WALES Under-21s international Matt Baker intends to please Newport County AFC manager Graham Coughlan with clean sheets after signing on loan for the rest of the season from Stoke City.

The 19-year-old has become the Exiles’ second signing of the January transfer window, following Port Vale midfielder Harry Charsley through the door.

Baker will spend the second half of the campaign battling for starts with Declan Drysdale, Priestley Farquharson, Mickey Demetriou and James Clarke at the heart of the defence.

"I'm buzzing, I had a good chat with the manager and I can't wait to get started,” he said. “He's said to me to come in with a clean sheet mentality and that'll be good enough for him!

South Wales Argus: Matt Baker has signed for Newport County on loan from Stoke CityMatt Baker has signed for Newport County on loan from Stoke City (Image: Newport County AFC)

“At heart, I'm a defender - I like to keep the ball out the net, it's my main aim when I step onto the pitch – but on the flipside I'm composed on the ball so I like to do both sides of the game.”

Baker came through the ranks at Gillingham before moving to Stoke in the summer of 2021.

The defender is yet to make his first team debut but was named on the bench for Championship games against Hull and QPR in September and has recently been playing in Premier League Two games for the U23s.

Baker captained Wales in the 2017 Under-17 European Championships against Slovenia and Holland and skippered the under-19s against Georgia, Norway and Kosovo in 2021, playing alongside County attacking midfielder Lewys Twamley at that level.

County have until 11pm on Tuesday to add to their squad with Coughlan previously stating he was in the market for a forward in a transfer window featuring plenty of frustration.

Charsley and Baker have signed while Twamley has returned from a loan spell with Pontypridd, who have replaced him for the second half of the campaign with young Exiles midfielder Jack Karadogan.

Defender/midfielder Matty Dolan was allowed to leave for Hartlepool for family reasons while midfielder Robbie Willmott has gone to Walsall to get more game time.

Striker Chanka Zimba (Cardiff), forward Thierry Nevers (West Ham) and midfielder Hayden Lindley (Aston Villa) returned to their parent clubs after being fringe figures, with Nevers then joining Bradford for their promotion push.