Source: Northern_Echo
Gosling signs for Newcastle
NEWCASTLE United have today confirmed the signing of Dan Gosling, with the young midfielder signing a four-year contract at St. James' Park. The 20-year-old becomes the Club's second signing of the summer following the arrival of James Perch from Nottingham Forest, and has been handed the number 15 shirt. Gosling said: It's a brilliant move for me. Now that the deal is done I just can't wait to get started. I've played at St. James' Park before and know all about the amazing atmosphere. Playing there in a black and white shirt is something I've thought about already and it will be a great day when I finally get to walk out in front of 50,000 people. The gaffer Chris Hughton and all of the lads have been great with me and made me feel really welcome since I arrived and hopefully I can repay the faith that they've shown in me. The former Plymouth Argyle star moved to Everton in January 2008 having made his debut for the Pilgrims aged just 16. Gosling made his Toffees debut against Middlesbrough on Boxing Day 2008 and scored his first senior goal just two days later in a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Further cameos followed but it was his 118th-minute winner in an FA Cup fourth round replay against Liverpool which brought his name to the fore, with the strike voted Everton's Goal of the Season'. Devon-born Gosling also made a brief substitute appearance in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, and his last appearance for the Blues came in March 2010 when a knee injury sustained against Wolves kept him sidelined for the rest of the season. United manager Chris Hughton said: We're delighted to have signed Dan. He's the right age and the profile that he has is what makes it such an appealing capture for us. He's young but has Premier League experience and he's someone who can continue to develop his game. We see him as a high-energy player and a player that can play from box-to-box, but he's also a young player with experience, so he won't be phased by what is ahead of him. As a youngster he was spotted by Plymouth playing in the under-12 side of his hometown club Brixham United and in December 2006, at age 16 years and 310 days, he made his professional debut against Hull City. Internationally, Gosling earned himself an England call up for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship Qualifying Round in March 2007. He was also included in the under-17 squad for the 2007 European Championships in Belgium and in the summer of 2009, Gosling was called up for the final squad to participate in the under-19s European Championships and started every game, scoring against Ukraine in the group stages. He made his under-21 debut against Portugal in November 2009.