A former MLS chief scout will become the latest addition to Dan Ashworth's recruitment team at Newcastle United as the club gears up for a significant transfer window.
Magpies manager Eddie Howe has already forecast that the club will be in the market for 'elite' reinforcements in the coming months after securing qualification for the Champions League for a first time in two decades. A prospective deal for Yankuba Minteh has seemingly signalled the intent of the North East outfit to strengthen, with the 18-year-old potentially the first in a host of new signings ahead of next season.
On the pitch, the atmosphere seems pretty rosy at St James' Park at present and it seems as though sporting director Ashworth is looking to surround himself with expertise from around the world in order, as he looks to help the club continue its resurgence. In this vein, the former Chicago Fire head scout Borja de Matias is set to assume a new role as Newcastle's chief scout, according to Spanish outlet El Comercio.
Former Brighton sporting director Ashworth gained a reputation for shrewd dealings during his time with the Seagulls and it would be fair to say that the impact of his work is still being felt down on the South Coast. His former team qualified for the Europa League last season, as his signings Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister led the team to club-best sixth-place finish.
The pair are expected to depart the Amex Stadium this summer, with Brighton expected to net a sizeable profit on their investments. One should also not overlook the impact of Julio Inciso last season, with the 19-year-old having impressed after Ashworth brought him in as something of an unknown quantity from Club Libertad in the previous summer.
Since joining Newcastle in February, the sporting director has been keen to bring in fresh expertise as the club looks to further disrupt the 'Big Six' in the coming years. Securing the services of the former Sporting Gijon employee would be the latest sign of intent from the ambitious owners, with the 37-year-old likely to become the club's main man in South America.
He would join a fast-expanding recruitment team consisting of lead academy scout Eddie Black, head of youth recruitment Paul Midgley, head of national youth scouting Paul McLaren, and lead academy scout in the south Delroy Ebanks.
De Matias has been out of the game since leaving Gijon back in January, having served as an assistant coach to Abelardo Fernández. He is well-respected for his extensive knowledge of South America, with his work as an analyst having began alongside Mauricio Pellegrino at Independiente in 2015.
He would follow the former Southampton manager to Deportivo Alavez, where he would stay for three years before joining Chicago Fire. His return to La Liga would last only nine months, however, with his move to Newcastle United coming after a brief absence from the game.
