A former Newcastle United star is set for an impressive new role within football, a few years after calling it a day on his career.
The Magpies have had a slew of players from the past move into various roles since leaving the club and hanging up their boots. With some better than others.
Steven Taylor now manages in the UAE, having spent over a decade at Newcastle United. Papiss Cisse reunited with Taylor at Al-Qabila alongside former Newcastle man Danny Simpson.
It was announced in late 2024 that Kevin Nolan was appointed Northampton manager, having been tutored by David Moyes at West Ham. The former Newcastle attacker has helped the Cobblers out of a relegation fight in League One.
Even the current crop of players are looking to forge their careers. Dan Burn is coaching Newcastle’s junior teams and has expressed a desire to go into management upon the end of his career.
Eddie Howe says Burn can be a manager after football, claiming that the 32-year-old is ‘unbelievable’.
Demba Ba retired from football in 2021 following a successful career playing for the Magpies and other clubs like Chelsea and West Ham.
The 39-year-old has since moved into more backroom roles within the game, proving the be successful. Now, the former Premier League striker has been heavily linked to a huge new role in France.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
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Demba Ba linked with Rennes director role
Since retiring, Ba has made quite a name for himself as a director and even a stakeholder at lower league clubs.
The former Newcastle man worked as a chairman for North American football team Albion San Diego, and was previously the owner of San Diego 1904 with his old teammate Eden Hazard.
More recently, Ba has been working as director of football for Ligue 2 side USL Dunkerque, where he is defying expectations.
They find themselves fourth in the table and in the Coupe de France semi-final against footballing giants PSG.
His incredible commuppence means that there is attention from higher up. According to L’Equipe, Ba is being considered for the sporting director role at Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais, who are seriously considering replacing Frederic Massara who has disappointed since joining last summer.
Massara spent over £65m on players who have proven to be unsuccessful, leaving Rennais 12th in Ligue 1.
Despite the links, the report states that RC Strasbourg’s Loic Desire is the favourite for the role.
Demba Ba still loves Newcastle United
There is no doubt that Newcastle fans love Ba for everything he did during his time on Tyneside. The striker spent two years with the Magpies, scoring 29 goals in 54 Premier League games before joining Chelsea in 2013.
Despite leaving after just two years, Ba fell in love with the fans, which he still makes clear to this day. Ba congratulated Newcastle for reaching the Champions League in 2023, something he came close to achieving himself during his time at the club.
More recently, Ba joked with Alan Shearer about Alexander Isak and the fact that Newcastle’s record scorer never met up with him while he was at the club.
Ba also planned talks between Dunkerque and Newcastle over possible loan moves for young players. Loan manager Shola Ameobi could soon be sitting down with his former teammate to talk business.