It looks like we are finally set to see some movement in terms of outgoings at Newcastle United this summer.
All the talk is about Allan Saint-Maximin leaving St James’ Park, while Jamal Lewis is the latest player to be linked with a move away from Tyneside.
However, it appears to be Kell Watts who is the closest to calling time on his Newcastle United career.
He was linked with a return to Wigan Athletic earlier this month, and it looks like that deal is now a goer.
Kell Watts to sign for Wigan on loan and then permanently next year
According to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope, Watts is going to sign for Wigan on loan for the second time in his career.
The 23-year-old will spend the 2023/24 campaign at the Latics, but it will not end with him returning to Newcastle.
That is because his Toon contract expires in the summer of 2024. Therefore, Wigan have agreed to sign him permanently when his deal runs out, rather than the defender becoming a free agent.
That is excellent news for Watts, as it means he does not need to worry about not having a club this time next year.
He is on his way to the League One side, calling time on a Newcastle career that simply did not take off.
Watts made one senior appearance for the Magpies. That came during the behind closed doors era at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. He was a second half substitute in a defeat to Liverpool at St James’ Park. Sadly for him, his one and only senior Toon appearance was inside an empty stadium.
There was hope that Watts could make the grade on Tyneside, but his potential emergence came at the wrong time. Had it not been for the takeover and the influx of signings, he might have had a chance.
Instead, he is heading to Wigan, where he enjoyed a successful loan spell in 2021/22. That ended with promotion, and Watts will hope that feat can be repeated.
If it can, he will get the chance to play in the Championship, which is something he is yet to do.
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