Newcastle United’s transfer policy of signing young players under the age of 26 is reflected in the latest statistics released by the CIES Football Observatory.
Following his appointment in 2014, Newcastle’s new Managing Director Lee Charnley released a statement outlining the board’s transfer blueprint of getting ‘the maximum benefit from every pound invested in the squad’.
Charnley stated:
We will focus on identifying and recruiting young players whose best years are ahead of them, which in nearly all cases means players in their early to mid-20s and not beyond.
The Magpies’ hierarchy are not open to negotiation on their controversial transfer-policy which has regularly drawn criticism from fans and pundits who feel United’s recent struggles are down to the squad’s lack of experienced players.
The United board put their words into action this summer by spending over £50million to acquire the signatures of some of Europe’s hottest young talents in Georginio Wijnaldum (24), Aleksandar Mitrovic (21), Florian Thauvin (22) and Chancel Mbemba (21).
United’s fresh injection of young talent is certainly reflected in the CIES statistics which makes for interesting reading. Newcastle’s average player age of 25.64 means that Steve McClaren’s youthful Magpies are the third-youngest team in the Premier League this season, with the black and white’s only being topped by Liverpool (25.51) and Tottenham Hotspur (24.70).
Just ten games into the 2015/16 campaign, Newcastle’s injury and suspension woes mean that the Magpies have been forced to hand appearances to a whopping 25 different players.
The oldest player to represent Newcastle is club-captain Fabricio Coloccini at an age of 33 years and 10 months, whilst the youngest to pull on the black and white is currently former Northampton Town striker Ivan Toney at the tender age of 19 years and eight months.
