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Newcastle are considering a summer deal for Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly – and the man pushing ahead with talks could be set for a new role at the club.
Steve Nickson is the current head of recruitment but, following the departure of Dan Ashworth, we understand he will be considered for a redesigned sporting director/director of football role.
Some thought the club’s new owner would show the former schoolteacher the door after his arrival in 2021. He was associated with Mike Ashley’s regime and had overseen the club’s then-record £40m signing of Joelinton. . a failed striker.
However, the new owners very quickly recognized Nickson’s work ethic and attention to detail. They believed he could work well with both hands untied, and so he did.
The 59-year-old has formed a close relationship with Eddie Howe and the owners and, along with excellent signings such as Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier, Joelinton’s emergence as a key player has justified his original opinion. of the Brazilian.
Current head of recruitment Steve Nickson (centre right) has played a key role at Newcastle.
Dan Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave amid interest from Manchester United
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We’re told there would be support from several within if Nickson were to take over the recruiting arm of an athletic director position.
The process to fill the position (or positions) will be exhaustive and has not yet begun. There has also been talk of Monaco’s former sporting director, Paul Mitchell.
Meanwhile, talks with Kelly’s camp continue in the background. The 25-year-old defender is out of contract in the summer and, in an FFP world, would represent a smart acquisition for Newcastle. However, there is competition from Milan and clubs in Germany.
Has Quay gone to the kingdom?
Important news that could impact Newcastle’s potential plans to build a new stadium in the city.
Homes England has acquired the Quayside West site. The government website describes it as “the largest parcel of land in Forth Yards, one of Newcastle’s most important brownfield regeneration sites”. There are plans for 1,100 new homes.
This area, located close to Central Station and Quayside, would be a prime candidate for a new stadium if Newcastle wanted to retain its city center location.
Could this force the club to make an offer for the site?
Click here to read our article on a possible stadium move.
The lost future stars
Carabao Cup winner Bobby Clark’s emergence at Liverpool has not gone unnoticed by many at and around the club, given he left Newcastle aged 16 in 2021.
The midfielder, now 19 and the son of former Toon favorite Lee, would probably have played more than 20 games this season for his boyhood team had he still been at the club. He left believing that his development would be better at Anfield.
That was also said to be the case with Ollie Harrison. The 16-year-old midfielder was recently on the Chelsea bench at Manchester City after deciding to leave the Magpies last summer. His father, Stephen, was a highly respected coach at Newcastle’s academy, but has since moved to Middlesbrough.
It was Ashworth who tried to persuade Harrison to stay, before jumping ship last month. Did the sporting director really believe in the vision of Newcastle that he was selling?
Either way, the departures of promising players and key personnel tell owners that there is still a lot of work to be done behind the scenes.
Solano loses his position in the academy
One man who won’t get a job in the academy, at least not yet, is former Newcastle star Nobby Solano.
The Peruvian, a technical genius and veteran with 750 games in his career, applied for the U-16 managerial vacancy. That was created when the club told former Newcastle player Ian Bogie that his time had run out in January.
Former Newcastle star Nobby Solano applied for U16 managerial vacancy
Solano, who was Peru’s assistant coach at the 2018 World Cup, was interviewed for the job but, we understand, did not get it for technical reasons, but rather because of his understanding of the training software used on computers.
We’re looking forward to seeing an Apple Mac screwing one into the top corner at the next Newcastle youth team match.
Good luck, Matty.
The Longstaff brothers, Sean and Matty, have been an academy success story in recent years, and it was great to see Matty sign for Toronto FC in the MLS this week, as reported by Mail Sport.
Matty Longstaff left Newcastle and signed for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.
The 23-year-old suffered a serious knee injury on loan at Colchester on Boxing Day 2022. His contract expired at Newcastle that summer, but the club helped him with his rehabilitation and he is now back to full fitness.
We wish him all the best, he is a good boy.
Bruno’s UK tour
Bruno Guimaraes was feared to have missed the bus in Blackburn on Tuesday night when he was seen leaving the stadium without his teammates.
Had he been held for a drug test? No, Howe had given his players the next day off and Bruno, ever the tourist, took the opportunity to visit another city in the United Kingdom.
The Brazilian could never be accused of not immersing himself in our culture.
Cartoon trailer…
It’s time for the Toon trailer. I asked them a little riddle last week after a member of Newcastle staff called to test us journalists ahead of Friday’s press conference.
We need to check that first… because the answer was incomplete! A fact discovered by an eagle-eyed reader.
The question was: Thirty-three players have taken penalties for Newcastle in the Premier League. Only four of them have never scored for Newcastle from the penalty spot. Name the four.
Newcastle players celebrate their penalty shootout victory over Blackburn on Tuesday night.
There are actually five! Andy Cole. Kennedy. Joe Willock. Joselu. And the missing man… Loic Remy, who missed from the penalty spot against Stoke on Boxing Day 2013.
Here’s this week’s question: Name the four goalkeepers who have won the penalty shoot-out for Newcastle (hint: one of them was this week…). I got 3/4.
The answer will be revealed on Friday night at 8 pm on our new WhatsApp channel dedicated to NUFC.
It’s free and available. HERE