It’s not all about the big name signings at Newcastle United.
Indeed, not only has Eddie Howe yielded vast improvements out of the players he inherited at Newcastle, the club are obviously planning for the future.
Many of the first-team signings of the PIF era have been aged in their early-to-mid-twenties.
Below that, there has been a clear policy to focus on strengthening the youth ranks, too.
Alfie Harrison arrived from Manchester City in January, while Yankuba Minteh and Garang Koul have previously arrived.
Whether or not they go on to make an impact in Howe’s first-team remains to be seen of course but it’s obvious that the club are interested in developing young talent and not only the signing of big names.
Which is why suggestions that Manchester United could beat them to the signing of a young forward are disappointing.
Manchester United are expected to beat Newcastle in the race to sign Baylee Dipepa
According to journalist Joel Bland on X (formerly Twitter), the Red Devils – who denied Newcastle a place in Europe by winning the FA Cup on Saturday – are set to sign Port Vale’s Baylee Dipepa.
The Magpies are believed to have shown strong interest in the 17-year-old striker but the Manchester giants are strong favourites for his signature.
So advanced is Man United’s pursuit of the forward, it would reportedly now take a significant offer to see them fall behind any other potential suitor.
Who is Baylee Dipepa and what is his style of play?
The teenager made his debut this season and, back in March, became Port Vale’s second-youngest goal scorer in history.
A product of their academy, Dipepa recently scored for England at the U17 Euros, too.
A profile put together by Trigger The Press recently hailed his “pace” and “eye for goal” as leading attributes in his game.
Vague as it may be, there obviously isn’t a huge amount of data to go off just yet. Port Vale’s director of football David Flitcroft, however, said back in January that Dipepa has all the makings of a successful modern striker.
“His profile as a player is an exciting one, he possesses a lot of attributes and qualities required to be a successful striker in the modern game,” he told the club’s official website.
“If he continues his hard work and focus, there is no ceiling to what he can achieve at the club.”
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