Newport County offer pro contracts to five academy prospects
Forward Alexander-Walker, midfielders Corey Evans and Riley Lonergan, wide player Morgan Evans and versatile defender Sam Watkins have all earned deals after impressing for the club's under-18s.
The Exiles state that contracts with the promising quintet 'strengthens the club's ongoing commitment to developing homegrown talent and building a strong pathway from the academy to the first team'.
Alexander-Walker, who came on against Tranmere in the final game of the campaign, has been offered a one-year deal along with Corey Evans and Lonergan, who have both previously been unused substitutes for the senior team.
Morgan Evans and Watkins have been offered six-month deals.
DEAL: County midfielder Corey Evans has earned a one-year professional contract (Image: Huw Evans Agency)
Academy manager, Luke Hussey said: 'We're incredibly proud to see Corey, Mo and Riley who have all been involved in first team squads offered professional contracts at the end of their scholarships, and to see Sam and Morgan rewarded with six-month deals.
'These offers are a reflection of the hard work and dedication shown by the players, and a testament to the belief the club has in our academy system.
'It's another clear sign that there is a genuine pathway at Newport County AFC for those who are willing to work hard for it.'
Several academy youngsters have regularly trained with the first team while the Under-18s reached the semi-finals of the FAW Youth Cup.
They were without the influential pair of Nelson Sanca and Jac Norris for the latter stages of that competition after the defender and midfielder were sent out on loan for a taste of senior football with Briton Ferry Llansawel in the Cymru Premier.
The youngsters are likely to feature in pre-season when County build towards the new League Two season under new boss.
Nelson Jardim left after keeping the Exiles in the Football League despite a raft of changes with Manchester United Under-21s coach David Hughes expected to be named as his replacement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
NBA Finals Game 2 live updates: Thunder look to even series vs. Pacers
If Game 1 is any indication, we're in for a wild ride for the 2025 NBA Finals. After trailing nearly the entire matchup, Tyrese Haliburton's jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining allowed the Indiana Pacers to take an early hold of the series. But this is the Oklahoma City Thunder we're talking about — a squad with the best defense in the league and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Will they respond with a statement win at home or leave Paycom Center down 0-2? Stay with NBC News all Sunday night for the latest from Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
NBC News
9 hours ago
- NBC News
The 2007 trade that ultimately set the 2025 NBA Finals matchup
In the waning moments of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, four players played a pivotal role: Indiana Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder forward Jalen Williams. After Williams (off a Gilgeous-Alexander pass) missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Thunder a 9-point lead with 2 minutes and 16 seconds to go, Nembhard hit a three of his own over Gilgeous-Alexander on the following possession. Later, in the game's decisive sequence, while Oklahoma City was clinging to a 1-point lead, Gilgeous-Alexander missed a pull-up jumper with 11 seconds to go. The Pacers scooped the rebound, got the ball to Haliburton, and the star guard hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. All four players (Haliburton, Nembhard, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams) have been key cogs in their teams' success over the last couple seasons. And all four can be traced back to a transaction from the summer of 2007, when a 30-year-old Sam Presti, general manager of the then-Seattle SuperSonics, made a trade that helped set the stage for the 2025 Finals. Here's how the Sonics' sign-and-trade of forward Rashard Lewis helped build not one, but both of this year's NBA Finals participants.
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Trent Alexander-Arnold hit by rule and Real Madrid 'ban' after Liverpool move
Trent Alexander-Arnold will report back to Real Madrid for the Club World Cup after England duty, but he will be greeted by a couple of different rules from his time at Liverpool Trent Alexander-Arnold may have completed his move to Real Madrid but will face two issues at his new club. The former Liverpool star will link up with Xabi Alonso's side after the international break. The 26-year-old featured as a second-half substitute as England recorded a turgid 1-0 win over Andorra to take another step towards World Cup qualification. Given that Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones played at right-back on Saturday, Alexander-Arnold could replace him for England's friendly with Senegal on Tuesday. It is set to be a busy summer for Alexander-Arnold, who was confirmed as a Real player a month early to play for Los Blancos at the upcoming Club World Cup. However, he will soon face two fresh issues in Madrid: his favoured No. 66 shirt is unavailable and he cannot drive his preferred car to training. Alexander-Arnold wore No. 66 on the back of his shirt throughout his Liverpool career. Breaking into the team as an academy graduate, the full-back chose to stick with his unusual shirt number. His success in a Liverpool shirt didn't prompt him to change to a more conventional number for a first team regular, even after winning major honours with his boyhood club. However, he will not be able to continue that trend in the Spanish capital. This is because La Liga rules insist that no first team player is allowed a shirt number higher than No. 25. Only youth players are allowed to wear shirt numbers higher than that, with fellow defender Raul Asencio (No. 35) being one of the few exceptions last season. Real Madrid veteran Dani Carvajal holds the conventional No. 2 for a right-back. Regarding Alexander-Arnold's available options, he has No. 12, No. 24 and No. 25 to choose from based on this season. The transfer market could further impact his options before the start of next term. Moreover, Luka Modric (No. 10), Lucas Vasquez (No. 17) and Jesus Vallejo (No. 18) are all set to reach the end of their contracts after this summer's Club World Cup. Whichever number Alexander-Arnold chooses, he will have to make another compromise in terms of how he gets to training. During his time at Liverpool, the defender often travelled to the club's AXA Training Centre in his Range Rover P530. Although the car model is no longer available to buy in the UK, the luxury SUV was previously priced at £130,000. It boasts a 4.4 V8 twin-turbo engine with 530 horsepower and can reach a top speed of 155mph. Unfortunately, he will be unable to show his preferred motor to his new Real team-mates due to the club's commercial deal with BMW. As part of the sponsorship agreement, players are banned from driving any other brand of car to training, according to Spanish outlet El Motor. The deal only includes electric and hybrid vehicles, which are later sold as pre-owned by BMW. However, the good news for Alexander-Arnold is that he can take his pick free of charge. Both Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe have opted for the BMW XM, which usually costs around £152k. Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior went for the slightly more expensive BMW i7 M70 xDrive, which is priced at around £157k. Alexander-Arnold was announced as a Real player at the beginning of this month after the club reached a £10million deal with Liverpool for the full-back to end his contract a month early. He was due to arrive as a free agent at the end of his Reds deal, but Real stumped up £8.4m plus another £1.6m to cover his remaining salary so he'd be available for the Club World Cup. Real are set to begin their Club World Cup campaign against Al-Hilal on June 18. The Spanish giants also have group games against Mexican side Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg. The tournament is scheduled to last until July 13.
