Jamaal Lascelles is a name that many football fans will have recognized before this season. The young defender come to prominence in 2011 aged 17 despite not even having made a first team appearance. He was linked with a host of the Premier Leagues top clubs, with Arsenal reportedly having a £5mil bid rejected in January 2011.
However, it wasn’t for another year that he made his Nottingham Forest debut and soon after he was sent to League one club Stevenage on loan. When he returned from his loan spell, Nottingham Forest secured him on a 4-year contract, but injury slowed down his development and he had to wait another season for his chance. But by now, the wider football public had forgotten about him and assumed he was a player struggling to fulfill his early promise.
However, he did break into the Nottingham Forest team and began to show some impressive performances, which caught the attention of Newcastle United who bought him in August 2014, sending him back on loan for the season. Then last season as Newcastle struggled, he found himself with limited substitute appearances until Rafa Benitez was appointed.
Such was his impression on Benitez, that the Spaniard made him his captain as he looked to overhaul his squad for a Championship title charge.
Lascelles had fallen into the trap that many young defenders do. They are heralded as great prospects but quickly forgotten when they make mistakes that are simply down to a lack of experience. It happened to Rio Ferdinand and is happening to John Stones. Sometimes you need to look past the mistakes and wait for them to gain a bit of experience and mature as footballers.
And Lascelles since being given the captaincy has done that. It has forced him to grow up, take extra responsibility and although perhaps a bit nervous at the start of the season, is now looking every inch as a leader and defensive rock. Newcastle have now kept 8 clean sheets this season and with Lascelles their best defender, it tells you everything you need to know about his performances.
The ex-England u21 international has all the tools needed to be a top centre-half when Newcastle return to the Premier league. He is both quick and commanding in the air. And as is in necessity for elite defenders at the moment, he is very comfortable in possession showing a great calmness on the ball and the ability to provide a mixture of passes both long and short with ease.
He is becoming the player that made the Premier League elite sit up and take notice 5 years ago. And no doubt they will be sending scouts to St. James Park once more. But this is one player that Rafa Benitez will be desperate to hold on to as he rebuilds the club for future success.