TalkSport pundit Kevin Hatchard has given his take on reports that Paulo Fonseca could be on his way to manage Newcastle United.
Following the departure of Steve Bruce last week, the club announced that assistant manager Graeme Jones would be taking charge of the team on an ‘interim basis’, but what the future of the role looks like at the club beyond that is as yet uncertain.
Recent claims have suggested that it would be the Portuguese tactician Fonseca, previously of AS Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Porto and SC Braga who would take over, with noted journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming in a tweet that ‘the agreement is getting closer on a long term contract.’
Speaking about the potential appointment on the TalkSport Gameday podcast (37:58), Hatchard discussed his past and what some of the pros and cons were if they decided to go down that route:
“I think Paulo Fonseca is a good coach. The big allegation that was against him with Roma is that they didn’t win the big matches against the elite teams, but they did win a lot of the other games.
“And he’s not going to be judged on taking on Liverpool or Chelsea. He’s gonna be judged on those other games, kind of mid-table and below. I think he’s a good coach that could win those games.”
TIF Thoughts on Kevin Hatchard’s comments about Paulo Fonseca and Newcastle United
Would you be a fan of Paulo Fonseca taking over?
Yes
No
The way Hatchard appraises the situation, it makes it come across as if Fonseca is a man for the immediate future rather than necessarily the long-term.
Because the first thing that Newcastle United need to do is get out of the bottom three in the Premier League and ensure their survival so that they can really start their ambitious plans for the future next summer by spending big in the transfer market.
And if Fonseca did struggle to win against big sides at Roma, best demonstrated by his lack of silverware there compared to his other clubs, then that might be something that could hold him back from leading Newcastle forward for the next five to ten years.
Because given the competition he’ll face in England to compete for silverware from the teams in the ‘Big Six’, it might be a step too far for him to bring a trophy, something that the owners sound like they’ll insist on, to Tyneside.
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