The unlucky three have been decided – Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa will depart the Premier League and head to the Championship for the 2016/17 season.
But amongst a monsoon of missed riches and despair comes a slight slither of sunlight for a few players. Superstars inevitably requesting transfers (so as not to have their performance at Burton away torn apart by Adam Virgo on Channel 5) will lead to others being given a chance.
Andy Carroll is a perfect case study; Newcastle’s 2009 relegation lead to Carroll establishing himself as Newcastle’s leading striker, and his 17 goal Championship form saw him become an England international and earn a record move to Liverpool one year later.
So who may be the schadenfreude-ish benefactors of relegation? Let’s take a look at nine players who could stand to profit…
ASTON VILLA
Jack Grealish
When Jack Grealish woke on the cobbled Tenerife streets last summer he probably didn’t think his hangover would last 10 months. 2015/16 was desperately forgettable for the young Villan, aside from his first goal, and he ended it with the unwanted record of losing in every single Villa game he was selected for – deplacing Sean Thornton’s Premier League record.
There is, however, undoubted talent, and a season as an undisputed first choice winger could be just what he needs to begin to fulfil his promise – promise made evident by his 2015 Wembley outing in the FA semi-final.
With plenty to prove Grealish should be in no rush to leave his boyhood club.
Rudy Gestede
After scoring 33 league goals in 66 appearances for Blackburn Rovers, Benin international Rudy Gestede truly earned his move to the Premier League. Since then he’s huffed and puffed but failed to blow the house down.
Five league goals and only two since the turn of the year show how much he’s struggled in the top flight. In the Championship however Gestede is a different animal. If he can recapture his Blackburn form he and Aston Villa will be tough to stop.
A good season in front of goal will increase his confidence before his next crack at the big time, wherever that may be.
Scott Sinclair
Remember “Read all about it” by Emeli Sande? Well, like that song, Scott Sinclair hasn’t been played much since 2012. Sinclair introduced himself by dazzling defences and scoring regularly for Swansea in the Championship, and now he finds himself back in said league.
On signing a four-year contract with Aston Villa last summer Sinclair said it was the ‘happiest he’d been for a while’. We would advise he stays with the Villans. A drop in division could be just what Sinclair needs to catalyse his career.
At 27 he’s young enough to bounce back, and frankly, after his Manchester City and West Brom spells, he needs to.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Adam Armstrong
When Newcastle were in the doldrums many Geordies were hoping local lad Adam Armstrong could be the difference and wanted him to be recalled from a loan spell at Coventry. That’s because for a long period of the season he was the hottest striker in the Football League.
It looked like his goals would fire Coventry to promotion, and while it wasn’t to be Coventry’s year it was to be Armstrong’s. The 19-year-old finished the season with 20 league goals and a place in theLeague One PFA Team of the Year.
Armstrong would be a formidable signing for any Championship club, but it helps that Newcastle already own him and have done since the age of nine. Now is his big chance.
Paul Dummett
Unless his performances in the Euros for Wales earn him a big move, Paul Dummett should start the season as a key part of Newcastle’s defence. The Geordie-born, backline utility man is still to nail down either the left back or central defender spot permanently, but the (possible) departures of Fabricio Coloccini, Chancel Mbemba and Steven Taylor will make his starting place far more realistic.
Being a local lad the chance to win a trophy (even if it is promotion) with The Magpies will be extremely enticing, and the level of football should suit his game a little better.
Rolando Aarons
Jamaican born-Englishman and #JF60 alumni Rolando Aarons appeared to have announced himself in August 2014 when he scored and played a big part in the winner against Crystal Palace, but he’s not done an awful lot since then.
Departures on the wings are expected at Newcastle, which will present Aarons with the perfect chance to impress. In his limited appearances, he’s shown an impressive burst of speed and a willingness to run at defenders, traits which would terrify Championship defences. That’s if he stays, though, with a contract set to expire in June unless renewal is sorted.
Good win today doesn't make up for going down. But showed a lot of pride today. Thank the fans for support
⚫️⚪️⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/hnwITubvgQ
— Rolando Aarons (@R_Aarons16) May 15, 2016
⚫️⚪️⚫️⚪️ NORWICH CITY
Josh Murphy
Josh Murphy was part of the Norwich squad which gained promotion in 2014/15 but it’s fair to say he wasn’t a major part. In August last year Norwich felt another season in the Championship was best for his development so he was loaned to MK Dons.
He netted an impressive 7 goals and recorded 11 assists in 45 games (all competitions) from the wing and was named Players’ Player of the Season at the Championship team’s end-of-season awards ceremony.
Nathan Redmond may well depart Carrow Road in the summer and a deputising Josh Murphy may be able to improve on his stats in a side fighting at the right end of the table. There’s also potential for more double trouble than in a Mary Kate and Ashley Nickelodeon takeover…
Jacob Murphy
Like his twin brother, Jacob Murphy was sent out on loan to hone his craft. Unlike his brother, he was sent down to League One and Coventry City.
Murphy impressed at the Ricoh Arena with 10 assists and 10 goals in 42 appearances (all competitions) and now is surely the time for the 21-year-old to become a regular at Carrow Road. Attacking players leaving and a need for youth may lead to the England U20 international becoming a crucial member of the squad in their bid for an immediate return to the Premier League.
James Maddison
Had Norwich stayed up James Maddison would have instantly drawn comparisons to Dele Alli. Thanks to the Canaries’ relegation however, the jump will be from League One to The Championship: difficult, but far more manageable and with less scrutiny.
Maddison is described as ‘a fantastic prospect’ by Norwich boss Alex Neil after joining for around £3 million fee in January, before being loaned back to Coventry.
Maddison, 19, has netted five goals in 35 appearances over the last two seasons, and was reportedly a summer target for Liverpool before Norwich swooped during the closing moments of the January transfer window, showing how highly he is thought of. A new look Norwich side is the perfect place to showcase his talents.
Relegation will of course be a disappointment for all three clubs, but it could be a blessing wearing a false moustache for the players above. Any we’ve missed?
(photo credit: Ben Sutherland via Flickr.)
The post Out of the darkness… 9 Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa players who could benefit from relegation appeared first on Just Football.