It feels like the end of an era at Newcastle United.
Club captain Jamaal Lascelles has completed a permanent move to Leicester City after spending more than a decade at St James’ Park.
It was certainly an eventful stint.
Following relegation, in 2016, Lascelles helped lead Newcastle back to the Premier League and played his part in ensuring his side stayed in the top flight during some testing times.
Lascelles then went on to step up in the Champions League and kept Kylian Mbappe quiet during Newcastle’s landmark 4-1 win over Paris St-Germain in 2023.
He has not started a game for Newcastle since suffering a serious knee injury nearly two years ago.
But the centre-back has remained an influential figure behind the scenes and it was rather telling that both Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier beckoned him over to lift the Carabao Cup with them after Newcastle ended a 70-year wait to win a major domestic trophy last season.
No wonder Newcastle’s farewell statement hailed Lascelles as “one of the great leaders of the club’s recent history”, while head coach Eddie Howe also paid tribute to an “incredible servant” at his news conference on Tuesday.
“There were some relegation battles where he really had to stand up and lead the group in difficult circumstances,” he said. “He did that with real integrity and class. A really strong person, a really strong leader, very vocal.
“In my time with him here, he had a time when he had to wait for his opportunity but then ended up playing some unbelievable games for us – none more so than against PSG in the home game.
“In our Champions League journey, he was pivotal to that and produced some unbelievable performances, probably some of the best that I have seen him play.”
What is Lascelles legacy at St James’ Park?
