Newcastle United sign former AFC Newbury defender Charlie Wiggett

Former AFC Newbury defender Charlie Wiggett has moved a step closer to achieving his dream as a professional football by signing for Newcastle United.

The 18-year-old has joined the club’s academy and will play with their U23 squad for the upcoming season.

Wiggett joined Newcastle from Chelsea, where he signed a professional contract in 2019, and he is relishing the opportunity.

“I am really excited and it’s the next step on my pathway and moving on in my career.

“It’s a great club, it has great history and it is the next stage of my career to help me get that first-team football.”

During his time at Chelsea, he captained the club at under-18 level and he was happy with how his time in London went.

“Getting that professional contract at Chelsea was an amazing feeling.

“It was an amazing experience and one that I have been working towards since a young age when I was playing for AFC Newbury and then onto Swindon.

“I try and bring the leadership skills into my game, so I can bring the team together and I want to use that to benefit the team, but also help me as a player.”

The centre-back began playing football from a young age and spent most of his early days playing in Newbury.

“I used to play with my Dad in the garden, but AFC Newbury was where I started when I was five years old.

“I am still friends with some of the boys I played with because I then moved to Woolton Hill before I went to Swindon and I like keeping in contact with them all.”

It’s a big move for the youngster, but it’s something he felt he had to do in order to pursue his dream.

“You have to make the sacrifices in your career,” he said.

“All my family are from in and around Newbury and the south, but when the opportunity comes and the offer that was given, it was something I had to go for.

“You have to take that step so you move closer to the first-team and recently we played against Harrogate Town and we played their first-team.

“I am already getting these opportunities and it’s giving me a grasp of the real game and it is a step in the right direction.”

As a defender, Wiggett outlined one player that he has watched in order to learn a few things and work on his own individual game.

“As a defender, I look at someone like Virgil van Dijk because he is an all-round centre back because he can head and clear the ball and I look up to him.

“He has speed and I think there was a point when he went 50 games without getting beat in a one-one-one situation.”