Newcastle United are looking to push on under Eddie Howe and may now have identified another exciting star who could make a mark at St James' Park.
Newcastle claim last-gasp victory over Fulham
With a mixed start to the Premier League campaign setting the scene for a fascinating contest on Tyneside, the Magpies were able to show resilience to claim all three points against Fulham on Saturday courtesy of a Bruno Guimaraes effort in injury time.
In what could turn out to be a crucial victory for the hosts, Howe's men deserved to come out on top on the balance of play, given they took on 18 shots to the Cottagers' 12 and recorded an Expected Goals total of 2.14, per Fotmob.
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Speaking post-match, the former Bournemouth manager embraced his side's 'relentless' quality to weather a frantic final 20 minutes to seal a morale-boosting win.
He told Match of the Day: "You didn't think we could get that second goal, it was end to end, it was really attacking performance from both teams, both teams were going for the win. We are delighted to get it ourselves. It was a really good last 20 minutes from us; we were relentless in our pursuit to try to win, and eventually, one of those chances fell for us."
Even if Nick Woltemade's goalscoring run ground to a halt, Newcastle showed another side to their game to drag themselves over the line to keep pace in the hunt for continental qualification, though they now have little time to recover before an EFL Cup last 16 clash against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek.
On-field matters will take priority for now, though, it appears the Magpies are already doing work behind the scenes to identify transfer targets to bolster their bid for another successful season.
Newcastle in Hayden Hackney scouting mission
According to TBR, Newcastle have been scouting Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney over the last few weeks as they size up a move for the promising England Under-21 starlet.
Labelled "outstanding" by Jonathan Woodgate, the Redcar-born star has registered two goals and two assists in 13 appearances so far this season, drawing further interest from clubs such as Tottenham, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace.
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Brighton and Hove Albion, Fulham, and Brentford also have keen eyes on his development, and Graeme Bailey has confirmed that 'there could be some very big offers coming in January' for the 23-year-old in light of his recent form.
WhoScored show that Hackney has been an offensive threat in the Championship this term, taking on an average of 2.2 shots per match and sliding through around 1.7 key passes per game.
Ultimately, competition for his signature is fierce, and a departure from the Riverside Stadium may only occur if Middlesbrough fail to earn promotion.
Despite this, Newcastle are a tempting proposition for any player rising through the English football pyramid, so it will be over to them to put forward a tempting package.