Newcastle talks with former Roma manager Paulo Fonseca are ‘ongoing’, with The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope leaking an update from his sources on Wednesday.
The Lowdown: Newcastle on the hunt
The Magpies have been linked with no end of exciting possible appointments since Steve Bruce’s departure was confirmed this week, with names like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and even multiple domestic league-winner Antonio Conte thrown about.
Of course, Graeme Jones is in temporary charge of the side while the new owners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sort through the endless list of possibilities, and it appears one man who could well be a front-runner is Fonseca.
The Latest: Fonseca talks ongoing
According to Hope, “talks with Paulo Fonseca are ‘ongoing’ & sources say he is interested in taking over at NUFC”, but The Daily Mail reporter stresses that it is not a done deal.
He claims discussions about the 48 year-old have been taking place since even before Bruce’s departure was confirmed, although there are still plenty of “different opinions of who is next from within the consortium”.
The verdict: Perfect fit
With names like Gerrard and Rooney perhaps too inexperienced to take on the task on Tyneside and the likes of Conte possibly too ambitious, Fonseca seems like the perfect middle ground.
Known for his tactical flexibility (via AS Roma - official), he has impressed with the likes of Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, winning a whopping 2.37 points per game in 139 matches with the latter.
During his time in Italy, Henrikh Mkhitaryan even compared him to now Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, saying the coaches are ‘similar’, while the former Manchester United attacker also highlighted his aforementioned adaptability (Football London).
Alessandro Florenzi, who played under Fonseca at Roma, hailed the Portuguese tactician as ‘one of the greatest coaches’ in football, and we feel he could be the perfect man to lead Newcastle into a new era.
In other news, the Magpies have already set their sights on a goalkeeper signing for January...