Newcastle United defender set for summer transfer after being omitted from first-team squad

Kell Watts is set to leave Newcastle United this summer with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season.

The 24-year-old defender is currently on loan at Wigan Athletic in League One until the end of the campaign but has struggled to make an impact. An agreement is in place to make the deal permanent in the summer.

Watts started his loan spell as a regular in the side, starting 14 matches and making a further five appearances from the bench.

But Watts hasn't been included in any of Wigan's matchday squads since the turn of the year.

The defender finds himself in an unusual position of being out of contract at his parent club in the summer and out of favour at his loan club with his move yet to be made permanent.

When asked about Watts' extended absence from the first-team squad, Wigan manager Shaun Maloney simply said: "Kell has got big competition in his position. He’s a brilliant professional and person."

There were high hopes for Watts when he joined Wigan at the start of the season following a successful loan spell with The Latics previously.

The centre-back spent the 2021-22 season at Wigan, helping them win the League One title in the process. Last season, Watts was on loan at Peterborough United but was limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions due to injury.

After re-joining Wigan Watts told the club website: “When it first came about, it was something that I was really looking forward to doing. The last time I was here, it felt like home, so it’s nice to be back home!

“Last time I was here, I created memories that will last my whole career, and I’m wanting to make more memories in a Wigan shirt now.”

And Wigan manager Maloney paid appreciation to the work Newcastle did to help get the deal over the line at the time.

“He’s a really important signing for us," Maloney said last summer. "It’s took us some time but I really appreciate the work of Newcastle United and the people here at Wigan have done to get that through.”