The failed Newcastle United ‘done deal’

Jesse Lingard will leave Nottingham Forest this summer after just one season with the club.
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Lingard was one of Forest’s marquee arrivals ahead of their return to the Premier League following a two decade absence. The 30-year-old moved to the City Ground on a free transfer after running down his contract at Manchester United.

Hopes were high that Lingard could help spearhead Forest to Premier League survival and whilst that happened, he played a peripheral role during the campaign and failed to register a single goal or assist in 17 league appearances. Forest have recently revealed their retained list, with Lingard, along with former Newcastle United midfielder Jack Colback, not offered new terms by the club.

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This means that he will leave the City Ground as a free agent when the summer transfer window opens. It’s a far cry from when Lingard, just over 18-months ago, was regarded as one of the country’s hottest properties.

Coming off the back of a stellar loan move with West Ham, one that saw him score nine goals and register five assists in just 16 appearances for the club, Lingard was seemingly destined to transform his floundering Manchester United career. However, that didn’t happen and by the time January 2022 rolled around, he was set for yet another loan exit.

This time it was Newcastle United that looked most likely to secure a deal. A creative midfielder with Premier League experience was wanted by the club to help in their battle against the drop and Lingard fit the mould perfectly.

Despite demands by Manchester United almost derailing a move, a deal looked likely heading into the final few hours of the window, however, the reluctant Red Devils stalled and Lingard was forced to stay at the club, much to his disapproval. Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, he said: "I wanted to go on loan again in January because I wasn't playing again.

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"Newcastle was on the cards in January. The deal was done - everything - but the United squad was not big enough.

"A couple of players went out on loan and when it came to me, John Murtough [Manchester United director of football] rang me and was like, 'no, you're not going on loan.' I was like, 'he's on loan. Let me go and enjoy my football. I'm not playing here so let me go on loan.”

Failure to land Lingard seemed like a blow at the time, however, 18 months later and it appears that not signing the 30-year-old may have been a blessing in disguise. Nothing during Lingard’s brief time at the City Ground has shown that the Magpies missed out last summer or winter.

As Newcastle have risen up the table to secure Champions League qualification, Lingard’s career has gone in the opposite trajectory and much like Dele Alli, another man Newcastle were linked with signing in that winter window, his future looks uncertain. The summer transfer window promises to be a very important one on Tyneside and Newcastle can ill-afford to make a wrong move in the market.