Shrewsbury Town new boy opens up on learning from Premier League’s elite

Jay Turner-Cooke says rubbing shoulders with Newcastle United’s Premier League stars helped shape him into the player he is today.

Turner-Cooke became Shrewsbury Town’s sixth summer signing when he joined from National League side Halifax Town. He made his first appearance for Salop in Tuesday’s goalless draw at Stafford Rangers.

Before his spell at Halifax, the midfielder came through the ranks at Newcastle, where he trained alongside the likes of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes during his time at the club between 2021 and 2025.

Reflecting on that period of his career, Turner-Cooke said: “It was huge (at Newcastle), I trained and played with some massive names.

”From 17-years-old for four or five years, I trained with some of the best players in the Premier League and best players in the world.

“I was learning from them every day, seeing how they act and handle themselves every day was massive. It's made me the player and person I am today. I’ve learned loads”

Asked if there were any particular players he learned from, the 22-year-old added “There are loads of names people would know - from Bruno (Guimaraes) and Sandro (Tonali), but just learning from all of them, and a lot of coaches and academy coaches, you take bits from everyone.”

Turner-Cooke began his career at Sunderland before joining Newcastle United in January 2021.

During his time on Tyneside, he trained regularly with the first team and had loan spells with Tranmere Rovers in League Two and Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone.

He was released by Newcastle at the end of the 2024/25 season before joining Halifax, where he registered eight goal involvements in 37 National League appearances last season, scoring four goals.

On his time at Halifax, Turner-Cooke said: “It was massive. I left Newcastle last summer and I knew I had to go somewhere and play games and do well.

“Thankfully I did that as Halifax gave me the opportunity there.

“I knew that from people (outside) looking in it was a big backwards step for me after leaving Newcastle, going to the National League people were probably expecting me to go higher. But it was massive for my learning.

“I went and did really well there and it’s given me the opportunity to take the next step of my career, and hopefully I can kick on again.”