Newcastle United blow as midfielder confirms Premier League move in four-word post

Newcastle United have disappointingly lost one of their brightest academy prospects to a Premier League rival.

Ollie Harrison, who appeared in the under-18s Premier League last season as a 15-year-old, attracted interest from Brighton and Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers but has opted to join Chelsea.

A statement from the Blues read: “Chelsea is pleased to confirm midfielder Ollie Harrison has joined the club after signing a scholarship agreement.

“The 16-year-old arrives from Newcastle United and will continue his development this season with our Under-18s, who started their campaign on Saturday with a victory over Crystal Palace.

“Harrison has been capped by England at under-16 level and was part of the side that this year won the Mondial Montaigu Tournament in France. Welcome to Chelsea, Ollie!”

Harrison reacted on Instagram with the caption “proud to join @chelseafc.”

Having promoted the likes of Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley into the first-team in recent seasons, Harrison was viewed by many behind the scenes as the next rising star.

His departure is a big blow for the Magpies, who have made great strides to strengthen their academy since the arrival of Dan Ashworth as sporting director last summer.

Over the last 12 months, Newcastle have recruited the likes of Alex Murphy, who featured for Eddie Howe’s side in pre-season, Charlie McArthur, Reece Byrne, Jude Smith, Jordan Hackett, Amadou Diallo and Garang Kuol to their youth ranks.

Off the field, Paul Midgley (Head of Head of Youth Recruitment) and Paul McLaren (Head of National Youth Scouting 13s to 18s) have joined from Manchester City, while Edward Black (Lead Academy Scout U9s to U14s), Delroy Ebanks (Academy Lead Scout for the South of England), Andy Basterfield (North West Regional scout) and Claire Burrows are among those to join from Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United and Leicester City, respectively.