Newcastle are reportedly moving closer to appointing Paulo Fonseca as their new manager and they are apparently keen to lure Marc Overmars from Ajax to take over as their Sporting Director.

Marc Overmars from Ajax in the stands during the super league match between FC Nordsjaelland and FC Koebenhavn at Farum Park, Monday 10 May 2021, Copenhagen Denmark Copyright: Ritzau/Scanpix Liselotte Sabroe
Marc Overmars from Ajax in the stands during the super league match between FC Nordsjaelland and FC Koebenhavn at Farum Park, Monday 10 May 2021, Copenhagen Denmark Copyright: Ritzau/Scanpix Liselotte Sabroe

Steve Bruce said his goodbyes at Newcastle on Wednesday morning when the Geordie gave a sad goodbye speech. Regardless of what you think of his management style or ability, he just seems like a genuinely nice guy.

A life-long Newcastle fan, he was never really welcomed at St James’s Park, fans, perhaps understandably, still irate over the departure of Rafa Benitez under former owner, Mike Ashley.

“I think it might be my last job,” Bruce said as he prepares for a life away from the sidelines after 1,000 games in charge.

“It has been very, very tough.

“To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail and saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a tactically inept cabbage head”.

There are a number of names linked with the now-vacant Newcastle job, from Lucien Favre to Eddie owe, but Fonseca, who turned down Spurs in the summer, is the favourite.

Fonseca is believed to be (shock, horror) keen to work for the Saudis.

According to De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, Newcastle also want to bring in Marc Overmars.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona winger is consistently linked with a move away from Ajax – usually to Arsenal.

Overmars is tied to Ajax until 2024 and on a salary just shy of €1m-a-year, a trifling sum for what is now the richest club in the world.

He would be required to work three months notice, should he decide to take the job.

At this point, however, it is not clear if Overmars is even interested in leaving the job he has held since 2012.

Arsenal have often been linked with Overmars, although less so since Edu was appointed.

Speaking in September, Overmars was asked about the possibility that both Arsenal and Barcelona could be interested in his services.

“At a certain point the thing is simple: either I continue and I stay here in Ajax or we go abroad again as a family,” Overmars told Mundo Deportivo.

“I have let that train pass six times.

“They are both interesting. I think my family would choose Spain.

“We lived there very comfortably. And I think they would also choose Barcelona.”

Newcastle isn’t exactly Spain but it is something Barcelona is not – a chance to build a great club from the ground up with unlimited funds.

That sort of train rarely passes twice.