Newcastle United will have a scout in Belgium today to Genk’s clash with Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.
That’s according to Sporza, who say Newcastle will be among the 23 scouts in attendance for the game.
According to their information, ‘dozens of scouts’ from all over the Europe will be present for the Europa League clash. No fewer than 23 have registered for the game at the Cegeka Arena.
The Premier League has strong representation, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, Fulham, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Bournemouth all sending scouts.
The clubs have not made clear who they are watching. The obvious candidate would be Kos Karetsas, but injury will rule him out of the match. Sport Witness covered a report last March detailing Newcastle’s interest in him.
Genk stars on Newcastle United radar
Sporza does, however, name several alternatives, reporting that Zakaria El Ouahdi, Yaimar Medina, and Matte Smets have all attracted interest from numerous foreign clubs in recent weeks. Whether Newcastle are among them remains unclear.
Another name could be Ibrahima Sory Bangoura. A report back in May linked the Magpies with interest in the midfielder.
On paper, a trip to Genk is not all that surprising. They are very much a breeding ground for talent, having developed and sold a growing list of players over the last decade or more. Indeed, they’ve made no less than €169m on transfers in the past five years alone.
The current crop has also been earning rave reviews for their performances. Several, like Karetsas, are already being linked with big money moves this summer.
Newcastle wanting to get in on the mix would not be surprising at all. In fact, targeting younger players could be a smart strategy from Eddie Howe’s side moving forward while they remain restricted in the transfer window.
For now, it appears all eyes are on Genk and their clash with Zagreb tonight. It will be interesting to see who shines and who doesn’t with so many scouts in attendance.