Newcastle United striker hints at January transfer exit - ‘Assessing my options’
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Newcastle United transfer news: One Newcastle United striker has hinted at a potential move during the January transfer window.
Newcastle United striker Ben Parkinson has admitted he is ‘assessing’ his options to get back playing regular football once again.
Parkinson enjoyed a brilliant start to the season with the Under-21’s last term, netting seven goals in his first ten Premier League 2 appearances of the season before an ankle injury struck and sidelined him for a number of months. Whilst he was able to return towards the end of the campaign, the 20-year-old wasn’t able to hit the heights of his early season form.
That ankle injury prevented him from leaving the club on-loan to gain experience of first-team football. National League and Football League clubs had reportedly been sniffing around the striker at the time.
Parkinson is yet to feature for the Under-21’s this season and has had to watch on as Sean Neave, another striker that has risen through the ranks at the club, has impressed. Neave netted a hat-trick in the National League Cup against Boston United last week and played a crucial role in helping Adam Lawrence’s side eventually triumph on penalties against Mansfield Town on Wednesday night.
Ben Parkinson makes transfer admission
When fully fit, Parkinson is one of the youngsters on the fringes of Howe’s first-team squad. In fact, he made his senior debut for the club back in 2023 during a clash against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
At that time, the Magpies were deep in the middle of an injury crisis that had plagued the vast majority of Howe’s squad and Parkinson was required as a substitute at the Vitality Stadium. Reflecting on that moment with the Athletic, the striker revealed what it felt like when he got the nod from his head coach: “From then on, it was a blur,” Parkinson revealed.
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“I went on to the pitch and although we were getting beat, I had a massive internal smile. Playing in the Premier League is something no one can ever take away from me. It was a dream.”
“I was so nervous. I was looking at Joelinton and Jamaal Lascelles, absolute units, and you’re like, ‘What am I meant to do?’ I had to use my brain. I felt I did myself justice.”
With Neave impressing for the Under-21’s, and receiving praise from Howe, Parkinson faces a dilemma in the coming months. First-team opportunities at Newcastle United seem limited, but there may be opportunities to head out on-loan, something that was cruelly blocked by fate ten months ago.
“It’s about playing now, building myself back up, assessing my options,” Parkinson admitted. “It’s about trying to make my own way in football.”
Newcastle United’s recent record of sending players out on-loan has not been perfect, though, and whilst allowing players to experience the rigours and demands of senior football on a daily basis seems like a no-brainer on paper, a lot of work is needed to ensure the player is sent to the right club and can learn under the right type of management to best prepare them for life in the Premier League and potentially in the Newcastle United first-team.