Newcastle United fans have had to watch several former players hit form at different clubs this season.
During last week’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup, former Newcastle United man Yankuba Minteh scored at St James’ Park to help knock the Magpies out of the competition.
Minteh was one of two players Newcastle had to sell for PSR purposes with Eddie Howe forced to sell Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest also.
Anderson has been in superb form for Forest this season so while Newcastle did make a £35million profit on him, it is still a move that the club may live to regret.
Newcastle fans chanted for Anderson at St James’ Park in February, and he was just one of three former Magpies players who made their return to Tyneside.
Chris Wood has been sensational this season, keeping pace with Alexander Isak in the scoring charts with 18 Premier League goals for Forest. Matz Sels is the third former Newcastle player in that Forest side, and he is also topping tables this season.
Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Matz Sels is doing something ‘extraordinary’ in Premier League
Newcastle are chasing Champions League qualification this season, but one of their direct rivals for a top-five spot is a Forest side filled with former players.
Forest took one step closer to the Champions League on Saturday when they beat reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 1-0 at City Ground.
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Selz kept City out with a remarkable goalkeeping performance, and it means he has now kept 12 clean sheets in the Premier League this season – two more than second-placed David Raya at Arsenal.
That achievement was pointed out by Gary Lineker on BBC Match of the Day, who described it as “extraordinary”.
“A quick line on Matz Sels there, I mean that is extraordinary isn’t it this season [most clean sheets],” Lineker said.
Premier League winner and former goalkeeper Joe Hart added: “It really is, but they fully deserve it. As a trio especially – Milenkovic, Murillo and Sels, they deserve to be at the top of that table.”
Newcastle United want a new goalkeeper this summer
Sels is considered a flop at Newcastle after making just 14 appearances for the Magpies over his two-year spell at the club between 2016 and 2018.
Sels received abuse for his poor start at Newcastle, and he was eventually dropped by Rafa Benitez as teh starting goalkeeper. Sels lost his place to Karl Darlow, before eventually Nick Pope was brought in to be Newcastle’s No.1.
However, that could all change this summer with Howe keen to sign a new goalkeeper. Martin Dubravka and Pope are battling for the No.1 spot, but ideally, Newcastle need a young and long-term goalkeeper to arrive.
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Newcastle are favourites to sign James Trafford, who has been smashing defensive records with Burnley in the Championship this season.
However, Newcastle could sign Caoimhin Kelleher after Liverpool slashed the price of their No.2 shot-stopper.