Craig Hope has now ruled out Paulo Fonseca in the ongoing Newcastle United manager race.

The Lowdown: Staveley's preference

As per Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Fonseca is Amanda Staveley’s ‘preference’ to take over as the new permanent manager at St. James' Park, with reports last week from Sky Sports confirming discussions had taken place over a deal to bring the former Roma boss to Tyneside.

However, things seem to have moved quickly, and it now looks like the race could be wide open once more.

The Latest: Ruled out

Hope, North-East correspondent for The Daily Mail, has now revealed that based on conversations that he has had, he does not think that Fonseca will become the new manager in the North East, but claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have indeed spoken to him over the role:

"I don’t think it will be Fonseca based on conversations, but of course they’ve spoken to him, for sure."

The Verdict: Shame

It would certainly be a shame if the Tyneside outfit are not able to hire Fonseca.

He boasts a very impressive CV, having won no fewer than nine major trophies during his career so far, and averages a tally of 1.95 points won per match in 453 games of management (Transfermarkt).

In terms of his playing style, he has been branded as 'similar' to UEFA Champions League winning-coach Thomas Tuchel by his former player at AS Roma Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Football London), and described as an ‘international class‘ tactician by Roma chief executive Tiago Pinto.

Fonseca would certainly bring excitement back to the Magpies on the pitch, but it looks as if they may now miss out on his appointment.

In other news, find out which 'proven winner' is PIF's 'first choice' for manager here!