Newcastle United chief has already helped complete £107m transfer masterstroke as Ross Wilson takes note
Newcastle United’s new recruitment chief will be hoping to identify some future stars on Tyneside.
Newcastle United's newly appointed head of first-team recruitment Tomas Amaral will be looking to provide fresh energy to the club’s recruitment strategy.
While his most recent job was as sporting director at Spartak Moscow, Amaral’s most notable spell was as a senior scout at Benfica. He enjoyed a successful spell in Portugal, playing a role in two of the club’s most profitable transfer deals in recent times.
The 35-year-old has replaced Steve Nickson, who departed Newcastle after 15 years to become sporting director at Wrexham. Amaral will work alongside Magpies sporting director Ross Wilson to strengthen the club's recruitment operation.
The Portuguese scout spent four-and-a-half years at Benfica, where he was part of the recruitment team responsible for identifying emerging talent, including Enzo Fernandez and Darwin Nunez.
£107m Enzo Fernandez masterstroke
Perhaps the standout deal during Amaral's time at Benfica involved Fernandez, who joined the Portuguese giants from River Plate for an initial fee of around £8million in 2022.
Just months later, following Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar, Chelsea paid approximately £107million to secure the midfielder's signature in January 2023.
Fernandez has since moved to Manchester City in a £125million deal, becoming the first player in football history to command transfer fees exceeding £100million on two occasions. But for Benfica, it marked a £99million profit in record time though River Plate were owned a significant sell-on percantage from the deal.
Another notable success during Amaral's time in Lisbon was Nunez, who arrived from Spanish side Almeria for approximately £21million in 2020.
The Uruguay international developed into one of Europe's most sought-after strikers before Liverpool signed him in 2022 for an initial £64million plus add-ons.
Both deals highlight Benfica's successful approach to recruiting promising players, developing their talent and generating substantial transfer returns.
That experience could prove particularly valuable at Newcastle, where Wilson has stressed the importance of player trading to the club's long-term ambitions.
The sporting director recently insisted that Premier League clubs must be willing to buy and sell players to remain competitive, warning that teams risk becoming financially restricted without a successful trading model. Armal’s arrival comes amid growing scrutiny over Newcastle’s recent player recruitment.
As such, he could have an important role to play as Newcastle look to trade effectively while also identifying high-quality players to improve the team.