Newcastle United earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Burnley at St James’ Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, giving Eddie Howe’s side a momentum boost.
The Magpies took the lead after captain Bruno Guimaraes scored directly from a corner kick in the first half, before Lucas Pires was sent off for the visitors and Anthony Gordon added a second from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time.
An uneventful second half saw Newcastle hold on to the result, although they conceded a penalty late on which Zak Flemming scored, but an overall disappointing performance was headlined by one player in particular.
Jacob Ramsey Drops 4/10 Stinker
Jacob Ramsey Newcastle
Howe used the game against Burnley, after a busy week of Premier League football and ahead of a Champions League game to rotate his squad, and that meant that Jacob Ramsey was handed a rare start in midfield.
The £40m summer signing was in from the start for just the second time in the top-flight, but he struggled massively throughout the game and has got many wondering whether the deal was even a necessary one to make.
Ramsey played the entire game and completed 37 of his 38 passes, but he struggled to make any sort of impact and they were largely all safe. He also missed an early chance after being teed up by Anthony Gordon, and then compounded a difficult afternoon by giving away a penalty late on.
The performance earned him a 4/10 rating from the Geordie Boot Boys, while several fans were complaining online about the club wasting £40m to bring him in.
Newcastle Wasted £40m
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe applauds fans after the match vs Everton
Howe’s transfers this season have been mixed. Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade have hit the ground running and come into the side with top performances, while Aaron Ramsdale has covered well for Nick Pope when needed.
But Anthony Elanga has struggled massively since his move from Nottingham Forest, and Ramsey’s move looks worse and worse with every passing week. He doesn’t seem to have the physicality to cope in a Howe team, and his injury history is surely a concern too.
While he’s obviously talented, the £40m could have been put towards signing more reinforcements in key areas, rather than bringing in another midfielder when the team is already full of quality options in that role.
Ultimately, unless there is a big turnaround in the coming months, then it looks like the Magpies have wasted a large chunk of money on a player who they didn’t need and isn’t good enough.
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