Newcastle United have welcomed more young players to the club in the last two years.
By no means is it a coincidence. The plan has always been to sign younger players for Eddie Howe to develop.
Fans have seen that has been the case with in-house talent like Lewis Miley. The hope is that there will now be a new breed of players who are more likely to be promoted to Newcastle’s first team in the future.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell has taken this culture onboard and developed it to ensure that Newcastle United are signing the best young players at a reasonable price. Newcastle will sign young players from abroad rather than established names in the summer – giving Mitchell the potential to bring more players in at a cheaper price.
Deals for the summer are already being worked on too – Antonio Cordero’s move to Newcastle is ‘almost there‘. The 18-year-old has impressed for Malaga in the Segunda Division this season, earning him the move to Tyneside.
With Mitchell’s new transfer plan in place, a new report has stated which country Newcastle will look to recruit from more often.
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Newcastle to recruit from the League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is becoming more and more popular each season. Last week, the league recorded its highest-ever attendance when 33,000 people went to watch Bohemians vs Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium, where the Irish national team plays.
In 2026, the League of Ireland pyramid is set to be expanded to have two additional levels of football in a new national league, paving the way for more young talent to rise through the ranks. Newcastle have done their fair share of recruitment across the water in the last couple of years.
Alex Murphy joined Newcastle in 2022 from Galway United. The defender made his Premier League debut in a 4-1 win against Chelsea in 2023. Murphy is on loan at Bolton Wanderers but is making a name for himself. Howe challenged Murphy to impress at Bolton to be in with a chance of playing first-team football next season.
Elsewhere, Kyle Fitzgerald signed for Newcastle in January, also from Galway United. It was revealed that the 18-year-old rejected offers from Brighton and Wolves to move to Tyneside after being impressed with the project proposed to him by former Newcastle shot-stopper Steve Harper.
According to the Chronicle, Newcastle have kept a close eye on the League of Ireland, especially after new Brexit regulations came in. It was a change that altered how every club in the Premier League recruited. Players now have to be at least 18 to move to England rather than 16 with the previous rules.
In this circumstance, the young Irish players staying can be looked at in a good light as they have a much better chance of playing in the league before moving elsewhere. That was the same case for Fitzgerald who played twice for Galway last season.
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Kyle Fitzgerald makes Newcastle academy debut
After signing his first professional contract, Fitzgerald has been keen to hit the ground running on Tyneside. The striker has aspirations of playing in the Premier League one day but must prove his worth in the academy first.
Fitzgerald made his Newcastle debut in a 0-0 draw against Manchester United under-18s last week. The Irishman was a late substitute, playing on the right wing.
On Saturday, Fitzgerald made his second appearance for the Magpies under-18s, playing 45 minutes in a 3-1 win against Liverpool’s youth side. Although he was not involved in any of the goals, he helped his new side come back from a goal down to secure the three points.
It is also believed that 18-year-old midfielder Baran Yildiz, who also joined in January, was in attendance while he waits for his chance to impress.
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