Former West Ham winger completes free transfer after Newcastle United contract snub – eight free agents remain

Former West Ham winger completes free transfer after Newcastle United contract snub – eight free agents remain

Several former Newcastle United players are still looking for new clubs with the 2024-25 season well under way.

Newcastle United released 16 players from professional contracts over the summer, including seven who had made competitive first-team appearances for the club. Kell Watts and Matt Ritchie joined Cambridge United and Portsmouth respectively following their release from Newcastle at the end of June.

Winger Amadou Diallo, who made his Premier League debut for Newcastle against Chelsea last November, has also recently joined Bordeaux on a free transfer – becoming the latest player released by Newcastle to find a new club.

Bordeaux were once regarded as one of France’s best clubs but now resides in the fourth tier of French football amid financial issues and a double administrative relegation.

Michael Ndiweni also made his only Newcastle appearance against Chelsea and has stayed in the North East of England following his release as he joined local non-league side Ashington. Less than a year after making his Premier League debut,

the striker is now playing in the eighth tier of English football but is yet to score in six appearances for his new club. Paul Dummett, Jeff Hendrick and Loris Karius were the other high-profile releases made by Newcastle in the summer. Dummett has remained on Tyneside without a club but has continued to work on his fitness at Newcastle’s

training ground while Karius returned to Italy to be with his family as he looks to secure a move to the Serie A. Hendrick hasn’t played for Newcastle since 2021 and has had unsuccessful loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Reading in each of the last two Championship seasons. He is another still looking for a new club.

Although the transfer window has closed for the summer, free agents are still able to join new clubs and be registered to be included in their squads provided there is space available. Newcastle also released several players from the Under-21s squad with at least four confirmed to have found new clubs.

Kyle Crossley – South Shields

Kyle Crossley has joined South Shields in the National League North and has already got off the mark at his new club.

Dylan Stephenson – Dagenham & Redbridge

Forward Dylan Stephenson spent last season on loan at South Shields and scored for Newcastle United in a friendly win against Al Hilal in 2022 but didn’t make a competitive appearance for the club. He joined National League side Dagenham & Redbridge on a free transfer in the summer but his minutes have been limited so far.

Jude Smith – Carlisle United

Goalkeeper Jude Smith is the only Under-21s player released to have been able to secure a Football League move with Carlisle United but is yet to feature so far.

Jordan Hackett – Mousehole

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Jordan Hackett joined Newcastle on a free transfer back in 2022 but was released two years later. While he has remained in England, he couldn’t have realistically got any further from Newcastle as he is now at Mousehole AFC in Cornwall, playing in the eighth tier of English football.

Former Newcastle United youngsters remain without clubs

Now we’re in mid-September there are still several players yet to have officially found new clubs for the 2024-25 season. Players and agents have told The Gazette that those without any significant senior football experience have found it very difficult to find new clubs this year with many lower-league clubs under more financial pressure being unwilling to take risks on largely unproven young players. It is part of the reason why many have dropped down several levels or even looked at their options abroad.

And there are still several former Newcastle youngsters released in the summer looking for new clubs. Forward Shaun Mavididi and goalkeeper Will Brown are yet to announce any new clubs after playing for Newcastle Under-21s last season prior to their release.

Lucas De Bolle

Lucas De Bolle has featured as part of Premier League matchday squads for Newcastle and played for the first-team in friendly matches but struggled to make the step up into senior football. Like Diallo, De Bolle’s last appearance for Newcastle being an 8-0 friendly defeat to the A-League All Stars just before the summer may not have helped his cause either.

Matthew Bondswell

Matthew Bondswell, a former RB Leipzig full-back, participated for Newcastle’s first team during the 2022 pre-season in Benfica but did not make Eddie Howe’s side. He was a regular while on loan at Newport County last season, but was unable to secure a permanent contract.

Rodrigo Vilca

Perhaps one of the strangest signings Newcastle have made in recent years, Rodrigo Vilca, is still a free agent. The Peruvian joined Newcastle in 2020 as a 21-year-old but was made to play with the academy throughout his time on Tyneside. He spent time on loan at Doncaster Rovers, making 10 appearances in 2021 before returning to Peru on loan with Universitario the following year.

He spent last season at Voždovac in Serbia, scoring twice in 16 appearances but ultimately suffering relegation from the Serbian top flight. Now 25, Vilca is officially without a club for the first time in his career having failed to make any real impact since moving to Newcastle four years ago.

The Gazette will provide updates on each player should they secure new clubs in the coming weeks or months.

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