OPINION
Newcastle United surely miffed over talkSPORT’s tip for who they should scout at the U-21 European Championship as it shows a lack of ambition.
The broadcaster suggested a player that each Premier League team should scout at the tournament and when it came to the Magpies, they recommended Chelsea left-back Jay DaSilva.
“The Magpies may well be looking for a new left-back this summer and Dasilva might just be the ticket,” wrote talkSPORT.
“Many are put off by his size (5ft 7in) but he’s talented in possession and would allow Matt Ritchie to play in a more familiar midfield role.
“Spells at Charlton and Bristol City have toughened him up and he could either join the latter permanently or give the Premier League a shot in a one-year loan.
“He lacks a little in defensive situations, as he showed against France, but looked fine going forward.”
Given that the list didn’t seem to take into account the price tag or availability of players, talkSPORT could have recommended the Magpies serveral better players than Da Silva.
The broadcaster acknowledged that the 21-year-old could be on his way to Championship outfits Charlton or Bristol City, which suggests he may only be good enough for England’s second-tier at this stage of his career.
And they also acknowledge that he isn’t the most defensively astute left-back as in his latest display for England’s U-21s against France, he was easily bypassed by Jonathan Ikone as he went on to score France’s opening goal of the match.
If Dasilva can’t deliver the goods at U-21s level, even if it is on an international stage, why should the Magpies consider adding him to their squad ahead of another season in the Premier League?
The 21-year-old may be known for his dribbling and crossing ability (WhoScored) which makes him a promising attacking threat going forward, but he only managed three assists in 28 Championship appearances last season for Bristol City while on loan with them.
So could he rack up assists for fun at a much higher level? Surely not.
Also according to WhoScored, Dasilva’s average match rating across his 28 outings in the Championship was 6.72, which makes it sound like he isn’t capable of stepping up just yet to the Premier League as he wasn’t hitting it out of the park in England’s second-tier.
While talkSPORT don’t appear to take potential transfer budgets into account with their scouting tips, recommending Dasilva is clearly a reflection of Mike Ashley’s ownership.
While under the businessman’s care, the Magpies have steered away from spending big on players and this has seen them try to pick up bargains instead.
Sky Sports highlighted the Magpies’ lacking spending ahead of the 2018/19 campaign as they pointed out the Magpies spent £6million less on signing Jacob Murphy, Dwight Gayle and Matt Ritchie then what Everton paid on just signing Richarlison.
In the January window and the last summer window, aside from splashing the cash on Miguel Almiron, the Magpies didn’t spend more than £10million on signing any of their other new recruits (Source: Transfermarkt).
Given that talkSPORT suggests that Dasilva may be loaned to a Premier League side, so wouldn’t see the Magpies have to splash the cash, recommending him is a reflection of how Ashley runs the club.
Hopefully, Newcastle’s scouts don’t pay attention to talkSPORT’s tip as he doesn’t seem a better option than the Premier League-proven duo of Ritchie and Paul Dummett.
