The Telegraph reported that Newcastle United is close to appointing Ross Wilson as its new sporting director, which will be an important "signing" for coach Eddie Howe. Wilson has entered an advanced stage of resignation negotiations. He w...
The Telegraph reported that Newcastle United is close to appointing Ross Wilson as its new sporting director, which will be an important "signing" for coach Eddie Howe.
Wilson has entered an advanced stage of resignation negotiations. He will resign as the chief football operating officer of Nottingham Forest Club and move to Newcastle to hold a similar position. Leaving Forest after more than two and a half years at the club is undoubtedly a blow to the club and owner Evangelos Marinakins.
Since joining Forest in April 2023, Wilson has played a key role in player recruitment and football operations, and has also led the reconstruction of the youth academy, facility upgrades and the modernization of the women's team. He worked closely with sporting director George Silianos and head of recruitment Pedro Ferreira, leading many smart signings such as Elliott Anderson, Nikola Milenkovic, Anthony Ilanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dirane Bakava. This summer, Forest sold Ilanga to Newcastle United for a club record fee of 55 million pounds, making a profit of over 40 million pounds compared with the original cost of 13.5 million pounds when he was imported from Manchester United.
Since the departure of sporting director Paul Mitchell in June this year, Newcastle's recruitment plan has been brewing for several weeks and has been accelerated in recent days. Wilson quickly overtook former Arsenal assistant sporting director Jason Aitor (who has joined Brighton) as the top choice. It is reported that the relationship between Mitchell and Howe has been tense on many occasions, and Wilson's appointment was jointly promoted by the coach and PIF management - the latter has continued to pay attention to it since he was coaching Rangers.
Wilson's departure is a setback for Marinakins and Forest new coach Postkoglu. His behind-the-scenes work since joining from Rangers has been indispensable and has been crucial to Forest's establishment in the Premier League. In short, Wilson has injected calmness and structure into a club considered "loud" by neutral fans. He has made key appointments across the first-team medical department, sports science and the youth academy, and is more adept at building systems than simply being responsible for recruitment.
Wilson maintains a close relationship with former Forest coach Nuno and owner Marinakins, becoming a communication bridge between the two parties. His extensive experience at Rangers, Southampton and Watford has allowed him to develop strong relationships with agents and peers - a valuable asset in a turbulent transfer market. Last summer one top agent even dubbed him "Kofi Annan" for his ability to mediate tense negotiations.
The move to Newcastle means that Wilson will face new challenges with a wider scope of responsibilities. Howe established a relationship with Wilson during his time in charge of Bournemouth and pushed for the appointment. Despite struggling with profitability and sustainability rules, Newcastle still offer a Champions League platform and clear ambitions. Forest need to start looking for a replacement, and Wilson's departure is undoubtedly regrettable.
