shieldsgazette.com

Newcastle United academy: New arrival Kyran Thompson has signed his first professional contract with the club.

Sign up to our Newcastle United newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Shields Gazette, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.

Submitting...

Newcastle United winger Kyran Thompson has signed his first professional contract with the club after turning 17.

Thompson arrived at Newcastle’s academy from Arsenal during the summer but was unable to sign a professional deal until he turned 17. The Magpies fought off Premier League competition, including from Tottenham Hotspur, to land the young forward.

A club statement confirmed the teenager’s first professional contract upon turning 17.

Subscribe to our Newcastle United newsletter for all the news straight to your inbox

Reacting to his new deal, Thompson told the club website: "It's been a lot of hard work towards signing my first professional contract. I believe joining Newcastle was the right step towards what I want to achieve. I'm happy to be here and very excited for the future.

"My strengths would be dribbling, drifting inside and being able to play the ball in-behind. I'm a technical player who likes to create chances and score goals for the team.

The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.

"A big reason why I came here was the chance to play Under-21s football and be able to train with the first team, getting pushed and exposed to senior football as quickly as possible. I feel like this is the right place to do that."

Thompson helped Newcastle Under-18s continue their best league start in 20 years over the weekend by opening the scoring in a 4-1 win at Leicester City. Thompson’s goal was cancelled out by James Quinn in the second half before a 23-minute hat-trick from striker Alfie Hutchison saw the young Magpies secure a comfortable win.

He will be hoping to break into the Under-21s side this season with a view to becoming a first-team player in the future.

Newcastle United sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for £100million in the summer.

Sign up to our Newcastle United newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Shields Gazette, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.

Submitting...

Roberto De Zerbi has suggested Sandro Tonali needs time before Tottenham Hotspur see the best of the midfielder.

Newcastle United reunited with Tonali last weekend for the first time since selling him to Spurs for £100million, and they managed to get one over on the Italian by securing a 2-0 victory in North London.

Tonali started the game but was brought off with a quarter of an hour remaining. De Zerbi later admitted post-match that Tonali was still not at his best physically.

The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.

“Sandro Tonali is another crucial player,” De Zerbi said. “He is not in the right condition, in the best condition yet, maybe physically, even though he worked with us at the beginning of the pre-season.”

Tonali has started all three of Tottenham’s opening Premier League matches this season, though he was rested for their Carabao Cup second round win against Charlton Athletic, which came days before Newcastle’s visit.

Howay the Lads! Click here to sign up for The Shields Gazette’s free football newsletter

Robert De Zerbi makes Sandro Tonali claim

Ahead of Spurs’ draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, De Zerbi was pressed further on Tonali and seemingly called for patience when it comes to his big-money midfielder.

That may be alarming to Spurs supporters, as the fee paid indicates that Tonali was very much signed to make an impact now.

“Yes, and he started very well the game, for example, with Chelsea or Hoffenheim,” De Zerbi said. “I think it can happen also the time, maybe he needs more time to understand a new club.

“I remember in the first season in AC Milan, the second season they won the Scudetto, Serie A, but the first season he suffered.

“Then, in the second season, hopefully we want him to play at a good level, already in the first season, but maybe for a new player, it's different now, the dressing room.”