Ross Wilson is the sporting director of Newcastle United and here is everything you need to know about him.
Newcastle United have finally found a new sporting director after Paul Mitchell left the club, replacing him with Ross Wilson.
With a career spanning over 20 years in football administration, Wilson has enjoyed success at every club he has worked for and brings a wealth of experience to St. James’ Park.
Tasked with being responsible for ‘sporting strategy, development and recruitment across men’s, women’s and Academy teams,’ he has a huge task on his hands but appears up for the job.
Here’s everything you need to know about him.
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How old is Ross Wilson?
Wilson was born in Falkirk, Scotland, on May 4 1984. He grew up in Larbert, Scotland, and supported Falkirk FC as a child.
As of September 2025, he is 41 years old.
Who has Ross Wilson worked for?
Wilson has enjoyed a long career in football and has held several vastly different roles in the game, working his way up the ladder to become a director.
Here’s his football career path:
- Falkirk FC – Head of Football Development & Football Administration – 2004-2011
- Watford – Football Business Director – 2011-2012
- Huddersfield Town – Head of Football Operations & Board Member – 2012-2015
- Southampton – Director of Football Operations & Board Member – 2015-2019
- Rangers – Sporting Director & Board Member – 2019-2023
- Nottingham Forest – Chief Football Officer & Sporting Director – 2023-2025
- Newcastle United – Sporting Director – 2025-Present
When did Ross Wilson join Newcastle United?
Newcastle had been on the hunt for a new sporting director for months following Mitchell’s sudden departure in June 2025, which led to a challenging summer transfer window.
Eddie Howe admitted he was ‘desperate’ for a sporting director to be hired and Newcastle made Wilson their top target.
After agreeing a deal with Wilson and triggering his release clause at Nottingham Forest, Wilson joined Newcastle on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
What has Ross Wilson said about Newcastle United?
Upon his arrival at St. James’ Park, Wilson told Newcastle’s official website: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here at Newcastle United.
“This is such a special club, and I fully understand the passion, ambition and expectations of our incredible supporters, as well as the ambition and desire of our ownership to keep developing and building an even stronger Newcastle United.
“My conversations with ownership have been extremely positive, and I’ve also been in regular contact with Eddie Howe and David Hopkinson.
“The trust, cohesion and alignment we’re building already feels strong, and we believe that being united as a team will be so important as we continue to move the club forward together.
“I’m excited to work with everyone across the different areas within our football department.
“There’s already excellent work being done here and, from the first team to the women’s team and academy, my aim is to build on that, strengthen our structures over time, and work with our staff to create environments where players and staff can continue to thrive.”
The fact that Wilson moved to mention Howe in his opening statement saw him get off to a much better start than his predecessor.
What players has Ross Wilson signed?
Renowned as a transfer guru, Wilson signed 43 players during his tenure at Nottingham Forest, many of whom played crucial roles in the club’s best season in decades in 2024-25.
Elliot Anderson, Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood are all very familiar to Newcastle, but he also recruited the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo, Matz Sels, Nikola Milenkovic and Ibrahim Sangare.
The full list of his Forest signings reads:
Summer 2023 window:
- Ibrahim Sangare – PSV – £30m
- Anthony Elanga – Manchester United – £15m
- Chris Wood – Newcastle United – £15m
- Andrew Omobamidele – Norwich City – £11m
- Murillo – Corinthians – £10.3m
- Matt Turner – Arsenal – £7m
- Nicolas Dominguez – Bologna – Swap deal
- Odysseas Vlachodimos – Benfica – £7.7m
- Callum Hudson-Odoi – Chelsea – £3m
- Nuno Tavares – Arsenal – Loan
- Ola Aina – Torino – Free
- Divock Origi – AC Milan – Loan
- Gonzalo Montiel – Sevilla – Loan
- Andrey Santos – Chelsea – Loan
Total spend (not including loan of undisclosed fees): £90m
January 2024 window:
- Matz Sels – Strasbourg – £5m
- Giovanni Reyna – Borussia Dortmund – Loan
- Rodrigo Ribeiro – Sporting – Loan
Total spend (not including loan of undisclosed fees): £5m
Summer 2024 window:
- Elliot Anderson – Newcastle United – £35m
- Nikola Milenkovic – Fiorentina – £12m
- Ramon Sosa – CA Talleres – Undisclosed
- Morato – Benfica – £15m
- David Carmo – Porto – Undisclosed
- Jota Silva – Guimaraes – £10.1m
- Marko Stamenic – Red Star – Undisclosed
- Carlos Miguel – Corinthians – Undisclosed
- Eric Moreira – St. Pauli – £1.3m
- Alex Moreno – Aston Villa – Loan
- James Ward-Prowse – West Ham – Loan
- Shea Cahill – Brisbane Roar – Free
Total spend (not including loan of undisclosed fees): £73.4m
January 2025 window:
- Tyler Bindon – Reading – Undisclosed
Summer 2025 window:
- Omari Hutchinson – Ipswich Town – £37.5m
- Dan Ndoye – Bologna – £34m
- Dilane Bakwa – Strasbourg – £34.7m
- Arnaud Kalimuendo – Rennes – £25m
- James McAtee – Manchester City – £30m
- Igor Jesus – Botafogo – £10m
- Nicolo Savona – Juventus – £11.25m
- Jair Cunha – Botafogo – Undisclosed
- John Victor – Botafogo – Undisclosed
- Cuiabano – Botafogo – Undisclosed
- Douglas Luiz – Juventus – Loan
- Angus Gunn – Norwich City – Free
- Alekz Zinchenko – Arsenal – Loan
Total spend (not including loan of undisclosed fees): £182.45m
That adds up to a total spend on permanent transfers of at least £350.85m.
Praise for Ross Wilson
Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson moved to praise Wilson upon hiring him.
He said: “I am delighted to welcome Ross to Newcastle United. His experience and expertise immediately strengthen us, and his appointment is another important step forward in our journey.
“Ross has a track record of delivering strategic change. He has instilled processes and built relationships that have helped his clubs to win and grow, and he has demonstrated his ability to enhance talent pathways and integrate women’s football into the same high-performing culture.
“We are looking forward to working with him as we build towards our ambitions for long-term sustainable success.”
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