Newcastle ready to bring in ex-Man Utd man to help replace banned Sandro Tonali
Newcastle United are poised to hand a top job to former Manchester United scout Marcel Bout ahead of a pivotal transfer window.
The Magpies were dealt a blow early this season when Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months after breaching betting guidelines. Italy international Tonali was found to have breached rules while playing in his homeland, and the FA is looking into whether further breaches have taken place since his summer move to St James' Park.
A loan move for Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves has been mooted, though Premier League proposals regarding related-party transactions could get in the way of such a switch. Whatever Newcastle do in January, though, it looks as though Bout could have a big part to play.
According to AD, Newcastle have made Bout their head of global scouting, with immediate effect. The 60-year-old moved into English football when Louis van Gaal took over as Manchester United manager, initially working as an opposition analyst and then taking a scouting role under other managers at Old Trafford.
He left the club in 2022, shortly before Erik ten Hag took over and installed his own team. Earlier, Bout had held several positions in the Netherlands, including under Van Gaal within the national team setup, and also worked under Jupp Heynckes at Bayern Munich when they reached the Champions League final in 2012.
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"I have recently come into contact with Newcastle. The steady expansion of the club appeals to me," the new man is quoted as saying. "I'm also happy to be back in England and at Champions League level."
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Marcel Bout previously spent time at Manchester United (PA)
Newcastle may need to invest in January with Sandro Tonali suspended (PA)AD indicates Bout's role will see him identify talents aged between 16 and 23 who are eligible for Newcastle's first team. He will operate out of his native Netherlands, though the role will involve plenty of travel.
All but one of Newcastle's summer signings were aged 23 or under, with 25-year-old Harvey Barnes the only exception. They also looked to youth in January last season, adding Anthony Gordon, Harrison Ashby and Garang Kuol to their ranks.
£55million man Tonali was the most expensive of Newcastle's summer signings when he joined from AC Milan, and manager Eddie Howe admitted he sees the "pain and distress" faced by the 23-year-old following his ban. Newcastle lost their first Champions League game without Tonali, away to Borussia Dortmund, and the boss admitted a lack of options presented a problem with injuries exacerbating the loss of one of their key men.
"We have lost the ability to make certain decisions and pick certain teams," Howe said. "Anthony Gordon gave everything against Arsenal and the turnaround was too quick for him. We wanted him to be an impact player here."
"If we'd seen the best version of ourselves and I think the result would be different. Dortmund have played us very well with a good manager and players."
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