Newcastle United currently have a handful of players out on loan, with some finding a lot of success early on.
Loan moves are an opportunity for out-of-favour players to get more minutes at a different club and for younger players to gain more experience playing in a competitive league.
This season, Newcastle United have loaned out seven players. Odysseas Vlachodimos joined Sevilla, but has yet to make a single appearance for the La Liga side.
Matt Targett has enjoyed a bright start with Middlesbrough, scoring and bagging an assist in his opening two appearances. Elsewhere, Aidan Harris won Coleraine FC’s Player of the Month award after conceding just once in his first five appearances.
Unfortunately, not everyone’s loan moves are going to plan. Young winger Antonio Cordero is currently on loan in Belgium, but has not enjoyed the best of starts.
Antonio Cordero forced to watch on from the bench after leaving Newcastle United on loan
There is a lot of hype around Cordero, who turned down moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona for the Magpies. The plan for the 18-year-old was always to loan him out for his first season, but very few expected Cordero to join KVC Westerlo.
Newcastle fans were worried about Cordero’s growth in Belgium, hinting that it was not the right club for him to develop into a top player.
Their concerns appear to have been proven right after the first few games of the season, as Cordero has played just 34 minutes for the Belgian Pro League side in what was already being deemed as a ‘gamble’ loan move. Additionally, the promising Spaniard has failed to even make it off the bench in Westerlo’s last two games.
The decision to keep Cordero on the bench in their last game against STVV is even more baffling, given the fact that Westerlo were 3-0 up after an hour. Surely then would have been the time to give Cordero the chance to impress.
Reports before the summer suggested that Cordero was set to join Ajax on loan, but now he is being forced to watch on from the bench in Belgium.
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Who facilitates loan moves for Newcastle United players?
In the past, there have been some questionable loan moves for young players. Garang Kuol is a prime example of that; the attacker spent time at Hearts and FC Volendam, who both played a completely different system from Newcastle.
However, Newcastle were onto a winner with Yankuba Minteh, who was brilliant on loan under Arne Slot at Feyenoord in the 2023/24 season. Not all loan moves are disastrous, but Cordero’s is heading that way through no fault of his own.
Newcastle have a dedicated loan manager, and it is none other than Shola Ameobi, who many consider a legend on Tyneside. Ameobi works alongside Peter Ramage, another former Toon player, facilitating loans for players wanting to develop or get more minutes.
Additionally, Jack Ross is believed to have some influence on academy loans, but his name does not usually get brought up in that regard.
Fans hoped Kuol’s loan failures were a lesson for Ameobi and co, but Cordero’s move shows very little has been learned.
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