Newcastle United set to appoint new vice-captain after high-profile exit
Callum Wilson leaving in the summer has left a vacancy in the Newcastle United leadership group.
Newcastle United are reportedly set to announce a new vice-captain to serve as Bruno Guimaraes’ understudy.
Callum Wilson’s exit over the summer left a void in the leadership group at St James’ Park. As it stands, a convoluted system sees Guimaraes as team captain, wearing the armband on a weekly basis.
However, Jamaal Lascelles remains club captain, a role he was given by Rafa Benitez in 2016. Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy and Kieran Trippier are all vice-captains and part of the wider “leadership” group.
Newcastle United to appoint vice-captain
The Daily Mail claim another name will be added today following Wilson’s departure. Fabian Schar, Joelinton, Nick Pope and Sandro Tonali are among the candidates for the role.
Schar has been at Newcastle the longest, arriving on a cut-price £3million deal from Deportivo La Coruna in 2018. Joelinton arrived a year later for a club-record £40million.
Pope and Tonali are products of the Saudi-backed era on Tyneside. It is reported that a decision will be made while the players are at Benton today.
Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimaraes as captain
Eddie Howe reflected on his decision to name Guimaraes as captain over the summer. When he made the call 12 months earlier, not everyone from the outside were in agreement.
“He's an adopted Geordie, and represents everything the supporters want to see,” Howe told reporters. “He's got creative flair, work-rate and heart. I trust him implicitly.”
Bruno Guimaraes discusses captaincy
Speaking in February, Guimaraes revealed how the captaincy came about - crowning Howe as “the best” manager he has worked under. The Brazilian said: “I’ll be honest with you, (Howe’s) the best manager I have ever worked with. We had a good conversation. I told him I wanted to have more responsibility with the team.
“Some days after he came to me and said ‘I’m thinking about making you the captain, what do you think?’ I was open to the idea. Two days before Southampton at home he came to me and said ‘Bruno, I’m going to make you captain for the season. I’m choosing you because since you came, you have given everything for the club’.
“I was very pleased with his choice, it was a good conversation I had with him. A very good relationship with me. He’s my manager but also a friend of mine.”