Newcastle United ‘green light’ winger exit as Champions League rivals lurk for possible swoop

Cordero officially joined Newcastle United on Tuesday after his contract with Malaga expired. Having also been wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona, Newcastle’s capture of the winger has been seen as a big coup for the club, with hopes high that Cordero can develop into a first-team player on Tyneside.

After his move to St James’ Park was confirmed, Cordero said: “It's truly an honour to be here, truly a pleasure. I am a person who likes to aspire high. Why not come to one of the best places in the world to do it.

“It's a big step, and that's one of the reasons I'm here. I'm happy to do it and have a great desire to get going already.”

Newcastle United’s academy system has not produced too many top-level talents in recent seasons - and even when they did, PSR ensured that they had to sell those assets in order to avoid a points deduction. It is hoped that Cordero can showcase his talents in the north east, rather than away from it, although he will follow in the footsteps of one of those ‘PSR casualties’ this summer.

Antonio Cordero transfer plan

Newcastle United have already revealed that Cordero will be loaned out to assist his development. Former sporting director Paul Mitchell, who left his role on Tyneside earlier this week, stated: “Antonio is an exciting talent. We're delighted to bring him to Newcastle United amidst interest in Spain and across Europe.

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“He has lots of potential, and the next phase of his development will be for the club to select a loan move that will challenge him and build on his experiences.”

Much like Yankuba Minteh, who joined from Odense Boldklub in 2023 before immediately being sent to spend the following campaign at Feyenoord, Cordero will have a loan move selected away from England to help continue his career in senior football.

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Whilst these developmental loan moves have not always worked out for the players involved, hopefully Cordero can benefit from a move away and replicate Minteh’s successes. The young Gambian international starred for Feyenoord during his season at the Eredivisie giants, form that earned him a big-money move to Brighton last summer.

Cordero may also move to the Netherlands to continue his development with reports that Ajax, who will compete in next season’s Champions League alongside Newcastle United, have shown interest in signing him on-loan. Ajax have a rich history of developing players through their academy into their first-team and whilst Cordero would be an imported player rather than homegrown, it does seem like an ideal destination for the teenager to develop and hone his skills.

Cordero, who will turn 19 in November, has just one full season of senior football under his belt. Six goals and seven assists in 39 games in Spain’s second-tier for Malaga represented a very solid return for the winger last year before Cordero enjoyed an impressive tournament for Spain’s Under-19’s as they finished runners-up in the U19 European Championship.