Newcastle United defender agrees two-year contract as transfer exit confirmed

Newcastle United defender Kell Watts has agreed a two-year contract at League One side Cambridge United.

Watts’ contract at Newcastle is set to expire at the end of the month, leaving him free to join Cambridge. The 24-year-old defender spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic but found himself limited to just 14 League One appearances, the last coming in December 2023.

Wigan had an agreement to make Watts’ loan permanent in the summer but both parties opted against a deal with the player left out of the matchday squad for the majority of the second half of the 2023-24 season.

Watts will be hoping to bounce back from the difficult spell at his new club. The Newcastle academy product has plenty of experience in League One having previously won promotion with Wigan during his first loan spell in the 2021-22 campaign.

Watts has also spent time on loan at Stevenage, Plymouth Argyle and Cambridge’s rivals, Peterborough United.

After agreeing to join Cambridge, Watts told the club website: “I am buzzing to join. It’s time for me to make the next step in my career and from everything I’ve heard and learned about Cambridge United, I am convinced that this is the right place for me. It's a big challenge for me but one I am ready for.

“The gaffer [Gary Monk] has some great plans in place and I can’t wait to hit the ground running and join up with the rest of the boys for pre-season.”

Watts’ only competitive first team appearance for Newcastle came off the bench against Liverpool in 2020. He is one of five senior players to be released by the club this summer along with Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie, Loris Karius and Jeff Hendrick.