Football prodigy Garang Kuol has received an unlikely boost ahead of his move to English Premier League (EPL) giants Newcastle United, and it could drastically change his immediate future.
According to the FTBL, the 18-year-old has secured a coveted UK work permit, which he initially wasn’t expected to get anytime soon, thanks to his two appearances at the recent World Cup in Australia.
It means that instead of the former Central Coast Mariners prodigy, who was plucked from obscurity in country Victoria, he will be forced to bide his time in a European league such as the Primeira Liga in Portugal, likely to be loaned out to a club based in the United Kingdom.
Football sensation Garang Kuol signed with EPL giants Newcastle last September and left Australia on Tuesday to link up with the club; encouraged by some great news
The exciting forward has the world at his exceptionally talented feet and left Australia on Tuesday to link up with Newcastle after the EPL giants agreed a $525,000 transfer fee with the Mariners in September.
Given that the teenager only made his Socceroos debut in September, and has still only made a handful of A-League appearances, he was not expected to be granted a work permit immediately.
It’s been revealed that Garang Kuol will get a UK work permit, something he wasn’t expected to get due to his inexperience…but World Cup cameos with the Socceroos seem to have made a big difference .
That all changed when his electric talent and potential became clear for all to see on the biggest stage of all in Qatar.
If part of Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martínez’s controversial bicep hadn’t managed to get in the way of Kuol’s brilliant turn and shot in the dying seconds of the Socceroo’s round of 16, we might have heaped even more praise on the exciting youngster.
However, Kuol is still very raw, having started just three senior games for Central Coast, so Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said the priority for the new Magpies signing is time to game, in order to accelerate its development.
“It’s a possibility (Garang could train with us),” he told reporters on Monday.
“But I think for the development of the player, he has to go and play.
“If possible, it would be at a very good level, with a good club and a good coach. That’s not a decision that’s been made at the moment, so we’ll have to assess all our options,” Howe said.
Garang Kuol signed for Newcastle United in September for a transfer fee worth $525,000, although although he left Australia on Tuesday to link up with the club, he is expected to leave on loan almost immediately to get valuable experience and game time.
Garang Kuol made two appearances for the Socceroos off the bench at the World Cup, games that were crucial in ensuring he could secure a coveted work permit.
The EPL transfer window remains open until the end of the month, so Kuol is likely to be dealt to another UK club in the coming weeks.
A stay in the Championship (the level below the EPL) or the Scottish Premier League, where former Socceroos manager Ange Postecoglou reigns supreme, are likely options.
Both are very physical competitions, like the A-League, but at a much, much higher technical level than Kuol has been playing Down Under.
Several reports suggest that Howe has had no shortage of offers when it comes to Kuol, so the Toon may take their time to find out which club is the best fit for their prodigious talent.
The teenager was getting a standing ovation after his final game for the Mariners on New Year’s Eve, which the club won 2-1.
Central Coast Mariners chief executive Shaun Mielekamp (left) shakes hands with Garang Kuol after the youngster played his last game for the club on New Year’s Eve before heading to the UK to play for the giants Newcastle’s EPL.
Central Coast manager Nick Montgomery said he is looking forward to a chat with Newcastle’s head of recruitment Shola Ameobi and, despite needing much more experience, backed his star to shine in Europe.
“He’s (Kuol) still a kid – he started three games for us and it’s going to be a shock for him physically and the pressure when he comes in,” Montgomery told FTBL of what Kuol’s next steps might be.
‘Hopefully they can find a club that suits him, I’m sure they will. He just needs to keep playing now and get a lot of football under his belt.
“Time will tell for Garang – he has all the potential and now, ultimately, it’s up to him what happens next. He’s at a big club and that’s vitally important for his development.”
Either way, Socceroos fans will no doubt be salivating at the prospect of a fitter, faster and more talented Kuol pulling on the green and gold at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America .
Source: Socceroos star Garang Kuol gets boost ahead of English Premier League move to Newcastle United
