Throughout the summer, Newcastle reportedly wanted to sign Billy Gilmour on loan from Chelsea.
The Scottish midfielder is one of the brightest young talents in the country, and he would have been a great addition to a midfield that needed improving.
Gilmour did get a loan move, but not to the North East. Instead of heading to St James’ Park, Gilmour joined Norwich City on a temporary deal until the end of the season.
This was a blow for the Magpies, but a deal that made sense. Ex-Norwich boss Daniel Farke knows Thomas Tuchel well, so the move benefitted all parties.
However, things haven’t gone totally to plan for Gilmour. He was in the Canaries’ starting XI initially, but eventually fell out of favour.
Now he’s back in the team following the arrival of Dean Smith, which has seen an upturn in fortunes for Gilmour and Norwich.
Newcastle must nullify Gilmour threat
The Scotland international is a wonderful passer of a ball. He’s got great energy too, and was compared to N’Golo Kante by Patrick van Aanholt after a man of the match performance vs England at Euro 2020.
That’s why he would have been a great addition to the Newcastle midfield.
While Jonjo Shelvey is enjoying a renaissance under Eddie Howe, during the Steve Bruce era he was far from popular – making Gilmour a tantalising option on loan.
But now the pair will come face-to-face in the midfield battle at St James’ Park tonight. And it’s a battle that Shelvey and Newcastle must win.
The Magpies desperately need to pick up three points tonight. It could be the game that kickstarts a woeful season.
But there will be one eye on the summer target Gilmour. The recruitment team won’t want to see the 20-year-old embarrass them by putting in a match-winning performance.
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