Newcastle United chief confirms ‘significant’ contract news
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Newcastle United have confirmed that 11 players have signed scholarships with the club.
Eddie Howe’s first-team have returned to pre-season training ahead of a new campaign. The Magpies have a number of friendly matches against elite opposition this summer, with Celtic, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid all scheduled to face the Magpies before their season gets underway on 16 August.
Whilst there will be plenty of players in the senior set-up that are keen to impress Howe and force themselves into his plans, there will also be a few academy players that could use the summer to showcase their talents. Those on the periphery of Howe’s squad could be given an opportunity by the head coach this summer.
And whilst those players will be eyeing potential first-team chances, the Magpies have confirmed that eleven players have earned scholarships with the club. Those eleven players, which include Mason Miley, younger brother of Lewis Miley, will join Newcastle United on a full-time basis after leaving school this summer.
Steve Harper confirms Newcastle United contract news
Sam Alabi, Jack Callaghan, Luke Gilligan, Oliver Holland, Mason Miley, Michael Mills, Noah Morgan, Ethan Ndiweni, Thomas Old, Jack Patterson and Sammy Pinnington have all signed scholarships with the club. They will now embark on a journey which they hope will end in first-team appearances for Newcastle United as their career in football begins.
Academy director Steve Harper knows all too well about the feelings those eleven players will be experiencing right now. Speaking about the developments, Harper told the club’s website: “Congratulations to each of the young players who have earned a scholarship with us.
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“Transitioning into a full-time football environment is a significant step, both personally and professionally, and our programme is designed to support that journey in every respect — from football development to education and life skills.
“We’re looking forward to helping them grow on and off the pitch as they begin an exciting new chapter at the Academy.”
Newcastle United’s pre-season schedule
As mentioned, Howe is currently putting his side through their paces at Darsley Park before they ramp up their preparations for a new campaign with friendly matches. The Magpies will travel to Celtic Park on Saturday 19 July for a clash with the Scottish champions.
That match, which will see Howe’s side roared on by thousands of travelling Magpies fans, will kick-off in Glasgow at 3pm. Newcastle will then travel to Austria for a training camp before embarking on a trip to Asia.
The first stop for Howe’s side will be Singapore when they take on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on Sunday 27 July (12.30pm kick-off BST). They will then travel to South Korea to take on a K-League team three days later (12pm kick-off BST) before facing Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 3 August (12pm kick-off BST) at the 66,704 capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The Magpies will then travel back to England before back-to-back friendly games against Spanish opposition at St James’ Park. Espanyol will visit on Friday 8 August (7:30pm kick-off) before Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid come to St James’ Park to take part in the Sela Cup a day later. That match will kick-off at 4pm following a clash between Newcastle United Women and Atletico Madrid Femenino at 1pm.