Newcastle youngsters Michael Mills (R) and Kyran Thompson (L) were named in a Premier League squad for the first time on Saturday
Newcastle United youngsters Michael Mills (R) and Kyran Thompson (L) were named in a Premier League squad for the first time on Saturday(Image: Iain Buist/Chronicle Live)
Teenage summer signing Kyran Thompson has ambitions of breaking into Newcastle's first team and feels the club's identity of giving young players opportunities made it a 'project' he wanted to be a part of.
There was a lot of excitement when the 17-year-old winger decided to swap Arsenal for Tyneside this summer and there are high hopes about his future at Newcastle following his arrival last month.
Thompson, who has been capped at under-17 level for England, has just earned a call-up to the England under-18 alongside fellow Newcastle youngsters Roman Dowell, Sam Alabi and Michael Mills and he has already made an impression at the club.
The Magpies had a huge demographic shift in the transfer market this summer, signing eight players aged 24 or under at first team level, while Matthias Jaissle handed opportunities to youngsters Sean Neave, Leo Shahar, Rory Finneran, Mason Miley, Dylan Charlton and Miodrag Pivas at senior level in pre-season.
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It is that willingness to trust youngsters that appealed to Thompson as he swapped North London for the North East, and it is a decision that has already paid off after he was named in a Premier League squad for the first time on Saturday.
Thompson, Pivas, Mason Miley, Michael Mills and Vakhtang Salia were all named in the squad that beat Hull City 2-1 on Saturday afternoon as Jaissle afforded them the opportunity in the wake of nine of his senior players missing the match through injury.
The talented teen exclusively spoke to Chronicle Live on Tuesday about his first team ambitions being a real driver behind his move and just four days later, those ambitions were realised with a call-up to the senior fold.
"It's been good so far," Thompson said.. "Training is a lot different to South, but I've enjoyed it and got used to it and settled in good. All the coaches have been top to me, and the teammates and players as well.
"First of all, [my target is] just to keep smashing it with the 21s and keep starting and getting goals and assists, and then after that, just to break into the first team.
"I think right now Newcastle is a great project with playing young players, and I think once I get my opportunity, I've just got to take it with both hands and just take my opportunity and show everyone what I can do."
Thompson showcased his talents to Newcastle fans on Tuesday as he scored and registered an assist in their 3-1 win over League Two high-fliers York City in the Vertu Motors Trophy.
The 17-year-old latched on to Pivas' pass and arrowed a left-footed drive across City goalkeeper George Sykes-Kenworthy and into the bottom corner to move the young Magpies 2-1 ahead. He then turned provider, threading an inch-perfect pass through to fellow summer signing Afner Ca who sealed the win with a calm finish.
Afner Ca of Newcastle United U21 celebrates with teammate Kyran Thompson
Afner Ca of Newcastle United U21 celebrates with team-mate Kyran Thompson (Image: 2026 Getty Images)
"First start for the 21s, happy to get the win. It was a great experience," Thompson continued. "The first half we struggled a bit, but then I think in the second half we got into the game and took our chances, and from there we just managed the game when we were up winning.
"And when it was 2-1 we just managed on the low block, and then once it went to 3-1 the game was just done. I think it's good to hit the ground running. After I scored, I think we just went into the flow of the game, and everything just went into place, and I'm happy to get the win of course."
It was Thompson's first appearance for the under-21s and Newcastle's lead coach Robbie Stockdale believes he thrived on the first team stage at the LNER Community Stadium.
"He's good. He's obviously a really good player," Stockdale told Chronicle Live. "It's not easy for anybody to come into a new club and a new team. But we've obviously lost some players on loan.
"Some players are in the first team squad, which is brilliant. That's the job. And it's the next group that come through that need to grasp the opportunity and I think we probably were really young at one stage tonight. So that's a great experience for those players. They'll have dips.
“They'll have moments where it doesn't look great for them. And we have to support them when it happens. But we demand and push them really as much as we can.
"And he [Thompson] has experienced it brilliantly. For me, the EFL Trophy and the National League Cup are great games for our learning. Really, really good."