Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew is pleased with the scouting team they've assembled.

The recruitment of Ivory Coast international Cheick Tiote for around £3.5million has proved a masterstroke, while summer arrival Yohan Cabaye is already looking a bargain at £4.8million.

Their captures owe much to the work of chief scout Graham Carr and his team, but Pardew also praised Llambias for getting to grips with the transfer system.

He said: "Graham and our scouts here, like any football club, work hard. There's a lot goes on in the Premier League and all through the divisions which goes unseen by the general fan.

"We must have 15, 20, maybe more than that, scouts who go out every week covering games and making sure we are covering all the bases.

"But you also need to think outside the box and I think we are pretty good at that as well.

"Derek understands how to deal with agents now and how to make sure we don't miss out on a deal or a player who might be of interest to us.

"Communication and information are very, very important."