Newcastle United aren’t enjoying the best of times at present under Eddie Howe and sporting director Dan Ashworth has now reportedly travelled to scout three players participating in the same match as the Magpies search for January reinforcements.
Newcastle form…
On Saturday, Newcastle United lost 1-0 away to Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, with a solitary effort from Andros Townsend enough to ensure the Magpies encountered their fifth defeat in six matches across all competitions.
In the Premier League, Howe’s men sit seventh, having taken 29 points from 18 matches played; nevertheless, they have also exited the Champions League and EFL Cup, making their season so far a mixed bag following on from a fantastic 2022/23 campaign. Of course, injuries have played a major part in their recent decline; nevertheless, Howe wasn’t in the mood to make excuses after his side’s defeat against Rob Edwards’ spirited outfit, as he said:
“No excuses from our side, just on the day we weren’t where we needed to be to win the game. I’m not going to say any more than that really but I think the players felt that as well. We were well aware we were below our levels but the second half was a lot better and we couldn’t force the goal we needed and the mistake in the first half has cost us the match.”
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Eddie Howe has previously admitted his admiration for the youngster.
Looking ahead, Nottingham Forest will make the trip to St James’ Park on Boxing Day as the Toon Army look to bounce back from a concerning run of form, which is likely to increase their appetite for new arrivals in January.
Now, new information has emerged regarding three potential targets for Newcastle United who have been scouted recently as Howe and his recruitment staff eye reinforcements.
Dan Ashworth’s scouting mission…
According to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Newcastle United sporting director Ashworth attended Salernitana’s 2-2 draw with AC Milan on Friday evening to take in the performances of Lorenzo Pirola, Lassana Coulibaly and Boulaye Dia.
Pirola, Coulibaly and Dia’s match rating vs AC Milan (Sofascore) | ||
Lorenzo Pirola | 7.6/10 | |
Lassana Coulibaly | 6.9/10 | |
Boulaye Dia | 6.3/10 | |
Di Marzio claims that Newcastle United are keen to recruit from Serie A once again following the initial impact of Sandro Tonali at the club before his ban for breaching gambling rules kicked in.
Pirola is a central defender, Coulibaly is a midfielder and Dia operates as a central striker, which are three positions that could all do with further strengthening as Howe battles with a strong current of absences at St James’ Park.
All three have been regulars for the Italian top-flight basement battlers this term; however, Dia, who journalist Jonas Adnan Giæver described as an “absolute monster”, is probably the standout candidate, given that he has scored 20 goals and laid on a further six assists in his 47 appearances for Salernitana (Dia statistics – Transfermarkt).
Shopping in Italy appears to be an avenue Newcastle feel they can garner success from, so it will be intriguing to see whether the North East giants advance in their pursuit of any of the mentioned trio once the transfer window gets underway.
