Newcastle have made contact with Porto boss Sergio Conceicao over their vacant manager position, according to the Daily Mail.
An earlier report [Sky Sports] claimed that Conceicao was keen on moving to Tyneside to fill the role, and the Mail now says that St James’ Park officials have spoken to the 44-year-old about a switch and have added his name to their shortlist of potential candidates. The report claims he would be open to the move.
Conceicao led Porto to the Champions League quarter-finals last season, where they were knocked out of the competition by eventual winners Liverpool. Porto finished second in the Primeira League, behind Benfica.
OPINION
On the face of it, Conceicao would be a fantastic candidate for the vacant Newcastle job. The 44-year-old has led Porto the knockout stages of the Champions League twice – albeit being beaten by Liverpool on both occasions – but the fact that he has reached the last 16 and last eight of the competition in the last two seasons must count for something. So Conceicao would come with a solid reputation, and he will be inspired by Nuno Espirito Santo – who swapped places with Conceicao with a move to Wolves. Nuno has done an excellent job thus far with the Molineux side, and that must give Conceicao hope that he too can move to the English top flight and make a success of things. Having said that, Newcastle – in the current context – are a completely different kettle of fish. Only time will tell if this move happens, but Conceicao’s past successes with Porto must make him a real contender for the job.
