San Jose Earthquakes boss Matias Almeyda is the latest manager being considered by Newcastle United, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
Talk about a left-field move. Two weeks after their takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Newcastle have been linked with a host of managers, from proven Premier League bosses like Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter to up-and-coming tacticians such as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
And while some outside the English football bubble have also been linked, the likes of Lucien Favre, Paulo Fonseca and Antonio Conte are all experienced and proven at the top level of European football.
Almeyda, then, represents a substantial break from tradition.
Almeyda could be an inspired appointment by Newcastle United
The 47-year-old has never coached in Europe before, let alone the Premier League, and is best known this side of the Atlantic for spells at Inter Milan, Parma and Lazio as a player.
But while links with Almeyda will certainly raise eyebrows on Tyneside, his silver-specked CV speaks for itself.
The Argentine dragged River Plate off the canvas during his first coaching role, guiding one of South America’s biggest clubs to promotion from the second tier in 2013.
He repeated the trick with Banfield before claiming five titles at Mexican outfit Guadalajara, ending their nine-year trophy drought before triumphing in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League, qualifying for the Club World Cup as a result.
Almeyda has spent the past three years in the MLS at San Jose Earthquakes and it’s understood he would relish the prospect of proving his tactical chops in a more high-profile division.
Almeyda, therefore, may be seen as a more ‘gettable’ option than the likes of Gerrard, Unai Emery or Roberto Martinez, all of whom may be more difficult to prise from their current jobs.
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