The window is over, but the transfer surprises just keep coming for Newcastle United. Well, sort of.
It had been widely expected the transfer of Ousmane Diabate to the Magpies would arrive prior to the summer window slamming shut on Tuesday night. However, things went rather quiet on the £3million midfielder. No official confirmation has come from the NUFC end.
But, with the annual release of the Premier League’s official squad lists, the name of Guinean Diabate appeared in the confirmed under-21 list, publicly rubber-stamping the summer transfer from Super Lig club Genclerbirligi.
Diabate, who will remain on loan at his former club this season, as confirmed by the Premier League release, becomes the latest in a long list of players added to the Magpies’ youth ranks in the last few months. Newcastle flexed their muscles at youth level to land winger Kyran Thompson from Arsenal, as well as highly-rated Christian Boothe, Kyle Healy-Matthews and Afner Ca.
The NUFC U21 list also hosts a selection of first-teamers, highlighting the distinct switch in strategy this summer. The want to lower the wage bill and average age of the squad has seen the Magpies’ main squad trimmed to just 19. First-team squad members Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Lewis Miley, Ewen Jaouen, Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur and Baz Toure are all under aged and do not take up a place in the official main group. Full lists, as published, below.
25 Squad players (*Home grown)
Apolinario De Lira, Joelinton Cassio
Barnes, Harvey Lewis*
Botman, Sven Adriaan
Burn, Daniel Johnson*
Dedic, Amar
Elanga, Anthony David Junior*
Gillespie, Mark Joseph*
Gonzalez Iglesias, Nicolas
Hall, Lewis*
Hornicek, Lukas
Livramento, Valentino*
Murphy, Jacob Kai*
Osula, William Idamudia Daugaard*
Pope, Nicholas David*
Ramsey, Jacob Matthew Decourcey*
Schar, Fabian Lukas
Thiaw, Malick
Willock, Joseph George*
Wissa, Yoane
U21 players (Contract and Scholars; *Home grown)
Afumuzor, Chukwudi Theophilus Mduduzi
Alabi, Adedamola Samuel Ireoluwajoba
Bailey, Scott Patrick
Bamba, Aladji Kairaba
Benjamin, Theo Junior
Bloomer, Guy Thomas
Boothe, Christian Francis
Ca, Afner Bernardinho
Callaghan, Jack
Charlton, Dylan Harry
Cordero Campillo, Antonio Jose (Loan)
Craggs, Luke Steven
Diabate, Ousmane (Loan)
Dowell, Roman Toma
Durrant, Jake Thomas
Emerson, Johnny William
Epia, Aaron Ovie
Fernandez-Pardo, Matias
Finneran, Rory James (Loan)
Fitzgerald, Kyle Wesley
Gilligan, Luke
Goodbrand, Oliver William
Harper, Fraser Harrison
Harris, Aidan Francis
Healy-Matthews, Kyle Joseph
Holland, Oliver Henry
Hutchison, Alfie David
Jaouen, Ewen Jean
Johnson, Henry William
Jones, Tyler Stuart
Kouossu, Jayden Pressley
Mair, George William
Miley, Lewis*
Miley, Mason
Mills, Michael Asamoah
Moran, Isaac James
Morgan, Noah Oliver
Mukumbira, Leon Ngonidzashe
Munda, Anthony Junior (Loan)
Ndiweni, Ethan Nyasha
Neave, Sean Thomas*
Old, Thomas Sam
Park, Seungsoo
Patterson, Jack James
Pinnington, Samuel James
Pivas, Miodrag
Rodrigues Ferreira, Matheos
Salia, Vakhtang
Sanusi, Trevan Farooq
Seldon, Alfie Thomas
Shahar, Leo Oren
Steur, Sean Johannes Maria
Thompson, Kyran Anthony
Toure, Bazoumana
Waddani, Mohamed
Walpole, Alexander Guy
Watts, Logan Mathew
Wooster, Kacey Robert Mikie
Yeutembip, Aristide Lesecond Bakinan
Yildiz, Baran