Newcastle United have appointed Ross Wilson as the club’s new sporting director after triggering his release clause at Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies said Wilson will be “responsible for the sporting strategy, development and recruitment of the men’s, women’s and Academy teams, working closely with the club’s football management and management teams.”
The 41-year-old, formerly of Southampton and Rangers, joins Forest, where he was director of football, after Newcastle triggered his release, although the terms of the release “will remain confidential between the clubs”.
Wilson fills the vacant position previously held by Paul Mitchell, who announced his resignation in June.
While there were rumors of tension between Mitchell and Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head coach admitted that a sporting director “protects the manager from a lot of things”.
In a statement, Wilson said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here at Newcastle United. It’s such a special club, and I completely understand the passion, ambition and expectations of our incredible supporters, and the ambition and desire of our owners to continue to develop and build an even stronger Newcastle United.
“My conversations with the owners have been extremely positive, and I have also been in regular contact with Eddie Howe and David Hopkinson. The trust, cohesion and alignment we are building is already strong, and we believe that being united as a team will be very important as we continue to move the club forward together.
“I’m excited to work with everyone across the different areas of our football department. Great work is already being done here and, from the first team to the women’s team and academy, my aim is to build on this, strengthen our structures over time and work with our staff to create environments in which players and staff can continue to flourish.”
Newcastle will be back in action on Saturday October 18 when they travel to Brighton in the Premier League before hosting Jose Mourinho’s Benfica the following Tuesday.
