Eddie Howe has outlined Newcastle United's transfer remit to target 'elite' signings in the upcoming window. However, the prospective deal for Yankuba Minteh and news of the latest scouting addition confirm the Magpies are not only in the market for headline acquisitions this summer.
Sporting director Dan Ashworth has often stressed the need for Newcastle to build a stronger 'pathway' between the academy and the senior setup, with Lewis Miley becoming the latest graduate with his first-team debut on the final day at Chelsea. Garang Kuol was one of several youth recruits last summer, with Minteh seemingly set to become the latest academy signing.
Newcastle are evidently casting their net far and wide in the search for rising stars, and have now reportedly made a move into the South American market after hiring Borja de Matias. The former Chicago Fire head scout will become the Magpies' chief scout for the continent, according to Spanish outlet El Comercio.
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De Matias has been out of football since a brief stint as an assistant coach at Sporting Gijón came to an end in January this year. The former television analyst reportedly became highly regarded for his 'extensive knowledge' in South America, and took his first steps as an analyst under former Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino at Independiente in 2015.
De Matias would soon follow Pellegrino to La Liga with Alaves, where a three-year stint would lead him to join Chicago Fire initially as a scout. A return to La Liga would only last nine months due to the dismissal of coach Abelardo Fernández, and the 37-year-old is now set to begin work with Newcastle.
The appointment will be the latest in a lengthy overhaul of the club's recruitment operations. Eddie Black recently joined as lead academy scout, following the likes of Paul Midgley (head of youth recruitment), Paul McLaren (head of national youth scouting), and Delroy Ebanks (lead academy scout in the south).
The addition of De Matias is an early sign of the club's intent to target a market which delivered success stories for Ashworth at his former club Brighton. Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister were brought in for low fees from Independiente del Valle and Argentinos Juniors respectively, and the duo are expected to leave this summer for huge profits.
Julio Enciso is the latest South American prospect to make the breakthrough with the Seagulls, already registering four goals and three assists in English football since arriving last summer in a reported £9.5 million deal. Kuol's arrival and the likely signing of Minteh already prove Newcastle are willing to recruit from unfamiliar markets, and the hire of De Matias is the latest step in the club's bid to build a global network of talent spotters.
