Speaking on NUFC Matters, Ben Jacobs has been discussing Sven Botman’s rise to fame in the Premier League and how he was perceived in the summer.
The Dutch defender was seen as something of a coup for Newcastle at the time. A young, Ligue 1 winning centre-half joining the Magpies was a big deal.
Many wondered why other clubs weren’t all over Botman, but according to Jacobs, some of the elite teams in the Premier League had reservations about him.
Indeed, the journalist says that his sources felt as though he may not suit the pace of the Premier League immediately, but it’s fair to say that he’s quickly proven his doubters wrong.
Clubs doubted Botman
Jacobs shared what he was told about this player in the summer.
“He’s quite a modern defender with a lot of raw god-given skill. He’s talented, but there was a feeling from sources and other clubs looking at him that at Premier League pace he could be pulled out of position and the maturity would take time to develop,” Jacobs said.
“What we found with Botman is that he slotted straight in and I have to go back to those people and say that they were wrong. This is credit to Newcastle’s recruitment team because the same was said about Bruno who was thought to be very raw and hungry but would need time to establish game management and showcase his skills.”
Proven everyone wrong
Botman has proven all of his doubters wrong, but that’s becoming quite a regular occurrence at Newcastle isn’t it?
The Magpies’ star players continue to defy each and every expectation set of them, and Botman is no exception.
It’s hard to remember a defender who’s taken to the Premier League in this way before, and if Botman continues to improve, he may well become one of the best defenders in the world.
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