Newcastle's forgotten signing - What's happened to Miodrag Pivas

Being a youth talent at Newcastle United is truly make or break, particularly as the club is starting to put more emphasis on developing new stars.

A host of new names have emerged in the past few years, with midfielders Lewis Miley and Elliot Anderson the pick of the bunch.

The same unfortunately cannot be said for a number of players we've sent out on loan, which includes Serbian defender Miodrag Pivas.

So just what has happened to the youngster since he signed for us last summer? And what could be done to put his blossoming career back on the right path?

Brutal loan spell explained

Miodrag Pivas was signed in July 2024 to a good bit of fanfare and previous praise from fellow countryman Nemanja Matic, with the defender amazed at the “absolutely unbelievable” opportunity he now had at Newcastle.

Loaned to Dutch side Willem II, he became embroiled in a tense relegation battle in the Dutch first division, which culminated in them being sent down in the playoffs against Telstar in a shock result.

But Pivas only saw 30 minutes of Eredivisie action all season, never playing more than 10 minutes in any of his five cameos off the bench.

Coupled with zero minutes in any of the four playoff games he played, it would be a big shock to see the 20-year-old offered another season in Tilburg, or the Netherlands as a whole.

That is a real concern which loan coordinator Shola Ameobi must explore. Was Pivas not up to it, what was the problem and why did he end up at Willem II if they seemingly had little plans to play him?

What next for Pivas and other youngsters?

Of course, barely being given an opportunity to shine in such tense circumstances is no slight on Pivas’ abilities. Likely just his loan club not wanting to attach any responsibilities to a youngster, never mind a loanee.

But Pivas’ stint in the Netherlands is eerily similar to Garang Kuol, who himself enjoyed a torrid time abroad with Dutch minnows Volendam over the 2022/23 season.

Antonio Cordero is being linked with an immediate loan move to Dutch giants Ajax now he’s signed for us, but one can hope that Cordero’s promising reputation in Spain is a sign that things will pan out better for him.

What’s next for Pivas, however? Another loan stint abroad? Or perhaps a suitable EFL switch to help him settle into English football?

Perhaps the best move could be a carbon copy of Kuol’s career plan: a good time in the PL2 playing for the U-21s would easily afford the Serbian game time, and offer him football perhaps closer to his level at this moment in his career.