Newcastle United scouts were at the Dragão for Porto’s 3-1 win over Benfica on Sunday, and quite a few familiar names were waiting for them.
The Magpies were among the clubs represented at the local derby, as conveyed in Monday’s print edition of A Bola. And given their history, three Porto players stand out immediately: Victor Froholdt, William Gomes and Samu Aghehowa.
Froholdt shows Newcastle what they missed
Froholdt was arguably the best player on the pitch. The 20-year-old returned from concussion and produced a dominant midfield performance. He brought his usual intensity, did plenty of defensive work and constantly attacked the space ahead of him.
He was their standout performer, with the midfielder a fundamental part of Francesco Farioli’s team.
If you don’t recall, Froholdt was their ‘Plan A’ to replace Bruno Guimarães, and there were negotiations over a move. Nothing ultimately happened. But performances like Sunday’s aren’t going to make him any less interesting.
William Gomes is another name they already know. The Brazilian winger was considered as a potential replacement for Anthony Gordon.
Sunday wasn’t his best afternoon, particularly with some of his decisions in possession. But one quieter performance shouldn’t change the wider picture around him.
More familiar names in scene
Then there’s Samu Aghehowa, who you might know as Samu Omorodion. Newcastle were repeatedly linked with the striker when he was scoring heavily in Portugal.
That story was interrupted by a serious ACL injury, which kept him out for almost eight months.
Sunday finally brought his return. Samu came off the bench for the closing minutes against Benfica. There wasn’t enough time for him to do much, but surely it was important to see a former target take the first step in his comeback.
There were familiar names on the Benfica side too. Tomás Araújo has previously been a Newcastle target. He was one of Benfica’s main performers after Clément Lenglet’s first-half dismissal left them with ten men.
Newcastle looked at his centre-back partner António Silva this summer. That pursuit went nowhere, with Silva eventually choosing Bournemouth.
Then João Palhinha provides another link. Newcastle wanted the midfielder in the last window, but he eventually joined Benfica instead.
Palhinha started on Sunday and was one of Benfica’s better players. He fought for control after the red card, won duels and helped limit Porto when the circumstances became very difficult.
Portugal has worked pretty well for Newcastle
In the end there’s a wider reason why Newcastle returning to Portugal is worth watching.
They’ve already signed Lukáš Horníček from Braga and Amar Dedić from Benfica, and both have started very well in England. So those deals may have given Newcastle even more confidence in shopping in Portugal.
Froholdt, Gomes and Samu already have history with them. Having scouts at the Dragão gave Newcastle another chance to see all three – and Froholdt, in particular, gave them a pretty good reminder.
