Newcastle: Newcastle United announced Thursday they have signed a South Korean teenager, Park Seung-soo. Park, 18, will join the under-21 squad for Newcastle, becoming the 20th South Korean player to sign with a Premier League club. "It's a huge honor to join Newcastle United. It's a big step for me and I feel incredibly thankful for the faith the club have shown in me," Park was quoted as saying in the club's statement posted on their website. "I'm excited to develop here, learn from the coaches, and give everything to become the best player I can be."
According to Yonhap News Agency, in July 2023, Park signed a semi-pro contract with Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the K League at 16, becoming the youngest player to do so. Then in June last year, he became the youngest player to appear in a K League match at 17 years, three months, and five days old. He netted his first goal a week after his debut, becoming the youngest scorer in league history. The forward finished last season with a goal and two assists in 14 matches for the K League 2 club. He has appeared in 11 matches this year without having any goal involvement.
Newcastle Academy Director Steve Harper called Park "an exciting young talent with real potential." "He's already shown maturity beyond his years in a competitive environment and we're delighted to welcome him to the club," Harper added. "His signing reflects our commitment to identifying and developing elite talent from across the globe and credit must go to our recruitment network, who continue to do an excellent job in identifying talented young players who have the potential to thrive here. We've seen our talent pathway produce some outstanding success stories in recent seasons and Park now joins a group of young players with that same opportunity ahead of them."
Newcastle, the reigning English Football League Cup champions, are scheduled to visit South Korea next week for two preseason matches -- against Team K League at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, and then against Tottenham Hotspur at 8 p.m. on Aug. 3 at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the capital. Park will not be part of the Magpies' Asian tour.