Newcastle United need to get a move on, but the deals we have done so far are a perfect example of our short and long term goals when it comes to signings.

Focusing on the present, the signing of Anthony Elanga addressed a squad depth issue that has plagued Eddie Howe for years, and the Swede should be instrumental in the way we play this season.

Meanwhile, the arrival of Antonio Cordero, and the all-but-confirmed signing of Park Seung-soo shows the higher-ups have a vision for the future, with the pair two of several ‘project’ players who we hope to see shine in years to come.

And whilst Cordero is expected to go on loan this summer to hone his skills, things may not pan out quite the same for Park…

Park Seung-soo set to stay?

According to Han June at Football Asian, Park Seung-soo is expected to remain at the club for the foreseeable future, rather than be loaned out almost immediately.

With a ‘full agreement’ reached over his arrival and the 18-year-old winger now in the UK ahead of his medical, it’s believed he’ll join our fast-improving academy system in his first season, playing in our under-21 side in the Premier League 2.

And there’s a very clever reason why the club may be adopting this new approach for the youngster.

Unlike his compatriots Yang Min-hyeok and Yoon Du-young, two loanees whose parent clubs are Spurs and Brighton respectively, Park staying with our system would allow him to earn both homegrown and club-trained player status in the near future.

With how profitable selling these sorts of players has become in recent years, and strict homegrown player quotas in both the Premier League and Champions League, we’ll need as many helpful, eligible players we can get.

It will also help the youngster settle into his new surroundings, with early loan moves having the potential to backfire, as we saw previously with recent project signings who’ve been sent out before they were ready to mix it at senior level.

Cordero loan imminent

Antonio Cordero, arriving on a free transfer from Malaga and having enjoyed a good campaign with Spain’s U-19s at the recent EUROs is a different story however.

Wanting to capitalise on his current momentum, and being a very much in-demand player prior to him choosing us as his next club, Cordero is widely expected to be loaned out to Ajax in the Eredivisie.

This has been the plan for some time. When he was signed, then-Sporting Director Paul Mitchell commented on just how much we valued the winger, but that he needed to be afforded game time.

“He has lots of potential, and the next phase of his development will be for the club to select a loan move that will challenge him and build on his experiences.”

Loans in the Dutch top flight have been difficult for some of our recent youth signings, such as Garang Kuol and Miodrag Pivaš, but Cordero has all the tools to be a very notable exception.