Newcastle United have already carried out rigorous background checks on priority targets like Sven Botman to ensure any new signings buy into the team-first mentality at the club.
As well as researching players, himself, and discreetly speaking to those who have worked with them, Eddie Howe has previously enlisted the help of recruitment consultants over the years. The Newcastle head coach wants to know every detail about a potential new arrival, whether it is his living situation, family life, interests outside the game or internal motivations, to build a profile to go with the data and scouting reports already compiled by the club.
Newcastle had already done their homework on Botman when the Magpies previously attempted to sign the Lille centre-back in the mid-season window. Needless to say, those character reports were positive; this was a player who was open to swapping life in the Champions League for an immediate relegation fight in January, after all, only for Lille to refuse to do business.
