The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Letting ‘Geordie Bob’ go has been a painful lesson
CLARK’S CUP FINAL GLORY HIGHLIGHTS THE COST OF MAGPIES’ 2021 DECISION
NEWCASTLE United have let players slip through the net before at the club’s Academy, but few feel as costly as the decision to let Bobby Clark go in 2021.
True, the teenager’s exit came before the takeover but it was still allowed to happen with current Academy staff on board.
Clark left for a little bit of compensation but, with Newcastle’s midfield lacking in numbers, but there’s no doubt the son of Lee Clark would be emulating his famous father in the Toon engine room right now and is easily worth a few million.
Bobby came on as a substitute in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and had an excellent game in the remainder of normal time and in extra time.
He was one of a host of Academy players to get their chance under Jurgen Klopp, who trusts them to do the business in big games.
Klopp has affectionately nicknamed the 19-year-old “Geordie Bob”, and even though the German managerial legend is leaving Anfield, Clark’s future looks set on Merseyside. But how did this situation even come about at United?
After all, this wasn’t the average youngster we are talking about because Man City, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Liverpool, were all keen on taking him before he got to the point of a professional deal. In the end, the Reds won the race and Newcastle lost a future star.
The fact that big guns were circling for Clark before he signed a professional deal should have been a warning sign for Academy staff. Although, he was also the stand-out youngster in the youth ranks too which makes the situation even more painful.
The only thing that Newcastle can take from the situation is a lesson and a harsh one at that. Eddie Howe commented on Clark’s 2021 exit only last season and said: “Certainly in Bobby’s example, I have done a bit of research on it and we were disappointed to lose him.
“The club fought very hard to try to keep him. Now he has gone he goes with our best wishes and we wish him well.” Unfortunately, Newcastle didn’t fight hard enough to hold on to the England youth international and the door was ajar for any ambitious club who wanted him.
It’s a scenario that isn’t lost on coowner Amanda Staveley, who likes the player and understands the situation.
But Liverpool have plans for Clark and handed him a long-term deal only in December. Clark is happy at Anfield and spoke of his love for Klopp and the club after the final, saying: “When he called my name and said I was going on, it was an unbelievable feeling. Klopp fills you with confidence, gives you freedom, really lets you do your thing.”
Newcastle have enjoyed their own success story with the Academy this season, with Lewis Miley bursting on to the scene at 17. The Stanley lad is a class act and will go far.
Howe told The Chronicle: “Lewis has been a brilliant advert for the Academy and he’s been a credit to him and his family in the way he has embraced the challenge.
“It is very unusual to see somebody so young come in and play so regularly at this level, as consistently as
Lewis has. That is the true testament to his performances.
“I think he’s been outstanding and the way he has attacked it, the way he’s trained and handled himself, first-class.”
Newcastle hope that a few more youngsters come through the system, and if they can get half the amount of young stars through the ranks that Liverpool have, they will have done well.
Ahead of the final, Liverpool director Alex Inglethorpe said: “There are some academies spending £40m a year. We are nearer £13m. If you think of £130m over 10 years, what is the return on that investment? We have sold about £160m worth of academy talent.
“We’ve been studying it and we estimate there is about £300m of academy talent in this building. That can fluctuate of course, but if you look at Jarell [Quansah], he is our fourth-choice centre-back this season.
“He ensured the club did not have to sign another centre-back last summer. What value do you put on that?
“A Premier League squad player is between £15m-£25m, and the average Premier League wage is £60,000 a week. So if you have three academy boys on the bench it could save somewhere in the region of £70m a year.”
At Newcastle, where FFP rules are biting hard, the Liverpool model certainly offers food for thought.