Newcastle close to signing Wolves academy starlet

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Newcastle United are working towards a deal for Wolves academy starlet Leo Shahar.

According to The Secret Scout, Newcastle United have been working on a deal to sign Leo Shahar since July, and are set to finalise the youngster’s move to St James’ Park from Wolves soon.

Shahar has stood out as a potential future star in the Wolves youth academy set up. The 16-year-old is a regular for the club’s under-18s side, and has trained regularly with the under-21s group, too.

The teenager has also represented England at youth level, turning out for the Young Lions in the Development Cup recently. England’s under-16s beat Cyprus, Denmark, and Scotland to win the trophy.

Wolves’ Head of player development Darren Ryan has heaped plenty of praise on Shahar. Speaking to the official Wolves website, the coach said, “every time I watch him playing for England he looks comfortable within the environment. We know how good he is technically and yes there are things he needs to improve on, but the more camps he’s on and the more call-ups he’s getting, the more comfortable he’s looking. His performances are really consistent…It’s great to go and see him in that environment with some of the best players in the country.”

Newcastle building for the future

Having tracked his progress for some time, Newcastle will be confident that Shahar has the capacity to develop into a player who can challenge for a place in Eddie Howe’s first team squad.

The young-right back may even be afforded the chance to learn from the likes of Kieran Trippier on Tyneside. He will also take solace from the fact that Howe has shown himself to be willing to give young players a chance, as evidenced by Elliot Anderson’s level of Premier League involvement so far this season. 

17-year-old Lewis Miley also impressed for the Magpies in pre-season and may be set for some first team action this season.

The prospect of playing for Newcastle at senior level remains a long way off for Shahar, though. However, this move shows that the club are still mindful of building for the long term future, even whilst Howe is on the hunt for more immediate success.