PIF creating plan to have dedicated team to deal solely with Newcastle United - journalist
All summer fans have questioned the commitment of Newcastle United's majority owners, the PIF of Saudi Arabia, and it's not without merit that these questions have arisen.
The ownership has made some huge promises since they took over the club in 2021, but not many of them have even come close to being realised.
On the pitch, fans can have few complaints. Eddie Howe has built a magnificent team while bringing up players to a whole new level, delivering the club its first trophy in 56 years in the process.
However, off the pitch, things have been very different. We're looking to recruit a third sporting director in as many years. Popular figures Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi were forced out of the club by a CEO who is also on his way out of the club. The mega training complex and fancy new stadium/regeneration of St James' Park are still in the 'dream' phase, as there's been no movement on either for months.
The PIF want a team dedicated to running Newcastle United
Craig Hope has taken the opportunity to ask what is going on any time he gets, and the last he'd heard, the PIF have a team of around 30 people whose responsibility it is to deal with Newcastle United.
However, that team is based in Riyadh and also has other investments to look after, too. It's no wonder it takes so long for anything to get done.
Now Craig Hope has reported in the Daily Mail that the PIF have acknowledged that this isn't ideal and that they plan to set up a dedicated team for Newcastle United.
Newcastle need to get a new CEO and sporting director in place ASAP
The question is, as Hope points out, where are they? Additionally, where are the new sporting director and CEO? We've been pretty confident about who is thought to be coming in for weeks; indeed, an announcement was expected weeks ago, and here we are, with the transfer window closed and the season underway and still without these very important people in place.
If, as is expected, David Hopkinson takes over as CEO, surely his first task is to get the stadium plans back on track and make an announcement.
Ross Wilson is expected to leave Nottingham Forest to become Newcastle's sporting director, and he'll have to start thinking of a plan for January so we can hit the ground running in the next transfer window if we need to.
