Newcastle newcomer Jacob Ramsey has namechecked Alan Shearer and said his visits to St James’ Park have not been “enjoyable” after completing a “big” £40 million move from Aston Villa.
The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract to end an 18-year association with the Villans, who drew their Premier League opener 0-0 at home to the Magpies on Saturday.
“As soon as I knew, it didn’t take me much to decide,” Ramsey told Newcastle’s website, adding that he was motivated by the discovery that manager Eddie Howe “really liked” him.
“His track record of developing players – especially those who have gone on to become internationals here – speaks for itself.”
Jacob Ramsey: Newcastle ‘aggressive’
Ramsey was a childhood fan of club legend and all-time Premier League top scorer Shearer, who played for Newcastle between 1996 and 2006.
“[The first thing] I first think about Newcastle, when I was growing up, is Shearer,” he explained, adding that he would “always remember” the targetman’s celebration of raising an arm to the air.
“Playing for Villa against Newcastle, we always knew it was going to be a tough game, aggressive, passionate, athletic, energy, a bit of rivalry, a bit of feistiness.
“I’m excited to be on the other end now. When you come to St James’ Park, part of the gameplan is to try to quieten the fans.
“That speaks volumes. I’ve not had enjoyable experiences here so far. That’s going to change.”
Ramsey has won four and lost three of his eight meetings with Newcastle, taking a point from three away trips but producing a goal and assist against them in Villa’s 3-0 home victory during the 2022/23 season.
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Newcastle transfers 2025/26
The deal represents another positive step for Newcastle after several months dominated by the uncertainty of striker Alexander Isak’s future at the club.
Eddie Howe has missed out on several targets during the summer transfer window but has brought in winger Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m and AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw for an initial £30m.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has also joined the club from Championship side Southampton for a £4m season-long loan fee.
Villa had been looking to sell a player to help meet Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules. As an academy graduate, any fee received from Ramsey’s sale would represent pure profit.
Jacob Ramsey stats
Former England Under-21 international Ramsey made 167 appearances for Villa, debuting for the club in 2019 and scoring 17 goals.
A regular last season, he helped Unai Emery’s side finish sixth in the league and reach the last eight of the Champions League, in which they lost 5-4 on aggregate to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.
He had a loan spell with Doncaster Rovers in League One in 2020 and won Villa’s young player of the season award in 2021/22 and 2022/23, also being named player’s player of the season in the former campaign.
Before suffering an injury, Ramsey played in each of England’s first four games on their way to Under-21 Euro glory in 2023, contributing an assist against Germany as captain and scoring against Czechia.
Newcastle fixtures
Newcastle are at home to reigning champions Liverpool next on Monday, August 25 at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT).
The game is live on Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra in the UK, as is their subsequent trip to promoted Leeds United on Saturday, August 30 at 17:30 BST (12:30 ET / 09:30 PT).
Their first match in the league phase of this season’s Champions League will be during the week of September 16.
