Following on from the acquisitions of Matz Sels, Dwight Gayle, Matt Ritchie and Jesus Gamez, Newcastle have now added Arsenal youngster Isaac Hayden to their ranks.

The versatile, defensive-minded prodigy spent last season on loan with Hull City, who went on to gain promotion back to the Premier League through the playoffs.

United have reportedly signed Hayden on a permanent, five-year-deal – costing them in and around £2.5m, and he will join up with his fellow Magpies in Ireland soon.

The 21-year-old may be highly-rated but he isn’t exactly a household name to most Toon supporters, so we decided to get the lowdown on his abilities from Paul Swain, a lifelong Arsenal fan who has tracked the progress of Hayden in recent years.

1) What are your thoughts on Arsenal’s decision to sell Hayden? I’m disappointed we’ve let him go but not all that surprised. At 21, he would now take up a place in the 25 man PL squad and we have 3 experienced centre-backs and Calum Chambers and we already have too many central midfielders, so he was never really going to get an opportunity with the first-team.

2) What is his best position? In my opinion, his best position is centre-back. He seems to be used more as a defensive midfielder at the moment, but I think he looks more comfortable at the heart of the defence and I believe it will eventually be his strongest position.

3) What are his strengths? He reads the game very well and positional-wise, he is excellent at centre-back. He is very comfortable with the ball at his feet which is maybe why he is more frequently used in midfield at the moment.

4) Does he have any weaknesses? He’s only 6″1 so in the Championship, against the big,strong forwards, that could be a problem when he’s played at the back and again maybe a reason as to why he’s played more in midfield at the moment.

5) Just how far can Hayden go in the game? This season is a big one for him. At 21, he really needs to take a step forward now. The season spent on loan at Hull could prove to be valuable experience for him. I personally think he can go on to be a very good PL player.

6) His versatility is listed as one of his biggest strengths. Why is this? His versatility is a big bonus for any squad he’s in. His two main positions at the moment are centre-midfield and centre-back, but he’s also spent quite a bit of his time in the Arsenal youth sides at right-back and I believe, at a push, he can play left-back as well.

7) Could he break his way into our first-team? I definitely think he can break into your first-team in the coming season. It may take a couple of injuries to others for him to get his chance, and then it’s up to him to take it but he has the ability the be a key team player in any Championship side.

So, it looks like Rafa Benitez could be bringing Hayden in to play an important squad role in the Championship next season. The Chronicle say he’s being signed as a defensive-midfielder, but his versatility could be key for United going forward.

It’s highly unlikely Hayden will be United’s last summer signing, with several other areas of the pitch being explored by Rafa and company, as reported by Mark Douglas of the Chronicle recently.

We’d like to thank Paul for his time and willingness to help us out with this piece.