Newcastle United released several players at the end of the 2023/24 season.
It was the first of many big clear-outs at the club, with Toon boss Eddie Howe keen on freeing up the wage bill to sign more quality starts for Newcastle United.
However, things haven’t gone exactly as planned with those squad players not being replaced last summer and further exits in the recent January transfer window.
Newcastle fans said goodbye to Paul Dummett, a 23-year veteran at the club. Matt Ritchie also departed at the end of his contract.
They were two of 11 players within the first-team and Newcastle’s academy that left the club, with Amadou Diallo and Michael Ndiweni, who both made first-team appearances, leaving the club.
Elsewhere, Loris Karius left Newcastle, but it took him several months to find a new club. Karius now plays for Schalke in the 2. Bundesliga, recently making his debut for the former German giants.
That left one star effectively lying in limbo, with no social media activity or news of a new move. Now, Newcastle’s last senior player to be released has finally found a new club, eight months after leaving.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Jeff Hendrick signs for Derby County after Newcastle release
Jeff Hendrick was part of the retained list at the end of the 2023/24 season, having played just 10 minutes under Howe.
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The Irishman was loaned out to Queen’s Park Rangers in January 2022 and then two other loan spells to Reading and Sheffield Wednesday followed before eventually leaving the club. Now, it has been announced that Hendrick has returned to Derby County, the club where he began his career.
Signed by Steve Bruce in 2020, Hendrick hit the ground running with a goal in his Premier League debut but things quickly turned sour as the midfielder fell off he pace and struggled to make his mark on the team.
Despite that, Bruce was still a big fan of Hendrick, once calling him ‘excellent’ (LancsLive).
Hendrick had been MIA since his release but has finally returned to football with the move. It was revealed in December that Hendrick was still without a club while every other player released had. There is a chance that his hefty wage bill was a big stumbling block for interested parties.
Derby County have completed the signing of Jeff Hendrick! ✅
A graduate of the @DCFCAcademy – the midfielder returns on a deal until the end of the 2024/25 season. ✍️
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) March 7, 2025
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Now 33, Hendrick has the opportunity to pick himself back up in the Championship, but it will not be easy. Derby are rock bottom of the Championship at the moment and only have 11 games to claw their way back out of the relegation zone. The Rams were only promoted from League One last season, but it looks likely that they will plummet back down.
While his time on Tyneside was anything but successful, Hendrick scored Newcastle’s final goal before the takeover in October 2021, an equaliser in a 2-1 defeat to Wolves to unexpectedly etch himself into the Magpies history books.
Jeff Hendrick to face former Newcastle teammate
Having not played professionally for eight months, it will understandably take time for Hendrick to get back up to speed. There’s no confirmation that he will be thrown straight into the deep end against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, so he may make his debut later down the line.
Derby plays Burnley on April 9, where there is set to be an unlikely reunion. Former Newcastle man Jonjo Shelvey now plays for Burnley, having left Turkey for a move back to England. The 33-year-old has played four times in all competitions this season.
Dummett linked up with Mike Williamson at Carlisle, a former Newcastle defender. However, Dummett got injured in his debut and Williamson was sacked shortly after. Ritchie moved to Portsmouth last summer and is still playing consistent Championship football despite being 35. He also plays alongside Isaac Hayden, who was loaned to Pompey in January.
Hendrick will also reunite with the Portsmouth pair as Derby travel to the South Coast in April.