· 4 September 2025, 14:30
**Darren Eales will officially leave his post as Newcastle United CEO this week when he completes the 'comprehensive' handover process as Magpies announce the arrival of a new chief executive officer.**
There had been a bit of a power vacuum at Newcastle United over the summer following the resignation of Paul Mitchell and the fact that Darren Eales was on reduced duties following his decision to step down as CEO after being diagnosed with blood cancer.
It had been known for a while that former Real Madrid head of Global Partnerships, David Hopkinson was in line to take over from Eales, and there were rumours that he'd be installed during the summer, but that never happened.
Today, though, Newcastle United have finally confirmed that David Hopkinson will take charge at the club tomorrow, Friday, 5th September.
> [](https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1963565261132276020)
New CEO David Hopkinson brings a wealth of experience with him to NUFC
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Speaking to the official website, Hopkinson said he was honoured to be part of Newcastle United's journey.
> "I am incredibly honoured to join Newcastle United at such an exciting time in the club's history."This club represents something truly special. It has extraordinary history and heritage, incredibly passionate supporters, and ownership, players and staff who are committed to excellence."Having worked with iconic teams across different countries, I understand what it takes to build sustainable success at the highest levels of global sport.
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> "I greatly admire what has been achieved by the club so far, and I am excited and motivated by what is ahead as we strive to position Newcastle United among the world's elite clubs."
David Hopkinson has the opportunity to get things moving in the right direction again
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Hopefully, this now means that the club can kick on with the big projects like the stadium and new training ground, which have been held in limbo for far too long.
We won't expect an announcement on these things in the next week, but the sooner that the plans are communicated, the sooner we can reinvest in this project.
Just as importantly, though, we hope that Hopkinson can reopen the lines of communication between the club and the fans that were almost completely cut off after Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi left.