Newcastle director Dennis Wise is said to have negotiated the
deal for the 15-year-old, beating Arsenal, Portsmouth and Tottenham
Hotspur to the young forward.
Spear has been a regular for Plymouth's under-16s and was ready to
play in the reserves last season, but was not yet 15 - the minimum
age for player registration - at the time.
Now that the club battle appears to be over, there are also two
countries fighting for Spear's loyalty. While he is primarily
English, a Scottish grandmother could see him eligible for the
Tartan Army, where he may be likely to get more exposure early
on.
The Magpies are said to be paying £1 million for the player in
total, with installments being paid based on number of
appearances.