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Oscar Haley

Who is scout Paul Midgley amid talk of key Newcastle United recruitment decision

Newcastle United's off-field transformation is reportedly set to continue with the news the Magpies are said to be appointing Manchester City scout Paul Midgley as their head of youth recruitment.

Following the takeover of the club back in October 2021, the Magpies have made a significant effort to improve the quality of their youth team set-up, which included making multiple signings for the U21s and U18 this past summer.

They added plenty of talent to their academy this summer in the form of Alex Murphy, Amadou Diallo, Charlie McArthur, Jordan Hackett and Jude Smith, with Australian international Garang Kuol also set to join the Magpies permanently in January.

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While there has yet to be any official confirmation from Newcastle over Midgley's hire, it would certainly be an interesting appointment. Prior to his move to Manchester City, which only came about this past summer, Midgley had served as Leeds United's head of national academy recruitment.

His role at Leeds entailed overseeing the recruitment of junior players from U12s to U16s. And his move to the Etihad saw Midgley become a northern youth scout for the current Premier League champions.

Given the direction of the way things at St James' Park are going, a move of this nature should come as no surprise to Newcastle supporters.

With Newcastle now putting far more resources into improving their academy than they ever did under former owner Mike Ashley, the opportunity to help a club on the up unearth prospective gems could have proved to be an offer Midgley could not refuse.

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