Former Newcastle United star Nikos Dabizas launched a personal scouting mission to watch the Magpies’ under-23s as he looks for future talents for Panathinaikos, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper claim that the former Magpie, now sporting director for the Greek side, was watching on from the stands as the club’s reserve side fell to a 2-1 defeat to Southampton on the south coast.
It is stated that he is looking at his old side for potential new signings, having poached Mehdi Abeid from St James’ Park in recent years, and that he could try to forge some sort of connection with the north east outfit.
Opinion
Having Dabizas in a position of power at the Greek side could prove to be something of a boon for Newcastle United, who might want to create a partnership to help develop their up and coming talents with a loan or two. There are plenty of English sides who have both feeder and development clubs, perhaps none more notable than Chelsea and if Newcastle can copy the Blues then they could have more exciting young talents coming through their youth system. Of course, Dabizas’ priority is his current club, not the Magpies, and he will be looking at poaching the best prospects away from St James’ Park either permanently or on loan. There may well already be someone catching his eye on Tyneside considering his personal visit to the south coast of England. There have been links to Cal Roberts, who has confirmed his exit from St James’ Park this season, but after an impressive season at reserve level there will have been plenty for Dabizas to mull over.