Watch Jacob Ramsey's first Newcastle interview after £43m move from Aston Villa
It was the worst-kept secret in the North East and Birmingham, but Jacob Ramsey has finally been confirmed as the latest signing for Newcastle United.
The 24-year-old has signed a long term deal worth up to £43m, and adds some much-needed depth in midfield for Eddie Howe to choose from.
It’s an exciting signing, seeing us bring in a talented former England U21 star from a Premier League rival to St James' Park the day after our 0-0 draw at Villa Park.
And in his first official interview with the club, Ramsey has expressed his immense excitement about this next step in his career, discussing his first move away from his boyhood club and the Eddie Howe pull:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNXq5l6gpY4
On the big jump from Villa to Newcastle
A boyhood Aston Villa who has been with the club most of his life, Ramsey is a player who very easily could have played out his entire career at Villa Park.
But when we came knocking, Ramsey feels as though this was an opportunity he simply couldn’t afford to miss out on.
“I’ve been at Villa all my life, I’ve had one little loan spell for six months, but this is a big move for me.”
“As soon as I knew this gaffer was interested and really liked me, it didn’t take much to decide I want to get back to my best level and this manager can do that for me.”
High praise for Newcastle and England hopes
In the last few seasons, we’ve developed a small competitive rivalry with Unai Emery’s Villa side, trading wins in often high-quality affairs.
Discussing what he's made of Newcastle in recent meetings, he said: “Aggressive, passionate, athletic, energy. Playing for Villa against them we always knew it was gonna be a tough game.
"Loads of tackles, a bit of rivalry, a bit of feistiness. But I’m excited to be on the other end now.”
“I think I’m a quite physical player: I like to get stuck in and hopefully I can show the fans. I know how passionate they are so it’s good to have them on my side.”
Ramsey then discussed his international ambitions, with the midfielder eager to follow in the footsteps of Gordon - who he knows well - Tino and Hall in making the senior England squad soon.
“Obviously when I look at the squad, I know quite a few of the players: I’m not an England international at the moment, but I think if you look at the squad when the players have joined the squad when they weren’t internationals, then the manager made them into much better players and they’ve gone on to play for their country that’s the main thing and just how they develop their players.”
“For example, look at Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall over the past 2-3 seasons, they’ve made massive progress.”
“Obviously I know a few of the boys from England. The youth setup I played with Anthony (Gordon) plenty of times, played with Lewis and Tino a few times. Obviously I’ve spoken to Anthony, he’s been texting me quite a while, a few messages here and there, but they’ve only got positive things to say. Matt Targett, from his time at Villa, he’s always said Newcastle is a big club.”
“I think in recent years, and probably last season, I was close to making the England senior set up. And as a young English boy playing in the ranks for England, the main goal is to play for the seniors. That’s probably one of the other reasons I’ve come here: to get in the senior squad.”
Ramsey on his strengths as a player
The boyhood Villa fan then shared some of his best traits as a player, talking up his energy, athleticism and ability to add goals to the side.
“Energy, box-to-box midfielder, goalscoring ability: I like to get in the pockets. Obviously my position has changed over the years, but I think if you look back to when I’ve played this position before, I’ve been aggressive, powerful, athletic, so yeah I’ll definitely bring that.”
“I think football’s getting to a stage where 24 is ‘old’, but I still feel really young. I’ve got many many years ahead of me. Obviously after probably two difficult seasons I need a fresh start and a new environment, and this is the perfect spot for me to just push on and get to those levels.”
On his battle to cement his place in Howe's XI in amongst tough competition, he added:
“I think first and foremost every footballer backs their ability 100%, and secondly we’re gonna have loads of games. Obviously the Champions League: when I was at Villa last season, the schedule came thick and fast, so there’s gonna be plenty of opportunity, it’s just down to me to perform. But I know with the games coming up there’s going to be loads of opportunities.”
“Playing against this Newcastle team and against the club, the fans have been brilliant. I’m looking forward to the game on Monday (against Liverpool), hopefully I can come on and make an impact and give a good first impression.”
