Newcastle struck gold selling flop who earned 20x more than Miley does

Newcastle United have been the subject of a significant rebuild since the takeover by the Saudi PIF in late 2021, with a huge turnover of players taking place to allow the club to be competitive in the Premier League.

For many years, the Magpies were battling relegation under Steve Bruce and only managed to maintain survival after immediate investment from the PIF, signing players such as Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes to inject needed quality into the side.

However, at the time Bruce was hung out to dry by former owner Mike Ashley, with the lack of investment really affecting the club – hence the needed change of ownership.

His departure, coupled with the £400m investment in the first-team, has allowed the Magpies to achieve the unthinkable, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years under boss Eddie Howe.

Unsurprisingly, the huge funding from the new owners has seen former regular starters drop rapidly down the pecking order, making little impact on the squad, but still pocketing a huge weekly wage.

However, the club conducted brilliant business in offloading one former player, who failed to retain his place after Howe’s arrival at St James’ Park.

Javier Manquillo’s stats at Newcastle United

In what was a controversial move to the club given his time at rivals Sunderland, defender Javier Manquillo joined Newcastle for £4.5m in the summer of 2017.

He was brought in to provide valuable top-flight experience at St James’ Park after the club secured an immediate return to the Premier League after relegation the season prior.

In Manquillo’s first season at the club, he made 20 league starts, with just four coming during the second half of the campaign where Newcastle’s form picked up.

He would remain a squad player over the next couple of seasons, only managing to make over 20 Premier League appearances in one top-flight season after his campaign on Tyneside.

The defender would only manage one goal in the black-and-white, scoring in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester United during the 2021/22 season.

The Spaniard went on to feature 110 times for the Magpies across all competitions following his arrival, with the club doing the right thing in selling him in January given his wage at the club.

Javier Manquillo’s wage at Newcastle

During his time at St James’ Park, the “awful” defender, as dubbed by journalist Luke Edwards, earned £35k-per-week and £40k-per-week, as per Salary Sport, a tally that is 20x higher than current Magpies youngster Lewis Miley – who reportedly earns just £2k-per-week.

However, when coupling his £12.5m earnings with his £4.5m transfer fee, Manquillo cost the Magpies £17m in total, costing the club over £150k per appearance he made during his time on Tyneside.

Whilst at the time he was seen as a shrewd addition, he ultimately became a victim of the club’s success and the move in January to Celta Vigo has allowed the club to save a huge chunk of money.

Newcastle have needed to raise funds if they are to strengthen their squad in the summer, with Manquillo’s wages undoubtedly a big help in allowing for further investment in the upcoming window.