Winger Cal Roberts has sadly left Notts County to join Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen as the former Newcastle United youngster signs north of the border for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be worth over £100,000.

Nicknamed ‘the Geordie Messi’ for his diminutive size as well as his speed, skill, trickery and eye for goal, the 25-year-old North Shields born star scored 22 goals in 58 appearances for the Magpies having joined in January 2020 from Blyth Spartans.

Whilst his last couple of seasons have frustrated largely due to injury and Notts failing to gain promotion back to the Football League, Roberts when on the pitch at full fitness has shown glimpses of amazing quality and it was only a matter of time before the former England Youth international attracted temptation away from Meadow Lane of those from higher echelons.

Roberts becomes the second player to leave Nottingham to Aberdeen this summer as his former Magpies team-mate Jayden Richardson had already earlier in pre-season joined the Pittodrie outfit from Forest on a permanent deal.

In an official statement on the clubs website, the Notts County Directors said “we thank Callum for his many excellent performances and wish him well with his new club.

“Today’s news will of course be disappointing for our supporters, who we know shared our enjoyment of watching Callum in full flow, but we would like to assure them that, as with all high-performing players, we have been planning for this eventuality for some time.

“We have always made it clear that revenue from player sales will be reinvested in the squad and have already commenced dialogue with our head coach, Luke Williams, to assess the impact of Callum’s departure and how it may affect our ongoing recruitment plans.”

On leaving, Roberts who’s obviously delighted to be moving to Aberdeen playing in the top flight of Scottish football, also stated of his old club “Firstly, I’d like to thank the owners Chris and Alex for allowing me this opportunity. I am also very grateful to all the managers, staff and players I’ve worked with at Meadow Lane, and of course the fans who have always supported me through the highs and lows.”

He continued “It was always going to be tough saying goodbye to a club I’ve loved playing for but I feel this is an opportunity I can’t turn down. The team is in a good place this season and I cant thank Luke and Ryan enough for how much they have helped me in these past weeks. I’ve made friends for life and memories I’ll never forget. I’ll be a fan for life and wish the club the best of look for the coming season.”

Notts County, without Roberts, will host a Nottingham Forest XI at Meadow Lane tomorrow night in a 7:45pm kick off with tickets in the home end still available to purchase here.

*Main image @Official_NCFC Cal Roberts spent just wo & a half seasons with Notts County.