Eddie Howe has revealed Jacob Ramsey must do this to become Newcastle United starter
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Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe has already explained what Jacob Ramsey needs to do to become a regular starter at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe has already explained what Jacob Ramsey must do to earn a regular spot in his starting XI this season.
Ramsey moved to St James’ Park from Aston Villa in August, with Newcastle United parting with an initial £39m to sign him. That fee could rise to £43m if all add-ons are met.
Having been interested in Ramsey for a number of months before finally getting his signature over the line, it had seemed that the 24-year-old was the perfect fit for Howe’s team and their style of play.
However, Ramsey has not been able to hit the ground running on Tyneside and has made just ten appearances in all competitions. Of those ten outings, only three have come as a starter.
Ramsey didn’t play a single minute of Newcastle’s draw with Spurs on Tuesday night and has been forced to watch on as both Lewis Miley and Joe Willock have been given chances to start and come into games ahead of him in recent weeks. Ramsey’s absence is a curious case and one that only Howe knows the ultimate solution to.
Speaking to the Gazette last month, Howe revealed what Ramsey would have to do to turn substitute appearances into regular starts for his new club: “I think Jacob is doing well, I think he's in a good place,” Howe responded.
“I think he'll have benefited from the couple of outings he's had recently. The big thing for him at the moment is being physically at his best. If he is, then his technical qualities will shine.”
Aston Villa chief comments on Jacob Ramsey transfer
Ramsey’s move to Tyneside was felt hard in the Midlands, as Villa became the latest in a long line of clubs to sell one of their academy stars just to satisfy financial rules. Villa’s director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, admitted to BBC Radio WM that he was ‘very sad’ to see Ramsey leave the club during the summer, but admitted that his sale was necessary to risk not losing him on a free transfer amid frustrating contract negotiations.
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Vidagany said “It was very sad that Jacob departed because Jacob represented the dream of every Birmingham neighbourhood. But there are two things.
“We sold Jacob Ramsey because it was a great offer from Newcastle. Second thing was Jacob Ramsey finishing his contract in 2027. And we didn’t get any agreement to extend the contract.
“For one year, we tried. But what is true, when a player is not extending, you have two ways. Let him terminate the contract and finish it and go for free or for lower money.
“Or, if you don’t extend him, sell him at the best price. We didn’t get an agreement, so sometimes when it happens that we can not get an agreement, the best deal is to sell at the best price.”
Newcastle United return to action on Saturday when they host Burnley at St James’ Park in the Premier League. Howe may look to rotate his team during a busy week which also sees the Magpies take on Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in the Champions League - potentially giving Ramsey a chance to impress.