Eddie Howe admits Garang Kuol had various other offers on the table before signing for Newcastle United on Friday. The Australian sensation, 18, will stay with Central Coast Mariners before officially joining the Magpies in January 2023.
Kuol has only been on the scene a short amount of time but wasted no time catching the eye of the footballing world with his impressive performances Down Under. His cameo appearance against Barcelona in the summer certainly put the teenager on the map.
Howe admits he met with Kuol earlier this week and is confident the new addition can have a bright future at Newcastle after opting to sign for the north east outfit over other interested parties.
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Howe said: “I met him for the first time in person yesterday and that was a really good conversation - a very confident and dependable lad who has got high motivation, you can see that internally.
“He had offers, various options. Playing well against Barcelona recently certainly elevated his status and the (amount of) potential people that wanted to recruit him. Thankfully we were able to win the race to sign him and we’re very pleased to do so.”
Kuol will join his new club in 2023 but will likely be loaned out due to not currently having a UK work permit. The youngster has yet to start a competitive game for club or country and has only played 145 minutes in a league that is not even listed in the top five bands.
The points-based system that details whether an overseas player can obtain a work permit consists of many factors, including the quality of the league the new signing is coming from, how many caps they have and the domestic minutes they have played.
Kuol recently earned a call-up to the Australia national side and a spot in this winter's World Cup could be a huge boost for the teen and his availability to play in England.
“I’d say at the moment the plan would probably be, and these things can change, to go on a loan spell from January,” Howe added. “Where that is at the moment, I’ve got no idea.
“We’re working through various options but things can change regarding his involvement in the World Cup if he’s selected. There are lots of moving parts to that one as well.”
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