Top 20 Prospects at Newcastle United - October

Ranking the best prospects for the future of Newcastle United

By Greg Troxell@nufc_greg Oct 7, 2020, 4:28pm BST

Newcastle United Unveil New Signing Rodrigo Vilca

Already off to a interesting start in the top 20 list. Our #3 prospect, Dan Barlaser was sold to Rotherham so he is no longer on the list. Dan has been in Newcastle’s academy since 2015 and will now leave the club and go to the club he helped get to the Championship last year. Dan is probably still a fews years away to develop into a Premier League quality player but there is still a risk he doesn't have that high of a ceiling. Wishing Dan the best of luck.

That means we have a new member in the top 20! We also have a new U23 signing, Rodrigo Vilca, could he be a factor in the rankings? We also had two players go out on loan. More details on that in this as well.

Remember that the rankings won’t change due to performance until January, unless there is a player being sold, signed, or affected by the following rules.

RULES:

A prospect at Newcastle United is a player who meets ALL of the following criteria:

The player must be under the age of 25
The player must have less than 10 Premier League (Or 10 of any of the other top 4 European Leagues - Spain, France, Germany, Italy) appearances for any club

Some thoughts on how these rankings will play out. This is not an end-all-be-all list. I am trying to project, who is the most promising player in Newcastle United’s system. However, I am not going to rank a 17 year old player with 0 Premier League appearances over Matty Longstaff. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I could definitely rank a younger player with a few 1st team appearances in cups over an older player with 8 Premier League appearances. The list will change, and I will consistently provide updates monthly. Follow me on Twitter @nufc_greg for more frequent updates.

Here are the things I’m looking for:

Age—Not only must the player be young (under 25), but his performance to this point must dominating competition at lower levels.
Statistics—This is important as the player must have displayed some sort of extraordinary talent at some point. Again, relative to age. If Jack Colback gets a hattrick in a U23 match, I don’t care.
Position—I will take a look at scouting reports to an extent. If a defensive midfielder is a great passer and holds things together, I won’t be judging him on goals scored or assists as much as I would judge an attacking midfielder.
Scouting Report/Expert Analysis—I am not nor never have been a Premier League player or a professional Soccer/Football player of any kind. Mainly, because I’m not good enough. Similarly, I do not have the resources or time to scout all of the players who are playing in our academy individually. Maybe one day I will, and if anyone has any connections, get me in touch, and I’d be happy to speak to them. But as of today I’m more fan than expert.
Special Skill Set—If you are a winger with pace,. you are in. If you are a sniper passing the ball 40 yards, or a great set piece taker, or a stonewall reliable defender, you too are in.
Injury History—You are young and in the best shape of your life. If the player can’t stay healthy as an academy player in his teens or early 20s, this does not bode well for his future.
Contribution to the First Team—This is two fold. First, that a player has a path to first team. It does not have to be direct, meaning a one off cup tie appearance. However, if the player is just filling for an injury spot and that’s it, I’m not giving points for that. Second, if the player meets a bunch of my other specifications and is on the cusp of the first team, he will be rewarded.

I will release this list at the start of every month to provide updates on how each player is doing throughout the season. There will not be any ranking changes until January unless a player is sold, we have a new signing or players aging out or playing out. The rankings will be re-evaluated again in January

Also, the more I scout these players, the more info I will gain from them and all of that will be added to this monthly list.

Lastly, comment on this article and let me know your thoughts, and hit me up on twitter with any feedback as well (@nufc_greg). Howay the lads!

20. Dylan Stephenson (Mid/Fwd) - 17

Crewe Alexandra v Newcastle United U21 - EFL Trophy

U23s - 2 appearances in PL2

U21s - 2 appearances in EFL Trophy

Being 17 years old and playing at the U23s and U21s is not anything to scoff at. Just have to wait on goals and assists from him. He isn't starting at the U23 level but he is for the U21s in the cup competition

19. Dan Langley (GK) - 19

U23s - 1 appearance, 2 goals conceded

Surprised to see only 1 start for Dan in the early going. However, after the awful performance against the mackems when he was on the bench, Im expecting to see the 6’5 GK to start the next match, it will be a great opportunity to regain his place.

18. Elias Sorensen (Fwd) - 21

On Loan at Almere City (2nd tier in Netherlands)

Rochdale AFC v Newcastle United - FA Cup Third Round

This is a critical loan spell for Elias. He MUST perform well on this loan or i'm afraid he may drop out of this list. Im hoping he takes his chances in this league and becomes the leading goalscorer for the club.

17. Lewis Cass (Def) - 20

On loan at Hartlepool United

2 appearances in National League

Hartlepool United v Aldershot Town - Vanarama National League

Cass got his loan just like I asked for. I wasn’t extremely excited about it being in the National League but its first team football none the less. The good news is that Cass has jumped in as an immediate starter at RB and they started their campaign with 2 wins!

16. Adam Wilson (Mid) - 20

U23s - 1 appearances (PL2)
U21s - 1 appearance (EFL Trophy)

Newcastle United v Hull City: Premier League 2

A slow first month for Adam. Not alarm bells are ringing yet but i’d imagine we see him given more opportunities this month. I mentioned last month that this is a big year for him to take a step to the next level. He’s still young and there’s a ton of season left.

15. Rosaire Longelo (Mid) - 20

U23s - 3 appearances, 1 assist (PL2)
U21s - 2 appearances (EFL Trophy)

Longelo is a definite starter for the U23s and at 20 years old there's plenty of growth left to do. He did get an assist so far this season so its a good start. Hes started 3 matches at RM and 1 at LB. Longelo is a player you want on the ball so i’m hoping we can utilize him enough to where he can use his talents and truly excel this season

14. Oisin McEntee (Def) - 19

U23s - 1 appearance (PL2)

Newcastle United v Sunderland: Premier League 2

A quiet start to the season for Oisin as he only has 1 appearance so far. A full 90 minute performance to start the PL2 season but hasn’t shown since. I’m thinking we will hear a lot more of the promising young CB in October.

