Dougie Freedman appears to be the frontrunner to become Newcastle United’s next sporting director.
The Magpies’ search for Dan Ashworth’s successor is down to two candidates, and Dougie Freedman is still in the hunt.
The other remaining candidate is Johannes Spors, who is the sporting director for the 777 Group that have been trying to buy Everton. He has experience in Europe, which could be valuable for a Newcastle United side that want to recruit players from all over the globe.
But Freedman has his strengths too, and impressed Newcastle officials with his straight-talking style during a recent interview.
He is keen on taking over at St James’ Park, and appears to have the edge over Spors as we get closer and closer to a decision being made. An announcement must not be far away, with Newcastle wanting someone in place before the end of May.
June 30th deadline important for Newcastle United and Premier League rivals
That will allow the incoming sporting director to have an impact before June 30th, which is an important date for Premier League clubs. That is when the next set of accounts are submitted, as each team aims to stay on the right side of PSR.
To do that, players need to be moved on. That includes Newcastle, who could get rid of some fringe players before the 30th of June.
There could also be an opportunity to buy players from clubs who need to increase their revenue before June 30th. That could give Newcastle United the chance to do some early deals, with Morgan Gibbs-White one of the Magpies’ domestic targets.
How Newcastle United feel internally about Dougie Freedman
It will be a fast start for whoever becomes Newcastle United’s new sporting director, and that could give Freedman a leg up over Spors.
That is because, according to the Athletic, people inside Newcastle believe that Freedman is well placed to have an immediate impact at St James’ Park. This is because of his strong understanding of English football.
The Athletic add that there is belief that Freedman could also quickly create a strong working relationship with Eddie Howe, which will be very important. Newcastle need all their major figures to be singing from the same hymn sheet, including the manager and the sporting director.
Vital that the new sporting director gets off to a fast start at Newcastle
Howe has recently spoke about how heavily involved he gets in recruitment, always watching players closely to see whether they would be a good fit before giving the green light to do a deal. That could be a more seamless process if him and Freedman are intertwined.
It is expected to be a busy summer at St James’ Park, and there will be a lot of pressure to deliver in the transfer market. That is why the new sporting director must get off to a fast start, and that will be easier if they understand English football and can work closely with Howe.
And those reasons appear to be why Freedman is the favourite right now.
The post Report: The reason why Newcastle United think Dougie Freedman could have an immediate impact at SJP appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.