"?Newcastle United are refusing to stand still in the transfer market and that should give the Magpies everywhere great heart about the future of the club.
After two years (some would argue more) of stagnation in the transfer window, owner Mike Ashley has received the wake-up call that he so badly needed. You could argue that United would never be in this predicament had it happened sooner, but it's better late than never.
Now they have dispatched scouts to all corners of Europe (including Belgium) in an attempt to find players who can come in and immediately improve the squad. The summer transfer window has only been closed for a month and a trio of targets have already been identified.
Not only have Newcastle been looking at potential first team players, but chief scout Graham Carr has also been seen watching the Swedish U21 side, presumably looking for talent to fill the development squad with.
These developments are incredibly encouraging for the club and the Belgian Jupiler League has a history of churning out excellent players. Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke are four recent examples of excellent Premier League level players that have emerged from there.
With Yoan Gouffran out of contract at the end of the season, it's important that Benitez looks to find a replacement. Rolando Aarons is in the squad and would be the natural selection, but injury problems have hampered his development in a big way.
That's why the scouting of Leon Bailey, a 19-year-old Jamaican winger who was voted the Belgian league's young player of the year is so encouraging.
In addition to players that have been scouted is forward Gregoire Defrel, who has also been watched by Arsenal, and it's important that United start to think about buying Premier League players, instead of proven Championship footballers.
There is a huge sense around the club that the Magpies are doing things right this year. They have trusted Benitez in the market and it looks like things are starting to pay off.
Getting ahead of the game now and by scouting players who can do a job in the Premier League for years to come is the right thing to do - and that's not often said when talking about Newcastle.