Newcastle United have officially confirmed the signing of Kyle Fitzgerald from Galway United.
The 18-year-old completed his move to Tyneside in the January transfer window after impressing on trial with the Magpies in the summer.
Kyle Fitzgerald’s Newcastle move sees him become one of three young players who agreed to join the club this season. Baran Yildiz signed for Newcastle in January while 17-year-old attacker Vakhtang Salia will officially join the club in August when he turns 18.
While they will not be able to use him until next season – Newcastle staff are excited about Salia’s arrival as they believe he can become a handy player for Eddie Howe in the future.
Newcastle beat several top clubs to Salia with sporting director Paul Mitchell working his magic to convince the Georgian under-19s star to move to Tyneside.
Now Newcastle has confirmed Fitzgerald’s signing, the young attacker has revealed why he decided to move to the North East instead of other Premier League clubs.
Kyle Fitzgerald on why he chose to join Newcastle
Following the takeover in 2021, Newcastle has been a much more attractive club for younger players. The club has welcomed several players from abroad in recent years including Cathal Heffernan who joined from AC Milan.
Elsewhere, Alfie Harrison joined Newcastle from Manchester City in a deal worth around £3m in January 2024. Mitchell wants Newcastle to recruit youth from overseas to tackle the club’s ongoing battle with PSR.
Talking on Newcastle’s official website, Fitzgerald was asked what persuaded him to join.
“The project really attracted me,” he said.
“Steve Harper and Paul Midgley (Head of Youth Recruitment) showed me the pathway of players such as Alex Murphy, who has came through Galway’s Academy and then signed for Newcastle like myself.
“I used to go to the same school as Alex but I was two or three years younger than him. I did look up to him because he was in Galway’s first-team when I was at the Academy. Hopefully, I can follow in similar footsteps.”
According to the Northern Echo, Fitzgerald held talks with Brighton and Wolves before signing for the Magpies.
Newcastle defender Alex Murphy has been in and around the Magpies matchday squads in the last 18 months. He made his league debut in a 4-1 win against Chelsea in November 2023. Murphy joined Bolton Wanderers on loan in January in an attempt to play more first-team football.
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Paul Mitchell’s plan for Newcastle youth signings
The Magpies academy looks more and more appealing for young players every season – Fitzgerald and Yildiz’s signings are case studies of that.
While fans may expect these players to play for the under-21s, Newcastle plans to loan out new signings for their first full seasons to continue their development.
Newcastle are set to sign Antonio Cordero from Malaga on a free transfer in the summer – there is currently no indication on whether he will play for the under-21s or be slotted straight into Howe’s first-team squad for the season.
As it stands, both Fitzgerald and Yildiz will finish the season at the club and are likely to feature for the under-21s before the end of the season but they are likely to be sent on loan in the summer.
Newcastle have many players out on loan until the end of the season including forgotten Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden, Charlie McArthur and Joe White.
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