Former Chelsea man reveals rejected Newcastle United offer and criticises transfer stance

Newcastle United were reportedly unsuccessful in their efforts to lure one of Italian football’s top scouts to St James Park.

The Magpies are said to have made a move for former Chelsea scout Alessandro Pizzoli earlier this season but were rebuffed in their efforts as the Italian was left unconvinced by the approach taken by United in the transfer market. TuttoMercatoWeb have reported Pizzoli discussed an approach from the Magpies at the recent Palermo Football Conference and revealed just how close he came to forming part of a new look transfer setup at St James Park.

He said: “I was approached by Newcastle. I arrived at one point and was told that they would look at the data and tell me which players to go and see. I have been doing this job for 30 years, I choose the players to watch. Players then have to be contextualised, there are athletic, technical and tactical parameters to consider. It’s not certain that a player who plays well in Italy can be considered a top player in England. I offered Casadei when I arrived at Chelsea. He was playing in the U17s and would have cost €180k. He wasn’t doing well there, and then, when he cost €20m, they bought him. There is a different mentality.”

Hammers star assesses European battle

West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen has insisted there are several clubs that could snatch a place in European competition this season - and has named Newcastle United as one of them.

The Magpies are currently sat just four points adrift of the seventh placed Hammers and will host David Moyes' side at St James Park after the international break. Despite the disappointment of Saturday's FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City, Newcastle can secure a second successive season competing on the continent - and England star Bowen believes they are firmly in the mix for a top seven spot.

"There are a lot of teams in the equation. Wolves have had some really good form and picked up, there's Brighton, Newcastle, even Fulham who have won a few games and started to pick up. So, I wouldn't say it's just us and Man United. There are a lot of teams around us, five or six. You can talk about a top-four race, it's the top-six or seven race as well. It'll be an exciting end to the season; we play a couple of the teams around us, so it's almost in our hands. If we beat them, we take control of it."