Jacob Murphy: Newcastle's game-changer and England's perfect Saka alternative

Suraj Radia

Updated: 23 Apr 2025 10:35 CDT
5 min read

Jacob Murphy, Bukayo Saka, England — © IMAGO

Newcastle’s rise to form in recent weeks has caught many by surprise, none more so due to the performances of Jacob Murphy, who could be staking his claim for a stunning place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

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Few would have predicted that Murphy would be sharing plaudits similar to Isak and Premier League Player of the Year frontrunner Mohamed Salah but the Newcastle winger has proven uniquely consistent and productive since the turn of the year.

STATS

Jacob Murphy

F (R), AM (L)

Newcastle Utd.

Jacob Murphy

F (R), AM (L)

Newcastle Utd.

36

Games
9

Goals
12

Assists

Indeed, no-one aside from Salah has assisted more Premier League goals this season, with the Liverpool star and Isak being the only players with more goal contributions than Murphy’s 17 since the start of December – leading to a run of 19 wins in Newcastle’s last 25 games across all competitions, including their first domestic trophy win in 70 years.

Isak, in particular, is having his best campaign since joining Newcastle three years ago, largely due to the impact of Murphy, who has created seven of the Swede’s 21 goals this season to form the most potent duo in the league.

The turnaround has been stunning for Murphy, who turned 30 in February and has spent his eight years in Newcastle largely as a fringe player who many had written off as not good enough to meet the club’s lofty ambitions.

Yet the Murphy fairytale is not just a feel-good story about hard-work and perseverance but also an example of the reinvention of the modern day winger and the impact it can have in this era.

How Murphy has helped reinvent the winger role – and how he can do it for England too

Wingers in recent years have, almost exclusively, been used as inverted forwards who cut inside onto their strongest foot to make an impact – something that saw Murphy often sidelined for the now-departed Miguel Almiron on Newcastle’s right flank.

But Murphy admitted recently that his impact was a conscious effort to work on his crossing ability while also priding himself on his impact at both ends of the pitch by ‘doing the ugly work wingers don’t normally do’.

“I identified a couple years ago that I’m not left-footed, I’m not inverted,” Murphy said. “I can’t come in and always finish on my left so what do I need to do to make being a right-footed right winger work? And that’s really honing in on my crossing, positioning and really provide – that’s where the value comes.”

The change in style has been more than a coincidence to Newcastle’s recent success, with many defenders often struggling to cope with the stretching of play, particularly with Murphy’s pin-point crossing ability and the threat of Isak in the middle to also deal with.

Murphy’s form will also have caught the eye of Tuchel, who has been seen at a number of Newcastle’s games since his tenure as England boss began in January, particularly with the German having a history of enjoying hard-working players who can offer tactical discipline even at the expense of some flair and technical ability.

Tuchel will have noted England’s attacking struggles under Gareth Southgate, with Bukayo Saka tending to be the only consistent performer having seen the likes of Foden and Cole Palmer prefer to drift inside and play centrally.

Compared

Bukayo Saka

F, M (R)

Arsenal

Bukayo Saka

F, M (R)

Arsenal

VS

Jacob Murphy

F (R), AM (L)

Newcastle Utd.

Jacob Murphy

F (R), AM (L)

Newcastle Utd.

2024/2025

Season Statistics

2024/2025

33	Appearances	36
2340	Minutes Played	2433
11	Goals	9
14	Assists	12
69	Key Passes	42
11	Interceptions	12
38	Tackles	27
82	Shots Total	50

Tuchel has also proven to have no prejudice with his selection choices, having raised eyebrows with his selection of Newcastle’s Dan Burn in his first squad, giving the Newcastle star his first ever international appearance at the age of 32.

Murphy’s profile as a selfless, hard-working crosser capable of playing all down the right flank is a mould that is rare in modern football and has caught even the best defences off guard this season and there is no reason why such unpredictability cannot translate to an international level.

The winger’s displays will have surely convinced Tuchel that he is more than capable of being a perfect alternative to Saka to provide a new edge to England’s attack and emulate his success with Newcastle by ending decades of hurt for both club and country.

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