The ‘new Yaya Toure’ fronting Newcastle’s academy revolution

Newcastle United will invest millions of pounds in a new “developing talent” strategy that began this summer with eight academy signings, including the most targeted global recruitment drive in the club’s history. Owners PIF have sanctioned the club’s biggest ever transfer budget for under-23 talent as part of a plan driven by sporting director Ross Wilson, who wants Newcastle to move away from their previously “ad-hoc, opportunistic” approach to recruiting young talent. Senior sources see the new approach to academy recruitment as “critical” to the success or failure of “Newcastle 2.0”, the phrase used to describe the club after a major summer pivot to prioritising young talent and a new player trading strategy. They made eight signings at academy level in the summer, and there will be more in the future as Newcastle incorporate cutting-edge data, eyes on the ground, and the club’s beefed-up networks across Europe to improve recruitment at that level. Inside Newcastle’s new academy plan At a meeting with scouts last Friday, the strategy was mapped out in detail. Split into three parts – local, national and global – Newcastle’s academy recruitment priorities are based on “mapping out where we want to be in two to three years” rather than responding to market opportunities or the chance to snare a top talent who becomes available, which is what mostly happened in the past. The strategy starts with signing the best players in a 60-to-90-minute radius of Newcastle, with the club eager to stress that local talent remains a priority. They believe they are now regarded as “the number one player in town” on that front. This is the Newcastle 2.0 era (Photo: Getty) That has been backed up by a national strategy which has seen them – for the first time in the modern Premier League era – compete for and sign some of the best talents at other top-flight clubs. “No one is ever going to win that space outright but we are now part of that conversation where we hadn’t been before,” one source tells The i Paper. There has also been a dramatic shift in their global recruitment strategy. Whereas before they were reacting to market opportunities, now they are making “targeted moves” for players they believe can “go on a journey” with Newcastle. What the plan is for global talent recruits This was the first summer where the plan was put into practice. While signings at senior level dominated headlines over the summer, Newcastle made a flurry of signings with the intention of “raising the levels” across their academy. Among them, the Magpies believe they secured a major coup by signing former Arsenal winger Kyran Thompson despite intense competition from “almost every Premier League club in the country”. He has already impressed behind the scenes and was named in the first-team squad for Saturday’s win against Hull. Two domestic arrivals not yet on the radar of most fans also sparked excitement. They are an under-13 from Middlesbrough and an under-15 from Ipswich who sources believe have “serious potential” and prove Newcastle’s pull on a national level. Globally, they moved for Guinea-Bissau striker Afner Ca and spent six-figure sums on winger Johan Martinez and exciting midfielder Ousmane Diabate. Ca was a free agent after his contract with Levante expired in the summer and Newcastle believe he has a “different profile” to their other striker options. Afner Ca joined as a free agent (Photo: Getty) His signing highlights the strategic part of the plan – with Newcastle’s recruitment team identifying how difficult and competitive the striker market was across Europe this summer, with very few moving between clubs. The belief is that will continue – driving prices for strikers even higher in future transfer windows – so having quality, specialist forwards “in the pipeline” at academy level is seen as especially crucial. Winger Martinez is just 17 and will continue to play for Independiente del Valle for another year. A fast, tricky winger, he is viewed as another with big potential and he was on Tyneside a fortnight ago with his family for further meetings about his pathway with the club. The Under-17 World Cup in Qatar – which kicks off in November – is a key moment for him this season. The ‘new Yaya Toure’ earning rave reviews Perhaps the most high-profile youth capture in the summer was Diabate, a box-to-box midfielder likened to Yaya Toure, who was signed for £250,000 from Turkish Süper Lig side Gençlerbirliği despite competition from Brentford and Trabzonspor. Operating either as a 6 or an 8, he was identified because of his high football IQ, engine and passing ability. There’s also belief he can develop into a line-breaking midfielder capable of dribbling well with the ball from deep areas. Diabate has started regularly this season, with Newcastle receiving rave reports about his progress. The i Paper understands they have a recall clause in January, but the plan is for him to stay in Turkey – and probably go on another loan next season after being assessed in the summer. Diabate is a ‘potential superstar’ (Photo: Getty) Those familiar with his progress believe Newcastle have signed a “potential superstar”. “I think he has the potential to become a very high-level midfielder who can meet the demands of modern football: someone capable of contributing both in and out of possession, offensively and defensively,” says Omercan Ozman, a sports editor with Radyo GOL and Macdergi who reports on Genclerbirligi. He has been hugely impressed by his maturity and consistency and thinks the Magpies have a “serious” player. “I believe Newcastle United have signed a player with a very significant ceiling,” he said. “If his development continues in the right direction, why couldn’t he become the new Yaya Toure?” Newcastle are careful not to “hype up” any potential arrival and that’s probably wise. Others have arrived with great fanfare and failed to live up to the excitement – although sources bristle at the idea that they have been forgotten about. Spanish winger Antonio Cordero, for example, is progressing well at Cadiz in his second loan spell away from Newcastle since signing in 2025. Better ‘pathways’ and plans for arrivals Still, the intention now is to create individual plans and “journeys” for their young recruits to follow. The loans department has been rebranded “talent management” and they’ve hired psychologists, physios and data analysts to help with their development. The appointment of Paul Dummett in the summer was because he has in-depth knowledge of going out on loan and what is required to make it in the first team. Perhaps of equal importance is how “Newcastle 2.0” proves the club’s commitment to young talent. Fielding a double pivot of 20-year-old Lewis Miley and 18-year-old Sean Steur on the opening day of the Premier League season against Liverpool is some sales pitch for the club to utilise when they’re talking to top talent – and Matthias Jaissle is enthusiastic about working with young players. Read more Big read: Inside Matthias Jaissle’s new era – and the night he fell in love with Newcastle Analysis: ‘Not normal’: How Sean Steur emerged as the Newcastle 2.0 poster boy There is a pathway, at least. Partly because of injuries Saturday’s bench included three 17-year-olds – Mason Miley, Thompson and Michael Mills. Jaissle is keen to continue offering those sorts of opportunities through the season. It feels like an exciting plan and one the club have to pursue. Even if only a few become first team regulars, others may be part of the player trading strategy that will be essential to making “2.0” work. Just like at a senior level, the club feel there is “buy-in” across the club, from ownership to the first team coaching staff. “There are no guarantees but this is what we have to do and everyone recognises that,” a senior source says.