Former Newcastle United academy midfielder Lucas De Bolle is a free agent and looking for his next club after his 18-month spell with Portuguese side Portimonense came to an end. The 23-year-old, who was once named on the bench for Premier League and Champions League fixtures for the Magpies, has returned to England and is assessing his options after fielding interest from a number of clubs.
Portugal experience proved valuable
De Bolle made a handful of senior appearances for Portimonense and believes his time in the second tier of Portuguese football has helped him develop as a player and a person. He told Chronicle Live: "I am at a point where I just need to get back playing games to be honest. I was in a reasonable spot leaving Newcastle and leaving the Under-21s is not necessarily a bad thing because you need to get senior football."
"Going abroad after South Shields was the route I took and I don't regret it. Now I just want to get back playing in the UK and it can be tough after being away for a year and a half. I've learnt a lot from my time in Portugal and that's inside and outside of football."
"On the pitch, it was very different and very physical and about using the upper body. Off the pitch, you learn a lot moving away. I learnt the language and I'm still taking lessons and the culture too. I progressed a lot as a player and a person."
"I'm a much better player than I was pre-Portugal and I feel like I'm improved massively despite not getting the game-time I wanted. I probably learnt more from a year and a half in Portugal than at Newcastle."
Newcastle pathway and Eddie Howe
De Bolle left Newcastle in the summer of 2024 when his contract expired, alongside Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie and Loris Karius. He was drafted into the senior setup under Eddie Howe and was named on the bench for four of the opening six fixtures in the 2022/23 season, although he never made a Premier League debut.
He said: "Initially, when I was on the bench in the Premier League four times in a row, I was permanently up there at the first-team training ground for half a season and then I went out on loan. For that part, I felt part of it. Afterwards, not so much because the loans come and injuries happen. Eddie Howe was my first experience of a first-team manager and he was very high level, very demanding, both of his players and staff. Everyone had to be on it."
De Bolle also experienced the famous Yellow Wall at Borussia Dortmund during Newcastle's 2-0 Champions League defeat in November 2023. He said: "The Yellow Wall was a lot bigger than I thought. I remember seeing it in the warmup and thinking that's high and then you saw it when it was full and it was like it had grown. That was a great experience but also being in the squad for Premier League games at St James Park. I think it was Aston Villa, it was an incredible experience."
South Shields stint and future plans
After leaving Newcastle, De Bolle joined National League North club South Shields, where he reunited with former Magpies academy coach Elliot Dickman. He made nine league appearances in the first half of the 2024/25 season, scoring one goal and providing four assists.
He said: "I would have thought at South Shields, given the league, the physicality would be more than Portugal but it wasn't. At South Shields, I was fortunate to work under Elliot Dickman after working under him at Newcastle. He gave me responsibility, he worked hard with me and they had some very good players. I enjoyed my short time there, I felt I did well and that's how I view my next couple of seasons because I think I improved there and I think I can improve even more. I still follow them and I want them to get promoted for sure because I had a great experience in my short time there."
De Bolle also commented on the current crop of Newcastle academy prospects, noting that while there are promising signs with players like Sean Neave, Leo Shahar, Mason Miley and Michael Mills appearing on the bench this season, the biggest step remains ahead. He said: "For a long time, there wasn't really a pathway at Newcastle. You had the two Longstaff brothers but going further back there weren't many that broke through on a regular basis. It changes over time with the new ownership and especially now, from an outside view, it seems there are opportunities due to the injuries or the size of the squad. I think as a young player, you just want to see that pathway into the first team."
"Even Under-21s to the EFL is a big step up and when you consider the EFL to the Premier League is the biggest step up, it all adds up. You get a great opportunity in a Premier League Under-21s setup - but that doesn't mean anything unless you can breakthrough and stay there and that's the hardest part that some people may underestimate just how difficult that can be."
