Jaap Stam has claimed that before Newcastle appointed Steve Bruce as their new manager to replace Rafael Benitez, he was offered the role.
The former Manchester United treble winner is currently the boss of Feyenoord, and he has them in tenth place in the Eredivise.
Stam took over Feyenoord last summer but was then asked if he would take the Toon job – he refused, and Newcastle went for Bruce.
Stam had time as a manager in England with Reading and came up against Newcastle twice while they were in the Championship.
Benitez’s men won 4-1 at St James’ Park and then drew 0-0 at the Madjeski.
The former Dutch international, however, did get Reading to the Championship play-off final only to lose on penalties to Huddersfield.
The season after however, was not good for Stam as he was sacked in March 2018 – after a run of one win in 18 games.
Stam in his time with Reading proved that he could manage in the Championship, but surely Newcastle did not think he would be good enough for the Premier League?
Say what you want about Bruce, but at least he has top-flight experience as a manager. This claim from Stam just seems bizarre to me.
Apart from one season with Reading Stam has struggled in every job – he could have been a catastrophic appointment for Newcastle.