After scouting Porto’s match against Liverpool in the Champions League last week, it seems Newcastle officials haven’t left Portugal. Because on Sunday, they were back at the Estádio do Dragão to do one more job.
As reported by newspaper O Jogo, the emissaries watched the home side’s 5-0 win over Rio Ave for the Portuguese League, which kept the Dragons on top of the table.
After watching Porto winning and losing with a 5-0 score in a time lapse of five days, maybe the scouts are now even more confused.
This time they had the chance to watch how well the club has been performing this season, with goals scored by Sérgio Oliveira, Tiquinho Soares (2) and Marega (2).
Although the Magpies have been repeatedly scouting Porto this season, the local press still doesn’t have a clue of who the club are keeping an eye on. Rafael Benitez was said to want Iker Casillas last year, and although the goalkeeper stayed on the bench against Liverpool, he had the chance to start this time, and managed to have a solid performance.Besides the goalscorers, another player who did really well was the left-back Alex Telles. With two more assists, he now has 11 goal making passes in the league this season, and has been proving to be the real deal.
Leicester City, Manchester United Lens, Celta Vigo, Deportivo La Coruña and Atalanta all had scouts at this match as well.
Newcastle United’s continued scouting of Porto makes it clear there’s someone of interest at the club. Benitez’s side don’t routinely watch Portuguese matches, it’s not as if they’ve been repeatedly watching Sporting and Benfica as well, so it’s not just general scouting.
