- Newcastle are on the cusp of appointing Marcel Bout as their new chief scout
- Bout said he’s a fan of Newcastle’s measured approach in the transfer market
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Newcastle are on the brink of appointing former Manchester United chief global scout Marcel Bout, according to reports.
The Magpies, who have improved significantly on the pitch since their takeover by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund in 2021, are plotting their transfer strategy ahead of the January window in an effort to bolster Eddie Howe‘s squad.
Newcastle are currently suffering from a sizeable injury crisis with several first team stars such as Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Dan Burn enduring frustrating spells on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, summer signing Sandro Tonali has been banned until the end of the season for breaching football’s betting rules.
Although Newcastle’s Saudi owners have shown an element of restraint in the transfer market since taking over, the St James’ Park chiefs may feel obliged to splash out on new superstars in an effort to improve Howe’s depleted squad.
Newcastle ‘are closing in on appointing ex-Manchester United chief global scout Marcel Bout’
Magpies manager Eddie Howe is suffering from an availability crisis, with a host of players injured at St James’ Park, and could oversee a month of heavy spending at the club in January
The Dutchman (left) has previously worked for Manchester United under Louis van Gaal (right)
According to Dutch outlet AD Sportwereld, Bout is on the cusp of signing a deal with the Magpies which would see him become the club’s chief scout.
The Dutchman, 60, has previously worked for Manchester United, Bayern Munich and the Netherlands national football team, having long held a particularly close relationship with ex-Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal.
Bout initially joined Van Gaal’s United in the summer of 2014, specialising in opposition scouting, before becoming the club’s chief global scout between October 2016 and April 2022.
As chief scout at Newcastle, he will be tasked with identifying the best talent on the planet between the ages of 16 and 23, the Dutch newspaper has claimed. Bout is set to work…