He told inews: "If a big club like Newcastle asks to talk to you, you can't help but be interested. I know the history of the club well, in Portugal Sir Bobby Robson was a great personality.
"The work of the new owners is impressive: thanks to a intelligent strategy they went from fighting not to be relegated to the Champions League, there is enormous potential. I don't know if the interest is real or not, but who would say no to a project like that?".
Pinto also said: "I'm not the type who arrives at a club and fires everyone by appointing the people he wants. It's not my style, a club is better if there is a serene environment with everyone aligned. There are three or four key elements for me: the first is the academy, the first team scouts absolutely must know the youth sector. By mentality I wouldn't take a young player from abroad if I already have someone with the same potential in my squad And if my scout doesn't know this, he doesn't understand what he's doing. I believe in development.
"The teams that win the most are the ones that think more about details. I'm stubborn about this. Of course, it requires a lot of energy. Ultimately I want people are aligned, I don't like conflict. Maybe it's a flaw, but in my opinion if we are more united between all departments we will get closer to success."