Newcastle United are still working on finding a replacement for Diarmuid O’Carroll, who left his role as Under-21s head coach in May.
There needs to be much more stability behind the scenes on Tyneside, and the hope is that it will soon come once new appointments are made.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell left Newcastle in June after less than a year in the role, and no major signings for the first team. Work is still ongoing for his replacement.
It was recently confirmed that Under-21s head coach Diarmuid O’Carroll was leaving Newcastle to take up a coaching role with Sparta Prague, leaving the Magpies forced to find another successor. It will be Newcastle’s third Under-21s head coach in the space of a year. Ben Dawson left Newcastle for Leicester in 2024 before O’Carroll’s arrival on Tyneside.
With Newcastle’s academy thriving, the club are hoping a new head coach can come in and stay with the club long-term in an effort to bring success in the future.
Work is still ongoing, but a new update has listed two of the final four candidates for the role.
Manchester United Under-18s manager Adam Lawrence looks on during a youth game between Arsenal and Man United Under-18s.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
Two contenders for Newcastle United U21s head coach made public
Work has been underway behind the scenes for new staff members to enter the club, it was recently announced that Newcastle had signed Martin Mark to be their first-team set-piece coach.
Now, it looks like a new Under-21s manager will be coming to the club very soon. According to Craig Hope, the club are now down to the final four contenders.
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One candidate is former Manchester United Under-18s manager Adam Lawrence. The 39-year-old joined the Red Devils in 2021 as a youth coach before taking a managerial role in 2023. Lawrence has experience of winning silverware at youth level, with his Man United side winning the Under-18s Premier League in 2024.
Hope also listed Robbie Stockdale as another candidate for the job. Stockdale, who previously managed Sunderland’s Under-21s, is currently assistant coach of the young Magpies.
🔎 Newcastle's search for new U21s boss is down to final four candidates
🔴 Includes ex Man Utd U18s boss Adam Lawrence, who left club in May seeking new challenge
⚫️ Current NUFC 21s assistant Robbie Stockdale also in running
🧱 NUFC could do with some stability at this level pic.twitter.com/NFeCNb8Hut
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) July 13, 2025
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Stockdale has taken up coaching roles for several different clubs in the past, including West Bromwich Albion with Sam Allardyce. The 45-year-old also spent a year in management with Rochdale while they were in League Two.
Update on Newcastle United’s sporting director search
With Mitchell now gone, Newcastle are looking to appoint a new sporting director who can help bring a new crop of players to the club.
Eddie Howe, Andy Howe and Steve Nickson are currently leading recruitment at Newcastle, but there surely must be some eagerness from club officials to get Eddie Howe back to his full-time managerial duties.
The search for a sporting director is still ongoing, but it looks like it will soon come to an end.
It has been reported that Ross Wilson and Jason Ayto are the two leading candidates for the sporting director role, but a final decision is yet to be made.
Wilson is currently Nottingham Forest’s sporting director, and is noted for signing players like Anthony Elanga, Nikola Milenkovic and Elliot Anderson.
Ayto was the assistant sporting director at Arsenal, but it was announced that he was leaving the Gunners to pursue other opportunities. The 40-year-old could soon become Newcastle’s new chief and take a lot of pressure off Howe.