· 12 September 2025, 13:30
**Sometimes it's easy to forget that the PIF era of Newcastle United is still in its infancy, and with that come teething problems.**
On the pitch, Newcastle have advanced so much that it feels like we've been at this level for years and years, when in reality we're not even five years into the new ownership.
While success has been easily measurable on a footballing front, things haven't always gone according to plan behind the scenes with Newcastle now looking to recruit their _third_ sporting director in as many years.
Dan Ashworth ultimately left the Magpies in the lurch when Manchester United came knocking, something we're sure he regrets now. More recently, Paul Mitchell turned up at the club, pissed everybody off and then ran at the first sign of trouble.
> [](https://twitter.com/ChronicleNUFC/status/1966422624596058352)
Eddie Howe denies that he dislikes working with a director of football
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However, reports have often suggested that Eddie Howe is the issue and that he doesn't like working with a director of football.
With Newcastle closing in on a new sporting director, thought to be Nottingham Forest's Ross Wilson, Howe was asked in this morning's press conference about the rumour that he doesn't like working with a director of football, which he shot down immediately.
> "I don't know where that's come from. I'm desperate for a sporting director. We need that person, his expertise, it is a never-ending network. I had a very good relationship with Dan Ashworth, a very good relationship with Richard Hughes at Bournemouth. We need the right man and we need the position filled."
Newcastle are waiting for the green light to bring in Ross Wilson
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Newcastle had to navigate the messy summer transfer window without a sporting director, with Steve Nickson and Andy Howe stepping up to fill the role, but it also meant that Eddie Howe was more hands-on than perhaps he'd have liked to be.
A director of football can take a lot of pressure off the head coach, leaving them to focus on coaching the players and picking the team, something that Howe excels at.
Ross Wilson is still in his role at Nottingham Forest, so we may have to wait a while before we see an announcement on that one, but there's a lot of belief in the media that he's the man to come in and try his hand next.