‘Newcastle could appoint Man United chief after major Jim Ratcliffe endorsement’
Newcastle United have enjoyed success on and off the pitch during Darren Eales’s three-year spell at the club as they look to appoint his successor.
The north-east giants and Eales announced last September he would step down after being diagnosed with chronic blood cancer.
The Telegraph reported on 28 March Manchester United’s chief operating officer Collette Roche is one of the candidates to take the role despite her leading the club’s new stadium project.
Peter Silverstone joined as Newcastle‘s chief commercial officer in 2022, while Brad Miller was named as chief operating officer last year.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Roche is rated highly by INEOS, which is spearheaded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, after keeping her job despite several departures in recent months at Old Trafford.
Roche worked at Siemens, United Utilities and Manchester Airports Group before joining Man United in 2018.
Newcastle could agree new hire after ‘major’ endorsement
Borson suggested Roche could be an interesting appointment for Newcastle after she’s received a “major” endorsement at Old Trafford.
He told Football Insider: “I think the best sign as to her quality is that she’s still at United because they’ve pretty much sacked everybody else that was involved in the previous regime.
“She is front and centre, so I suspect she’s very highly regarded by United and by INEOS, which would be a very good sign.
“Whether she’s looking for the top job somewhere, I have no idea.
“But it looks like it could be interesting. She’s certainly got interesting experience from United.
“As I say, if she’s been endorsed by hanging around, that’s a pretty major endorsement, I would say.
“It’s not easy to have survived this change of ownership at United.
“She will have been looked at very closely by numerous INEOS executives, who obviously rate her very highly.”
| Chairman | Yasir Al-Rumayyan |
| Chief Executive Officer | Darren Eales |
| Chief Financial Officer | Simon Capper |
| Chief Commercial Officer | Peter Silverstone |
| Chief Operating Officer | Brad Miller |
| Director | Jamie Reuben |
| Director | Abdulmajid Ahmed Alhagbani |
| Director | Asmaa Mohammed Rezeeq |
| Director | Jacobo Solis |
| Director | Roger Thornton |
Newcastle signing hinges on Champions League qualification
Football Insider revealed on 30 March Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League will be a huge deciding factor in their pursuit of Dean Huijsen.
Huijsen looks certain to leave Bournemouth this summer, with his contract at the Vitality Stadium including a £50million release clause.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea are among the other sides keen on the Spain international centre-back.
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