Newcastle United centre-back Kelland Watts is heading south ahead of joining Stevenage on loan, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claimed in their live transfer blog on Thursday [12:31pm] that Watts, 19, is a “highly-rated” young defender who is now set to join the English League Two side on a temporary basis.
It is understood that Watts has been involved with the Magpies’ first-team over the course of the pre-season but Steve Bruce’s squad is already well-stock in the centre-back position and a loan move away from St James’ Park is perhaps the best option.
OPINION
Watts has never made a senior appearance for Newcastle in competitive football and it’s highly unlikely that he was going to in the upcoming Premier League season. Bruce has inherited a squad that already has a high number of centre-backs. Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Ciaran Clark, Florian Lejeune and Federico Fernandez are all still on the books at St James’ Park, so Watts would have been well down the pecking order. It’s good that he is going out on loan but to join a club like Stevenage is a bit odd for someone who is so highly-rated. Stevenage are one of the lesser sides in League Two. At the age of 19, for someone as highly rated as Watts, you would expect him to be playing for a League One or even a Championship side if he is ever going to stand a chance of getting into the Newcastle senior squad. Hopefully he impresses in the fourth-tier and can maybe win himself a loan deal at a club higher up the pyramid in January.
