Newcastle United have signed Trevan Sanusi from Birmingham City but the England under-16 star knows this is only the start as he looks to make his mark on Tyneside
Trevan Sanusi has announced his Newcastle United move with three simple words. “Hard work continues,” the England under-16 international captioned his unveiling photographs at St James’ Park on Instagram. Rather than thinking he has made it, Sanusi knows this is just the start and that is the mentality the teenager will need to make his mark on Tyneside.
After all, Sanusi’s ability is obvious. This is a youngster who was on the radar of all of the Premier League’s top clubs after thriving five years above his age group in Birmingham City’s under-21s. ‘A really exciting young attacking player’ in the words of Birmingham boss John Eustace. A winger who would have broken Jude Bellingham’s record and become the club’s youngest ever player if he came off the bench on the final day of last season.
However, like at first team level, it is not just about talent. Newcastle not only have key performance indicators for each position at youth level – non-negotiable traits that are aligned with the senior set-up – but core values that any new arrivals must have to pass the club’s character tests.
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Academy director Steve Harper has previously spoken about how former manager Sir Bobby Robson used to always say ‘don’t just bring in good players, bring in good people’. That has stuck with Harper and is a belief shared by those working in leading recruitment roles at the club, who not only help spot these talents but, also, ensure they are the right fit for Newcastle as Paul Midgley, the club’s head of youth recruitment explained.
“The one key trait that I’ve learnt over the years is that people with good attitudes usually have the best chance,” Midgley previously told the club’s match day programme. “You wouldn’t be in the academy system if you did not have ability but what separates them is the dedication, the sacrifices they’re willing to go through, and taking opportunities such as getting the chance to train with the first team and taking it with two hands.”
Midgley has been one of a number of key appointments behind the scenes in the last nine months. Paul McLaren, who followed Midgley from Man City, has come in as head of national youth scouting while Claire Burrows has joined from Leicester City as recruitment operations manager.
Newcastle have also brought in a string of new academy scouts across the country who have long-standing expertise in their particular region. These are eye-catching additions in their own right. Take Delroy Ebanks, for example, who left his role as West Ham’s head of youth recruitment to become Newcastle’s lead scout in the south and is another stickler for the character of a player.
Ebanks even arrives at a stadium at least 45 minutes early to watch a target warm-up to ensure the youngster is taking it seriously. The talent spotter will later fill in a player passport so the club’s know everything about the individual, whether it was the school he attended or, even, his hobbies.
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