There is seemingly little that can derail the optimism surrounding Newcastle United at present, with the Magpies currently gearing up for a first return to Wembley since 1999, having also put themselves firmly in the mix for Champions League qualification.
Since the change in ownership – as well as the change in the dugout – the Tynesiders have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence over the last 12 months or so, with the club now finally looking upwards after years of mediocrity during Mike Ashley’s time at the helm.
That being said, however, PIF – and Eddie Howe – may well still be suffering from the mistakes of the previous regime, with one of Ashley’s notable blunders having been the failure to keep hold of sparkling teenager, Bobby Clark, back in 2021.
Lauded as “Newcastle’s most promising youngster” by the Chronicle’s Lee Ryder, the 5 foot 10 gem – who is the son of club legend Lee Clark – was snapped up by Liverpool just over 18 months ago, with the Reds forking out a compensation fee of around £1.5m to get the deal over the line.
Speaking at the time of that exit, the aforementioned Ryder suggested that the lack of “ambition” at St James’ Park had been a factor in losing the “really exciting” asset, with the Merseysiders seemingly jubilant to have won the race ahead of reported rival interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur.
While the exit of a 16-year-old may not have appeared too great of a blow, Clark has swiftly left the northeast side to rue their inability to keep him at the club, having already made his mark at Anfield.
Still only 18, the midfielder has already made two senior appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side to date, having notably been afforded his Premier League debut off the bench in the 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth back in August.
That senior bow had come amid what Klopp had described as the England U18 international’s “unbelievable” displays in training, having clearly already made a big impression on the experienced, Germany visionary.
What will further sting for those back on Tyneside is that the versatile playmaker – who can also feature as a forward – has earned comparisons to former Newcastle and England icon, Paul Gascoigne, with Ryder having stated:
“You have always go to be very careful with comparisons but for me – and I don’t talk about this lightly – but at the same sort of age, you had a young Paul Gascoigne at Newcastle,” Ryder explained.
“It was before the days of nutrition, dietitians and all of that, so Gascoigne was carrying a lot more weight than Bobby, but the reality is that sort of raw skill reminds me a little bit of Gazza at the same age.
“That is a very high target to go for, but comparing them at the same age, there is a similarity there for me. Gascoigne had an unbelievable career but not always the right guidance and nutrition around him, but Bobby has that around him and an opportunity to become the complete player.”
That glowing assessment is a marker of the potential diamond that Ashley and co let slip through their fingers, with it some feat to be compared to a player such as Gascoigne, who has previously been lauded as “phenomenal” by ex-Rangers teammate, Ally McCoist.
With Clark only likely to enjoy a more prominent role at his current side over the coming years, he does truly appear to be one that got away for the Magpies.
