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Done deal: Newcastle United transfer request granted after Valencia withdrawal Newcastle United defender Alex Murphy has left the club on loan. Alex Murphy has completed a loan move from Newcastle United to Bundesliga 2 side FC Kaiserslautern for the 2026/27 season. Murphy trained with the Newcastle first-team squad under new head coach Matthias Jaissle in La Manga before leaving the camp prior to Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win against Valencia. It left the Magpies without a recognised left-back as Lewis Hall also left the camp early as Under-21s centre-back Miodrag Pivas was deployed in the role. While Hall’s withdrawal was fitness-related, Murphy’s was due to an upcoming transfer exit. Nick Pope was also left out of the matchday squad against Valencia having been made available to leave Newcastle. The Magpies have now confirmed Murphy’s exit in an official club statement. Upon signing for Kaiserslautern, Murphy said: “I’m very happy to be here. FC Kaiserslautern is a great club and I can’t wait to play my first game in this incredible stadium. I want to take the next steps in my development here and be as successful as possible with the team this season.” Alex Murphy makes loan request The 22-year-old spent the majority of last season for Newcastle as an unused substitute, making just six appearances in total. He did, however, start the Champions League knockout round play-off match against Qarabag at St James’ Park back in February. Murphy has captained the Republic of Ireland at Under-21s level and was even handed a senior call-up at the back end of last season but didn’t get on the pitch to earn a senior cap. The defender remained part of Newcastle’s first-team squad last season due to the demanding fixture schedule across all competitions paired with the club’s fitness issues in defence. Murphy spoke openly about wanting to go out on loan in January, but that was ultimately blocked due to a lack of options in his position. "If it was my choice, I’d be somewhere else playing games but it’s not always down to you," Murphy told the Irish Examiner last season. "You must accept that, keep doing what you’re doing and hopefully the chance will come. "It’s good to say that you’re a Premier League player and be in the squads every week, but as a player you want to play in games. Any player would be fuming to be on the bench for every game. It’s nice for a while but does wear off. "I’m delighted to be at Newcastle United, have no complaints about being there. It’s just wanting to play." Your next Newcastle United read: Matthias Jaissle social media post sparks NUFC supporter frenzy