Newcastle Tie Four Youngsters To New Deals

Newcastle United are yet to get a summer transfer deal completed - but they have managed to tie down four promising youngsters from their academy to professional deals. Defenders Jamie Sterry and Macaulay Gillesphey, as well as forward Tom Heardman and attacking-midfielder Liam Smith, have all penned their first professional contracts after impressing during the Magpies' Under-21 campaign last season. At 19, Sterry has already been on the bench for a number of Newcastle's matches and the club are hugely optimistic about his future. Speaking to nufc.co.uk, Sterry explained his delight at penning the deal. He said:

"I'm absolutely buzzing. "I was on the bench last season and the atmosphere was amazing. I hope to experience that many more times. "I'm looking forward to pre-season training now and seeing how that goes. I can't wait."

Heardman meanwhile is a tall, physical striker and the 19-year-old has been compared to previous Geordie youth-team product Andy Carroll, while Gillesphey (also 19) is a centre-back who can also play at left-back. Finally, 19-year-old attacking-midfielder Smith is the last of the four youth players to sign professional contracts. Now all Newcastle supporters want to see are some senior signings coming through the door... For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.