As we move closer to the 2024/25 season, we can expect to see Garang Kuol, Harrison Ashby and new arrival Miodrag Pivas secure loan moves for some much-needed minutes at senior level to continue their development.

The question is, where will they end up? In this piece, I’ll be taking a closer look at all three.

Garang Kuol

The options for Kuol will be a less physical league and more technically demanding. A side that offers chances for young players and a system that will give Kuol a better chance of getting game time. In his previous two loan spells, Kuol spent half a season at Hearts, where he had little game time but was given a chance to settle in by playing in a side where there were fellow Aussies as his teammates. Then he went to FC Volendam, which at first seemed like a great move for him and ticked all the criteria above, but sadly big off-pitch changes affected Kuol’s development, as well as change in management leading to less game time for the young Aussie. After making his professional debut nearly three years ago he still has fewer domestic minutes than Lewis Miley, so this next move needs to get him a strong number of minutes.

My number one pick is RC Charleroi. Charleroi play in the Belgium first division – a highly technical league – and have one of the youngest squads in the division with an average age of 23.4, showing that the coach has trust in young players. The coach also likes his wingers to play fairly narrow, which is ideal for Kuol as he thrives in that left half space and cutting in on his right foot. The only problem I have with this move is that one of Charleroi’s better players plays on that left wing and contributed 10 g/a last season, however with Kuol’s versatility I think the coach will trust him more often and should hopefully start to get more starts as the season progresses.

Harrison Ashby

For Ashby I think we’ll see him remain in the UK as the leagues are more physical and that might suit him. It would also be handy if he’s in a team that sometimes play with a back four and a back five, giving him experience in both systems and the license to get forward and show his quality.

On his previous loan move at Swansea, Ashby had a promising start to the season where he picked up two goal involvements in his first six games but then a tactical switch from the coach led to Ashby losing his place in his side to someone with more attacking qualities. However, this change seemed to have failed and the manager reverted back to a back four, which was when Ashby got his place back in the side, only for a hamstring injury to keep him out until January. Once he came back, Swansea had a new manager in charge in Luke Williams, who immediately put Ashby into the side, where he played against Premier league opposition Bournemouth then the Champions Leicester before suffering another muscle injury that left him out for the remainder of the season.

My choice would be to send him back to the Championship with newly promoted Oxford. They play a variation of a back four and a back five, where both systems allow Oxford’s right-back to push further forward. They newly-promoted side will also be looking for players with Championship experience and that is something Ashby can offer. After a long injury and lack of game time, it’s vital he’s given minutes and I believe he would get that at Oxford whilst also remaining in the Championship.

Miodrag Pivaš

For Pivaš – the Serbian teenager who arrived last week – I believe he’d benefit from a move to German football. The style of play over there would suit his game and translates nicely with Eddie Howe’s type of football. I understand Pivaš is a very forward-thinking centre back and very technically gifted for one, so I believe he needs to play in a team that plays a high possession style with wide centre-backs, allowing Pivaš more space to carry the ball; one of his best attributes after highlight reels saw some compare him to a young Fabian Schar in this aspect of his game.

I’m going to be more conservative with this choice as I don’t know much about Pivaš but Greuther Fürth in the German second tier could be a good fit. He could be good enough to play in the Bundesliga but it’s very early days for the Serbian youth international who needs minutes.

As we know, Pivaš has previously played in the Austria, which often translates well into German leagues, also the current right centre back for Fürth has been seeing a reduction in game time over the last few seasons, meaning there could be a place for Pivaš. Fürth play a back three, with the wide centre backs often in more space. They also have the fifth highest amount of possession in the league last season, showing they like to control play and should be open to recruiting more. They have also kept the third most clean sheets in the league last season, suggesting that Pivaš would not only be playing in a side that gets the best out of his technical qualities but most likely under a coaching team that could improve him defensively.

Conclusion

There are so many options Newcastle could explore I’m sure loan coordinator Shola Ameobi will have many in mind. I think it’s ideal that Kuol goes to a more technically demanding league, Ashby a more physically demanding league and that Pivaš continues his development in a division that suits his profile as a ball-playing defender. Thanks for reading.