Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign top Irish talent Rory Finneran from Blackburn Rovers. Verbal agreement is in place for the Republic of Ireland Under 17s captain as he is set to be part of Magpies project for the future.
16-year-old Finneran, became the youngest player in Blackburn Rovers history to play for the senior team this year after coming on in their 5-2 FA Cup win over Cambridge United in January. The U17s international replaced fellow Irishman man Sammie Szmodics after 91 minutes but he was not allowed to wear a kit with the main Blackburn shirt sponsor, an electronic cigarette manufacturer, due to his young age.
Finneran signed for Rovers at the age of eight and went on to make his first appearance for Ireland at the U15 level. Blackburn tried to convince the youngster to stay but the lure of premier league football was too attractive for one of Ireland's brightest talents.
There were reports of a number of teams eyeing up the young midfielder, but the Magpies where keen to seal the deal to bring him to St James' Park before the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Rory Finneran is signing for Newcastle United!🇮🇪
Finneran leaves Blackburn after becoming the youngest player to ever play for the club last season at 15 but he must feel his development is better in Newcastle.
A wonderful footballer!☘️ pic.twitter.com/AfYRN6aRXH— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) July 30, 2024
Finneran confirmed the news on his instagram feed this morning.
I would like to say a massive thank you to all the coaches, staff and my teammates at Blackburn over the past 8 years at the club for supporting and helping me develop. It has been an amazing journey, from signing at u8’s to making my first team debut, I have enjoyed every moment and wish the best for everyone at the club. I felt it was the time for a new challenge and I am very excited for the next step in my career.
SEE ALSO: Report: Clubs Given Transfer Deadline In Pursuit Of Republic Of Ireland Striker
Finneran's big Premier League move
His big move comes as the rumour mill continues around former team-mate and fellow Irishman Sammie Szmodics' future at Blackburn.
Newcastle already have a strong Irish contingent in their academy with Alex Murphy, Reece Byrne and Cathal Heffernan among those to arrive in the past two years so hopefully Finneran should have no problem settling in at his new club.
Fans of the Magpies can only dream that the Irishman will have the same impact as a certain former Rover by the name of Alan Shearer.
See below an example of what the left footed midfielder can do, Newcastle fans will hope to see many more examples of this in years to come.
Ireland u17 and u16 captain Rory Finneran is some player !🇮🇪
He scored this goal today and also picked up an assist😮💨 pic.twitter.com/VATxcasIP1— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) November 25, 2023
From an Irish perspective, his move to the Premier League is welcome where he will hopefully progress into a top senior International in the coming years.
