Newcastle flop was once Sterling 2.0, now he’s worth £100k after leaving

Significant advancements in the youth academy have occurred in tandem with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United’s ascent. This demonstrates the overall development made since the PIF takeover.

Sean and Matty Longstaff had arisen before the revolutionary time, but these indigenous talents stood as anomalies from a barren age. Newcastle’s youth system resembled an arid desert in many ways, with a number of promising players falling short of expectations.

Rolando Aarons is one such talent; are you familiar with him? The nimble-footed winger, who burst into senior action with a positively electrifying flash, is long gone now, having suffered a terrible fall from his brief reign of favor.

Rolando Aarons’ prodigious beginning

When the Tyneside formative fold lacked creativity and investment, former Magpies manager Rafa Benitez had demanded investment back then.

There were very few rising stars in the field. Adam Armstrong had come up through the youth ranks before the Longstaffs, but he only made 21 appearances without scoring any goals before leaving.

Although Aarons had a more inauspicious career following his remarkable start, Armstrong is currently a Premier League player.

And it was only the beginning, really. Aarons made a strong debut in the 2014–15 season, scoring two goals and providing an assist in just six games, including a goal and an assist from the bench against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

He scored in the thrilling League Cup triumph over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, but an outstanding comeback was marred by injuries that kept him in a supporting position. Nevertheless, the Magpies’ faithful were jubilant since they had discovered the most brilliant diamond, and the precocity was evident.

Craig Hope of The Daily Mail even stated that he resembled Raheem Sterling, one of the most decorated Englishmen of his generation, “strikingly similar in build and size.”

The development manager at Newcastle at the time, Peter Beardsley, remarked of the player: “He’s like a flying left winger with good ability – really good ability.” We have great expectations for him in the starting lineup. I think he’s the primary one. We anticipate positive things from him.”

Sterling, who is currently at Arsenal, has 123 Premier League goals to his credit. Pep Guardiola has even called Sterling “an extraordinary player” in the past, crediting him with helping the Manchester City team win a ton of domestic trophies.

Rolando Aarons’ market value in 2024/25

Before his contract with Newcastle ended in 2021, Aarons went on to play at different levels on a number of loan stints before moving on to pastures new.

The 28-year-old Jamaican international, who has played in two caps, has traveled through the pyramidal levels of England and Europe but has only found a tincture of the success that was promised in those early days.

Over the course of 27 games for the senior team, the adaptable winger finished his tenure at St. James’ Park with four goals and three assists. Regretfully, in the time since his final appearance in the 2017–18 season, he has only scored five goals.

Aarons’ current worth, as determined by Football Transfers’ player valuation model, is less than £100k, which aptly illustrates the extent of his decline. After Aarons put a halt to contract negotiations with the Toon almost nine years prior, teams such as Arsenal were eager to make a move upon his breakout.

What may have been. Although Aarons vanished from view and was once thought to be of the same caliber as the legendary Sterling, Newcastle supporters will never forget the fleeting spark that burned brightly in the center of a difficult period.

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