Newcastle United appear to be ready to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Off the field, Newcastle United have seen a lot of activity.
Late last month, Newcastle confirmed sporting director Paul Mitchell will leave at the end of June despite the fact he only arrived at the club in 2024.
Current CEO Darren Eales is also set to leave. Eales is stepping down from his role at Newcastle due to health reasons but stayed on until owners PIF appointed a successor.
Now, it seems the Newcastle United owners are close to doing so. Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is seemingly ready to make a decision.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Newcastle United set to appoint David Hopkinson
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle have spoken to David Hopkinson about the CEO position.
Sources at St James’ Park are said to now recognise the need for an imminent announcement, given the fact both the current chief executive and sporting director are set to leave.
Such uncertainty at a high level is hardly ideal during a summer transfer window in which Newcastle need to be active.
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With that in mind, Hopkinson is now seen as the leading candidate for the role Eales will vacate following an interview with PIF.
Who is potential new Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson?
The 54-year-old Canadian was the Chief Commercial Officer with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1994 and 2018.
He then joined Real Madrid as Global Head of Partnerships and worked there until October 2020, when he became the Chief Operating Officer of Madison Square Garden Sports Corporation.
It’s positive to hear there may be some progress at boardroom level soon. Hopefully, that soon translates to actually signing players ahead of another huge season for the club.
The smoother things are behind the scenes, the more chance the club have of operating seamlessly in the transfer market. Chaos serves no one any good.