EDDIE HOWE wants to lure Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards to St James’ Park, according to reports.
Edwards is the man responsible for signing Reds superstars Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk and is friends with Howe from their time together at Portsmouth.
Howe, 43, took charge of his first Magpies training session on Tuesday after arriving at work at 6:55am.
And he is keen to link up with Edwards, 42, once again as the Toon look to become powerhouses in the transfer market, according to the Northern Echo.
Edwards’ Anfield contract is up in the summer and he has reportedly told club chiefs he plans to step down.
His departure would leave him open to take future opportunities and the chance to guide newly-rich Newcastle through the next few seasons may be a tempting one.
But Liverpool are said to be hopeful of convincing Edwards to extend his stay.
Howe and Edwards worked together at Fratton Park in the early 2000s – where the ex-Bournemouth boss was on the books as a player between 2002 and 2004.
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It was also reported the ex-Burnley manager wants Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey to be his first signing.
Howe may want Edwards but it came to light earlier this week former Chelsea director Michael Emenalo is also in line for a similar role at Newcastle.
The Nigerian, 56, has emerged as the No1 target to fulfil the same position he did with the Blues from 2011-2017, where he is credited with building the infrastructure for their incredible youth academy.
With his army of scouts he helped identify Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Salah and Romelu Lukaku as signings for the club.
Noble Emenalo also offered to resign when Jose Mourinho returned in 2013 – believing the Special One wouldn’t want to work with a director of football.
Emenalo, himself, was a talented player.
An international, he played for his country in the 1994 World Cup – coming up against Diego Maradona and having to mark the then-best player in the world, Roberto Baggio.
Experiences in Belgium, Germany and on our shores with Notts County prepared him for what would happen next.
Just 10 years after calling time on his career after a spell in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he was appointed as a head opposition scout at Chelsea, when Avram Grant was in charge.
His knowledge struck a chord with owner Roman Abramovich, who kept him on when Grant was sacked following defeat in the 2008 Champions League final.
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The infamous Chelsea loan system, which has seen somewhere in the region of 30-plus players getting game time elsewhere, was Emenalo’s brainchild.
He wanted older youth players to play 45 games a season, so they could get used to the gruelling demands of the game.
The fruits of Emenalo’s labour have come to fruition in the last few years with the likes of Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount becoming stars.
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