Newcastle United announce seven new contracts as restructure continues

Newcastle United have awarded first-ever professional contracts to seven of its current academy stars.

Michael Ndiweni, Jamie Miley, Kyle Crossley, Harry Barclay, James Huntley, Josh Stewart and Ellis Stanton have penned professional deals.

Centre forward Ndiweni and central midfielder Stanton trained with Eddie Howe’s first-team squad on a few occasion last season.

Both players, including the other five, will step up to Elliott Dickman’s under-23s this campaign after spending the majority of last year in the under-18s.

The same goes for full-back Jordan Hackett, whose arrival from Tottenham Hotspur has also been confirmed.

The club’s academy is heading in a positive direction after it become something of any afterthought under previous owner Mike Ashley.

Since the arrival of the new owners in October, director Amanda Staveley has publicly pledged more investment into academy coaching and infrastructure.

Recently-appointed sporting director Dan Ashworth has already held meetings with academy manager Steve Harper to review the current state and structure.

Although such process takes time to get absolutely right, there are already sights of the academy heading in the right direction.

In Harper’s own words, he described 18-year-old Irish defender Alex Murphy’s capture from Galway United as a “real coup” and a “testament to the direction the club is going in under our owners.”

Murphy is one of the most highly-rated young prospects in Ireland. And the Magpies will be signing someone with similar ilk when a deal for Kilmarnock’s Charlie McArthur is announced.

McArthur, who captained Scotland during this year’s under-17s European Championship, is tipped for a big future in the game after making his senior debut aged just 16 last October.