Former West Ham United man has 'head turned' ahead of Newcastle United loan decision

The 22-year-old right-back has been limited to friendly appearances since signing for Newcastle from West Ham United for £3million in January 2023. Ashby spent last season on loan at Swansea City in the Championship but his campaign was hampered by injuries.

The full-back was made available by Newcastle during the summer transfer window with QPR finally securing a move on deadline day. Ashby is one of 14 senior departures to be confirmed by Newcastle over the summer transfer period.

And upon signing for QPR for the season, Ashby told the club website: “There is only one place that I wanted to come and I am really excited for what’s ahead.

“The people I spoke to, and the chats that we had, straight away my head turned.”

“A big thing coming on loan is the style of football you are going to play. When you are on loan you want to improve, you want to get better and help the team.

“The setup here, I can definitely improve my game.”

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Ashby made seven senior appearances for West Ham before joining Newcastle. Although he is yet to make his competitive debut for The Magpies, he has featured for the Under-21s side and also made 16 appearances for Swansea last season, scoring once.

“The experiences I have been through have really helped me in my career and coming here is another experience I can add to the list,” Ashby added.

“Now that I am here and I have seen around, my head is fully turned to playing for QPR and getting started.”

Wantaway Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden responded to the move by sending Ashby a message on social media that read: “Good luck bro. Top club with great people.”

Hayden spent last season on loan at QPR but a second spell at the club fell through during the summer transfer window. He remains under contract at Newcastle until 2026 but is still looking to leave the club despite the domestic transfer window closing.