‘Newcastle to agree risky double deal – it’s what PIF want’
Newcastle United are set to end months of uncertainty behind the scenes and agree a double deal.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell has stepped down from his post on Tyneside after less than a year in the role, leaving the club in the market for a successor.
The Magpies are also on the search for a new CEO to succeed Darren Eales, who left due to health concerns.
Newcastle are set to bring in David Hopkinson, a former Real Madrid executive, to replace Eales, and are also expected to confirm Ross Wilson as their new sporting director.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Wilson will do a good job, but is less convinced about Hopkinson.
‘Newcastle have appointed in a strange way’
This article contains exclusive comment from Keith Wyness, former Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen CEO.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that he would have filled the two vacant positions in a different way, particularly in terms of the CEO, as Hopkinson has very little football experience.
The 54-year-old is the former Head of Partnerships at Real Madrid and has a wealth of experience on the commercial side of operations.
Wyness added that Newcastle have recruited in reverse order, appointing a new technical director before bringing in a CEO.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “In terms of the sporting director, look, I think Ross Wilson is okay. They’ve obviously gone for somebody with less, shall we say, presence than Paul Mitchell. And so I think he could do a good job.
“They’ve got the new technical director in. It’s a strange way to go about it though, not having the chief executive to pick those two positions. They’re going about it completely in reverse order, but if they end up with a good solution, fair enough.
“I would have hoped to have seen somebody with more football experience at the top to take over from Darren Eales. Darren had Spurs experience and he ran Atlanta, so he was around football and understood it.
“Hopkinson has been an advisor to the commercial department of Real Madrid. He’s been around football, there’s no doubt, but I haven’t seen him involved in the cut and thrust of football.
Obviously, what PIF want is an administrator and somebody to handle their instructions and to operate effectively. It’s just a different way than I would have approached it, and so that’s my thoughts on that situation.”
Newcastle set to lose star
Meanwhile, Liverpool are set to “shatter” the British transfer record as they intensify their bid to sign Newcastle star Alexander Isak with a new mega offer, sources have told Football Insider.
Football Insider revealed on 28 July that the Reds are increasingly “confident” of signing Isak and are planning to lodge a new bid imminently.
Arne Slot’s side are willing to pay £120m plus add-ons to land the Sweden international and club-to-club talks continue behind the scenes at St James’ Park.
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