Newcastle United transfer news: The Magpies have secured the signing of a highly-rated Barnsley youngster.
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Newcastle United have reportedly beaten off interest from Tottenham Hotspur to sign England youth international Josh Kenchington from Barnsley.
As revealed by the Daily Mail, Kenchington, dubbed the ‘next John Stones’ due to his affiliation with Barnsley and his preferred position as a centre back, will move to the north east as Newcastle United continue to transform their academy ranks. Kenchington is the latest in a number of players that Newcastle United have snapped up from academies around the United Kingdom and beyond as they aim to drag their academy system, so often passed over by former owners, to being able to compete with the very best in the country.
Kenchington has represented England at Under-15 level and was named as Barnsley’s academy player of the year at the end of last season. Kenchington was called-up to represent England Under-15’s for the first time in November 2024 and has represented them on four occasions in matches against Greece, Japan, Portugal and France.
Newcastle United academy focus
As mentioned, Kenchington’s signing comes amid a renewed effort by Newcastle United to strengthen their academy ranks and have it competing alongside some of the best in the country. The Magpies are looking to not only strengthen their ranks at Under-15 level, but also right up to Under-21 level as well.
The signing of Antonio Cordero during the summer, beating off interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, was one major step towards strengthening their options at just below first-team level. Georgian striker Vakhtang Salia has also joined Newcastle United after turning 18 in August in a deal orchestrated by former sporting director Paul Mitchell.
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Speaking about the capture of Salia and the need to continue business like this, Mitchell told the club website: “We're delighted to get ahead of a number of other top clubs to sign Vakhtang,” he told the club website when the deal was confirmed last year. “Scouting and recruiting emerging talent is an essential part of building a sustainable future, particularly within the current PSR framework, so the market is fiercely competitive.
“We continue to scout extensively, both domestically and overseas, with a view to securing players who can come through our talent pathway and, ideally, become part of the first team in future.”
The responsibility of helping to continue developing the academy will now fall onto new sporting director Ross Wilson. Wilson’s move from Nottingham Forest was confirmed last week and he will hope to have a long-term impact at Newcastle United - something that his predecessors have been unable to achieve.
Speaking about Wilson’s appointment, Eddie Howe said: “I've known him for a number of years but not to any depth. He has been around the game for a long time. He has had a number of jobs and done really well from the outside.
“Working with him now, the first impressions of him and his work have been very good. He is a really good person and has fitted in really well so far. I am sure he can make a huge difference.”