Belgian news outlet Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN) are reporting that the club are scouting Gent winger Moses Simon.
Magpies representatives have been present at two of the Nigerian international’s recent matches. They reportedly saw him in action when he came off the bench for Nigeria for the friendly against Serbia late last month, and they were again seen when his club side faced Anderlecht on Sunday.
Fans on Twitter reacted to the news with a great deal of interest:
5 goals and 2 assists in a weaker league.
? Bjørn Inge (@Bjofur) 3 April 2018
Just going off the @denniswise school of scouting he’s awesome on YouTube and fiffa ha
? Nameless #iamTommy (@JoeDirrtt) 3 April 2018
#NUFC we need a Moses to go with Jesus, Christian, Mohammed and Islam
? Dave Slater (@Northuckinway) 3 April 2018
Some want to ensure we sign Kenedy instead:
In todays market 15m is a snip he is quality
? Greg O’ Grady(@Greglovesdatoon) 3 April 2018
Sign him immediately for that.
? Simon (@LittleHenryD) 3 April 2018
The lad is class
? Steve Johnston (@Sjohnston7Steve) 2 April 2018
I honestly wasn’t expecting him to have the impact he’s had. I hate that he’s a loan signing, but I guess he’s served a purpose. Fingers crossed for a takeover now.
? Trevor carr (@Trev_Carr) 2 April 2018
Buy buy buy !!
? Steve Johnston (@Sjohnston7Steve) 2 April 2018
Verdict:
HLN report that Simon is aware of interest from the Premier League and that he would consider a move to England if he is guaranteed first team football. In addition, Gent are also said to be willing to sell for the right price. A deal could therefore go ahead.
The 22 year old generally plays on the left wing, so would likely be backup option if we can’t sign Kenedy from Chelsea. This season his stats have been pretty modest with five goals and two assists in 24 appearances in all competitions. However, he has had to cope with a couple of injuries this season which have prevented him performing at his best level.