Newcastle United scouting meeting revealed as Ross Wilson heads up transfer plans
Newcastle United scouts are due on Tyneside next week as club chiefs prepare for the summer transfer window.
Newcastle United will host a scouting meeting next week as part of preparations for the summer transfer window.
The Gazette can reveal that club scouts will meet on Tyneside in the week leading up to the Magpies’ final Premier League match of the campaign away to Fulham to discuss the recruitment strategy at both senior and academy level.
Ross Wilson is heading up his first summer window as sporting director, having arrived from top-flight counterparts Nottingham Forest a month after the last one, and will be supported by recruitment staff Andy Howe and Steve Nickson.
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Newcastle didn’t have an active sporting director or chief executive for last summer’s window after Paul Mitchell departed in June, while Darren Eales was essentially on medical leave until being replaced by David Hopkinson.
Newcastle United change transfer approach
United are braced for a huge summer of change, with one, possibly two, key players expected to leave. Anthony Gordon is attracting strong interest from Bayern Munich, while Sandro Tonali has also been linked with a move away.
But the biggest shift is set to be the club’s transfer strategy, with there being a greater focus on acquiring high-potential players at a lower price, as opposed to buying already established players at a premium price.
While the latter approach has helped take Newcastle from battling relegation to qualifying for the Champions League, as well as winning the Carabao Cup, there is an acceptance that level of spending can’t continue in order to regularly comply with financial rules.
Speaking in December, Wilson said: “Moving forward, we definitely want to expand our recruitment network. We’ve already done that, to be honest, in my time here. We’ve already expanded the recruitment network. We’ll continue to do so as we move forward.
“I think it’s also clear that we feel that it’s highly likely, not always, but highly likely that there’ll be more value outside of the Premier League than there is in it. It’s not always the case, but I think it would be a fair assumption to say that’s something we’ll be looking into.”
Newcastle United scouting young talent
But the eye for talent doesn’t just start - and stop - at first team level. Newcastle have employed talent spotters across the globe, and The Gazette understands the 15-17 category is of particular interest.
For example, Newcastle appointed Thomas Federspiel as head of global talent scout in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador in December.
Then, last month, it was announced that the Magpies had agreed to sign 16-year-old Johan Martinez from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle when he turns 18 next summer.
“We’re delighted to beat off serious competition from leading clubs across Europe to bring Johan to Newcastle United,” Wilson commented.
“Identifying and recruiting promising young players is a key part of how we build for the future, and our scouting and recruitment teams have worked diligently to secure Johan’s signature.
“Independiente del Valle have a strong reputation for developing young players and Johan has undoubtedly benefited from that environment. He will continue his progress there while we maintain a close connection with his development, and we look forward to welcoming him to Newcastle next year.”
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