13. Yannick Toure (Fwd) - 20

U23s - 3 appearances (PL2)
U21s - 2 appearances (EFL Trophy)

It’s encouraging seeing Yannick get the field as often as he, but we are going to need to see the final product develop. It seems Toure has struggled with the physicality of English football and still needs to make quicker decisions on the ball. There’s a lot to be excited about though, lets hope he gets off the mark with goals and assists this month.

12. Jake Turner (GK) - 21

Loan at Morecambe - League Two

League Two - 4 appearances, 7 goals conceded, 1 clean sheet

EFL Cup - 1 appearance, 1 goal conceded

Jake just got his first clean sheet after a bit of a shaky start but obviously has proven to settle in. Morecambe lost 4-0 while he was in net so outside of that, he has only given up 3 goals in 4 in the league. I think Jake will continue his good form and work to keep the shrimps out of the bottom.

11. Joe White (Mid) - 18

U23s

No action from Joe White yet this season. I’m assuming there is an injury that hasn't been reported. The player would easily be playing if healthy.

10. Niall Brookwell (Mid) - 18

U23s - 3 appearances, 1 goal (PL2)
U21s - 1 appearance

Liverpool v Manchester City - Premier League U18

The former Liverpool man has made his way into the lineup for Newcastle and scored in his 1st appearance. He played a tier above where Newcastle is last season so expecting him to be the Isaac Hayden of these matches as well as get on the score sheet from time to time. Good start so far for him.

9. Ludwig Francillette (Def) - 21

U23s - 3 appearances, 1 goal (PL2)

U21s - 2 appearances

I warned you last month that Francillette wasn’t afriad as a CB to get forward and make things happen. We’ll he got right to it scoring in the first month of the season. He has played his way to a regular in the lineup and I would be curious to see, that with the lack of defenders we have in the 1st team, if Ludwig doesn’t get a call-up to practice with the first team. At this rate, with the way he is playing, expect to see his name on a Newcastle United 1st team sheet at some point this season, most likely in the FA Cup.

8. Reagan Thomson (Mid) - 17

U18s - 2 appearances, 1 goal (U18 PL)
U21s - 1 appearance
U23s - 1 appearance

An absolutely positive start for the young Scotsman. He scored a goalazo against Derby in the U18 Premier League and he’s already seen playing time in the U21s and U23s. It’s clear Newcastle signed a really promising player in Thomson. Excited to see where he will be by seasons end.

7. Mo Sangare (Mid) - 21

Loan at Accrington Stanley - League One

League One - 1 appearance
EFL Cup - 1 appearance
EFL Trophy - 1 appearance

Burton Albion v Accrington Stanley - Carabao Cup First Round

Mo was instantly a start for Accrington and looked good. However, he became a bit unlucky and was sidelined with an injury. Accrington’s manager says he will be out 8 weeks.

6. Elliot Anderson (Mid) - 17

U23s - 2 appearances, 1 goal
U21s - 2 appearances

Everyone should be familiar with this kid now. He got his goal against Boro in the first match of the PL2 season and he’s been training and was called up for the first team squad. He’s young and has unlimited potential as far as I can see. If he keeps this up, you will see him play in some FA Cup matches soon.

5. Tom Allan (Fwd) - 21

Loan at Accrington Stanley - League One

League One - 3 appearances
EFL Cup - 1 appearance
EFL Trophy - 1 appeance

AFC Wimbledon v Accrington Stanley - Sky Bet League 1

Tom had an okay first month with Accrington. He is considered as one of their first subs in the League and is playing in every match but it doesn’t seem he has earned the role as starter for them. We need Allan to get some results to become that unquestionable starter to continue his successes from last season.

4. Kelland Watts (Def) - 20

Loan at Plymouth Argyle - League One

League One - 4 appearances
EFL Cup - 2 appearances, 1 goal

Plymouth Argyle v Shrewsbury Town - Sky Bet League One

Kell has walked into Plymouth and become a top 11 player there. He starts every match and even had an incredible goal for them in the 2nd round of the EFL Cup. At the end of last season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Kelland Watts. I expect to see him continue this form. Next season, a loan in the Championship is very likely.

3. Rodrigo Vilca (Mid) - 21

U23s

We have a new signing! Rodrigo Vilca! The attacking midfielder has 29 total appearances with 4 goals and 3 assists in Peru’s top flight. This player excites me a lot. On our podcast, CHN Radio, we interviewed a Peruvian Football expert on Rodrigo and what to expect. He can play either of the wings, but is an attack minded midfielder. This past season was his breakout season. A creative player that could instantly make an impact on the youth team. His weakness is his strength so expect to see improvement there initially.

2. Freddie Woodman (GK) - 23

Loan at Swansea City - Championship

Championship - 3 appearances, 3 clean sheets
EFL Cup - 1 appearance, 2 goals conceded

Wycombe Wanderers v Swansea City - Sky Bet Championship

Pretty good start for Freddie. He has not given up a goal in the Championship in his first 3 matches. He is clearly proven that he is a top Championship level keeper, and this year, he is out to prove he might be better than that.

1. Matty Longstaff (Mid) - 20

1st Team

Usually not a good sign when the number 1 prospect hasn’t played at all. Luckily, its only due to injury. Mid October is looking to be his timetable to return and I expect us to see him regularly. He is one more PL appearance away from graduating from this list.