OPINION
Newcastle United winger Callum Roberts has never made so much as a dent in the first team impression, despite his obvious potential.
So the Magpies faithful will likely be baffled by a report from SDNA that suggested European giants Panathinaikos are considering making a move for the 22-year-old.
There won’t be many Newcastle fans who saw that one coming. Roberts has long been thought of as a top prospect within the club’s academy, but his failure to make the leap to first team football seemed to have ruled him out of any big move.
However, the Greek heavyweights have clearly seen enough from him to seriously consider snapping him up, despite the fact he’s made just two first team appearances for Rafael Benitez’s side.
If you’re scratching your head right now, you’re probably not alone. Roberts to Panathinaikos? That just sounds bizarre. However, we’ve seen plenty of young English footballers go abroad in recent years and Roberts could soon add his name to that list if he so desires.
It would probably be a decent enough move for him, too, because it doesn’t appear as if he’s going to make the grade at St James’ Park any time soon.
It’s immensely difficult to make the step up to Premier League level, but we’ve seen that foreign clubs can sometimes be more willing to blood youngsters. It would certainly appear that Panathinaikos could offer Roberts more first team football than he’d ever get at Newcastle.
So while this is a strange move that seems outlandish at first, perhaps everyone involved should consider it. It could be just what the player needs.
