Newcastle United fans have ranked 18-year-old midfielder Sean Steur as the club's best summer signing, according to a fan poll. The Dutch youngster, who joined from Ajax for £23m, topped the list of eight new arrivals, just ahead of right-back Amar Dedic.
Early impressions
Steur has impressed supporters despite having barely broken into the first-team at Ajax. Both he and Dedic have been heavily involved in the first team under Matthias Jaissle, which likely explains their high rankings.
Goalkeeper Lukas Hornick was placed third, having played in all but one of the opening seven games and making several excellent saves.
Lower-ranked signings
At the other end of the list, Ewen Jaouen, Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Toure have had few opportunities to impress, leaving them low in the rankings. Toure has still scored two goals despite limited minutes.
Newcastle's two most expensive signings, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Nico Gonzalez, do not feature highly so far, although both have only appeared in four games. Gonzalez enjoyed a memorable debut in the win at Tottenham but suffered a blow to the head early on at Leeds, ruling him out of the win over Hull City.
Looking ahead
Gonzalez now aims to establish himself as a key figure in central midfield under Jaissle. Fernandez-Pardo has had little service in his two starts, though his running off the ball was notable last time out. The Belgian has yet to complete his first month on Tyneside, so time remains on his side.
United focused on young talent over the summer, and Steur's early success is a positive for the club's hierarchy. Ensuring the other new recruits meet his standards is the next task.
Newcastle United summer signings ranked - fan verdict: 1 Sean Steur, 2 Amar Dedic, 3 Lukas Hornicek, 4 Nico Gonzalez, 5 Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 6 Bazoumana Toure, 7 Aladji Bamba, 8 Ewen Jaouen.
