Newcastle United must figure out how to solve a problem like Garang Kuol.
The young Aussie arrived at St James’ Park in January 2023 with a lot of hype surrounding him, with some onlookers describing him as one of the most exciting talents in world football.
So far, Garang Kuol has struggled to live up to the hype. His initial loan move to Hearts was a bit of a disaster, with the forward struggling for minutes north of the border.
He was adamant that he benefitted from his time in Edinburgh, although there were some internal concerns at Newcastle United about his time away.
Garang Kuol’s second loan away from Newcastle is not going to plan
It was hoped that loan number two would be much more fruitful, but that has not proven to be the case.
Dutch side Volendam looked like a good fit for Kuol. They played a 4-3-3 system and encouraged youth development, giving Kuol the perfect environment to kick on and improve as a player.
But changes behind the scenes have resulted in Kuol’s time with Volendam turning into a disaster. He can no longer get a game, with a new management system completely changing the club’s tactical system in a bid to avoid relegation.
Kuol has not played for Volendam since the 11th of February, while he is currently on international duty representing Australia Under-23s.
What is next for Garang Kuol
The 19-year-old’s second loan spell is going about as well as his first, leaving Newcastle United with a difficult decision to make.
And, according to the Athletic, a third loan move away from St James’ Park is ‘all but certain’.
They state that the Magpies want his next temporary spell away to be much less disruptive, with Kuol having moved about a lot since leaving Central Coast Mariners in Australia at the beginning of last year.
Newcastle United set to extend their Kuol plan
When Kuol joined Newcastle United in January 2023, the Athletic state that the plan was for him to start being considered for the first-team a year-and-a-half later. In essence, the club had hoped he would be ready to at least be considered at the end of this upcoming loan spell.
Alas, it does not look like that will be the case. With so little football under his belt, there is no way that Eddie Howe and co will decide that Kuol is Premier League ready.
That is a shame for him, but he has time on his side. He is still a teenager, after all.
While the journey is not going to plan, the intended destination remains the same. Newcastle United will have ambitions of Kuol making the step up in the coming years, and hopefully he is able to do just that.
Now they must decide what to do with him this summer, and there will be huge pressure on the club to get this decision right.
But before that, Newcastle are heading to Australia for two friendlies, and that would be a great opportunity for Kuol to get some senior minutes under his belt if possible.
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