George Caulkin has been speaking on Pod on the Tyne about Newcastle United’s search for a new director of football.
The Magpies finally found a manager to succeed Steve Bruce after a gruelling three-week hunt which saw them rejected by Unai Emery, only for them to land at former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, who has already taken his first training session.
Will Howe succeed at Newcastle?
Yes!
No!
Now though, attention will turn to appointees away from the field, with a director of football being touted as a position that needs to be filled. Former Chelsea man Michael Emenalo has reportedly held talks out in Saudi Arabia with the club’s new owners about taking up the role on Tyneside.
He is not the only man to be linked, as Liverpool’s Michael Edwards – who is now set to leave his current role next year – is of consideration according to The Northern Echo, as he has previously worked with Howe at Portsmouth, and that shows the owners have a whole load of options to choose from for such a crucial position.
However, it is thought Edwards is not looking to move to Tyneside.
Caulkin has spoken about how the owners are going about their search for a director of football.
“I do think that they’re at the stage where they’ll be reaching out to people and they’re certainly asking the question of people around them, and they’re having names put to them.
“I was told from the start, that they were compiling a report on this and what they want the structure to look like. You would have thought that must have been part of the discussions when they were talking to Eddie Howe.
“So perhaps they’ve come closer to sort of understanding what it is that they want.”
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s director of football search…
The Magpies have struggled to bring in star or even top signings in recent years, with the likes of Joelinton, Jamal Lewis, Jeff Hendrick, and Ryan Fraser all failing to reach the heights expected of them in more recent times, with the former two costing a combined £55 million, so having a competent director of football who can oversee such transfer dealings could make or break the Magpies.
It is all well and good Newcastle having the wealthiest owners in the Premier League, but if they waste their money on poor players or ones looking for a final payday, it could see their aim of winning the Premier League within 10 years become a much larger task.
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