Former Newcastle United and West Ham United winger aiming to shine after shock France move

It was the briefest of glimpses into life in the Premier League - but it was enough to whet the appetite of one former Newcastle United academy star.

With just minutes to go in a 4-1 win over Chelsea, Amadou Diallo was beckoned to the bench by Magpies boss Eddie Howe before replacing fellow academy man Lewis Miley for the final minutes of the stunning victory against Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Now, just under a year on, Diallo is preparing for life on the other side of the channel after making a surprise move to Girondins de Bordeaux. The six-time Ligue 1 champions have endured a torrid period in their proud history after severe financial issues saw the club relegated into the fourth tier of the French game. Once famed for being home to the likes of World Cup winners Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, amid ongoing uncertainty, Bordeaux are facing a long climb back towards the elite - but it is a challenge former Magpies prospect Diallo is ready to meet head on.

He told The Gazette: “It’s going really well so far. Training has been good and it’s been good to meet my team-mates and get used to the new surroundings. It’s a big club and everything happened quickly. Bordeaux brought a new director in, he got in touch about a week later and we spoke about the plans before I came over. It’s really exciting because they are a really big club and they are expecting to get back up to where the club needs to be very quickly. It’s a very big challenge. I was surprised with the atmosphere because of the division we are in but the fans are just so it’s down to us as players to keep them positive and get some wins on the board to make them happy.”

Diallo has found one familiar face within the Bordeaux squad after they completed the signing of former Magpies striker Andy Carroll. The Geordie frontman made a surprise move from Ligue 2 club Amiens last week after scoring four goals in 35 appearances for Les Licornes. Despite his new club awaiting their first win in their new surroundings, Carroll striker enjoyed a fine start to life with Bordeaux after scoring twice on his debut in a 2-2 draw with Voltigeurs de Châteaubriant on Saturday night. Diallo is looking forward to striking up a fruitful partnership on and off the pitch with the former Newcastle striker and is hoping to ‘pick the brains’ of the former England international to aid his own development.

He said: “It was a surprise to see Andy coming in. When I was in talks they told me they had been in talks to get him in - but even when they did it was still a shock because of where he was playing. I’ve been at Newcastle for the last two seasons so I know a lot about Andy and I used to watch him when I was a youngster coming through at West Ham too. We’ve been speaking, he’s a great guy, a real role model for everyone and I will be asking him questions, picking his brains and asking for advice. But it’s more about watching him day-by-by, seeing how he conducts himself in training and matchday and seeing where I can improve. Most importantly, it’s about getting a good relationship with him on the pitch. He’s made a great start, he was excellent on Saturday, he looks hungry so hopefully I can help him keep scoring.”

The move to Bordeaux comes after Diallo was the subject of interest from several clubs across the English football pyramid following his release from Newcastle earlier this summer. The former West Ham United academy winger moved to the North East just under two years ago and became a regular in the Magpies Under-21s over that time. His senior experience may well have been limited to that late appearance as a substitute in the win against Chelsea in November last year and six unused substitute appearances in all competitions - but the talented winger has nothing but positive thoughts when he looks back upon his time on Tyneside.

“For me, it was a good experience and I thank everybody at the club for helping me get that time at the top level and for showing me what it takes day-by-day to get to that level too,” he explained. “It’s a big challenge to get back to the Premier League and that’s what I’ll be working towards. I came to Newcastle as a youngster, I’ve gained experience and I’ve matured because I lived on my own and I had to learn to be more independent. It was a good experience, I enjoyed it, it’s a city full of good people and it was easy to settle in. I have no regrets, I was there for two seasons and I gave it my all on and off the pitch so I don’t have any regrets about how it went."

As well as featuring in a number of matchday squads over the course of his two-year stay with Newcastle, Diallo was a regular feature of first-team training sessions as he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. However, it was Magpies full-back Kieran Trippier that stood out for the youngster as he described the former England international as ‘a great role model’ who was ‘supportive of the youngster players’ with the United squad.

He said: “From my point of view, I don’t really ask questions, I just like to observe people around the club. Kieran Trippier was a great role model for any young player going up and training with the first-team because he stood out the most for me. He put demands on himself and other players, he was very supportive of the younger players and he would give out advice as one of the senior players.”

Diallo’s journey from academy new boy to bring of the first-team setup at St James Park can act as a lesson for the current crop of Magpies hopefuls. One has stood out more than most with 17-year-old winger Trevan Sanusi impressing during a pre-season campaign spent with Eddie Howe’s senior men and although the former Birmingham City prospect is yet to make a first-team appearance, a breakthrough is expected over the coming weeks and months. Diallo has no doubt Sanusi can progress and continue his improvement as he urged the youngster to look after himself on and off the pitch if he is a become the next academy star to shine at senior level.

He stressed: “Tre has a lot of talent, he just has to stay consistent and look after himself on and off the pitch. On the pitch, he can do very good things so it’s just about carrying on looking after himself away from the pitch and trying to continue the improvement he has already shown. When you get to that top end, when you train with the first-team, you find it’s more physical and you have to be strong mentally. He’s very talented and I am sure he will keep progressing.”

For now, Diallo is solely focused on settling into life at Bordeaux and making an impact with a club that are taking the first tentative steps on the way back from the major disappointment they suffered throughout the summer. A debut could have come in Saturday’s home draw with Voltigeurs de Châteaubriant - but a missing document meant he will have to wait to finally make his bow for his new club. With that frustration now behind him and his clearance now received, the former Magpies winger is determined to make up for lost time as he prepares for his return to competitive action.

He said: “They said my permit came through last week but then we found there was one document missing. Hopefully, all documents can come this week so I can play. I just want to get playing now because I’ve trained a lot and I just want to get some minutes on the pitch now.”