Newcastle United have welcomed several new young players to the club this season.
While it has not been the best of starts to life on Tyneside for sporting director Paul Mitchell, he has been pulling the strings behind the scenes to sign players for Newcastle United’s academy.
In the January transfer window, Newcastle welcomed two new faces to the club after quietly completing deals for them. Kyle Fitzgerald left Galway United for Newcastle after impressing on trial with the Magpies in late 2024.
Newcastle signed Baran Yildiz from Gencerbirligi – the 18-year-old was listed in the Magpies Premier League squad for the remainder of the season.
While not yet complete, Newcastle will welcome Vakhtang Salia in August. He visited the club in January ahead of his move. Mitchell has already begun working on deals for the summer – Newcastle looks set to beat Real Madrid and Barcelona for Antonio Cordero who plays for Segunda Division side Malaga.
As Newcastle welcome several new young players, a huge opportunity to sign a 19-year-old likened to Kevin de Bruyne has been handed to them.
Newcastle target Ibrahim Maza has asking price slashed
Hertha Berlin attacker Ibrahim Maza has impressed in the 2. Bundesliga this season. So far this campaign, Maza has nine goal involvements as his side struggle for form in the league.
Reports ahead of the January transfer window linked Newcastle with Maza, but a winter move always looked unlikely.
Newcastle were willing to pay £17m for Maza, who has previously been referred to as a ‘jewel’, after impressing Toon scouts when they watched him. Now, according to SportBILD, Maza’s asking price is set to be halved thanks to a clause in his contract.
With the 19-year-old now available for a heavily reduced price, clubs across Europe are lining up for his signature. The report suggests that as well as Newcastle, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Marseille and several other clubs are eyeing a move in the summer.
Maza was recently compared to Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne, a player who has previously been labelled as one of the best players in the world.
Paul Mitchell’s new recruitment focus at Newcastle
With a slew of young players moving to Tyneside in recent months, Mitchell can take lots of credit for his efforts to overhaul Newcastle’s recruitment strategy.
Newcastle fans blasted Mitchell after missing out on the likes of Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis to Man City in January – with new faces coming through the door, he looks to have redeemed himself.
The club’s new transfer strategy prioritises signing young players from overseas to ensure the club does not see a repeat of the 2024 summer window where Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to avoid a points deduction.
With Mitchell firmly at the helm of the Magpies’ recruitment, fans may see many younger talents signed from abroad in the summer – with his asking price, Maza could be one of them.
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