It has now been revealed that Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign the ‘Next John Stones’.
Josh Kenchington has represented England at a number of youth levels and he has attracted the attention of a host of top clubs with his performances for Barnsley at the younger age levels.
Still only 15, he already stands at more than 6ft tall.
The Mail report that a deal has been agreed a deal between Newcastle United and Barnsley for Josh Kenchington, with just the formal completion of it needed now.
The real/original John Stones is 31 now and started both senior England matches in the past week, as they became the first European team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.
Josh Kenchington is currently an England Under 15s international but with very obvious potential to go far higher.
John Stones also came through the ranks at Barnsley and after making it into the first team at a young age, was bought by Everton for £3m+ when he was 18, spending three years at Goodison before Man City bought him in 2016 for £50m.
The comparisons for Josh Kenchington with John Stones come from the fact that not only have they both started their careers at Barnsley, but the 15 year old is getting rave reviews for his quality on the ball, despite already standing at more than 6ft.
The Mail report that Josh Kenchington and his family have visited Tyneside ahead of the move formally getting completed and that at the Newcastle United end of things; “There is a lot of excitement around his anticipated arrival.”
After a decade and a half of stagnation at every level, especially when it came to youth recruitment and development, under Mike Ashley. These Newcastle United owners are putting serious investment into facilities, coaching staff and the recruitment network around the UK and around the world, to try and bring in the stars of the future early.
The positive signs have already been seen at the various age levels at Newcastle United, both in terms of individuals standing out and results of the various teams at the NUFC Academy seriously improving.
Good luck to Josh Kenchington when he completes his move to Newcastle United and hopefully he will be someone we will be hearing plenty about in the future.