Andre Villas-Boas will be one of the front runners for the Newcastle United manager’s job if Antero Henrique becomes the Premier League club’s sporting director, as reported by Le 10 Sport.
Is there a more divisive manager in European football than Villas-Boas?
Depending on who you ask, a 43-year-old once labelled ‘mini Mourinho’ turned out to be more Paul Clement than the second coming of Jose. Others may argue his CV is far more impressive than it’s given credit for.
Yes, his spell at Chelsea didn’t exactly go to plan but it should be remembered ‘AVB’ led Tottenham Hotspur to their record Premier League points haul in 2013 long before Mauricio Pochettino had established the club as a domestic and European force.
Villas-Boas lifted three trophies during a short spell at Zenit St Petersburg too, while he guided a Marseille side with massive financial problems to second place in Ligue 1 – a remarkable achievement in hindsight.
And that’s without mentioning the quadruple at Porto that catapulted Villas-Boas into the mainstream a decade ago. It was an achievement that encouraged Chelsea to make a fresh-faced 33-year-old the most expensive coaching appointment of all time.
Villas-Boas’ reputation as something of a managerial also-ran, then, simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Could Villas-Boas silence his doubters at Newcastle United?
On Sunday, FootMercato reported Newcastle’s new Saudi Arabian owners had identified former PSG and Porto chief Antero Henrique as a possible sporting director.
And it’s understood the 53-year-old could turn to his old Estadio do Dragao partner if he’s handed the reins at St James’ Park.
“Antero Henrique is a very good friend of mine,” Villas Boas admitted in 2018.
The likes of Graham Potter, Brendan Rodgers and Lucien Favre – who almost took over at Crystal Palace in the summer before getting cold feet at the eleventh hour – are also in contention for the Newcastle job.
Le10 Sport, however, insists there have been no talks with former Inter Milan, Chelsea and Juventus coach Antonio Conte.
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