Forgotten Newcastle United man pictured in pre-season set for exit as interest emerges

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
The Geordie defender is set to leave Newcastle United this summer.

Kell Watts is set to leave Newcastle United this summer with Wigan Athletic among the clubs to register their interest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 23-year-old was back at the club’s Benton training centre on Sunday morning for the first day of pre-season after returning from an injury-plagued loan spell at Peterborough United.

Watts joined the League One side last summer when he was still recovering from a knee injury and made just five starts before a hamstring issue saw him miss the rest of the campaign.

Newcastle United defender Kelland Watts. (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)Newcastle United defender Kelland Watts. (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)
Newcastle United defender Kelland Watts. (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Alnwick-born defender could feature for Eddie Howe’s first-team during pre-season, like he did last year before knee surgery, but is expected to leave come the end of the summer transfer window.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As reported by Wigan Today, The Latics are keen to bring Watts back to the DW Stadium. Watts was part of the Wigan side that lifted the League One title in 2021-22. In total, he made 26 appearances.

Watts has come through the youth ranks at Newcastle and has made one competitive appearance - a cameo against Liverpool at St James’ Park in July 2020.

Get the latest Newcastle United headlines with our free football newsletter! Follow the action from St James’ Park and beyond as we bring the sport news to you. Visit our website here to sign up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The defender has also spent time on loan at Stevenage, Mansfield Town and Plymouth Argyle to reach 100 Football League appearances.

His contract expires in 2024, meaning Newcastle will need to decide whether to offload him permanently or loan him out for the final year of his deal.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.