A statement of intent! The Magpies snatch talented Scottish kid from City and Liverpool

One way to show that you've arrived onto the big stage is to splash millions on established football stars. But Newcastle United seem to be doing it in a more subtle way - by attracting the hottest young talent ahead of the biggest clubs in the country. The Magpies have announced the signing of 17-year-old Scottish defender Charlie McArthur from Kilmarnock.

Even though Manchester City and Liverpool were also interested in the promising centre-back, the black and whites swooped in secured the signature of the Scotland Under-17s captain for a fee of around $420,000.

Former Kilmarnock manager Tommy Wright, who used to be Newcastle's substitute goalkeeper in late 1990s, spoke about the teenager's performance following his debut, describing him as a "dream to work with" while also predicting that McArthur will have a great career.

The youngster's arrival could be a boost to Newcastle's age-grade sides who struggled last season. The under-18s finished bottom of the league, while the under-23s failed to reach the play-offs in the Premier League 2.

Kilmarnock head coach Derek McInnes said that the Scottish club couldn't compete with Newcastle, nor would they stand in Charlie's way of joining such a big club.

"We understood, like all Scottish clubs, that we're vulnerable to the richest league in the world. Ideally, Charlie, as a Kilmarnock supporter, would have played 100 games for the Kilmarnock first team and we would have gotten a lot of satisfaction in seeing that. Unfortunately for us, a bigger club has come along and identified he's a good player, which he is. Charlie was keen on the transfer, so it was all about us getting the fee that we wanted."