Some Newcastle players were bewildered about what happened at the club recently

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It’s been another dramatic week for Newcastle United.

Not long after Newcastle sold players and duly avoided a ten-point deduction from the Premier League for breaking PSR rules, there were more changes under PIF.

Paul Mitchell was appointed as sporting director, while James Bunce has come into St James’ Park as the club’s new performance director.

Indeed, that’s without even mentioning the departures of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.

The pair held a 5.7% stake in the club following the 2021 takeover but have now departed, with PIF and RB Sports & Media increasing their shareholdings.

Such big news, it seems, came as a surprise to some of Eddie Howe’s players.

Some Newcastle players were bewildered by the big news

According to journalist Joel Bland on X (formerly Twitter), the news of the dual departures was only broken to the players on Wednesday morning.

One source close to Bland even suggests some of the players were “bewildered” by the news, having not expected it at all.

Amanda Staveley’s Newcastle exit shouldn’t be a surprise

While the two have been public-facing figures at Newcastle since the takeover, perhaps their departure shouldn’t be such a shock.

Not long after the PIF era dawned, it was suggested that Staveley in particular would only have control for a short-term period, until chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and a new CEO had settled in.

With Darren Eales appointed CEO and the structure slightly lower down in Mitchell and Bunce set, it does feel like a natural time if Staveley’s stint was only supposed to be reasonably short-term anyway.

For his part, Howe is reportedly looking to seek assurances as to what the club’s plan is going forward. He may even ask for clarification on where he fits in under the new-look hierarchy.

The drama, it seems, never stops at Newcastle United.