Newcastle United are reportedly set to announce the acquisition of 18-year-old English left-back Jordan Hackett, following the expiration of his Tottenham contract.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United are set to add another teenage talent to their youth ranks in the form of outgoing Tottenham full-back Jordan Hackett, one of 12 youngsters released by the north London club this summer.
Hackett joined Tottenham’s youth set-up in the summer of 2020 and made his debut for the Under-18s in the 2019/20 season as a 15-year-old wonderkid before becoming a mainstay in the last couple of seasons. In total, he has made 35 appearances for the youth team during his time in north London.
The 18-year-old has also represented the England under-16 side and earned a call-up to the national setup’s under-18 team as well, making his debut last year in a game against Wales. Unfortunately, Hackett was one of 12 players released from Tottenham’s academy system in an apparent makeover of their youth division.
However, the teenage prodigy has managed to impress Newcastle United officials on trial with their under-23 side in May, with the Chronicle claiming that he featured in the Under 23s’ 3-2 victory over the Rangers B team. And it appears Hackett is set for a second shot at the big time, with Newcastle expected to sign the English youngster.
It is reported that Newcastle have fended off interest from a number of other clubs to secure the services of the England Under-18 international. Hackett will go straight into the development setup, where he will feature heavily for the Magpies’ Under-21 side.
Although the current limelight is on which players Eddie Howe will add to his first-team squad, important academy upgrades are underway following Dan Ashworth’s appointment as sporting director. The former Brighton & Hove man is responsible for identifying and signing young players who can join Newcastle at an early age and are capable of breaking into the first-team squad.
The arrival shows the increased emphasis Newcastle are putting on bolstering their academy setup this summer by snapping up youngsters who can save them millions in the coming years, as they look for sustainable overall growth at the club.
The Magpies also beat off stiff competition to recruit promising Galway United defender Alex Murphy, while have already agreed on a fee and personal terms for highly-rated Kilmarnock defender Charlie McArthur. Newcastle are also interested in Southampton’s soon-to-be-free-agent attacking prodigy Tyler Dibling, but they will face heavy competition for his signing.
