New Newcastle United signing set to join this week after bidding farewell to former club

Newcastle United are set to welcome a fresh face to the club this week.
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18-year-old defender Alex Murphy was confirmed as Newcastle United’s first signing of the summer last month but has had to wait until July to complete his switch from Galway United.

Murphy started his final ‘farewell' match for Galway against Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland First Division match on Friday evening. He played 85-minutes of the 3-0 win before being substituted to a warm ovation from the home fans.

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He will now join up with Elliott Dickman’s Newcastle Under-23s side for pre-season.

Newcastle United training ground.Newcastle United training ground.
Newcastle United training ground.
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Murphy made his first team debut for Galway at just 16 and has already captained the Republic of Ireland’s under-18s side while also earning a call-up at under-19s level.

The teenager is capable of playing centre-back or left-back and has made 20 appearances in the Irish second tier so far this season, registering two goals and three assists.

After agreeing a deal to bring Murphy to Newcastle, academy manager Steve Harper told the club website: “We are very pleased to have secured a deal to bring Alex to Newcastle United.

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“He is a very promising young player who has attracted a lot of attention from clubs. It is a real coup for our Academy and is testament to the direction the club is going in under our owners.

“I would like to thank everyone involved with Galway United for their assistance. The club has been a pleasure to deal with and I wish [Galway manager] John Caulfield and his players the very best of luck for the rest of the season.”