Newcastle United have named Tomas Amaral to lead their first team recruitment. The Portuguese scout, who is 35, will oversee the club's main scouting activities. This is part of changes to the recruitment team led by sporting director Ross Wilson. The club currently sits 8th in the Premier League with 11 points from eight games, having recorded three wins and two draws.
Amaral was most recently the sporting director at Spartak Moscow. He has also held scouting leadership positions at several other European clubs, including Benfica and Granada CF. Newcastle hopes his hiring will enhance their international scouting and player identification efforts as they look to close a ten-point gap to the league leaders.
Amaral stated, "It is with great pride and a strong sense of responsibility that I join Newcastle United, a historic club with passionate supporters who have high expectations and ambitions." He added that early talks with Wilson made the club's future vision clear to him.
Team manager Matthias Jaissle, who took over this season, approved of the new addition.
This appointment furthers a change in how Newcastle seeks players under Wilson's guidance. Recent player acquisitions have included Amar Dedic, who provided an assist in the last match, a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday 25 October where William Osula and Harvey Barnes scored. The team's recent form shows two wins and three defeats from the last five games, which also included a 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa on Saturday 17 October and a 4-1 defeat at Coventry.
In another change, Paul Midgley now focuses on worldwide talent development for the academy, reporting to Wilson.
The restructuring occurs with Newcastle positioned in the upper half of the league table after a victory in their last match. They have scored 12 goals this season but conceded 14. Their latest results include a mix of wins and losses. Bringing in Amaral is viewed as important for creating a more planned and efficient approach to signing players .
The original report is at NUFC Blog
