Newcastle United transfers: Newcastle are looking to step things up further when it comes to youth recruitment.
Newcastle United are continuing to bolster their academy recruitment set-up with several important new roles.
The club has already filled a number of scouting positions and is now set to appoint a dedicated academy scout for Scandinavia, where Norway, Sweden and Denmark are currently producing a strong crop of emerging talent.
Alexander Isak, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard are just some Scandinavians who have established themselves among the best in their positions in the Premier League in recent seasons. Now Newcastle will be looking to find the ‘next’ Isak or Haaland with their new academy scout.
Interviews are also underway for the position of executive assistant to the academy recruitment director, with the club aiming to have the role filled before the summer.
According to Newcastle, the executive assistant will provide “an effective project management, administration and communication support service to the Academy Recruitment Team, supporting the Academy Recruitment Director.”
Paul Midgley, who previously worked at Sunderland, Leeds United and Manchester City, remains head of the club’s youth recruitment. He was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this year before staying at St James’ Park.
Youth recruitment has become a major part of Newcastle’s long-term strategy since the 2021 takeover. The club has significantly expanded its scouting network and filled several key roles, including the appointment of Midgley, in a bid to develop future first-team players or generate significant profit through sales to meet financial regulations.
While Newcastle have signed a number of promising young players for the academy in recent years, none have yet broken through into the first team with any notable impact.
Ross Wilson’s first NUFC signing confirmed
The latest addition to the academy set-up is 16-year-old winger Johan Martinez, who has joined from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle.
Martinez will officially become a Newcastle player in July 2027 once he turns 18. The signing was announced this week and marks the first official transfer completed since Ross Wilson was appointed as the club’s sporting director last year.
It follows Wilson’s decision to expand Newcastle’s scouting network in South America with the appointment of Thomas Federspiel in December as global talent scout covering Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador.
Wilson said: “We’re delighted to beat off serious competition from leading clubs across Europe to bring Johan to Newcastle United.
“Identifying and recruiting promising young players is a key part of how we build for the future, and our scouting and recruitment teams have worked diligently to secure Johan’s signature.
“Independiente del Valle have a strong reputation for developing young players and Johan has undoubtedly benefited from that environment. He will continue his progress there while we maintain a close connection with his development, and we look forward to welcoming him to Newcastle next year.”
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