Newcastle United are searching for a new CEO ahead of Darren Eales’ departure.
Darren Eales joined Newcastle United in the summer of 2022, but it has been announced that he will be leaving the club due to health reasons.
The 52-year-old has been diagnosed with a chronic form of blood cancer, and will be stepping down from his role as CEO at St James’ Park.
However, he will continue his work with Newcastle United until a replacement is found.
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That search remains ongoing, with Eales part of the Newcastle United group that travelled to Riyadh for the warm weather training camp in Saudi Arabia.
In the meantime, it has been reported by the Daily Mail that Newcastle are considering Vinai Venkatesham as a replacement for Eales.
Venkatesham was previously part of the executive team at Arsenal, before stepping down in the summer. He worked at Arsenal with Peter Silverstone, who is currently Newcastle’s chief commercial officer.
That relationship could help Newcastle bring Venkatesham to St James’ Park, but a move is certainly not imminent.
That is according to the Athletic, who state that while Venkatesham has been floated as an option for Newcastle, he has not been identified as the ideal candidate at this moment in time.
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The Athletic add that the ultimate decision will probably be made by PIF chief and Toon chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, as is always the case with major appointments at St James’ Park.
Given how process driven and methodical PIF are, Newcastle will not rush to appoint a new chief executive officer. They will want someone who can carry the club forward and build on the excellent work done by Eales.
While Newcastle will be keen to take their time and identify the perfect candidate, there will also be an eagerness to complete the process as swiftly as possible given Eales’ health issues.
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