With the pandemic emptying football stadiums, we’ve spent over a year with no reports from the Portuguese media regarding scouts watching games there.
Now with things getting back to normal, or at least closer to normal, a few lists have been published recently, and it’s time to start figuring out the patterns which may soon be turned into transfer stories.
At the start of the month, Newcastle United visited Porto, where they watched the Dragons play Paços de Ferreira in a league game.
Now the Magpies were back for another visit, this time for a Champions League clash, where they saw the home side beat AC Milan 1-0.
Newcastle’s scouting trip is covered today by two newspapers, O Jogo and Record, with the latter writing that the ‘new rich’ were there keeping an eye on the game.
It’s been a while since Newcastle were last linked to a Porto player, and with the club’s takeover, it’s probably fair to say they should have fresh targets for the upcoming transfer windows.
What the scouts saw last night was especially the winner scored by Luis Diaz. The striker, who had already been Copa America’s top scorer, now has seven goals this season and keeps deciding games for the Dragons. He’s been linked to several Premier League clubs, so it’ll be no surprise if a race for his signing is being formed.
Anther player who may have drawn the scouts’ attention is Matheus Uribe, who led Porto’s midfield, covering a big area of the pitch and helping the home side control the game.
There were two others who did very well for the Dragons, but we don’t really believe Newcastle could go for their signings. One was 38-year-old defender Pepe, who’s nearing his retirement, and the other was his defensive partner Chancel Mbemba, who left the Magpies to join Porto in 2018.
