Newcastle United may have quietly pulled off a very smart piece of business with the signing of Ousmane Diabaté.

The 18-year-old midfielder completed a low-key move from Turkish side Gençlerbirliği last month, with Newcastle immediately allowing the youngster to return to the Super Lig club on loan to continue his development.

At the time, the deal understandably went somewhat under the radar. Diabaté is still at the beginning of his senior career and won’t be arriving on Tyneside immediately, but excitement surrounding the young Guinean has continued to grow.

Now, further details have emerged about how Newcastle identified Diabaté and why those inside the club appear to believe they have secured a player with serious potential.

According to The i Paper’s Mark Douglas, Newcastle’s move for Diabaté was far from a speculative signing. The teenager had been closely monitored before the Magpies made their move, with the club clearly seeing enough potential to act early.

Newcastle thinking ahead

This is exactly the type of transfer Newcastle need to continue making.

Rather than waiting for a young player to establish himself and potentially command a huge transfer fee, Newcastle have moved at an early stage of Diabaté’s development.

At just 18, there is obviously still a long way to go before anyone can predict exactly how far he will progress.

However, allowing him to remain with Gençlerbirliği could prove particularly important. Instead of immediately moving countries and potentially struggling for opportunities in England, Diabaté can continue playing and developing in familiar surroundings.

Newcastle can then monitor his progress closely before deciding when the time is right to bring him to Tyneside.

A potentially very clever investment

There are never any guarantees when signing players at this age, but the potential upside is enormous.

If Diabaté continues his development and eventually becomes capable of competing for Newcastle’s first team, the club could have secured a hugely valuable player before his reputation — and transfer value — exploded.

And even if his eventual route takes him elsewhere, identifying talented young players early can become an important part of Newcastle’s wider recruitment strategy.

The biggest clubs don’t simply spend enormous sums on established stars. They identify talent before everyone else does.

Newcastle appear to believe Ousmane Diabaté could be one of those players.

For now, supporters may not see much of him at St James’ Park.

But this is certainly a name worth remembering.