Whatever happened to Newcastle United wonderkid, Rolando Aarons?
Rolando Aarons has just won his first-ever professional trophy, 12 years on from joining Newcastle United’s academy setup – with none other than NK Celje of the Slovenian First Division.
Celje’s win at home to Koper in the Prva Liga ensured that Aarons’ side obtained the trophy over Maribor with the most points in their club’s history in a season. Class.
But how did he get there? Here’s exactly what happened to Rolando Aarons.
What happened to Rolando Aarons?
Aarons joined Newcastle United in 2012 after being released by his home town club Bristol City. After impressing in the academy setups, he was thrust into reserve team football in February 2013. He thrived and subsequently was given a professional contract with the Geordies on the 1st of April 2014.
The following pre-season was his big break, impressing against Schalke with a goal and an assist. Alan Pardew raved about him.
“The real highlight of pre-season has been Rolando,” then-manager of Newcastle Pardew told the Gazette at the time. “He was terrific again. It’s nice to see a young player really pushing, and I thought he caused real problems for Schalke – long may that continue.”
Premier League debut, and the start of the problems
Aarons then made his Premier League debut in the first match of the 2014/15 campaign, replacing Yoan Gouffran for the final 16 minutes of a 2 – 0 home defeat to Manchester City.
Two weeks later, he scored his first senior goal in the 3–3 draw with Crystal Palace. In a Man of the Match display described by the Guardian as “thrillingly incisive”, he also got an assist.
But then, sadly, the injuries came. After going out on England U20 duty, a hamstring problem would see him out for six weeks. Then after a strike against Manchester City, once again another month.
There was also a load of contract issues, disagreements with coaching staff and managers and off-the-field legal antics, which ultimately led to his Newcastle United demise. In total, one of the club’s most promising stars only featured 22 times over seven years.
A series of loans
In 2018, Aarons spent time out on loan with Hellas Verona under Fabio Pecchia, Rafa Benitez’s former assistant at Newcastle. But after just 13 appearances in all competitions for the Czech side, he returned to Newcastle in December 2018.
He then transferred on loan to Sheffield Wednesday for the rest of the season on deadline day, to which he would make just nine appearances, but score his first goal since his PL strike.
Aarons then tried his hat at Wycombe, to no avail. Then in the SPL with Motherwell, which was a disaster – cancelled due to injury.
Huddersfield coming knocking
It was on the 7th of January 2020 that Newcastle got rid for good, with Championship side Huddersfield taking a punt. A punt they’d live to regret, with just 11 appearances in two years – which also involved another unsuccessful loan at Motherwell.
Aarons was then made a free agent at the end of the 22/23 season by the Terriers and spent six months out of the game searching for a club.
It was Slovenia where he decided to head to, with now champions Celje obtaining him on a free in the January. He has only made two appearances, with one in a loss to Dinamo Zagreb, but he still gets a medal!
Now, remarkably, he could be playing Champions League football next season. Whereas Newcastle most definitely won’t. Is a resurgence on the horizon? Probably not, but it’s nice to see Aarons enjoying somewhat a small bit of success in what has thus far been a torrid career.
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