Bobby Robson is to cast his eye over Brazilian hotshot Alvaro Santos during Newcastle's training trip to La Manga. While Robson's players are being put through a gruelling training schedule as penance for their Valley horror show, the St James's Park supremo will take an opportunity to see at first hand a player capped 10 times at Under-16 level by his country and who came to his attention last year.

Santos is currently at the Spanish sporting complex with his club Helsingborgs, where he is on loan from FC America of Belo Horizonte, as the Swedes step up preparations for their rapidly approaching domestic season, which begins in April.

The £2m-rated frontman, who shot to prominence after scoring 11 goals in 14 games in his first season for the Scandinavian club last year has also attracted interest from Feyenoord.

The 21-year-old has been used sparingly in the past week as he nurses a slight thigh strain while Helsingborgs take part in a nine-club friendly tournament which concludes as Newcastle return to the North-East this weekend.

Robson remains keen to strengthen at centre-back with both Alain Goma and Marcelino actively seeking to leave the club. But, even with Alan Shearer and Carl Cort winning their respective fitness battles, the Newcastle boss is eager not to rest on his laurels when it comes to bolstering his attacking options.

Alvaro, who has scored once in six Champions' League appearances for the Swedes, comes highly recommended, although not being a full international may find it difficult to obtain a work permit were he to come to the Premiership.

With a settlement over the current confusion surrounding the legality of football's transfer system being hammered out last night, Robson realises the need to be in a position to move quickly if the opportunity arises after Newcastle had adopted a cautious approach while soccer's governing bodies came to an agreement over such an important matter.

Helsingborgs are among a quartet of Swedish clubs on the Costa Calida, a venue which proves highly popular with sides from all over Europe seeking a break from the winter chill at this time of year.

A clutch of Norwegian sides have recently left the complex, while Danish side Brondby are due to arrive on Saturday to join, among others, Russia's Lokomotiv Moscow.

While many of the Swedish League's top performers are currently with the national squad at the King's Cup friendly international tournament in Thailand, which ends this week, there remain a sizeable core of players on the Spanish coast attracting interest from a host of scouts and agents.

And Newcastle were represented last week when a posse of scouts cast their eye over Brann Bergen striker Thorstein Helstad, a player for whom Sunderland have already had a bid in excess of £1.5m turned down.

AIK Stockholm's highly-rated young defender Erik Edman, team-mate of former Newcastle striker Andreas Andersson, is another player Robson might be tempted to look at this week.

The 21-year-old is looking to secure a move to the Premiership after spells in Italy and Germany earlier in his career and is regarded as a fine prospect in his homeland.

Robson has ensured Newcastle reap maximum value for money from their £100,000 trip to the highly-rated sports and leisure complex.

With little time allowed for rest and relaxation, Robson and his coaching staff have been putting his players through lengthy and rigorous training sessions in stifling 80-degree heat in the wake of the humiliating 2-0 defeat by Charlton Athletic.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Answers

Answer page

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Torstein Helstad would be a terrific buy, young and exciting.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Go on Bobby son! keep them down to earth, well if you can say training in a luxury health farm for one of the worlds most loved and biggest clubs, would keep their egos down to earth.

But at least he's shrewd enough to know that managers live and die by their strikers......

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

I'm trying to dig up the old info on this Alvaro Santos. What I do remember is that Helingborg said on 13th December that NUFC had made an enquiry about him. Then a few days later it was revealed that the player has a very complicated 'who owns him ' problem. His Brazilian club owns most of him but they are a feeder club for Feyenoord with Feyenoord owning a percentage of him as well as part of the Brazillian club. They then put him on loan to Helingborg and I believe that he returned to Brazil for a short time, then came back to Helingsborg after they bought a chunk of him.

so saying he is worth £2 million is fine but who do you pay the money to?

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Just buy his kicking foot.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Who owns his passport?

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001