Newcastle United appointed Darren Eales as CEO during the summer, and co-owner Amanda Staveley is very excited to be working with him at St James’ Park.
After a deal was confirmed in July, the 50-year-old officially started working for the club in August, and is the latest major addition to Newcastle’s growing team behind the scenes.
Eddie Howe now has a wealth of support behind him, with Eales operating as CEO and Dan Ashworth joining as Sporting Director.
Eales has been hailed as a great appointment from Newcastle, having worked wonders with MLS side Atlanta United. His work in the USA has earned him a big opportunity on Tyneside, as the owners embark on an exciting journey.
It has been one year since the takeover, and huge strides have been made on and off the pitch. However, some things take time as we saw with the arrivals of Ashworth and Eales.
When the change of ownership happened, Staveley and co were criticised for getting a new manager before making the required appointments behind the scenes.
But the criticism was misplaced, and the Toon owners have been getting the big decisions right. That includes recruiting Eales, who already appears to be making quite the impression.
Amanda Staveley on Darren Eales’ Newcastle arrival
On the anniversary of the takeover, Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi sat down for an interview with NUFC TV.
They were asked about how their roles will change now that Eales has arrived, and Staveley was quick to praise their appointment.
“First of all I want to say how excited we are to secure Darren to come alongside and work with us as our chief executive,” Staveley said.
“He’s got an incredible track record of running clubs and growing football clubs in particular. So this was a great appointment.”
Eales is the right man for the job
Eales’ ability to grow a club is exactly what is needed at Newcastle. That will be his key mission at St James’ Park, as he looks to turn the Magpies into a global footballing force.
A lot needs to change commercially. Under Mike Ashley, we never even tried to get close to our potential in terms of revenue. Instead, we just had Sports Direct signs everywhere.
Now there is a chance for new sponsors and new opportunities all over the globe. While the city of Newcastle is benefitting from the takeover, the club will want to become more recognisable worldwide.
That will be the job of the CEO, and Staveley’s kind words sum up the feelgood factor at St James’ Park. Big decisions are being made, and the right people are joining the club. That is happening behind the scenes and on the pitch.
Everyone is pulling in the right direction, and it will hopefully lead to a successful future for the club.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
