6 forgotten Newcastle academy graduates who became cult heroes elsewhere
The likes of Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley and Elliot Anderson are all flying the flag for Newcastle United’s academy. But what about the graduates who quietly departed the club before finding their path elsewhere?
Take a look beyond the Premier League and you’ll find no shortage of footballers who developed their skills at Newcastle and have gone on to enjoy decent careers further afield.
Here are six Newcastle academy graduates who made themselves cult heroes at other clubs after leaving Tyneside.
James Tavernier
The right-back was born in Bradford and has often spoken of his passionate support for Leeds United, but he departed the Yorkshire outfit to continue his development in Newcastle’s academy back in 2008.
Tavernier went on to make 10 appearances for the Magpies but was loaned out to six different clubs before his 2014 sale to Wigan Athletic.
But a year later he joined Rangers, where he’s served for 10 years and made himself a bonafide modern-day club legend.
The 33-year-old is closing in on his 500th appearance for Rangers, notching well over 100 goals (as a right-back!).
He helped them get promoted from the Scottish Championship in his debut season, was their captain when they won the Scottish Premiership in 2020-21 and once again wore the armband when they reached the Europa League final in 2022.
Dan Barlaser
Born and raised in Gateshead, Barlaser joined Newcastle’s youth ranks when he was just nine years old.
He eventually made his debut under Rafael Benitez in an FA Cup victory over Birmingham City in 2017 but he only made a couple of further cup cameos for his boyhood club amid a series of lower-league loans away.
The midfielder eventually found his feet at League One Rotherham United, originally on loan, in their promotion-winning 2019-20 campaign.
He ended up signing permanently for the Millers and spent a further three years there, going on to enjoy a second promotion (in between two Championship relegations) in 2021-22.
Barlaser also started for Rotherham at Wembley when they beat Sutton United in the 2022 EFL Trophy final.
“Laser and rockets … Dan Barlaser turned football into a sweet science with Rotherham United. And he was a bit daft” reads one headline in their local press.
Shane Ferguson
The left winger left his hometown of Derry to take up a scholarship at Newcastle’s academy way back in 2007.
He remained on the Magpies’ books for nine years and featured intermittently as a fringe player in the early 2010s before a series of loans away.
Since then he’s enjoyed a decent career in the Football League, most notably at Millwall where he starred in their promotion from League One in 2016-17, eventually making over 200 appearances for the club as they established themselves back in the second tier.
He earned a second promotion from League One with Rotherham United in 2021-22 and featured alongside Barlaser in the Millers’ EFL Trophy final victory over Sutton.
Ferguson has also been capped over 50 times for Northern Ireland and was a key member of their memorable Euro 2016 squad.
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Freddie Woodman
Alright, “cult hero” might be stretching it a little on present form.
Preston have reportedly been in the market for a new goalkeeper and Woodman’s status as No.1 at Deepdale may be under threat.
But the former England youth international was exceptional in his debut season with the Lilywhites, earning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2022-23.
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Jamie Sterry
Newcastle born and raised, Sterry has spent most of his career in the north east. He left his boyhood club for South Shields in 2020 before swiftly moving on to Hartlepool United.
It was at Victoria Park where he kicked on and enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career, helping them get promoted back to the Football League.
He started in the 2021 National League play-off final against Torquay and scored his penalty in the shootout.
Now he’s at League Two promotion-chasers Doncaster United.
Kazenga LuaLua
Unlike older brother Lomana, Kazenga never really made the great at St. James’ Park. But the winger became a proper cult hero at Brighton during their Football League days.
After three loans at the Amex, LuaLua joined the Seagulls permanently in 2011-12 and was something of a fan favourite thanks to his mercurial dribbling style and acrobatic celebrations.
Unfortunately, he became more of a peripheral figure by the time they got promoted in 2017-18 and subsequent stints at QPR, Sunderland, Luton, Charlton and – most recently – Hartlepool United haven’t proved quite as memorable as his time on the south coast.