Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v AFC Bournemouth - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 17, 2022 General view as the flags above St James Park stadium fly at half-mast following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
(Reuters) -Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign Australia international forward Garang Kuol from Central Coast Mariners, the Premier League club said on Friday.
The 18-year-old, who scored four A-League goals for the Mariners last season, will join Eddie Howe's side in January 2023 when the transfer window opens. Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed.
"As a young boy in Australia, the Premier League is the main thing that everyone watches but nobody actually thinks they'll reach those heights," Kuol said in a statement. "To be one of those people, to be in the position I am, it's amazing."
Kuol made his debut for Australia in a 2-0 win against New Zealand on Sunday, making a telling contribution after coming off the bench in the 73rd minute and playing a part in the Socceroos' second goal.
His impressive performance was the latest in a brief career for a player who has yet to start an A-League game but who appears increasingly likely to be included in Graham Arnold's squad for the World Cup in Qatar, which begins in November.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said the arrival of Kuol would be an exciting addition to his squad, but said he would initially be sent out on loan.
"He is a young player with huge potential. It shows from the club and myself where we want to go in signing young players and trying to develop them in our system for them to be Premier League players in the future," Howe told reporters.
"He's had a dramatic rise and he's in a position that excited everybody. There needs to be patience shown.
"We will look after him and he'll go out on loan and learn and develop behind the scenes and hopefully when he comes here he can play a part in our future."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, Editing by William Maclean and Toby Davis)
