Newcastle United are still hoping to be busy in the transfer window, and could make another addition to the academy after a trialist impressed in a pre-season friendly.
The young Magpies have come leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, with the likes of Steve Harper working hard to bring in more talented young players like Alfie Harrison and Trevan Sanusi.
Newcastle United’s academy was in a state of neglect before Mike Ashley sold the club. Many local young talents were coming through the door, but very few were able to make it into the first team. However, it is a completely different story today, with Newcastle now poaching players from rival academies, and Eddie Howe allowing others to play in his matchday squads.
During pre-season, Newcastle fans have been exposed to the likes of Alex Murphy, Travis Hernes, and new signing Seung-soo Park, who excited fans on debut in South Korea.
It now appears another young prospect could soon join the club after a successful trial appearance in an Under-21s fixture.
17-year-old Raymond Offor on trial with Newcastle United
Newcastle have unearthed several young talents from Ireland in recent years, with the country becoming more of a goldmine for players who look set for bright futures.
Alex Murphy joined Newcastle from Galway United in 2022 and has since gone on to make multiple Premier League appearances. Elsewhere, Kyle Fitzgerald joined Newcastle in January, impressing with the Under-18s last season.
It now looks like young Irish star Raymond Offor could join the Magpies in the near future after starting in the Under-21s’ 5-0 win against South Shields on Sunday. The 17-year-old, previously of Shelbourne, was handed his professional debut by former Newcastle player Damien Duff, but it now looks like he could follow in his ex-manager’s footsteps and move to the North East.
The 17-year-old defender started the game alongside fellow Irishman Cathal Heffernan and Charlie McArthur at centre-back, before coming off for Logan Watts.
Offor has represented Ireland at Under-18 level alongside Rory Finneran, who joined Newcastle from Blackburn Rovers last summer.
Another Newcastle United youth star impresses vs South Shields
While eyes were on Offor during his trial, the South Shields friendly was an opportunity for other young players to get back up to speed ahead of next season, and show Howe why they should be in with a shout of playing regular first-team football.
One player who appeared to impress was 18-year-old Turkish midfielder Baran Yildiz, who scored and bagged an assist after coming off the bench. Yildiz joined Newcastle in January from a Turkish second division side and was handed minutes for the Under-18s towards the latter stages of the season.
Yildiz wants to become a legend at Newcastle and dreams of the day he can make his debut for the first team. Other players on the scoresheet included Joe Brayson, Kasey Wooster (2), and Trevan Sanusi, who was surprisingly omitted from Howe’s squad for the pre-season tour of Asia.
Some of these young players could get their opportunity to impress in the upcoming friendlies at St James’ Park, with the Magpies hosting Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.
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