Report: Why Newcastle owners are delaying director of football decision

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The new Newcastle United owners are still debating who to name as the club’s director of football.

Following the takeover, PIF and co are looking to completely rebuild the club. That includes brining in a director of football who will deal with things like recruitment.

Some big names have been linked with the job. Marc Overmars was previously mentioned, but he’ll reportedly be staying with Ajax.

Another contender is Michael Emenalo, who the Telegraph claimed last month is the favourite for the job after meeting PIF representatives in Saudi Arabia.

However, a decision might not be made until next year. It was recently reported by the Athletic that a director of football might not be in place for the upcoming January transfer window.

That sounded worrying at the time, but the Telegraph have shed some light on the owners’ thinking.

No need to rush director of football decision

The Telegraph state that a list of candidates have been presented to club chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. However, they don’t plan to rush any decision.

That’s because they feel that they already have the required infrastructure to get the necessary January business done.

The report adds that plenty of work has already been done and the club intend to move quickly when the window opens.

The new owners haven’t been scared to take their time over major decisions. They delayed sacking Steve Bruce, while they took a while to name Eddie Howe as his replacement.

PIF, Amanda Staveley and Jamie Reuben appear methodical in their approach, which may be frustrating for fans who want action as soon as possible.

But good decisions are rarely rushed. And at a time when the club’s position is precarious, mistakes cannot be made.

There will be pressure on Newcastle in January to get Howe the players he needs to achieve Premier League survival. While there’ll be no director of football leading proceedings, it looks like the hierarchy have things in place to deliver what the manager needs.