Newcastle United have undergone a massive transformation since their Saudi Arabian takeover. It was expected that the club would go all-out with their financial power to sign players immediately. But that has been the approach of Chelsea, rather than the Magpies.
After some very shrewd signings, such as Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Kieran Trippier, Eddie Howe’s side is in contention for a Champions League from mid-table obscurity. And now, they are making changes to their backroom staff for their long-term project.
Newcastle United to appoint Manchester City scouts
Paul McLaren, who previously worked with Manchester City, will be moving to Tyneside soon as the head of UK scouting at the youth level. The club will also appoint West Ham United academy scout Delroy Ebanks as their Southern lead scout to oversee their youth team.
Paul Baker will be the lead scout for the North, and Paul Midgley will be the head of youth recruitment for Newcastle United. McLaren will start his role from July, at the end of the ongoing season, as part of the new-look recruitment team at the club.
As a result, it appears that Newcastle are taking a much more long-term approach to their growth. This is similar to the kind that RB Leipzig have taken in Germany. However, they have sister clubs all over the club feeding them players, particularly, RB Salzburg from Austria. And it now remains to be seen whether the Saudi Arabian ownership will develop a similar model for the Premier League club to thrive.
