Newcastle United Eyeing "Special" Record-Breaking Forward Who Idolises Neymar
Newcastle United are reportedly keeping tabs on a "special" record-breaking international forward who looks up to Brazilian superstar Neymar, according to a recent report.
Newcastle Veteran’s Nightmare Season Continues
Odysseas Vlachodimos has endured a challenging season since his £20 million move to Newcastle United from Nottingham Forest last summer. The Greek goalkeeper has made just one appearance for the Magpies, finding himself behind both Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka in the pecking order at St. James’ Park.
Despite his limited club action, Vlachodimos has remained a key figure for the Greek national team, starting all six of their Nations League group matches and keeping four clean sheets. His contributions helped Greece secure five wins in the competition.
However, his run as Greece’s first-choice goalkeeper came to an end over the weekend when manager Ivan Jovanovic opted to drop him for their play-off clash against Scotland. Instead, Olympiakos’ Konstantinos Tzolakis was given the nod.
The decision proved to be a masterstroke as Greece secured a dominant 3-0 victory at Hampden Park, earning promotion to Nations League Group A and relegating Scotland to Group B.
Newcastle Monitoring Vlachodimos’ Teammate
Among the standout performers for Greece in their win over Scotland was 17-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas, who recently switched his international allegiance from Belgium to represent Greece. Karetsas scored Greece’s second goal with a stunning strike into the top corner, becoming the youngest player ever to score a competitive goal for the Greek national team.
According to TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey, Newcastle United are among several clubs closely monitoring Karetsas. Representatives from Newcastle, Manchester United, and Liverpool were reportedly in attendance to watch the young attacking midfielder in action against Scotland.
Karetsas currently plays for Racing Genk in the Belgian Pro League, where he has scored two goals and provided four assists in 30 appearances this season. The Belgian-born star, who idolises Brazilian legends Neymar and Ronaldinho, has been described as "pretty special" by former Scotland winger Pat Nevin following his impressive performances against Scotland.
Greek journalist Stephen Kountourou has also heaped praise on Karetsas, calling him one of world football’s future stars: "We had to fight tooth and nail with the Belgian FA to stop him representing them, and that was seen as a big coup for Greek football. Karetsas is rated not just as a potentially decent talent but as one of the big players for the future in international football."
Scotland’s Disappointment
Following Greece’s emphatic victory, former Scotland defender Willie Miller acknowledged the superiority of the Greek side. "Sometimes the opposition are just better than you, and the Greeks were better. Sorely disappointing, a great performance from Greece and a poor one from Scotland," he said, as reported by BBC Sport. "Greece were just a better side; we had no answer for them. We had no creativity and no threat; we didn’t make it difficult at all for Greece."
As Newcastle United continue to scout promising talents, Karetsas could emerge as an exciting addition to Eddie Howe’s squad in the near future.
