from Inter Milan to replace Luuk de Jong, who had signed for Borussia Monchengladbach.
The 22-year-old has been looked at by Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham in recent years, having a career total of 58 goals in 159 appearances for Twente, Inter and Feyenoord.
Most Newcastle fans (myself included) would no doubt much prefer to see Charlie Austin brought in to beef up our striking options instead of another European player without Premier League experience, but it could a decent option for McClaren to look at should they fail in their attempts to land Austin, or if another striker is required to replace Papiss Cisse – who has been linked with a move to Turkey.
Robin Knoche, Wolfsburg
With Newcastle desperate for defensive reinforcements, Wolfsburg’s Robin Knoche could be a good fit.
The German played under McClaren during the coach’s brief stint in the Bundesliga, and played a key part in Wolfsburg’s fantastic campaign last year alongside the Brazilian center-back Naldo. At only 23, Knoche has both youth and experience on his side and fits Newcastle’s transfer model.
It would be unlikely to see Wolfsburg be willing to let Knoche go for cheap, and whether or not Knoche would be willing to give up Champions League football with Wolfsburg for Newcastle remains to be seen, but we’ve seen it before!
Miroslav Stoch, Fenerbache
A player you may remember from his spell with Chelsea.
Stoch currently plays for Turkish side Fenerbache, and was a key man in McClaren’s title-winning Twente side in 2010, scoring 10 league goals in 32 appearances from left wing. Stoch even scored the winning goal against NAC Breda on the final game of the season to ensure Twente ended the year as Champions.
Stoch joined Fenerbache the following year, and has one year left remaining on his contract with the club. He won the Fifa Puskas Award for the best goal of 2012 with a superb volley against Genclerbirligi, during the 2011/12 Turkish Super Lig. The Slovakian scored the winning goal for his country in their 2-1 win over Spain last year, a goal which condemned Spain to their first qualifying defeat for eight years.
A left winger has been spoken of as a priority for Newcastle United this summer, and Stoch (a player which McClaren will surely remember fondly) could be a good option. A quick, technical player with an eye for goal, and at only 25, could certainly be worth a punt.
