Newcastle United has had a difficult season in 2023/24, but the club is clearly on the rise.
Eddie Howe has taken a club that appeared destined for relegation and propelled them to the Champions League, unsettling the ‘big six’ along the way. Eddie Howe has taken a club that appeared destined for relegation and propelled them to the Champions League, unsettling the ‘big six’ along the way.
The roster will only improve in the coming transfer windows, but transfers may not be required if the academy can create more players like Lewis Miley.
He’s been a revelation for the first team this year and appears to be set for great things in the northeast, despite one of his teammates, who has been unimpressive for years, earns nine times more than him.
Lewis Miley’s salary at Newcastle United
Miley joined the Toon as a kid and worked his way up through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut against Chelsea on the last day of the season, becoming the club’s youngest Premier League debutant.
However, that was only a brief appearance for the kid, who made his entire debut in the club’s League Cup match against Manchester City, which the Magpies won 1-0.
In total, the Stanley-born star has made 25 appearances for his boyhood club this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists, largely from center midfield.
The “technical” and “elegant” jewel, as termed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been so impressive for Newcastle that he was named Player of the Month in December before signing a new contract with the club the following month.
According to Capology, Miley is now earning roughly £5k per week, which is a lot of money for a 17-year-old, but it seems justified considering his potential. However, given that one of his teammates receives far more for significantly less work, it may not be a fair wage.
Matt Ritchie’s salary at Newcastle United
Former Scotland international Matt Ritchie joined Newcastle from Bournemouth in July 2016 for about £12 million.
To be fair to the Gosport-born star, the move paid off in his first season at St James’ Park, as his 16 goals and ten assists in 48 games helped the club get out of the Championship at the first attempt.
However, that was as good as it got for the 5’8″ winger. Over the next seven seasons, he added only nine more goals and 23 more assists in 162 games, bringing his total to 25 goals and 33 assists.
Now, he has had his fair share of injuries along the way, missing a total of 38 games for the Magpies, but that averages out to just under five games missed per season, which isn’t much of an excuse for his dismal performance.
Furthermore, during the first three seasons he was at the club, he earned £30k per week, and since then, he has earned £45k per week, which adds up to Ritchie costing Newcastle a whopping £15.7m in salary alone, or £27.7m adding his transfer fee.
As a result, the 34-year-old has cost the Magpies £131k each appearance, £1.1 million every goal, and £477k per goal participation.
Finally, while Ritchie was vital in Newcastle’s promotion in 2016/17, the fact that he currently earns nine times more than Miley appears absurd, and if the club wants to move further, they should consider selling the Scotsman this summer.
