Newcastle United confirm departure of ex-West Ham man among 13 released by club

Newcastle United have confirmed that 13 players will leave the academy setup after publishing their academy retained lists. Among those that will leave the club is former West Ham winger Amadou Diallo.

Diallo made his first-team debut as a late substitute against Chelsea back in November and appeared fairly regularly in Eddie Howe’s matchday squads as injury issues plagued the senior set-up. Diallo also featured against Spurs at the MCG in their post-season friendly, netting his penalty in the shootout to help the Magpies to victory. 

Michael Ndiweni, who spent the second-half of the season on-loan at Annan Athletic in Scotland and also made his senior bow against the Blues alongside Diallo, has also been released by the club. Ndiweni scored twice during his time in Scotland.

Diallo and Ndwiweni will leave the club alongside Will Brown, Jude Smith, Jordan Hackett, Matthew Bondswell, Lucas De Bolle, Kyle Crossley, Dylan Stephenson, Shaun Mavididi and Rodrigo Vilca. 

However, the Magpies have confirmed that Jamie Miley, James Huntley and Ellis Stanton have all agreed new contracts with the club, whilst under-18 players Adam Harrison, Aidan Harris, Johnny Emerson, Anthony Munda, Scott Bailey, Sean Neave, Dylan Charlton, Rory Powell, Harry Powell, Josh Donaldson and Darren Palmer have all agreed their first professional deals with the club.

Steve Harper, who is the club’s academy director, said: “I would like to thank all of the players who are leaving for their efforts throughout their time with the Academy. They have all grown as players and people during their time here and should be incredibly proud of everything they have achieved representing Newcastle United.

"All of the players know that the Academy is here to support them as they prepare for the next steps in their careers. I now look forward to following their journeys and we all wish them every success in the future.

"I would also like to congratulate the players who have agreed new contracts. The hard work continues and it gets tougher every year as they look to continue their development, but they should all take great pride in this recognition and use it as motivation for the season ahead."