Newcastle United are expected to name Ross Wilson as their new sporting director, but he will still have a point to prove inside St James’ Park.
The Magpies have not had a sporting director since the start of the summer, with Paul Mitchell leaving his role after a challenging 12 months on Tyneside.
His departure is forcing the Newcastle United owners to hire a third sporting director, and Geordie Boot Boys understand that Ross Wilson is expected to get the job.
The Nottingham Forest chief is the leading candidate for the role, and is expected to take it in the near future. However, it remains unclear exactly when he will be appointed.
Wilson appears to be the man that Newcastle United have chosen, but that does not necessarily mean he is a perfect fit for everyone inside the club.
Newcastle United concerned by Ross Wilson’s limited European experience
There is one key reservation about Wilson ahead of what looks to be a looming move to Newcastle United.
That is according to the Athletic, who claim that some members of the Newcastle United ownership have concerns over Wilson’s lack of European experience.
That is something that the Magpies want more of, as they aim to regularly compete in the Champions League.
The Athletic add that it is part of the reason why Paul Mitchell was appointed in 2024, only for him to leave 12 months later.
Mitchell had European experience with Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig and Monaco, whereas Wilson can only turn to his time with Rangers.
Despite these reservations, it does not look like it will stop Wilson from becoming Newcastle United’s new sporting director.
Newcastle United changing their Champions League approach
Newcastle United are learning from their own experiences.
We saw it in the Carabao Cup final earlier this year. Eddie Howe approached the 2025 final differently to 2023, doing his best to treat it like a normal game after the overexcitement of two years ago.
The change of approach worked, as Newcastle won the Carabao Cup to end their trophy drought.
After the experience of 2023/24, the Magpies are back in the Champions League and hoping to make a stronger impression.
Howe is rotating his squad more to deal with the physical demands, while Newcastle have trained in Brussels ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Union Saint-Gilloise. That is something Newcastle opted not to do during their last Champions League adventure, instead doing their work on Tyneside before travelling.
Details like this are going to help Newcastle in Europe, but they are learning on the job. That is why they want a sporting director with top European experience, leading to some reservations over Wilson’s suitability.
However, it does not look like it will go against him as PIF near a formal decision.
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