Newcastle United’s season has fundamentally been finished for a while now, with mere pride and prize money the only incentive for a strong finish. It is therefore not surprising that some Newcastle eyes are already looking ahead at the transfer window and planning where to strengthen for next season. Perhaps bolster a defence that at times has looked more fragile than depression sufferer Steve McDonald on Coronation Street has? Or add some attacking threat to a team that would struggle to make a five-year-old whimper if they were forced to defend the net?
However, Newcastle may already have an answer to resolve their poor scoring form this season, which has resulted in only an average of 1.1 goals scored per game. Actually, the answer is the same as it was at the start of the season; however, the answer has never really been able to prove itself. Many fans may have forgotten they have the answer as it has seemed to have been locked away for months now.
Siem de Jong was arguably Newcastle’s biggest name signing, signing a six year deal on the 1st July 2014 for a fee believed to be around £6 million from Dutch club Ajax, where he managed to score 57 goals in 168 appearances. He was signed with intentions of becoming the creative spark in the Newcastle line up. Unfortunately, de Jong has been blighted with injury the entire season and has never had a chance to show the Geordie faithful his undoubted ability.
This has led to frustrations from the fans accusing Newcastle have just signed a crock. De Jong has acknowledged the criticism and admitted his own frustration about his nightmare season, “I haven’t been injured much for 7 years – except for last season I played more than 50 games every season. I expected to play a lot here so I’m disappointed for the fans, the teams and most of all for myself,” he said.
De Jong had only made three starts this season, all of which were very sub-standard, with the last one dating back to the 30th August against Crystal Palace. De Jong then suffered a thigh injury that ruled him out for three months. As he was getting close to making a return to the team, he faced another setback, which he describes as a “freak injury”. A collapsed lung in February extended his time on the sideline for another two months when he was on the verge of making a comeback.
Nevertheless, De Jong is now two weeks away from returning to full training and bar another setback, should start to feature in the final games of the season, hopefully, showing glimpses of why he was signed almost a year ago. However, Newcastle will have to wait until next season before De Jong can properly answer his critics and prove he has the ability to get the St James’ Park crowd off their feet. If he can, they might discover the missing link the team has been crying out for seasons.
