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I'm a scout and Newcastle United have pulled off a 'very smart' transfer ahead of 'top' rivals

Vakhtang Salia
-Credit: (Image: La Gazzetta dello Sport Georgia YouTube screengrab)


Vakhtang Salia won't have to look too far into the history books for inspiration. There is a reason why countryman Temur Ketsbaia was repeatedly stopped for photographs by Newcastle supporters on a visit to Tyneside a couple of months ago. The Georgian cult hero left his mark.

"I was there for three years and it was the best three years as a football player for me," Ketsbaia told ChronicleLive. "This is my favourite club where I had the best time. I know how passionate the fans are. This is a special club.

"I'm just imagining another Georgian getting this opportunity. It's very good for Georgian football and, from what I see and hear, he's a promising young player. I got this opportunity when I was 29 and for him to get this opportunity at 17/18 is great. He has all his career in front of him and I wish him all the best."

It has certainly been a rapid rise. Salia only made his first-team debut for Dinamo Tbilisi a year ago and the striker recognises he requires further experience and needs to develop physically. Hence why it is likely Salia will be loaned out at first just as, say, Yankuba Minteh was when he joined Newcastle United from Odense last year.

Newcastle have invested in this department since Paul Mitchell's arrival as sporting director and the club will soon have a psychologist, sports scientist and physiotherapist dedicated to 'helping develop future talents of the game' like Salia, who is far from the finished article. Giorgi Ivanishvili, who has served as Dinamo Tbilisi's transition manager, team manager and director of academy, said Salia knows he has a 'long way to go' - but, crucially, the level-headed teenager is willing to put the work in to get there.

"What I like about him the most is his determination to strive to be the best - not only in the game but in training, too," Ivanishvili explained to ChronicleLive. "Besides his talent, he's a hard worker, which is a significant aspect about him. He not only works on his weaknesses, but tries to make his strengths even better.

"I've seen him grow as a person in the academy since he was 13. He's very humble. He's always welcoming and he doesn't take critique as critique. He's really self-critical about his game and he always tries to make things better next time."

That mentality has been evident even since the move went through. Salia may be safe in the knowledge that he will be joining Newcastle when he turns 18 in August, but the youngster has not suddenly got carried away or started acting big-time around Dinamo's training ground.

Sporting director Paul Mitchell Mitchell revealed Newcastle 'got ahead of a number of other top clubs'
Sporting director Paul Mitchell Mitchell revealed Newcastle 'got ahead of a number of other top clubs'

That won't come as a surprise to Newcastle, who place huge importance on a player's character, but how has Salia caught the eye of clubs with what he does on the field? Well, scouts from sides on the continent who have watched Salia reference his 'striker's instinct', his ball-striking and his ability to 'sense where he should be in the box' even at such a young age. Those qualities have not gone unnoticed.

Mitchell revealed Newcastle 'got ahead of a number of other top clubs' to sign the youth international and something is clearly stirring in Georgian football - beyond even the emergence of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Giorgi Mamardashvili. After qualifying for a major tournament for the first time, the senior side defeated Portugal on way to reaching the last 16 of the Euros last summer with a squad featuring 10 players aged 24 and under. The under-21s, meanwhile, have made the play-offs after finishing two points ahead of Sweden in qualification.

Clubs across Europe have taken note - sending talent spotters to the region - and Mitchell has spoken about how Newcastle have to stretch their scouting radius and 'find undervalued talent at a certain age profile' in a PSR world. Eddie Howe has also recognised that the Magpies need to unearth 'untapped gems and try and develop players to become top players'.

Salia is a case in point and it is rather telling that Newcastle have moved quickly to get the deal done. Mikha Gabechava, who knows Salia personally from his time as a head scout and a first-team data analyst at Dinamo Tbilisi, has even suggested that the black-and-whites have stolen a march.

"If they had waited for a bit longer, there would have been other big clubs looking at players like him because there are already some big names like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool watching Georgia's under-17s," the Gent scout revealed to ChronicleLive.

"Newcastle made the move at the right time because if they had waited a few more months, it would be much harder for them to compete. Looking for players in such an undervalued market is a very smart move."